C..ta Mesa - San Bernardino - Ascot - Ventura - Sacra.ento - Napa - C..ta Mesa - San Bernardino - Ascot - Ventura - Sacra.ento-
SPEEDWAY WEEK
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Christian smokes
northerners at
Auburn
By Jann Houston
AUBURN, CA,JULY 17
Alan Christian came north again
tonight, and although rumor
had it that an injury at San Bernardino two nights ago was still
causing him a great deal of pain, the
show he thrilled the fans with tonight
made that hard to believe.
Christian drew the pole position in
the Scratch main, after winning his
semi, and shot into the lead with a very
determined Eddie Ingels second, Tom
Ferris third and Mike Faria founh as
the first lap was completed. The race
continued with Christian very clearly
in the lead. Faria moved on Ferris on
the third lap to move into third, and
that was the finish; Christian, Ingels,
Faria and Ferris. Christian had ended
Faria's five in a row string of Scratch
main wins.
In the Handicap main, Andy Gilbertson took the lead with Pat Linn second
and Mike Delacy third. Going into lap
three, Christian had moved into
second as Gilbenson continued to hold
the lead. In tum two on lap four,
Christian moved to the inside for the
lead as Gilbenson dropped to second.
It was on to the checkered flag for
Christian; Gilbenson held on for
second, and Mike Delacy held off the
threats of Marc Prince for third. For
Gilbenson, who just moved up from
Division Two last week, it was a replay
from the week before when Eddie
Ingels took him on the last lap for the
win. Hang in there, Andy!
In the Division Two main, Chris
Reichardt from Denver, CO, who
came to California for' tutoring with
Mike Bast, looked like he learned his
lessons well, moving from third place
on lap one, past Craig Elstins and Jack
Forseth to take the lead on lap two.
Positions continued to change behind
him as Forseth got past Elstins for
second on laf three, and Dan Sweeton
got bumped mto third in tum three on
lap four. That was the fmish;
Reichardt, Forseth, Sweeton and
Elstins.
Cun Miller won the Division Three
main. Dave Fonts 'was second and
Tom Page third.
In the Junior Division, Mike Parsons
won the first heat after forcing Ban
Bast down in tum three on lap three.
Jordan Duncan from San Juan
Capistrano won the second Junior
heat, and Scott Brant from Reno won
the Junior main event. Jordan Duncan
was second and Ban Bast third.
Results
SCRATCH MAIN: 1. AIen ChrioIion; 2. Eddie IngoIo;
3- Mike Ferie; 4. Tom Ferris.
HANDICAP MAIN: 1. AIen ChrioIion; 2. Andy GUbort·
_; 3. Mite Dolley; 4. M..
_.
DIV. THREE: 1. Curt Mitior; 2. Dolle Fonts; 3. Tom
Pogo.
JUNIOR: 1. Scott Ilront; 2. Jordon Duncen; 3. Bert
Delacy, Faria
sweep Napa
By Jann Houston
NAPA, CA,JULY 18
Mike Delacy made a clean sweep
on the Handicap side of the program tonight at Napa, winning
his heat. semi. and finally_ the_
By Bill Locey
VENTURA, CA, JULY 21
Bobby Schwartz, enjoying the
last days of his w~t coast sabbatical, won the Scratch main
before about 1000 semi-delirious,
elbow-bending beer and race fans at
the Ventura Raceway. Another rider
from the British Speedway League Brad Oxley - also showed up, but
failed to make either main though he
did win the Scratch consolation and
the Match Race by a silly millimeter.
Steve Lucero, in moving south from
the nonhern pan of the state,
. _ evidently stayed on the freeway a bit
SEcOND DIV: 1. Guy E.moIonko; 2. Ed C8Itro; 3.
Ron Blonton; 4. Andy Nonhrup; 5. P1n Smilh; 8. Rick
MU•.
THIRD DIV: 1. Tim McCasland; 2. Scott Talkington;
3. Mike Oyer; 4. Dorey Johnoon; 5. Mike Coniglio; 6.
too long and ended up living in San
Diego, but the teenager gets better
every week at turning left and will
become a speedway star. He won the
Handicap main. Lance King, at last
showing Ventura fans that he may be
human after'all, didn't win anything.
In the initial Handicap heats, the
track was muddy and slick - bad
news for thoee riders unlucky enough
to draw early rides. King, who has
beaten everyone often here, slipped
down during the first race then pulled
it into the infield. Hot-shoe rookie Rob
Pfetzing was the winner off the 20yard-line.
