Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

~~~~~~~ Heinselman Carries 'Great Bear' Banner To Victory .,.~~~~~~~ By Mike Capalite Photos by Dennis Greene PACOIMA, CAL., August 16- The Great Bear Racing Team was in their glory Saturday night as they finished the exciting evening of speedway racing with two men In the A main and one man in the B main. Larry Heinselman, thefalr-hairedboyof the team was the upset of the evening as he turned a very unimpressive time In winning his heat race, in fact It was the slowest heat of the evening. On the other end, Rick Woods the United States Speedway chamP, turned the fastest heat at 56:79 and came back to win his semi in the fantastic time of 56: 15. _ With the two fastest times of the night behind him, Woods went out in the Trophy Dash and proceeded to soundly thrash Mike Bast, Sonny Nutter and John Carter as he took the I.elW from the first corner and stretched it out In every laP. Woods seems to put his best efforts into the Trophy Dashes, this Is hard to understand as outwardly he Is shy and retiring about trophy girls, but as someone said, he is a tiger on the track. Fans saw one of the most spectacular spills of the night as Lonnie Castlllo was leading the C main over Deunis GUdenhaus when he went a little too wide into the last corner trying to stay ahead. Lonnie got out into the loose berm of the track, lost control and as the machine whipped from side to side, It wrenched the bars from his hands. The machine did a spectacUlar series of endos right on the straight In front of the fans. Lonnie was uninjured. The B Main was all Mike Bast's as he took the lead and despite the efforts of Stu Morley who was racing under the Great Bear Banner for the evening, Mike held it to the f1n1sh while California Champion Sonny Nutter was bottled up in the fourth spot until the last corner when he made his bid to pass Norm Elledge and was successful only Inches from the flnish line. Someone must have given Heinselman the old college pep talk. As the starting gate went up on the A Main, Larry was the first into the corner and the flrst John Carter and Larry Heinselman sli ne cinders. Helnselman won the A Main. (Photos by.Dennis . Greene.) coming out, but breathing right down his neck was John Carter with Rick Woods back 1n third and Paul Conserriere fourth. Into the second corner, Carter pulled a 'Sammy Tanner; took the high groove and stormed past Larry on the outside. Carter took the lead down the straight, but still on the outside and as Larry stuffed It Into the hole on the Inside, he regained the lead and then drifted out Into Carter's line through the corner and blocked another bid for the lead by John. This gave Larry an unchallenged leadas Woods was busy not only trying to get around Carter, but trying to keep Paul Conserriere from passinl!: him. Rick was able to move-past Carter on the inside in the last lap, but It was too late to threaten the lead that Heinselman had built up as Larry took the checkered flag with the cheers of his many fans ringing in his ears. For any Speedway fans who can't make it out on Saturday night, starting on August 20 Speedway racing will also be run at the Whiteman Speedway in Pacoima on Wednesday nights. All you fans who Uke to go to the desert on the weekends, here is your chance to see this exciting style of racing on a weekday. Don't forget, Wednesday nightAugust20, Whiteman Stadium. (Results on page 20) Steve Scott Back ...-.- TAKES MAIN EVENT AT O.C. FAIRGROUNDS Sonny Nutter and Don HaWley mirror two extremes. Hawley has about as much experience as Nutter ha s years. By Mike Capallte COSTA MESA, CAL. August 15 - Sl1d1n' Steve Scott came back to speedway racing like a duck returning to water as he found the short way around the falrgrounds oval in his second appearance this season. It had been aver a year since he had an outing on one of the fuel-burners, but Friday night Steve looked like his old self as he stormed to a win in his handicap heat ahead of Sonny Nutter. Enthusiasm of the Orange County crowd is impossible to believe. The screaming and cheering of the fans completely drowned out the noise of the engines. Rick Woods, who hails from Orange County, has been chosen by the fans to pick up the gauntlet thrown by the Los Angeles riders and they give Rick their support in a manner in which it is hard to imagine. In his handicap heat, Woods came up from the 50 yard line to take the win coming out of the last corner. As he moved into second spot going into the last lap, the fans started to cheer, as he made his bid for the lead in the last corner, there wasn't a person who wasn't standing and screaming and the cresendo was so loud that is was impossible to hear the noise of the engines as the machines crossed the start-fln1sh line. This enthusiasm seemed to carry right on through the evening as the crowd got into the spirit of things. The racers caught their enthusiasm and seemed to try a little harder. In the special match race between Sonny Nutter and Don Hawley, the tans delighted in their tacticsas they would maneuver each other back and forth for the lead. They swapped the lead in every corner until Nutter decided on a do or die effort with a half lap to go and gave it all he had coming out of the corner and pulled .away from Hawley. Sonny was able to hold it for the win. This is the type of racing that the fans see practically every race in speedway competition. It is no wonder that the popularity is growing by leaps anq bounds, so much in fac t that the American Legion Is co-sponsoring a series of speedway races in the Los Angeles Sports Arena. Steve Scott charged from his 20-yard handicap to move into the main event lead and held it all the way for the win. Woods had to settle for a fourth as he couldn't fight through the traffic. As they pulled to the line for the Scratch Main, the riders were introduced to the crowd and all received huge ovations as the people in the stands proved that they are loyal speedway fans. On the line it was Rick Woods, Sonny Nutter, John Carter and Stu Morley, a more formidable group of opponents for a motorcycle race you could hardly find. As the starting· gate went up, it was Dennis (The Mouse) Glidenhaus leaves a slldlne Bruce Haserot behind. Woods and Nutter fighting for the lead with Carter and Morley dicing for the third and fourth spot. In the third lap, Rick was inched ahead of Nutter and when he had control of the lead he let it all hang out for a distant win. It 1s hard to picture the action getting better each week at this track as It already stuffs more actiQn into two hours than you can find anywhere, but each week it does get better and better. (Results on page 20) WE'VE MOVED TO LARGER QUARTERS fa 78&11 Iftll__ t- 2499 Cerritos Ave., Long Beach, Ca. 90806 (ole "'oci souf. of Willow & oae "'oci wesf of Oral,e) (Comer of 25th Street, one block South of Willow, one block West of Orange) (2J3) 427-7433 - (2J3) 636-8844 Mailia, address: P.o. BOI 498, LOI, Bea,II., Ca. 90801

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