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/126260
By Dennis Greene VENTU RA. CA. MAY 3 The 1977 Speedway season officia lly started Tuesday night at Ventura , with 98% of the top riders on hand. Although the opening was set back a few weeks because of a rider's strike, 10 t hings are all just about back to normal. The 23-event scratch and handicap race progra m ran off with little or no problems. Kelly Moran rea ched the ripe old age of 16 during the wint er months . making him eligible 10 mov e out of Junior Speedway and up to the big bik S f h h I 1 es . 0 ar, e as not ost a r~~e. he won his heal race. then the D,VISion II Ma in Event. . . . Joe Dona ldso n , also a JUnior rid er who moved up. won his heat race and took fourth in the Main. J im "The Ani ma l" Fish b ack chewed his way th rou gh traffi c to ta ke first not only in t he H an d ica p Main for Division I riders (where he started on the 40-ya rd line), but he beca me the first ba ck-to-b ar k winner of th e season by tak ing th e Scra tc h Ma in as well . Mark Cherry was the only rider to beat Big Jim a ll night , a nd that was in th e two-lap Feat u re Ma tch Race, Dave Sims returned to Speedway and worked his way into both Consolation Events. wh ich is not too bad for a you ng m a n who got his arm caught in the rear wheel of his bike last (Below l Bruce Penhall won the Handicap Main in;Costa Mesa. (Bottom) Bobbi Hunter led her race until the last turn in Costa Mesa. . han d ful of p icketing rid ers out in fro nt of th e race t rac k, th ey still po ured in to fill th e gra ndst ands. Shepa rd . Bob bi came just 50 feet short of winning the Division III Main . She had a big lead , but gOI up into t he loose dirt aga inst the crash wall and went down . Spills and thrills were the order of the n ight. In th e Scratch Main Event Dave Sims a nd J im Fishba ck went down in th e first lap , and as Mike Bast and Bruce Penhall went wid e to mi ss th em . Pen hall hit th e wall. No one was hurt , a nd Pcnhall went o n 10 win th e even t . Penhall a lso won th e Hand icap Main from th e 50 -yard line , gelling by Bobby Schwart z, Jim Fishba ck and Mark Ch er f in th e last lap . Mik e BaSI did beat Penha ll in the Feature Match Race . Th is co m ing week , Irwind a le will open on Thursday nigh t. May 12 , on Wednesday, May 18 , Sa n Be rn ard ino will ge l u nder way. So , anyw here you want to go in th e Sou t hland , Speedway is t here - Tuesday a t Ventura , W e dn esd a y a t Sa n Bern a r d in o , T hurs day a t Irwinda le , a nd Fr iday a t Cost a Mesa . • T here a re a dozen new riders with lots of ta lent to take th e pla ce of the half-dozen rid er str ike ho ld -outs. There are two young ladies racing this year, Bo b b i H u n t e r and Cat hy SCRATCH M A IN: 1. Bruce Penhall . 2. Mike Bast . 3. Dave Sim s. 4. J im Fishback . HANDICAP MAIN: 1. Bruce Penha ll. 2. Ma rk Cheri. 3. Jim Fishback. 4. Alan Christ ian . 5 . Bob Schwartz . 6 . Dave Galvin. FEATUR A RAC ; M B Bruce Penhall . EM TCH E ike ast. year on t he sam e track and was told by many th at he would never ha ve th e use of his hand again . Exce pt f,?r ~ large lump and sca r . th e ha,:,d IS .JUSI ~s stron~ as t~e ?ther a n? Slms WIll be m th e wmner s cir cle aga m . • Results SCRArCH MAIN: 1. Jim FIShback. 2. Bob Schwartz. Bruce Penhall. 4. AlanChristian. Fishback. 2. Ron Preston . 3. R obin Hood. 4. G W oods. 5. Bruce Penhall. 6. ene Ch;~AH.;~ MATCH RACE: Mark Cherry. Jim Fishback. DIVISION: K Moran. elly 3 . HANDICAP MAIN: 1. Jim COSTA MESA. CA. MAY 6 Over 8 ,500 fa ns tu rn ed out Fr id ay night a t th e Ora nge Cou nty Fai rg rounds. A lt ho ug h so me spe cta tors were co nfuse d by a Results