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Mike Faria led from start to finish during Ascot South Bay Stadium's Speedway Championship main event wrap-up for the overall championship victory. As the champagne flies, Faria (inset) is flanked by second-place finisher John Cook and third-place Bobby Ott. Faria wins Ascottitle By Scott Daloisio GARDENA, CA, OCT. 30 Mike Faria recently had a pair of disappointing finishes in the 1986 U .S. National and the California State Championships but he gained some redemption by defeating one of the toughest fields of the season at the Ascot South Bay Sta. .. dium ChampIOnshIp. The fans were pleasantly sur- 26 . .. . pnsed when In ad~llon to the As.cot. regulars new NallonaJ ~mplOn Bobby Schwartz, Lance Kmg, Shawn Moran and John Cook turned up for the event: ~he only rider who failed to matenahze was Sam Ermolenko w.ho was unable to make his plane flight home from England. New California Slate Champion Bobby Ou gOt the proceedings off to a popular stan by winning the first race of the night with relative ease ove~ Robe':t Pfe~ng. Rac~ tw~ saw Fana and hIS ShoetlTsubakilOilzalJ/ Cody Products/George Wenn Jawa take his first triumph of the night by holding back the determined effons of young Gary Hicks. Ronnie Correy scored a win by coming from third to pass Keith Chrisco and Schwanz to win evem three while Moran closed the round with a thrilling last turn pass of Cook to win evem four. Round twO staned with OUlaking another win by leading wire-to-wire over Hicks. Ou is the uack favorite at Chris Agajanian's facility and the crowd was looking for him to pull off another upset. COTTey and Cook swapped the point position back and fonh a few times in evem six but when the checkered fell it wemto the more experienced Cook. Faria was outgated by Schwaru in event seven but he motored around him in turn two and went on to POSt his second win of the meeting. Round three's first race featured Moran and even though he had such a fine win in his first ride he slumped badly and finished behind Keith Chrisco and Brad Oxley in his second. Moran could not afford to lose anymore points. He came off the line like . a rocket to start his third round ride and he had the event won but his primary chain snapped on lap two and he was forced to drop out, giving the win to King over Otl. Cook dropped his second poim of the evening to Alan Christian in event 11 with Faria geuing a great gate and winning over Pfeuing in evem 12. Race 13 was the first evem in round four but more importantly it matched the top four riders in the meeting. Faria and Cook had to baule each other as well as Ou and Chrisco. In his previous ride Faria gOt a great gate but this time he gOt a miserable gate off the pole and Cook rocketed into the lead. Faria stayed close all the way but Cook held him off and took the win. Chrisco took third while Ou grabbed fourth. The event was not clearly a race between Cook, Faria and possibly Hicks according to how he fared in his fourth ride. Hicks came out in event 15 but it was all Moran to win from Correy. Hicks narrowly got lhird when he snuck up and edged Shawn McConnell at the line. It was now between Faria and "Cookie" for the title. Faria was the firstohhecontenders to appear in the final round. He was in event J 8 and if he won the 1986 Championship was his, but with his Iuck in big races his fans could only cross their fingers and hope that nothing would go wrong. For once things went Faria's way as he led the entire event. Christian took second with Moran, who almost went down on lap twO third. Cook won his final race in event 20 but it left him one poim shy of the title. • Results ,. Mike Faria (14); 2. John Cook (131; 3. Bobby On (11); 4. (TIEl Kaith Chrioco/Gary Hicks (10); 6. (TIE) Bobby Schwartzi Alan Chrmian/Ronnie Correy/ Shawn Moran (B); 10. (TIEl Rob PforlZinv/Brad 0xJey (7); 12. Mike Mazzacane f61; 13. Lance Kinv (4t 14. SI..,e Lucero (31; 15. Shawn McConnell (2t lB. John Sandona (1); 17.{TIEITonyBriggs(R)/EdCulroIR)O.