| The Fray In Ferndale is so predictably unpredictable.
Most events like the Fray are great because there is history to draw from for comparisons. After six Frays, that reservoir of accounts is growing and getting more interesting. Some facts. There is a bit of a “sophomore jinx”. There has never been a team to win three years in a row. After the initial win by Ferndale, Petaluma took home the trophy for two years, followed by SoCal for a pair. Now it is KC who has been passed the gauntlet. Can they continue the trend as a two-time winner?
In all but one of the races, the winning team has also produced the Individual winner. That was the third year when Petaluma won, and Bill Lee lost out by a whisper to Eureka’s Walter McClurg, due to the tie breaker rule that most first place finishes in the A mains wins, in case of a tie. For the first time in since the Fray's inception, the trophies will be leaving California. One other factor of every Fray, so far, is that the two top teams meet, somewhere after the lunch break, and the winner of that race is crowned at the end of the day. This years was one of the most exciting finishes. A few years ago, Petaluma and Ferndale met in what would be the seminal race of that year. Ferndale built a commanding lead of 16 points, with 4 heats to go, but Petaluma, do to their strategy of saving their big guns for the end of the rotation, fought back to win it by 2 points.
This year’s major pairing of KC and SoCal was equal to the hype. In the second race after the lunch break, on the blue table, the two top contenders met, and the tension was palpable. The race remained very close throughout, with SoCal, the reigning champ, never falling behind, and building a lead of as much as 9 points. On the final heat, and down by three, KC put on a fine surge to win it by two. A loud shout was heard throughout the hall the minute the scores were shown on the monitor.
There were three undefeated teams at the break. KC, Eureka, and SoCal, but after the next two heats, there were only two. Now it was going to be a second meeting of undefeateds later that day, except that fate was cruel to the Eureka team. In the very next heat they tied up with the Wizzard team, who snatched any chance at gory by upsetting them. Let it be noted that Wizzard, with half the team as rookies, showed very well with a 3rd place finish. They insist that they will improve when they return next year.
In the Elimination Rounds, the excitement continued. First off, all members of the KC team ended up qualifying in the top 20. To keep that in perspective, remember, they have to race against each other every race, too, so some guys are doing great just to finish 3rd in a heat. It was a great showing by on squad, to be certain.
SoCal did nearly as well, and Milt Surratt especially, having too win through 6 to get to the A Main for the first time in 5 tries. Count on him being in your path next year, if you have those same aspirations. In all, this was one of the best events I have ever attended. Of any kind. The feeling was magical. Lots of camaraderie and collegiality. There was so much encouragement between competitors, and passing of information. The improvement in everyone's performance was the outcome. Any team could jump up and bite you. Any driver could win a heat. I think this particular Fray demonstrated all the best from people in this hobby. I suppose that’s a bit maudlin but I wasn’t alone in that perception.
Well, if you get a chance to attend, please do. Next year’s Fray will be the first Saturday after Super Bowl, as always. Let’s hope they don’t have to move it again because of similar events. Let’s also not forget why it WAS moved. Brings back a hope I had growing up in the 60’s. Peace.
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