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/126063
Ventura, August 24 By Dennis Greene With only four weeks of team racing left, the tension is moun ting. The National Speedway League top team, the Bakersfield Bandits, lost to th e hometown Ventura Sharks as the 20th week of team racing go t underway. The Bandits were unable to take the points advantage all night. T he Sharks took over in the second event and with two clean sweeps by Bobby Schwartz and Scott Sivadge they stroked an eight point win, 43 to 35. Even with Dubb Ferrell turning in a p erfect score- of 15 points, the Bandits lost, but they still led the League by four wins. . Bert Harkins had a hard time scoring any points for his team, but came on strong in the second half of the show . for the win in the Handicap Main. Divisi on Two honors went to Ventura's .o wn Bobby Waller. I San Bernardino, August 25 By Rex Reese It's be en a hazardous swim of late for the Ventura Sharks, as once again the Sizzlers sank the team in a contest that was touch and go in the. beginning, but later totally dominated by Berdoo. Jim Fishback rode to four straight victories. Ron Preston, on the other hand, experienced only a lukewarm nigh t, along with team captain Larry Shaw as they gained five points each. Next most formidable to Fishback was Mark Cherry with two victories and two seconds. The Shark crew performed dismally with almost everybody only getting one win. The turning point in the program came after a stunning sweep by Danny Becker and Randy Marsh over Shaw/Preston which brought about three straight sweeps in retaliation by Berdoo, A sweep in the final by Fishback/Cherry was thwarted by a second place by Marsh, but the Sizzlers p revaile d o ver Ventura-47·3!. The Second Division Scratch Main was looking to be another rerun of the Stan Flanders/Kurt Strommer show, but it ended early . as Kurt got himself squeezed off the start into a spill, which left the win to Stan. And another reru n was in store for th e Han dicap Consolation as once again Ron Preston and Jim Fishback dic ed it out as they have before in the same event. Ron won it this tim e. First Division newcomer Larry Kosta res isted the pressures o f a more experienced field and he ld on for th e Main win• .while Bobby Schwartz was second, and Dean Fo rm anthird, (Above) Grant MU~ay's got some poor SOUl. for traction as St ro m me r avoids. (Below) Steve Nutter (wheel up) . and Speedw ay Central's G ran t Sa lyers had their own encounters. Irwindale, August 26 By Rex Reese The San Bernardino Sizzlers, who had savored victory only the nigh t before against Ventura. had themselves sizzled in tum by the Sprockets who are now running hard to overtake Bakersfield in the League standings. Bruce Penhall (wh o had a perfect night's score - a mark that was equalled , by Gene Woods and Mike Bast) and Steve Columbo began the victory march with a 4-2 opening score over Larry Shaw and Ron Preston. Preston fell after getting too cl ose to Steve. and never posed a serious threat t o L.A. again; and neither did Mark Cherry, who was dueling it ou t two heats lat er against Bast and Rob Morrison when he . . fell too. The action got tight and hot in a close match that had Bast and Morrison first and second, Preston and Shaw third and fourth. which launched the Sizzler captain into an argument with the re f, apparently over the way the heat was started. Later. Rob was eliminated from the rest of the team program with a sprained ankle. the result ' of another tight clash. A later heat with Preston and Sh aw had Larry out before he began when he resumed his argument with the ref, then ran through the starting tapes in apparent disagreement. Similar strategic f aux pauxs by Berdoo, countered by traditionally tight L.A. riding dicipline, buried the Sizzlers 4 9·29. Fo rm er nobody Larry Kosta once again threatened the better knowns in the Handicap Main, but got himself aced in the last two laps by Mark Cherry; Cost a Mesa, August 27 By Denn is Greene Without the help of team captain Rick Woods , the Orange County Eagles lost to th e visiting L.A . Irwindale Sprockets. Woods had been set down for one wee k by the promoter after he walked out on the match last Friday be cause he had a flat t ire in his first race. Current U.S. Speedway Champ, Mike Bast. turned in a perfect .score of 15 points, to assure his team of the win. and also to serve notice th at on October 16 at Costa Mesa he wants to become the only rider in history to win the title two years in a ro w. Th e Pride of New Guinea, · Kevin MacDonald, was picked up j ust two we eks ago by the Sprockets as a reserve rider and he is proving to be one of the better riders on the team . He was called on Friday ' night to fill in for Rob Morrison, who broke his ankle Thursday night at Irwindale. Kevin, along with Bruce Penhall, added seven points to the winning score. 4 8 to 30. Kevin came on even stronger in the second half of the show to win th e First Division Handicap Main. Kurt Strommer p icked up the win in Scratch Racing for Division Two, outlasting Grant Murray. Bakersfie ld, August 28 By Den nis Greene When you ' re hot y ou 're ho t and with the temperature in the upper 90's , that's everyone's story. The Bakersfield Bandits only got one clean sweep .for the n igh t and that from their' high-point sco rer , Dubb Ferr ell , in th e seventh event when he and reserve rider T o m Morley ran first and second over Mike Muntean and Ron Rose. Rose is the reserve rider for the Eagles and he rode in place of Rick Woods, who is still on the fen ce. T he Bandits won the m atch by 14 points, 47 to 31, with 14 o f their points going to Dubb Ferrell. Team captain Jeff Sexton brought them 11. Tom Morley. th e newest rider to join the Bandits, reall y came on strong in the second half of th e show, winning the Handicap Main. Division Two Scratch honors went to John Sandona. Results in Results Section. 27