In the second heat, Schwanz and
Shawn McConnell slipped and' went
down, remounted and kept going now well behind the leaders. One of
the leaders, Mooee Kennedy, crashed,
giving the ex-Ventura Shark a gift
transfer although he finished half a
lap behind John Foster and Mike
Curoso.
By the time the fourth heat rolled
around, the track was much better.
Lucero, in a preview of future things,
passed everyone by the second tum but
was then passed by Steve Columbo.
Two laps later, Lucero returned, the
favor and won easily.
.
In a semi won by Foster, Pfetzing
showcased his considerable talent by
blocking Schwanz for two laps to take
second. The other semi, also won by
Lucero, turned into a battle for the
final transfer spot. Oxley, a master of
bump and run, slid underneath
Columbo on the fmal tum, knocked
him over and apparently took third.
The referee, however, along with
Columbo, was not impressed and
disqualified Oxley.
In the Handicap main,. Lucero
crashed in the second tum. Pfetzing,
right behind him, found himself with
no place to go, clipped the fallen bike
and flew over the handlebars. As
gnarly as the whole thing seemed to
be, both riders not only got up but
successfully lobbied for the restan. On
the second take, Lucero was running
in third until he passed Foster and
Pfetzing on the outside. Lucero
managed to hold off Dave DeTemple
the final lap for his first win of the year
here.
In Scratch racing, Bobby Schwanz
was unbeatable. I;ance King was
unquotable after the green ready light
malfunctioned and he threw a chain.
Brad Oxley was unsociable as he
tangled again with Columbo, both
riders going down in the ensuing
crash.
'In the main, DeTemple led around
tum two until Schwanz caught him on
the back straightaway, threw an elbow
in passing and won easily.
Mter the race, Schwanz told
DeTemple, "Hey, you would've done
the same to me. Besides, you have to
be aggressive to get anywhere in speedway. I feel like I beat the best here
tonight."
DeTemple agreed with everyone else
that Schwanz is one of the best. Don't
be surprised if DeTemple ends up at
Reading, who reponedly are seeking
another American on their team.
Guy
Ennolenko
enjoyed
his'
promotion to Second Division by
winning his heat and the main,
earning his third trophy in Ventura.
Tim McCasland won twice for top D-3
honors.
Next week marks the return of that
famous stranger, Mike Bast.
ComGrode.
MATCH RACE: 1. Dxloydof. Sch-.z.
BIKINIS: 1. Ron.. SIewert IDxnerd); 2. Monico
Willierna lVisIal.
Fishback and
King crush IMS
competition
By Scott Dalosio
SAN BERNARDINO,CA,JULY 22
England bound Lance King defeated an 'all-star field to pick up
his first Scratch main victory of
the season at John LaDouceur's
Inland Motorcycle Speedway Wednesday night.
Dave DeTemple (D.G.N. Racing
Jawa) sat on the-pole with King (Wild
West Stores/Off Shore Weslake) in the
number two staning spot followed by
Alan Christian (STP Jawa) and Michael
Bast (Justice Brothers Godden) on the
outside. It was a great pte as all four
riden came out even. King broke from
the pack first taking the lead coming
out of tum two. Christian and
DeTemple pulled even on the back
chute only to have King move out
front for good coming out of tum four
on the opening go 'round. Bast had
been fighting his way back and moved
under DeTetnple and Christian for 1Iecond on lap three in turn two. Bast cbed
the gap on King but ran out of time
giving the popular 17-year-old the victory. Christian took the number three
spot with DeTemple fourth_
Jim Fishback. cotning from the 40yard line. scored a crowd pleasing victory in the Handicap main aboard the
Fontana Carpets Galore Weslake.
Tom Hughes from the zero took the
lead on the stan 'over Dave Miller and
Keith Larsen_ Miller did a wheelie
coming off two making contact with
the wall and taking himself out of the
race. Larsen hounded Hughes and
took the number one spot at the end of
lap two.
Fishback went to work on lap three
taking second from Hughes in tum
two and edging past Larsen for the
lead at the end of the lap. "The
Animal" opened it up over the last two
laps for his first IMS main win of the
year_ Larsen, abo on a Weslake, held
on for a well deserved lII!Cond over
HUlthes (Jawa), Mike CUI'OlO (Weslake), Shawn McConnell (Jawa) and
Dave Miller (Jawa).
.
Results .
SCRATCH MAIN: 1. Bobby Schwwlz; 2. Dolle
DoTomplo; 3. John S8nd
