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/125882
High point of the Handicap Main at Costa Mesa October 4, Billy Meister gets off and sky-shots, Jeff Sexton gets it under him to garner the bacon. Lead changed five times in four laps. By Dennis Greene Sacramento, California Sunday, September 29,1974 T he National C hampionship Speedway qualifier was a disappointmen t for several riders hopin g to make it into the November 1 Nati on als at Costa Mesa. Most of the southland riders had never seen the track in Sacram en to and the ro ugh and sharp surface to o k its toll. Top riders Bill Cody, Dan Becker and Mike Konle all fell at least once d uri ng the third round of qualifying. Sonny Nutter, Bill Gray and Mike Bast (riding with a broken wrist), all finished with the night's maximum of nine points. There was th en a runo ff to pick th e top man of the night . The hurting Bast did not ride and Sonny Nutter took the win over Bill Gray. This was the first ti me Mike Bast had been o n a bike since breaking his wrist less than a m on th ago . With the help of a special cas t, Mike ro de in three events and , as is to be ex pected fro m th e curren t U.S . Speedway Cham p, won them all. The next round of qualifying comes at Costa Mesa where Mike will have to again take the maximum number of poin ts jus t to earn a chance. to defend his title. Irwindale, California Thursday, October 3,1974 More than six months ago, at the opening nig ht for the Irwindale track, Bill Cody won both the Scratch and Handicap Main even ts. Now, wit h just th ree weeks left at th e track, Steve Bast also did so . In th e Scratch Main , S teve outrode th ree-time U.S. Cha mp Rick Woods in wha t was a good preview of the Na tio nals . Ric k go t closer th an a few feet off Steve's rear tire and tried to Star line up at Costa Mesa . Dubb Ferrell (right) dives for the pole to beat Konle, Bast and Cody. pass several times, but Steve had more steam and held him off. Steve's Handicap Main win was a runaway, even though he started fro m the fa rthest-back yard marker. He moved through the traffic easily and took the lead by the third lap, goi ng the rest of the way fo r the win ahead of Dubb Ferrell, who finished second. Costa Mesa, California Friday, October 4,1974 After all the heat races and semis are run in the 22 ~cvent progra m, you mu st always find Jeff Sexton in o ne o f t he main events. But until t his past Friday night, the winner's circle elu ded him . This time it was J eff's tum to take home the win. His wi n in the Handicap Main fea tu red so me of the best riding o f the night with t he lead changi ng four ti mes in five laps. In the closing feet of the race Bill Meister looked as if he had the win fo r sure when J eff made a move to the low inside just as Meister drifted a little wide. That was all the room J eff needed to get underneath, take the lead and cross the finish line first , just inc hes ahead. With this being the qualifying round for the up coming Nationals, all the interest focused on the Scratch Main event, which saw Dubb Ferrell take over the lead in the second lap and hold off challenges of Mike Konle and Steve Bast while Bill Cody ran wide. Dubb let it all hang out for the win with "Big Mike " breathing down his neck they crossed the finish line. Cody out-pulled Bast for third and the California Speedway Champ had to settle for fourth place. There are only four Friday night races left in the regular seas on , including the U.S. Nationals on Novernbcr I, b ut there are several more events in the works . Ascot Park in Gardena will host two events. one on the one-quarter mile track November 8 and a nothe r on the half mile on the 15 th . In December. th e famous Cow Palace in San f rancisco will feature the National Ind oo r Championships with qualify ing o n Friday the 13th and t he Cham p io nshi ps to run the follow ing night. This eve nt is sanctioned by the SRA, so all the supe r stars of Speedway should be ru nning in • the two nights of racing. Resu l ts in the Resul ts Section as 20