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/126336
an C'l I-< Q,) ..c o ..... u o During the two-week period that there were no races, and while the track was set up for the National , Mike was embroiled in a dispute about a new tire that he wanted to use . This was the same tire that was used in En gland for the World Final, but because there were not enough to go around, a vote was taken against their use this year. In anger, Mike slammed his fist down on the table, but did not see the water glass under his right elbow. The glass broke and went ' through the elbow, cutting everything in its way. It took over 90 sutures to put him back together . He came to the race track Saturday night still not knowing for sure if he could get a doctor's release to race. At 7:30 that night , the doctor retaped his'. arm, gave him a pat on the back and said, "Go for itl" He tried to put his leathers on , but because of all the tape he could n ot get th em on , so he cut the seam of the sleeve, put them on and taped over the seam to hold them in place. It did not look good , but he wanted to race. He won his first race with Alan Christian taking second. Alan was just one rider out of a half-dozen who were figt!red to give him a bad time. In round two, it was Bob Schwartz taking the number two spot, again behind Mike Bast. Then in round three, there was the first upset of the night. Mike lined up with Tom Morley, Louis Lindwall and Tom Ferris. This should have been the easiest race of the n ight for Mike , but it cost him one point when Tom Morley just plain outrode the field for .the win . Mike took second. At that po int, there was a three-way tie for first place between Brad Oxley, Tom Morley and Mike Bast. ..... " "'N .,""' 7 . MARK CHERRY 145 . BRAD OXLE Y / 168 . LOUIS L1NDWALl 3 ' 0 .:l. 48 . TOM MORLEY =V'eni NO.6 12b · B08 SCHWARTZ ..... ..... WESTIERN WHEEl , . J. SONNY NUTTER 12 · STEVE COLUMBO e ....ent No. J. l ' STEVE COLUMBO e v ent No 11 1 · MIKEBAST 0 ..... ; " .. t22 . DANNY BECKER 3 1 . 30 · DENNIS SIGALOS ..4 2. 0: 1 i ~"I) , 1 . MARK CHERRY j In II;. lq . SONNY NUlTER ],Event No. 16 0 I ~ JUeter I bS ~ l b8 . LOUIS L1NDWALL ~ t1 . , . ' SONNY NUTTER , '( .a . DAVE SIMS 145 . BRAD OXLEY z I -3 .- 12 145 . BRAD OXL EY I 36 . TOM FERRI S () "'N I s 2. 0 ..... 2-3 0 36 • TOM FERRIS 3 0 126 . B08 SCHWARTZ 126 · B08 SCHWARTZ :l. 2. I 17 ..... 4· DAVE SIMS 55 . RON PRESTO N Event No. • .- ..... HOllIE tAT 3 0 3 19 · SONNY NVlTER I n 139 . SHAWN MORAN ).. ..... Event No.8 lNTElllilATlONAlSP'IEOWAY J 145· BRAD OXLEY 22 . DANNY BECKER () I J6 . TOM FERRIS .- 28 . ALANCHRISTIAN No .- ORA GECOUNTY TAl SE VICE E ven t N o 4 Il. S5 . RON PRESTON OM NQlEt OUNTT TAX SlE IlVlt lE event 3 . GENE WOOD S 3 Aldtlr 30 · DENNIS SIGALOS 1 . MARK CHERRY vent No ..... ..... ORANGt: CO UNn TAX InVItE "'N { OItAlilOItDUNn TAl snvltlE 126 . BOB SCHWAR TZ OIlUGlEtOUNTY f OOD H Jl ICE e V . AlcMr 7 4 . DAVE SIMS ( 48 . TOM MORLEY .- 22 - DANNY BECKER 3 •f S5~ RON PRESTON , "T p .- GJVatioll.al SpeedllViiY ClLampi0ll.slzip Program ntl. SHAWN MORAN - Results 1. Mike Best1131; 2. GeneWoods 1121; 3. Bob Schwllft2 1111; 3. Alen Christian 1 111: 4. Tom MOfley11 01; 5. Oeve Sims 191; 5. Bred Oxley 191; 6. Denni. Sigalo. 1 7. 81; Oenny Bock.. (7); 7. Aon Preston (7): 7. Shown Moren (7); 8. Sonny Nutter 161; 9. Louis UndweIl15); 10. Tom Ferris13 11. Mark Cherry111; 11. OanMcNamIll. 