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/125816
.. ~ SPEEDWAY WEEK, INREVIEW On the third lap, Mike tried for the fifth time to slide under Dubb and get by, but this time it was too tight, and end over end they went as Woods took over the lead for the win. Ed Williams, who had laid it down to avoid a crash, got back up along with Mike Bast and they made a dash for the finish line righ t behind Larry Shaw. Williams got there for third. Woods and Bast were to do ba.tde one more time in the Scratch Main event along with Bill Cody and Mike Curoso. Rick Woods showed his stuff and led wire to wire, chased by Bast. In an earlier event Woods narrowly escape becoming a statistic when Steve Gresham lost control of his motorcycle and it went airborn. Rick tried to duck under it, but was hit in the back and shoulder. He was moved sideways out towards the wall bu t kep t his cool and rode out from under the bike, never losing il position. COSTA MESA ...Dan Becker didn't figure in this week's results, but this is a great picture. Story & Photos by Dennis Greene VENTURA Every Tuesday night is a new adventure, it's the start of the Speedway Week and sets the trend fOF what may be a good or bad week of speedway. There was trouble before the event got started, bu t it was not the kind of thing that bothers anyone except the promoters. Sh ortly after seven, when the lights were turned on, a fir\, broke out in a transfonner on a telephone pole, The fire knocked out the lights and started a small' grass fire. The fire department came and did its thing. Then the Edison Company took over. They wen t to work replacing the transfonner and twenty five minutes later the Iigh ts came on, and the Edison crew received a standing ovation. The whole show ran smoothly after that with only two restarts (or the whole night. In fact the show ran so smoothly that the twenty three events of racing were completed by 9:45, fifteen minutes ahead of time. Scott Sivage won his first Handicap Main of the season, but it should have been at least his third. He has been plagued by engine failures twice before as he went into the last lap. Tonight it was the same story; his bike was crapping and missing all the way around the track. Scott was having fits trying to keep out in front of the Bast boys. If it wasn't for the fact that the brothers Bast had started on the fifty yard line, it would have been the same old story for Sivage. If you want to get into Speedway but don't want to race you can become a sponsor. Scott Sivage is looking for one. Scratch Main Even t action was a repeat of Friday night with Steve Bast getting part of Ed Williams and Ed going down. The event was won by Mike Bast who has now tied his brother's record of eleven Scratch Main Event wins this season. competing for the largest guaranteed purse so far this season. Along with the gold there will be new tide to The 4 of J uly Derby. IRWINDALE Thursday night at Irwindale was a whole new ball game. Steve Bast had blown his engine at Bakersfield and worked all day righ t up to ride time getting it back together, but the fITst time out something let loose in the head, and he missed his transfer spot to the Handicap Main. He borrowed a teammate's bike and blew it so he didn't transfer to either main. Bother Mike worked his way into both mains. A t the start of the Handicap Main Rick Woods jumped the starting gate and caused a restart. He was put back twenty yards to the seventy yard line. The restart was good and Larry Shaw went into the lead with Dubb FerreD riding be tween him and Mike Bast. Woods pushed all the way. BAKERSFIELD Match Racing is a big part of the show at Bakersfield. It is what the fans want to see so that's what they get. They send in their Ie tters and post cards to the promoter suggestirig matches that they would like to see. Because of the overwhelming response to this type of event, the promoters added six winners riding a second time until they were cut down to two. The two survivers met in the Feature Match Race and Larry Shaw won the whole ball of wax. Make it two in a row for Rick Newby, the Bakersfield IT rider turned Speedway star. Because of two restarts Rick had to win the Second Division Main twice. This is better than last week when he had to do it three times. Rick kept his cool as all crashed around him. Mike Bast did for the second time this season, winning both the scratch and handicap main events. Mike now leads his brother in total wins in scratch racing by one. July 4 falls on Wednesday, and there will be a championship style show at Bakersfield. It will be by invitation only to the sixteen best riders. They will be Mike Curoso and Larry Moon rearranging the track surface. Friday nigh t and the end of the Speedway week was the start of one of the strangest nights of Speedway. It was one of those nights, that the riders have nightmares about; everybody crashed. There was a total of nine even ts restarted because of downed riders. Bill Cody," who has just returned to racing after suffering a badly lacerated hand a few weeks ago, went over the high side and landed on his sore hand making him unable to restart. The Second Division crash and bum party was so far out of shape that in one event, after three restarts, there was only one rider left running at the fmish. When it came time for the Second Division Main Event every one held their btcath. Tim Bradley kept it uprigh t for the five laps and for the win. The Handicap Main Event, besides being one of the larger money events of the night, is the event hom:d by Tustin Honda who provide trophy and trophy girl. The people at Tustin Honda didn't have to look far to select a very attractive young lady. They chose the young lady that was mentioned in last week's story. Steve Nutter, the winner of the Handicap Main Event, showed that he does other things wi th his time besides ride motorcycles. Big Mike Konle, just another name on a long list of riders that ate more than their fair share of dirt during the nigh t, came to the starting line along with Les Chanky and the Bast brothers in the 5<:ratch Main Event as he already has done six times before at Costa Mesa. Mike Bast ran away with this event followed by Steve. For the next ·two weeks at Costa Mesa you can see the Speedway races absolutely free. I Cs that time a year when the County Fair takes over. The Speedway even ts will be run as usual and all you need to do is pay your regular admission to the fair and see the Speedway races free. 1 M .... Cll .., o > :; ~ w Z W ..J (J > (J