Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

SPEEDWAY WEEK Mike Faria leads Keith Larsen in the Costa Mesa Fair Derby, where he finished second to' John Sandona. Mid-Summer Classic a nice dream for Faria By Scott Daloisio LONG BEACH, CA, JULY 14 'Flying' Mike Faria proved to be the big man as he swept the Scratch ride of the program to take home the big money in the .- . --~ second annual Coors Mid-Summer Classic at Long Beach Veteran's Stadium. Faria, who lost the cratch main at the Fair Derby by a half a wheel. was determined to reverse the decision. He pulled gate two for the start of the main and jumped into the lead over Brad Oxley, Keith Chrisco and Steve Lucero. Chrisco, riding hurt, pushed his jawa by Oxley for second on the outside in turn one. He came down off the deep stuff in turn two and made a move on Faria. He started to pull alongside the leader on the back chute but Faria, aboard the Budweiser/Shoei/Kal Gard/Riverside Mitsubishi/Oakley/STP /Stephenson 's Flowers Weslake, pulled him going into the third turn. From that point on Faria opened up a lead. With Faria opening it up, the crowd's attention switched to the battle for third between Oxley and Luero. Faria captured the checkered by a quarter straightaway over Chrisco, Oxley and Lucero. For the second evening in a row Mark Dwyer powered the Weslake owned by Gene Thurman to the win in the Handicap main. Dwyer (D.].'s Ticket Serive/MJB/OakleyITsubaki/ Mom & Dad), coming from the 20, had a perfect night as he also captured his heat and semi. In the main he started with no one alongside him and nothing but clear sailing in front of him. Denny Scopellite immediately grabbed second with Keith Larsen third. Ferrell relieved Larsen of third on lap one while'Chrisco dropped out of the competition. Ferrell then travelled past Scopellite for the number two spot on the second circuit. As fast as Ferrell was advancing it was expected that he would close the gap on.owyer but that was not to be as the youngster took the win by half straightaway..ovec.F' ..enell..Ea.ria w.ent .. a to the outside on the final lap and took third from copellite. Pat Hawley (Quicksilver/Scar Clinic/Antonucci's Pizza/Pairis Saw Sharpening/King Neptune Waterbeds/Doffo's Body Shop/Oakley Gdn) made his second appearance at Long Beach this season and again walked off with the Second Division main. Hawley, who would like a shot at Division One at the track, came from the number three starting spot in the main after taking a win in his heat. Wayne Leutz was second out with Bryce Eikelbereger third. Hawley quickly rolled up a lead that he would maintain to the checkered. LeuLZ raced home econd with jim Turner passing Mike Golightly late in the event for thjrd. Results SCRATCH MAIN; 1. Mike Faria (Wes); 2. Keilh Chrisco (Jaw); 3. Brad Oxley (Wes); 4. Steve Lucero (Wes). HANDICAP: 1. Mark Dwyer (Wes); 2. pubb Ferrell (Jaw); 3. Mike Faria (Wes); 4. Denny Scopallile (Wes); 5. Keith Larsen (Wes); 6. Keith Chrisco" (Jaw). SEC DIV; 1. Pat Hawley (Gdn); 2. Wayne Leulz (Wes); 3. Jim Turner (Wes); 4. Mike Golightly(Mae); 5. Joe Krei_rg (Jaw); 6. Bryce Eikelberger (Gdn). of the pack with Sandona taking third by the end of the opening revolution. Next Sandona moved up to challenge the ever-improving Mazzacane. They duked it out side by side for twocircuits.umil.Sandona whisked by and into second. He now only had one rider in front of him but that wa Dwyer (D.].'s Ticket Service/MjB/ OakleylTsubaki/Mom and Dad Wes) and he was aboard Gene Thurman' potent Weslake. Try as hard as he could, the veteran Sandona could not catch the youngster Dwyer, who raced on to the win by some 10 lengths. The Scratch main matched Dubb Ferrell, Faria, Gene Woods and Sandona. It also had Ferrell and Sandona battling in the poims hunt for the perpetual Fair Derby troph)'. Ferrell realized this; Sandona's crew did but they were scared to mention it to him, according to his wife Margo. Ferrell took the lead on the stan over Faria, andona and Woods. His lead didn't last long as Faria went by on the outside on the back chute on the initial lap. Sandona, who is usually treated as just another rider at Costa Mesa, had the crowd on his side and that was evident when he ducked under Ferrell for second at the end of lap 2. Ferrell is a Costa Mesa favorite, but Sand'on'a daring riding during the evening had won the fans over. and they roared their collective approval at the pa s. His next target was Faria who had a comfoTtable lead. Sandona hacked away at his lead and pulled even in turn one on the last lap. Faria then fought him off and led down the back chute. Again andona pu lied even as they entered turn three. The crowd roared with anticipation as they came off tur.n four and they let out a huge roar as they flashed across the fine with Sandona winning by half a whee!. After the finish, the usually subdued Sandona took two victory laps, doing wheelies and waving to the fans. . Amazingly the judges had a split core which had to be broken by referee Irwin Moon and he also gave the nod to Sandona. After