Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

• BAKERSFIELD SPEEDWAY BAKERSFIELD, CAL., June 21, 1972 - If any kind of a tag could be put on tonight, it would have to be Mike Bast Night. Mike just couldn't seem to do any wrong this evening as he really had it all together. The Feature Match Race was Mike wire to wire ahead of Wild Bill Cody. Mike Swept the Scratch events, including.a come from behind win in the Main, then put together a couple of By "Lefty" Turner Speedway fans sit up and take notice! The Promoters Association has dropped a bombshell on the SoCal speedway world! One week ago last Sunday they met in highly secretive meetings and decided to have speedway team racing. Yes, the kind of team racing that is in effect everywhere else that speedway in popular. It seems that there will be four teams here in SoCal and they will correspond to the four tracks that are curren t1y running. The promoters did it, apparen t1y, the right way because the word is that they held a rider draft. The draft was held like a NFL football draft and twenty-four riders were drafted on the first day of the meetings. ACCOrding to one of the promoters, who preferred to remain anonymous, ''The tmal horsetrading of riders should be completed by this weekend." That reference was to the Sunday that has just passed. The word "horsetrading" we take to mean changes of team riders between teams like football or baseball. The team scoring appears to have an interesting pattern as it was explained to us. The races will h ave two riders from each team squared off in a scratch race and poin ts will be awarded in this manner. The winner will get three points for his team, second will get two and one poin t for third. If a team scores a "sweep" in a heat (nrst and second) they will be awarded six poin ts, or a one point bonus for Sweeping. The complete team lineups were not available at press time but the unofficial word on team leaders is like this, Orange County will be led by Tricky Rick Woods. The Irwindale team leader is Wild Bill Cody. Bakersneld, the only team with a name as we go to press will be led by the curren t national champ Mike Bast. The Ventura team has Sonny Nutter as the number one man. Because of the fact that rosters are not ready for release yet we don't care to speculate on the rest of any of the teams at this time. The name of that Bakersfield team is the "Bandits" which seem appropriate because their team leader Mike Bast can steal wins away from anybody when he is hot. So now you're asking what's the advantage in team racing? Well, if speedway in America ever in tends to mature any riders enough to give the Europeans a bad go in things like the. World Pairs Championship we have to start making .the riders aware of how to conduct their riding style while on a team. Another example is the recen t1y past Australia trip by many of the better speedway riders. These fellows needed more experience as team members to help garner the poin ts necessary to defeat the Aussies. Team racing has its good points. The biggest one that the fans will notice right away is the "defensive" type of riding that will be employed by the fast riders to help their slower tearn member through the traffic. Another thing that will surface quickly is the old "I'm going to pay you back in the next race" type of riding which will probably punch many holes in the crashwalls. Many of the newer riders will benefit from being teamed with faster riders who will do some tu toring to help them along. It should provide excellent action especially when you consider that the Handicap half of each racing program will remain unchanged. Yes, that's right the scratch races are the only thing that will be displaced on the nights that team racing is in effect. The only thing that this writer can't understand goes like this. The teams will only be identified by those silly strap On vest like goodies that the EngliSh use. The idea of team racing is neat but the uniniatiated fan will hardly be able to understand without something bright big and colorful to ide.n tify the team that he is rooting for. Why not have something like a football jersey or motocross jersey which the rider would slip on over his • ~----- firsts by doubling up on the Handicap Main to become the flrst fifty yard man to win the Handicap and the first to win both Mains. Don Cullum swept the Handicap Consy from flag to flag and Mike Konle won the Scratch Consy wire to wire. Troy McKee spoiled Jay Davis' perfect three for three record in the second Division in yet another wire to wire effort. ~ w Z W ..J U >U Nutter matched and bettered Bill Cody to take the bronzed derby. THE STORY OF SONNY NUTTER AND THE TRAVELING BRONZE HAT leathers for the team races. They could even have the names and numhers of the team members. Everyone in the stands could easily see who is on which team. Who knows? Maybe there would even be a market for the jerseys to the fans. The only person I would like to see wearing one of those silly vests off the race track would be Miss R. Welch. By the way, it will sure be nice to see Tricky Rick Woods back racing this week after his one week forced vacation. Question for you Rick, If you had known it was going to cost one hundred dollars would. you have punched him any harder? "'apa Speedway-----By Pat Jones NAPA, CAL., June 17, 1972 - Rich MacMurray seems to have found a new home. The Reno rider won his second straight Scratch Main event at the Class A speedway races in Napa. MacMurray, who started the year on the scratch line, has suddenly moved back to the 40 after winning the Scratch and Handicap Mains in Napa last week and the Scratch Main this week. The Handicap Main wen t to another newcomer, Jerry Baugh, who started from the 10. Baugh's win was his second in as many nights. He started the weekend by winning the 'same event at Cal-Expo the previous evening. Carl Cran ke took second in the Handicap event and Ken Wood was third. Two other Reno riders were less fortunate th an MacMurray. John Cunningham and Barclay Trehal, both ranked among the five fastest speedway riders in Nortbem California, crashed heavily in the Scratch Semi. The even t was restarted and the two riders promptly ran away from the field to transfer to the Main. But Trehal was in severe pain, suddenly pulled up on the third lap of the final and had to be helped from his bike. RICK WOODS FINED SUSPENDED, By Ralph Springer The Speedway Racing Association, .sanctioning body for speedway motorcycle spon in the United States, slapped a one week suspension and a $100 fine on top rider Rick Woods of Huntington Beach last Monday nigh t. The action came as a result of an altercation between Woods and fellow rider Bill Cody of Garden Grove last week at Costa Mesa's Orange County Fairgrounds track. After a panicularly close battle in which Woods felt he was the victim of rough riding by Cody, Woods confron ted his rival in the pits and unexpectedly punched Cody in the mouth, splitting his lip. The SRA board, meeting in special session, characterized Woods' actions as both unsportsmanlike and prejudicial to the sport of speedway motorcycle racing. Woods' seven day suspension takes effect immediately which means he missed Thursday evening's racing program at Irwindale Raceway as well as races at Costa Mesa, Ventura and Bakersfield. By Dennis Greene COSTA MESA, CAL., June 23, 1972 Sonny Nutter got his hat back. The story goes like this. Three years ago, Sonny wore a beat-up old straw to the Costa Mesa fair. Harry Oxley, the speedway promoter, took the hat and had it bronzed and mounted on a plaque: This coveted award went Hrst to Rick Woods and one year later to Bill Cody. This year it returned to a very proud Sonny Nutter. F or the last two weeks, a series of match races have been run along with the regular events here. The top ten riders ran off two at a time. This week, winner was pitted against winner, until there was just one: Sonny Nutter. In winning the fair derby Sonny also did one other outstanding thing. He beat Bill Cody in a two lap match race. This is the fIrst time that anyone has done so since Bill won the hat a year ago. The trophy girl wouldn't smooch Sonny. Do,", he know about Clorets? 6.. e HUNTINGTON BEACH cmpetition ycle ~ rocfuets 16612 Beach Blvd. (714) 847·2202 COMPLETE LINE OF COMPETITION ACCESSORIES * Walters Leathers * Gloves * Boots Also welding· porting· custom pipes boring and GUARANTEED tune-ups. .,. '" ...r:., ... 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