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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127278
Lucero lands Speedway USA win
By M . So ber
VICTORVILLE, CA, AUG. 25
Steve L ucero, the 1989 California State
Cha m pio n. won the eight -la p Handicap main
event by less than a bike length over . Gary
Ackroyd a t Speedway USA.
By the tim e th e Handicap main was gridded
the hi gh desert speeday oval had su ccumbed
to th e ravages of numerous laps by bik es and
go-ka rts, a nd resembled th e old Highway 66.
The blue-groove co nditio ns made passing o n
the ou tside virtually impossible, but Lucero
found the tight line down next to th e pole
to his liking. Lucero started on th e 50-yard
line between Mike Faria and Bobby Schwartz,
while Bren t Werner and newly returned Jes se
Fin ch were stationed on the 30. a nd the 20. yard line was cl ustered with Gary Ackroyd.
Jim Turner and Doug Bowers . As th e starting
gate went up, Ackroyd and Bowers moved ou t
fro nt wi th Ackroy d getting the initial lead.
By the ti me two laps were in the books, the
rider s were settled into a freigh t tra in with
Ackroyd in th e lead, Bowers in second, Lucero
in thud , Schwa rtz in fo urth and Faria.
Ackroy d was starting to get away from the
pack as Bowers held up the rest, but Lucero
soon went to work on Bo wers and by th e end
of lap five Bower felt the pressure and ended
up sliding out to the wa ll o n lap six . With
Bowers ou t of the picture, Lucero quickly
moved up beh ind Ackroy d and too k a ha lf
whee l wi n with a deft sprint from th e fina l
turn. Ackroyd remained in second with
Schwartz and Faria finish in g a close third and
fourth .
The Scratch main was on ce again tak en by
def en di n g Nationa l C hampion Bobby
Schwar tz, Mike Faria started o ut on th e inside
po le position but was out-gated by Schwartz
who started in the second slot. Steve Lucero
was in th e th ird spo t and fourth was occu pied
by Alan Christia n. Schw am a nd Faria ba uled
for the lead on the first two lap s, but Schwartz
maintained hi s insid e li ne and eventualll put
a little breathing room between himsel and
a very determined Faria. Meanwh ile, j ust a
few feet beh ind the leaders, Lucero and
Ch risti an were stagi ng a fierce battle for thi rd.
Chr istian had it and then Lucero look it away.
bu t Christian got it back and kept it when
L ucero tried to make a move on th e leaders
and drifted wid e out into the deep cush io n.
Results
SCRATCH : I. Bobby Schwartz ( W~): 2. Mi ke Fari a (Wes);
3. Ab o Christia n ( W~); 4. St~e Lucero (Wes).
H DCP : 1. Steve LUCfiO (Wes): 2. Gary Ackroyd (Wes); 3.
Bobby Sch wa rtz (Wes); 4. Mike Faria (Wes); 5. J esse Fin ch
(Wo).
0 ·2: I. Ha rlr,. Hall; 2. G~ Applnm n; 5. Mike Rent ;
4. J ason Rod; 5. Lee Edwards.
b·3: I. Jo hn Aden ; 2. Don Darl ing; 3. Mike Blake; 4. Ri no
Navara; S. Brian Ca n er .
JR D· I: 1. H ea th Hammonds; 2. Ch ris w ern er : 5. Pete
..Peralta: 4. Miu- Hull.
_ JR 0 ·2: I. Danny Bandfidd; 2. Amber Koosuth ; 5. Mark
Nickl as; 4. T im Qx:hren.
Finch returns, wins
at Ascot Speedway
By Scott Daloisio
GARDENA. CA, AUG. 16
Former Junior National Cha mpion Jessee
Finch ended a two-year retirem en t an won
. the Han dicap main on KNAC Night at Chris
Agaja nian's Ascot Sou th Bay Stadiu m.
Finch last ra ced in 1988, bu t it looked lik e
he never left the sport. When the tapes went
up La stan th e main, he im med ia tely placed
the Jim T horn Creative Pho togra phy/ Cirello
Raci n g/B ib Burr ito Jawa into th e lea d.
Ch arlie Venegas, who started 10 yards behind
Fi nch , got out second a nd im media tel y looked
: towa rd th e leader.
While Ven ega s decided he wa nted th e
leader, Steve Lucero and Do n Odom decid ed
they wan ted Venegas. They sand wiched him
a t th e end of la p two and the three of the m
crossed the lin e side-by-side. It too k a no ther
full lap before Lucero had second to hi mself.
He then began to plan stra tegy on how to
ca tch th e leader.
' Many th ought Fin ch wo uld get tired. but
it was no t th e case. For the past few months.
he had been practi cing a t Ken Maely's track
in' Corona , California, and looked anyt hing
bu t tir ed.
While Fin ch and Lucero moved away, the re
was a treme ndous battl e goi ng o n between
Odorn, Venegas, T ony Bien er t and Josh
Larsen for fourth. T hey trad ed th e spot back
and forth in a fierce war that kept the fans
on th e edge of th eir sea ts.
When the race en ded, Finch had the win
by a co mfortable margin. Lucero too k second
.,with Mike Faria th ird . Larsen got fourth with
. Venegas fifth . O n the last lap , Odom slam med
the turn th ree wall a nd di sl ocated h is
sho u lder.
As usual.Bobby Schw artz got an immacu lat e stan in th e Scratch ma in aboard th e
KNAC/Pro m o ti on Products/STP / Bu d weiser/Bell PPT. Out of ga te two, he pulled
it down on pole-sitter Faria and took control
of th e race in tum one.
Phi l Colli ns, who had to stan in gate four,
wheelied by Larsen o n th e back ch ute on lap
one. T ha t gave hi m thi rd.
Faria tried th e dirt on lap two , bu t co uldn 't
find any drive. T he slend er rider was faster
than Schwartz on th e straights, but he was
no match for the National Ch ampion in the
tu rn s.
At th e Roy Ket ti ng white flag. Faria tried
to take his Wesla ke inside Sch wartz. The
leader was ready for the move an d slammed
the doo r in Faria 's face. Fro m that point on,
Schwam had it all to him self and bagged
a nother victory . Faria , Collins and Larsen
rou nded out the field.
Resu lts
SCRATCH: I. Bobby Sch wartz (PPT); 2. Mike Faria (W~ ):
3. Phil Co llins (Wes); 4.J:ash Larsen (Gdn)•
HDCP: 1. J~ Fin
Uaw ); 2. Steve Lucero (Cdn); 3.
Mik e Faria (W~); 4. J osh Larsen (Cdn).
0 -2: I. Tom Norris (Wes); 2. Ollis MeG« (Wes); 3. Ton y
Co ma (Jaw); 4. Bobby Campb