1; OMOT l E V ent No 2 • O1Wl6£ tDuNn TAl SERVICE e ven t No COWItlAUT Event No 1 (Above left) Bobby Schw artz. here on th e inside of Danny Beck er. finished .third. (Above) Alan Christian. battling Shawn M oran. took a fourth. (Below) Gene Woods. shown leading teammate Sims. was one point back of Bast, . SCORED POINTS ~S. ,J Round four again went to Mike Bast , with Danny Becker taking second. Also in round four , Gene Woods won his race, moving him into the top three spots. In fact , if he could win his next race and Mike ran third or fourth , Gene would be the new Champ. In round five, the last chance to earn points, the whole scorebox got turned inside out. Bob Schwartz won, putting him in a run-off for third place with Alan Christian , who won his last round, ending up with 11 points. Gene Woods won and was high-point man with 12. . It all came down to the last race. Mike Ba st only had 11 points. If he won , he would earn three points and end up with a total of l4and the title, second place would still give him two points and the title. Third would put him in a run-off with Gene Woods and if he .got n o points, he would have had to race a three-man run-off with Christian and Schwartz for' second , then one to see who would be third. As it worked out, Mike got the far outside spot for a starting slot, with young Brad Oxley right beside him . Dennis Sigalos had the pole and Steve Columbo started in box two . Siga los took over from the very moment the gate went up as everyone in the place came to th eir feet. Oxley put the move on Mike several times, but Mike hung in there for the two po ints and his sixth U. S. National Speedway title, his fourth in a row . • J.. ..... I · MIKE BAST .3 , oJ ;J. I 30 . DENNIS SIGALOS :l- .- r\ ..... () .- "'N 28 · ALAN CHRISTIAN 139 . SHAWN MORAN 04 · DAVE SlMS .- 0 :3 :1. I . 108 · LOUIS L1NDW ALL ..... 2. 48 • TOM MORLEY 1 • MIKE BAST J 126 · B08 SCHWARTZ I 28 . ALAN CHRISTIAN .- 3 55 • RON PRESTON 48 . TOM MORLEY event No I 22 · DANNY BECKER .- e vent No. 18 0 GIWlOI CQUIrT, TAX snVICE , 48 . TOM MORL EY J • GENE WOODS 22· DANNY BECKER 4 . DAVE SIMS "'N ).. s 0 I JO• DENNIS SIGALO S .- Event No. 19 28 . ALAN CHRISTIAN 1 . MARK CHERRY 5S . RON PRESTON 168 . l OUIS L1 NDWALl 15 ..... '3 I 2. o .v ent No. 20 2- , ·3 Sc:o{ • 12 . STEVE COLUMBO 0 145 · BRAD OXLEY I I · MIKE BAST :<. /3 /2~ I t:I () () (') ~ 0 () \ \ , 3 ' II () t. 3 \ :l. (') :3 z 2. 3 \" () 2- Q. 3 g Jb . TOM FERRIS o \ Cl '1. o -3 3 2- 3 a ;{ 10 48 • TOM MORLEY 53 . RON PRESTON IU · BOBSCHWARTZ 139 . SHAWN MORAN tlEl·ItAY ~ 1 T_ () () .10 . DENNIS SIGAlO S I JO. DENNIS SIGALO S ..... 12 . STEVE COLUMBO • 28 • ALAN CHRISTlAN QlWIGIE CO UNn TAX S1EIlV'tIE 3 . GENE WOODS I 22 • DANNY BECKER I 7· MARK CHERRY () . • 3 3 z 3 z I 3 :t 3 3 3 I \ 3 1 C) 7 . MARK CHERRY ;. 3 J6 • TOM FERRIS CTCU NIWS e e , DAVE SIMS GAll VAN 36 - TOM FERRIS :J.. 0 139 . SHAWN MORAN 10 1 " MIKE BAST Al MAIlTlNU . 12 · STEV COLUMBO E 19 . SONNY NUTTER O~1I1E tOUNTT TAX l(JlVICIE -e vent No. 12 . STEVE COL UMBO J . GENE WOOD S 1b8 . LOUl LlNDWALL S () Event No.9 1 · MIKE BAST 139 . SHAWN MORAN 19 . SONNY NUTTER J • GENE WOODS ..... OMNOEtDUNn TAl SERVICE 3 • GENE WOODS 28 · ALAN CHRI STIAN .NI.AtiD SKIDWA' Event No 14 13 .- ..... ORANGI: COUNTY TAX Sf:IlYIC( Even t No 5 .... , 145 . BRADOXLEY \ \ \ '1. 0 222 • JOHN SANDONA R 7 2. 7 3 ~ 0 3 -3 II" \ '-. :l 0 :l.. 7 3 ::I 0 I 't :l. \ z I 101 . DAN McNEill R 168. LO S lINDWAU U1 z o \ \ I 0 5". 0 9