Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

SPEEDWAY WEEK Sixteen-year-old John Houston Jr. scored his first Handicap main event win at Aubum. leading all the way. 30 the "Boogaloo Kid." On the last turn Faria went wide to block Schwartz and Brad Oxley came from nowhere and stole second by about a foot at the line. But Referee Andy Cadotte wrote a #5 in his program, not a #L26, and when the Scratch consy rolled around, Oxley was way less then thrilled about bein~ iri it. Oxley protested vehemently, threatening to protest the meeting, even write a nasty letter, all to no avail. A disgusted' Oxley won the consy by about 13 miles. . Schwartz o[fered his ride to Oxley in the main, but "Bad Brad" wouldn't go for it. The misplaced Schwartz got a great gate but it didn't last long. Moran went around him on the second turn of the second lap, just a flash before Schwartz's bike lost power. Faria finished a few lengths behind the Champ. Faria entered the Handicap main un beaten and Moran had a first and a second, also off the 50. Ott, saving the best for last, had a pair of seconds. Faria outgated Moran and was third after two laps, with Joe Kreisberg the next obstacle. But the week before, Kreisberg had crashed right in front of Faria, and this time Faria was a bit tentative. While "Flyin' Mike" was trying to guess Kriesberg's next move, Moran cut inside both of them and took second. Meanwhile, at the front of the race, Ott had a solid lead, and Moran ran out of.laps. In Second Division racing, famous old-timer Bill Gray again survived his heat and made it to the main, where' he was third. Doug Benjamin got a smoking gate and won easy, gaining the opportunity to try it off the 30 next time. On June 26, look out for Whipped Cream Wrestling, and on July 3, it's back: the Gone With the Wind of Skin, the sixth annual Ventura Raceway Bikini Contest! Results SCRATCH MAIN: 1. Kelly Moran; 2. Mike Faria; 3. Ed Castro; 4. Bobby Schwanz. HANDICAP MAIN: 1. Bob On; 2. Kelly Moran; 3. Mike Faria; 4. Greg Ayers; 5. Joe Kreisberg; 6. Mark Dwyer. SEC OIV: 1. Doug Benjamin; 2. Steve Murray; 3. Bill Gray; 4. Jeff Springman; 5. Randy Beddow; 6. Shane McDonald. THIRD DIV: 1. Doug Bowers; 2. Todd Bertrand: 3. Chris Balades; 4, Many Van Blargen; 5. Dave Smith; 6. Rick Perkins. MATCH RACE: 1. Faria tied Schwartz. had to be restarted after a first bend crash sent Dennis Briggs back to the pits after being shaken up. On the restart Lawson got a tremendous start and took the lead in the first corner. Dennis Bransford took over second when Tom Walton fell in turn three. Brad Oxley, riding a GM, got a great ride going off the 40 and began to apply the heat to Bransford. That went on until turn two on the final lap when they made contact with Bransford going down and Oxley going by. Moran made a spectacular move to avoid the fallen Bransford and move into third place. At the other side of the track, Lawson took the checkered flag by a big margin over Oxley and Moran. As Oxley was taking his slow-down lap he passed Bransford who was going to protest to Irwin Moon. Oxley shouted a piece of his mind at Bransford, who then proceeded to get into a heated argument with Moon. Swede!l's Lennart Bengtsson (Nica· ton Jaw) won his first-ever main in the USA by taking the Second Division affair from the lO-yard line. Randy Bennett led the first two and a half laps before Bengtsson raced by on the back chute on lap three. Bengtsson still wasn't home free as first Mark Weaver challenged and then he was joined by Moose Kennedy in what turned out to be a three rider fight for the lead. In the end it was the ex-Swedish National Junior Champion squeaking out the win over Kennedy and Weaver. John Mazzacane (Parts Plus/Pig Iron Jaw) started the night as a reserve and then went on to win both his heat and the Third Division main event. Doug Bowers put on a fine outside ride to finish second with Mike Dwyer third. Results SCRATCH MAIN: 1. Mike Faria (Was); 2. Alan Christian(Gdn); 3. Kally Moran (Gdnl; 4. Brad Oxley (GM). HANDICAP: 1. Jim Lawson (Jaw); 2. Brad Oxley (GM); 3. Kelly Moran(Gdn); 4. Tom Walton (Jaw); 5. Dennis Bransford (Wes); 6. Den'nis Briggs (Gdn). SECOND DIV: 1. Lennart Bengtsson (Jaw); 2. Moose Kennedy (Jaw); 3. Mark Weaver (Gdn); 5 .. Mika Golightly (Mae); 6. Randy Bennel! (Gdn). THIRD DIV: 1. John Ma..acane (Jaw); 2. Doug Bowers (Jew); 3. Mike Dwyer (Jaw); 4. Jason Chism (Jaw); 5. Mike Buschman (Jaw); 6. David Potts (Jaw). MATCH RACE: Mike Faria (Wes) def. Sam Ermalenko (Jaw). Faria, Lawson strike at Costa Mesa Faria the tough way at Ventura By Scott Daloisio By Bill Locey COSTA MESA, CA, JUNE 8 VENTURA, CA, JUNE 5 "Flyin' Mike" Faria capped a night of exciting races by taking his first Orange County Fairgrounds Scratch main of the "Flyin' Mike" Faria scared everyone and unhappily lived up to his nickname as he survived