Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1134532
VOLUME 56 ISSUE 25 JUNE 25, 2019 P121 Tanner won the first national half- mile on a Triumph, until 1976, no non-California rider won against the Ascot regulars on the half-mile. In part, it was the incredible trac- tion, helped by sea air rolling into the area keeping the track surface just moist enough that it became super tacky, that gave the advan- tage to the West Coast riders who had ridden there and knew how to set up for that traction. It was Jay Springsteen who broke the California rider stranglehold on the Half-Mile National in 1976. The legend of the tough-to-beat- locals (then little-known Sammy Tanner upset national champ Resweber in the first AMA National in '59), the big crowds, the dark and gritty atmosphere, the intense racing, the spectacular crashes all combined to make Ascot Park into a nationally known venue. Angele- nos were very familiar with Ascot, even if they never attended a race, thanks to radio ads that filled the LA airwaves always concluding with the phrase, "Come to Ascot, where the 110, the 405, and the 91 freeways collide!" For years Ascot hosted two nationals (a TT and Half-Mile), often one in the spring and one in the fall. The track was built in 1957 on a former dumpsite and was known for- merly as LA Speedway. When new owners took it over a year later, the track was renamed Ascot Park, in honor of the historic old Legion As- cot track that had burned down in Al- hambra in 1934. It was JC Agajanian who brought big-time racing to Ascot Park. "Aggie" formed Agajanian En- terprises with his sons Cary, JC Jr., and Chris, and Ben Foote, longtime publicist and vice president. Starting in 1976 the company inked a 15-year lease on the Speedway. As the Los Angeles area exploded in growth in the 1980s, the property became too valuable. It was the same fate that many of Southern California's racing venues met. So, before the Sep- tember 1990 AMA Grand National race, it was announced that it would be the final motorcycle-racing event at Ascot. (The last race there was a USAC Midget race in November of '90.) A standing-room-only crowd of over 11,000 showed up for the farewell national. Factory Harley rider Chris Carr was fastest in time trials and won the pole for the national with the fastest heat race of the night. Scott Parker led the race early, but on the second lap, Ronnie Jones put the Garvis Honda RS750 into the lead and simply pulled away to win the national. Carr was second, Parker third. Unfortu- nately, Jones never got the satisfac- tion of seeing the checkered flag. Will Davis crashed hard coming onto the front straight with just a few laps remaining, and the race was called complete. Still, Jones was pumped to take the win, his second at the track. Jones was joined by Sammy Tanner on the podium. "Growing up I'd always heard about Ascot," Jones said. "It wasn't just a famous track in California, it was famous all across the country. So, when I won the last race there, it was really special. They say that last national had the biggest at- tendance ever in the history of the track—cars or bikes. I loved racing there so much that I was hop- ing against hope that they would somehow find a way to save the track. It just didn't make sense to me that place with so much history and support was going away. It was sad in that respect. "It was great that Sammy [Tan- ner] was there that night to be on the podium with me. I was at the Trailblazer's Banquet this year. Sammy was there. Gene Romero came up to us and called us the Ascot bookends since Sammy won the first national there, and I won the last. Looking back now I'm happy I got to be a part of the track's history." CN Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives Ronnie Jones celebrates his victory on the Ascot Half-Mile in September of 1990 in front of a packed house of over 11,000 fans who came to witness the final motorcycle race at the famous venue. PHOTO: MITCH FRIEDMAN