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/125817
Firecracker Queen Loreli Mel_in displav. her stuff. '" .. The riders' queen. Just plan Butch. ~ 1 M :;; ~ ... > :; -. en ~ Z w -' o >o speedway year. In a championship program there are twenty scratch events, with each of sixteen riders competing against every other rider at least once in the evening. There are points awarded by finishing position, 3 points to the Winner, 2 points for 2nd, and I point for 3rd with the 4th spot getting a zero. A running total is kept with a possibility of 15 points if you rode undefeated all night. Going into the ruth and fmal event for the night for Mike Bast he had a perfect score up to that point of 12 and was leading the points race. To --:in the battle all he had to do was finish first or second for 2 points; there was no mathematical way anyone could beat him at this point. Rick Woods and Steve Bast were the next two closest riders in total points with 10 each. In Rick's fifth and final ride he won and had a total of 13 points for second. Steve had one more ride to go and if he could win it would put him in a run off with Rick Woods. When Steve came up for his final ride along with brother Mike it was apparent that if Mike and Steve could get out in front and Mike was sure that he could get first or second spot he would let Steve get by for the win and force a runoff even t. This is what happened Steve got in front and Mike ran interference for him, Steve won the last race with Mike second and Mike's total poin ts gave him the race meet. Steve's win addeg 3 Sprong! Rick Woodsdisqualifiea himself at Bakersfield when he broke the tape. poin ts to his total to give him 13 and a tie with Woods. Steve and' Rick came out for the tie breaking event and everybody was on . their feet. The riders moved to the starting tapes and the starter pushed the button just as Woods made his move off the line. Woods was too quick and the tapes broke and he was disqualifie!l. Earlier in the evening there was a beauty contest to pick the Firecracker Queen. Loreli Mdllwain of Rosemead was selected by the local radio jocks as the fairest maid of all. It was her honor to award the first place trophy to Mike Bast as second place runner up Steve looked on. Loreli's victory brough her over 5200 in gift certificates from local supporters of the speedway. IRWINDALE Our forth nigh t of speedway ac tion resumes at Irwindale on a wet track that was the undoing of several top riders. . Early in the nigh t during the all importan t qualifying round Danny Becker, Mike Bast, and Billy Meister all missed their chance to ride the Main because they fell victim to a slick track. At the start of the Handicap Sem.i final Rick Woods jumped the start fr\lm the sixty yard line and was put back an additional 20 yards to the eighty yard line. It proyed too much of a handicap for him and he finished fourth and did not transfer to the Main. The second Handicap Semi saw a tie for third between Mike Curoso and Don Cullum. The finish was sO -<:lose that no one wan ted to call it and there was a runoff for the transfer spot. This was the first time th at I can recall a tie even t in Speedway since its rebirth five years ago. Mike won the special Match Race and th'e righ t to compete in the Handicap Main. • Sumner McKnight who has just returned from Europe riding on the long tracks had little trouble in out running the fields for the win in the Handicap Main Event. Rick Woods made it two in a row in S cra tch Racing Com pe tition at Irwindale as he repeated lasrweek's win in fine shape over Bill Cody and Ed Williams, bu t the fourth rider Mike Curoso went out with engine trouble. COSTA MESA Since opening night back in April, Costa Mesa has played to a near sellout audience every Friday night. This past Friday night because of the County Fair where the race track is located there was 00 admission charge to the public to see the Speedway show and needless to say there wasn't even standing room left. Thousands of people that would not ordinarily spend a dime to see a motorcycle race jammed the sta<1ium and wen t ou t of their minds with what they saw. They may have just come in because it was free but they went away true race fans. Bill Meister rode to the occasion by winning the Handicap Main Event, and in fact won every Handicap race he was in. Mike Bast missed his chance to ride the Handicap Main. Event but made up for it in the Scratch Main Event, winning it for the seventh time this season at Costa Mesa.