an airborne excursion season. The win in the main event also gave the popular 27-year-old a clean sweep on the Scratch side of the program. Coming off a terrifying crash at Ventura Tuesday night and a high speed tumble the day after at practice for the American Final, Faria came into the evening scraped and bruised, but in the main he burst out first at the tapes over Alan Christian and Kelly Moran. Moran and Christian swapped the second spot back and forth the entire distance while Faria was guiding the Budweiser/Shoei/ Oakley /Ka I-Gard/STP /Riversidc; Mitsubishi Weslake to the checkered. Following Faria by one length was Christian who narrowly edged Moran. Jim Lawson (Roaring 20's Pizza/ Cody Jawa Products/Access Data/ Oakley/D.J.'s Ticket Service/Hair by Bev/Parts Plus Jaw) captured the Handicap main from the 30. The race over the cement wall and into the chain-link fence in a gnarly crash that crunched his motorcycle, but then came back to win the Scratch main, for a sweep of the night and eight wins for the year at the Commotion by the Ocean. Faria, who had his six-week win streak snapped last time, came out blazing in the main, and passed all of his competitOrs around turn two. But then Sam Ermolenko, on sabbatical from Poole, cut underneath Faria around trun three, then lost it as he grabbed traction and wheelied hard into Faria, sending both into the turn four crashwall. "Sudden Sam," never "Subtle Sam," demolished several haybales (but not himself) as he slid into the wall. Faria suddenly found himself doing about 50 mph straight for the wall about 20 feet away. The bike was DOA and Faria went flying up and over the wall and disappeared into the chain link, sending spectators scurrying for cover at the snack bar behind the fence. Faria ended suspense early when he jumped up unhurt, but not unruffled. "Throw him outl Fine him! That bleep just cost me a thousand bucks'" screamed F_aria at referee Andy Cadotte, lamenting the demise of his bike that he was planning on riding at the American Speedway Final. Although the two principals shook hands, Faria was far from mellow after one of the scariest crashes yet. On the restart on his back-up bike, an angry Faria thrashed the competition. Two races before, in the Handicap main, Joe Kreisberg fell down right in front of Faria who quickly laid it down as the red flag came out. The restart was one of those thrillers that any normal speedway mom would be afraid to watch. Swedish rider Len Bengtsson and Moose Kennedy were the early leaders but after the third lap, all fi ve riders were inches apart. Around the final bend, Faria saw a glimmer of light, zipped by three guys and.stole one at the line in a race almost too scary to watch. After Faria's wins, the biggest cheers of the night carne after a D-2 heat race in which that increasingly popular old timer, Bill Gray, not only finished a race, but transferred! Hot guy Jeff Springman got by on the fourth lap, but Gray managed to stifle Cory Lussier. As he lined up for the main, the ref kicked out low-budget Gray for no chain guard. Steve Murray, who had never even seen speedway in Ventura let alone ridden here, proved to be way too good for the zero as he won by miles. Results SCRATCH MAIN: 1. Mike Faria; 2. Jim Lawson; 3. Dave DeTemple; 4. Sam Ermolenko. HANDICAP MAIN: 1. Mike Faria; 2. Lannart Bengtsson; 3. Moose Kennedy; 4, Craig Schaefer; 5. Dave DeTemple; 6. Joe Kreisberg. SECOND DIV: 1. Steve Murray; 2. Jeff Spring· man; 3. Don Butler; 4. Chris Mistren.; 5. Eddie Marshall; 6. Bill Gray. THIRD ON: 1. Rick Vanderham; 2. Paul Lane: 3. Glen Bowers; 4. Rick Perkins; 5. Bobby Tocco; 6. Jim Peery. MATCH RACE: 1. Mike Faria del. Sam Ermolenko. Winners repeat at Napa By Jann Houston NA~A, CA, JUNE 2,1984 John Yolk claimed his second consecutive Handicap main event in Napa; his third for the season with one at Auburn earlier in the year. After placing third in his earlier Handicap heat events, Volk finally decided it was time tp quit fooling around. Steve Martin took the lead in the main, holding it for three laps while Volk, as well as Mike Delacy, applied unrelenting pressure. On the fourth lap Volk got the chance he was waiting for and moved into the lead, going on to take the checkered flag in the one that counted. Martin held on for second, and Delacy was third. In the Scratch main Duane Yarrow, currently number one in NorCal points, drew the pole position with David Faria Jr., in position number two. Yarrow and Faria went into turn one side by side and continued to battle until the fourth lap when Yarrow clearly took the lead and held it to the checkered flag for his second Scratch main win in as many weeks. John Hegarty, just up from Division Three, proved that Division Two was the place he should be, winning the Division Two main with

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