Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

;.ClClOOC =SPEED s t WEEK of the best riders of th e season, let no on e down as th ese you ng men again burned up the tra ck with cl ose com pe titive racing. Fin ish ing a top th ese "rough riders" was Louis Kossu th who just edged Chris Heege, and finishing th ird was Scott St. John. Every week t he crowd capacity is inc reasing and with racing like this it will conti n ue to do so. This ne xt week John Cook and the crew of northern rid ers ha ve vowed to tak e all the main events. Bast questionable for U.S. National Championships By Dennis Greene VENTURA , CA , AUG . 15 The sad word came out over the PA at Ventura that Mike Bast would be out for the rest of the year because of an injury suffered Sonny Nutter hop) won the Ventura Handicap Main. Undwalland F... laboye) clash at Costa Mesa whila Tom Ferries lbelow) samples the .oil. have taken a liking to the strangetalking rid er. Division Two honors went to Troy lngolia . Woods wallops San Berdoo By Dennis Greene SAN BERNARDINO, CA , AUG. 16 The tax man rides again! Gene Woods and the Scratch Main event are starting to be a one liner. Gene , riding the far outside line, stayed just inches in front of Dennis Sigalos for three laps . When Woods made his move, Steve Columbo cut down on Sigalos, moving him out of the way and taking over the number two spot . Woods went on to victory while his teammate Dave Sims watched; out with equipment failure. Both Sims and Woods are figured to rack up a lot of points Wednesday night, Aug . 23 when the second round of the Coors Cup Series qualifiers will be run for the upcoming U.S. Nationals. Tom Morley keeps adding to the famil y legend by picking up at least one main event a week. His win in the Handicap Main was the best race of the night, if you are going to judge anyone of them, just because for the five laps no rider got more than one bike length on anyone else and close racing is what the sport is all about. . Danny Collins may just have won his last Third Division race. His domination of the class will move him into the next class up. Danny won all but two events that he entered this year. the previous Friday mght a t Costa Mesa . Mike was pitched over the high side when he pulled up short to miss a stalled rider. H e came down on his shoulder and pulled all th e muscles loose. There is little chance that he will be in shape for th e Coors Cup Series qualifying rounds that start th is week . In theory, he could make enough po ints in th e last of the four rounds (Sep t. 15) if he got strong enough by the end of th e month. He also could be seated directly into the Na tional without ever ridi ng any of th e qualifiers for several outstanding reasons. The top rid ers want it that way. Most sa y th ey want to r ace Mike for the title and a victory without beating the Champ would be very . shallow. The promoters feel the same way ; they know that the five-time U.S. By Denni s Greene National Champ would have no trouble earning a ride at all , and if GARDENA, CA , AUG. 17 T Mike can get a doctor's rel ease to ride, The big oval at Ascot keeps they want him there in October. making its own stars, and Shawn The questions to th e announcer Moran is a very good example. were never endi ng all night about .· Shawn is a Second Division Mike; What if? Could he? Should th ey; rider at the other three tracks. He is Why not ? What if? What if? It all boils good and has won several main events down to th is: Can Mike Bast get ba ck but when he get s a shot in first in sha pe in fou r weeks when he was di vision. th ings alwa ys go bad for him told bv th e doctors th a t he would be on th e sm a ll tracks. On th e other out a ~inimum of six weeks? Knowing hand , at Ascot in First Division , he is a Mike as I do . if he ca n wa lk, you will mo re than likel y see him climb to the su pe rstar. He gets into a lot of the m ai n even ts a nd usually is in th e top top block a t trophy line, whe re he will three. T his past T hu rsd ay night he be give n the crown for th e sixth, time. . Son ny N utter won the first title ever wo n t he H andicap Ma in event , bea ting past winne rs like Da ve Sims, give n out in Speed wa y way back in Bob McLa in a nd Larry Kosta . This is 1969 when he won th e Ca lifo rn ia onl y Sh awn 's first season on th e big Sta tion Championship a nd he is still Speedway bik es. He has a background going strong. H e won the Handicap Main event at Ventura for the second of Junior Speedway wins like his older time in two weeks. b rot he r, Kelly. Four of th e fastest guns in Scratch One more new name can be added raci ng who want Bast's ti tle had a t it in to th e Scratch Ma in even t list, Bob the Main Event with Alan Christian McClain . Bob had the strongest ride of h is career , winning the Scratch Ma in pulling off the win j ust ahead of Ron event over Gene Woods, Frank Adamo Preston . Taking third place was young Brad Oxley, with Dave Sims rounding and Dave Sims . McClain is a former . student of Mike Bast and was on' a out the field . Dann y Becker mad e ' his first motor prepared by George Wenn, the appearance of th e year at Ventura, same guy who helped put Mike Bast in but som eone forgot to tell the guy with the winners' circle in five U .S . his bik es to be there, so Pat Sm ith's Ndtional Speedway Championships. "rent-a- bike" was call ed on . Pat let the One more example of the big track Berzerko One use hi s bike after bringing out hidden talent is Wayne everyone else said "No, Danny, you' re Ishii . Wayne is a super nice guy and just too hard on equ ipment." Pat was has the biggest fan club around for a given S100 by the promoters for the Second Division rid er. But Wayne is use of t he bike that should be ou t of , happy just to fin ish a race at the small th e shop next week . tracks let alone win . But at Ascot, like Paul H effernan , from Australia , Shawn, he is hard to beat. Wayne won won his firs t Am eri can Speedwa y race t he Division Two Ma in event in better in the T hird Division , much to th e time than several First Division heat delight of the rest of th e riders, who races. Shawn Moran sta rs at Ascot 'Bumblebee' flies to Santa Ana win By Ken Kellogg SANTA ANA , CA . AUG . 15 The battle between North and South was fought again at Santa Ana Stadium during the First Division Main events. During the 20 Scratch Main , crazy man Bri an "The Bumbl eb ee" Buffington out rode northern rider John Cook . Buffington pa ssed Cook du ring th e t hird lap and won th e event by at least four bike lengths. Finish ing third was "Spider Man" Mike Bloom. who's followi ng is growing every week. S;ook still is making his p resence known , as th e you ng man from "up North" continues his rid ing streak. John was give n a real challenge by ret u rning Sha wn McCon nel , a nd aga in Mike Bloom finished third . Sh awn McConnel , rid ing wit h a recently·injured·and.still .hu rt ing arm re turned to Santa Ana to conq ue r th e Second Division Scratch Main and shut ou t Dave Brewer who for a while looked like he was to be the main event . winner. Always present in practically every main event, Bill Dunlap finished thi rd ah ead of Scott Black . A good friend of Brian Buffingt on . Second Division rid er Ernie Roccio su rp rised everyone by erupti ng at the last minute to win th e Second Division Ha nd icap Main . Secon d was 30 ·yard· line rider Pete Stoh er, T he Jun i ~r Division . bo astin g som e ... .. .... "' .. .. .. ..... • 0.- •

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