the races Faria told Sandona, "You beat me by half a whee!." Sandona, talking with promoter Harry Oxley, proudly said, "I finally got my name on somethng with the big boys." Indeed he has as his name now proudly appears on the trophy along with names such as Bruce Penhall, Kelly Moran and Mike Bast. Happily on the night, what was feared as a broken tailbone for jim Lawson· (who actually crashed through the wall and came to a rest in front of the turn four grandstands) turned out to be a bruise. Sadly, funeral rites for his bike are set for Thursday. There were twO big crashes in the first three heats, and by the time the Handicap main lined up, there were no riders past the 30-yard line. Char- lie Haines and Bob "Kid" Curry, coming from the zero and the 20, respectively, led it to the first turn, but Robinson rode his Cycle Equipmen t/Maxi ma/MP E·sponsored mount right around them and went on to win handily. Bart Bast used the outside line to advance to second, while Curry finished third ahead of Steve Martin. john Volk and Haines both retired with mechanicals. In the Scratcl1 main Yarrow had the lead at the end of a lap, but on the second lap all hell broke loose. Pat Linn wound up parked in one spot and Yarrow in another with chains and clutches gone, while Mike Delacy pushed his bike behind the fence with a broken motor, and David Faria was left all by himself. The referee stopped the race, and the all the combatants managed to get their machines in order for -a restart. Yarrow again took the lead out of the gate with Faria right on him. Through turns three and fou! Yarrow went wide, up to the wall, but he smacked the retainer and brought it back acro s the track. That forced Faria to back off momentarily, or crash. Yarrow then rode off for the win, with Faria closing rapidly a they neared the checkered. Results SCRATCH MAIN: 1. Duane Yarrow; 2. Dave Faria; 3. Pat Linn; 4. Mike Delacy. HANDICAP MAIN: 1. Rocky Robinson; 2. Bart Bast: 3. Bob Curry; 4. Steve Martin; 5. John Volk; 6. Charlie Haines. SEC DIV; 1. Ron Arll; 2. John Hegarty; 3. Perry Sherman; 4. Paul Lane; 5. Mike Solis; 6. Bryan Henrickson. THIRD DIV: 1. Robert Damron; 2. Ken Weddingfeld; 3. Mark Day; 4. Glenn Jennings; 5. Scott McNeill; 6. Bill Hermant. Faria, Curry spicy at Napa By Jann Houston NAPA, CA, JUNE 30 To the delight of many north.. ern California fans; Mike Faria came back to his hometown crowd tonight at Napa. Faria came into the Scratch main undefeated. He drew the number three position, not that it really made any difference. He was far into the lead at the start, and from that point on it was simply a question of second, third and fourth. That was a tight battle between Paul Orlandi, Duane Yarrow and Ban Bast, who finished By Scott Daloisio in that order. COSTA MESA, CA, JULY 13 Robert Curry won his first Handdicap main, something he's worked Friday the 13th proved very at for a long time, and he did it with lucky for John Sandona as he Mike Faria in the event. Curry just edged Mike Faria in the Scratch Results purchased a new bike, but he achieved SCRA1CH MAIN: 1. John Sandona (Wes); 2. Mike main and took the overall point tonight's victory on the old one! Faria (Wesl; 3. Dubb Ferrell (Jaw); 4. Gene Woods IGdn). total to win the 1984 edition of the Curry took the lead from the gate, HANDICAP; 1. Mark Dwyer (Wesl; 2. John SanFair Derby at the Oranl,l"e County feeling his most immediate and condona (Wes); 3. Mike Mazzacane (Jawl; 4. Brad Fairgrounds. Sandona, (Middle Earth Oxley (Wes); 5. Keilh Chrisco (Jaw); 6. Ed Castro stant press ure from Mike Delacy, who (Jaw). Video/Malcolm Smith/Chase Harin tum got it from Faria. At the SKOAL SHOOT OUT: 1. Terry Clanlon; 2. Hoban per/SBVClTeam Tamm/STP/OakEarp. . checkered it was Curry, Delacy and ley Moto Pro Lubricants/Arai) who Faria. . won the Scratch main two nights earRon Arlt moved into Division Two lier at San Bernardino, thrilled the and won the main event in an unusucrowd with radical outside rides all all y fast and action packed battle By W.H. Spencer night long. He first turned in a sparkwith Mark Zeissler. Bryan Henrikson . FREMONT, CA; JULY 5 . ling performance in his Handicap was third. Newcomer to speedway, heat when he won from the 40-yard . Roben Damron won the Division Rocky Robinson and Duane line. He then transferred from the Three main, a let's-s.ee-who-canYarrow survived night of semi into the Handicap main. stay-up kind of event. jeff Holmes spills, thrills and strange In the main, it was Mark Dwyer was second and Brad Silva third. goings-on to take main event out first from the 20 over Mike MazThe junior event tonight was one zacane and Brad Oxley. Dwyer immevictories as the Baylands Class A of those hean-gladdening times in diately began to put some distance speedway progran1 reached week eight life. At the gate on the zero Tommy ...... _ __ Hedden..looked baGk.tosee h.is brother between himself.and..the .r.emainder.. _ ~.jt'shal£.wal'poinL- Sandona smokes .Fair lJerby. Rocky night at Baylands a

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