Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

EGA ~ '" ~ w Z w .... U > U Early in the race Nixon leads Carruthe.... Rayborn. Smart. Roberts:Fisher. and Pierce. DuHamel at speed. Mark Brelsford pulled out his points lead. by Bob F. Read From September 22 through October I, So. Calif. will be the Motorcycle, .Racing Capitol of the World. It just accidentaly worked out that way. It started last year with the Ontario Speedway addition to the ranks of the National locations. The fITSt race was run in mid-October and bucked heads with the World Series and a short spell of the coldest weather in the history of the state for that time of year. So the Champion Spark Plug Classic was moved back two weeks this year. The Ascot Half-Mile National, one of the oldest on the schedule, was moved to the end of September many years ago to cap off the season for National dirt track events. The Ontcio management would like to move the 250 miler and the rest of the events that go with it to earlier in the year but the sponsors, the Champion Spark Plug Co., likes the months of October and the frlty grand that they put up to pay the purse has to be a consideration. Then the ABC-TV people got into the act this year. Late in the game, they came up with the idea to video tape a National dirt track race but they don't SEPT. 22 SEPT. 23 SEPT. 24 SEPT. 26 SEPT. 27 SEPT. 28 SEPT. 29 SEPT. 29 SEPT. 30 OCT. 1 FRI NIGHT SAT. NIGHT SUN. AFTERNOON TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY FRio NIGHT SATURDAY SUNDAY want just any race - and it must be a National. They also want to tape a day time event, not one under the lights. So for the fITSt time in fourteen years the Ascot national will be a daytime race, for the benefit of the TV people and Ontario will be a week later to avoid conflict with the baseball World Series (And possible cold weat1ler). This rounds out to mean that there are two Nationals back to back in the same. general area with a lot of supporting events running before, during and after. Ascot and Ontario are about 0'1e hour apart, thanks to freeway systems. Ascot will host three races on their National weekend: Friday nigh t, Sept. 22nd fmds a regular season Half·mile; the next night is a T.T. Steeplechase; fmally, the National Half-mile on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 24th. The TV money bumps the national purse up to - just under $15,000 and makes it the larges,t National Half·mile purse of the year, counting con tingency monies. The riders then get a two day breather before the practice sessions open at Ontario. The "Big O"opens its gates on Sept. 27th. Then it is daily racing with Novices road races, Junior HALF MILE T.T. NAT. HALF MILE REGISTRATION PRACTICE HEAT RACES NOV & /UN ROAD RACES HALF MILE COMBI' ROAD RACE & MX 250 NAT. ROAD RACE ASCOT PARK ASCOT PARK ASCOT PARK ONTARIO SPEEDWAY ONTARIO SPEEDWAY ONTARIO SPEEDWAY ONTARIO SPEEDWAY ASCOT PARK ONTARIO SPEEDWAY ONTATIOSPEEDWAY road races, combined class road races, a Motocross and fmally the 250 ,mile National road race on Sunday, Oct. 1st. There is also another Half-Mile at Ascot on Friday night, Sept. 29th, during the Ontario speedweek. The swtich from night to day for the Ascot National has brough t some unhappiness from some of the riders. They maintain that Ascot was built for night racing and, although the day track has been a good one on the few occasions it has been run, that it is nothing like the nigh t slider that ranks as the fastest oval going. It is true iliat the Ascot Half-mile was built for nighttime racing. The track is loaded with various "Conditioners" to keep it smooth and fast. Many promoters have tried to duplicate the same conditions but have not found the same combination. The television people have long in~isted that all of their races be some sort of "Championship" even though they tape the show and screen it three or four months later. The riders suggested that The national still be run on Saturday night and then' over a resonable purse for another event for Sunday afternoon, saying that all of the good riders would sun be in town to run another event. This idea feU on deaf ears or the riders were told it was too late. The feeling by some is that TV is now gaining a ruling hand - as it has in football, baseball, golf, and other sports. One aspect is for certain: the switch to day from night may produce different winners. Few riders are as capable' on daytime half miles as they are on the faster night ovals. More than one rider has stated that many of the riders who cannot get out of aheat race or into the program from time trials in the past nigh t Ascot Nationals, may now find themselves contenders fot the· National win'. They may have a point. Many Californians and quite a few out of state riders that have long came up zero at famous Ascot may bat a thousand on the 24th. For travelers and visitors this is the way the huge race week·plus now shapes up to close out the'National s.eason. That's a lot of racing in anybody's book and a lot of money. It goes without saying that the events at AS

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