Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

.SPEEDWAV Championship Orange County Fairgrounds Coors Ught u.s. :National By Mark Hoyer Photos by Christopher Thomas COSTA MESA, CA, SEPT. 16 here was no question that there would be a new National Speedway Champion at the 27th Coors Light U.s. National Speedway Championship. With the absence of the top man in 1994, Sam Ermolenko, that was a certainty. A question that remained on the minds of many, however, was whether or not the title would once ag.ain go overseas, as had happened last year with Ermolenko's title-defense victory. . In the end, British league rider Greg Hancock answered that question by winning his first U.S. National title at the Orange County Fairgrounds and taking the number-one plate overseas for one more year. But not without some controversy. Both Hancock and the man who shaped up to be his main rival, two-time National Champion Bobby Schwartz, ended the regular heats on 13 points and would have to go head-to-head in a runoff to decide the new number-one T onto the final step of the podium, though he was in contention for the win to the very end. Fourth-place finisher Charlie Venegas was derailed by an early-heat zero that just couldn't be made up for, though he would drop just one more point over the course of the evening. Rounding out the top five was Rob Pfetzing, who won his first three rides only to be left with a final score comprised of those very points as he would score zeros in his last two outings. The first heat was stopped when Don Odom crashed in turn two. He would not make the restart. Reserve rider Bobby Hicks was brought in to fill Odom's place, and while he got a strong start he would later bobble and allow Brad Oxley to blast into the lead with Jim Sisemore in tow. Oxley scored top· points with Sisemore second and Bobby Hicks taking the final point. Gary H!cks spun his bike exiting the first turn after a strong gate-three start and finished well off the pace. Hancock made his first appearance on the deep-cushion track in heat two (Above) British ieague rider Greg Hencock took the controversial win In the runoff with Bobby SChwartz to bscome the new U.S. Nationel Speedway Champion. (Left) Runner-up Bobby SChwartz (middle) stole a point with his win In heat three from eventual third-place overall finisher Steve Lucero (left). Shawn McConnell (right) finished 13th In the championship.• plate holder. While both riders got strong starts, it was Schwartz who swooped down from his outside gate to lead into turn one and down the back straight, with Hancock close behind. Too close, in fact, as the two riders collided and went down in the entrance to turn two. The referee called for a restart, and when the tapes flew Hancock rocketed into the lead and on to the win, while Schwartz slowly dropped further and further back, evidently having suffered damage to his machine as a result of the crash. Current California State Champion Steve Lucero put in a consistent set of rides in front of the 7100 fans to make it and followed fast-starter Charlie Venegas into the first turn, only to be passed on the inside of the back straight by Andy Northrup and dropped to third. Hancock and Northrup would battle for the show position with Hancock able to squeeze by on the inside at the start of the penultimate lap to take the runnerup spot. In the end, former Costa Mesa pairs champion Venegas motored off to the win, beating Hancock, Northrup and Gary Ackroyd. Schwartz opened his bid for the championship with a strong showing in heat three, rocketing off the line and leading wire-to-wire. The big excitement came behind him. This year's Fair Derby winner Steve Lucero ended the first lap in last place, but charged to a secondplace finish in one fell swoop, passing both Bart Bast and Shawn McConnell in a matter of moments and securing his place behind winner Schwartz. Bast finished third, followed by McConnelL In heat four, reserve rider Mark Hannah would go down in turn one off the start, just barely getting off the race track before the rest of the field came around for another lap. Hannah would spend the balance of the race in the infield. The remaining three riders never changed position and holeshot man Robert Pftezing would join the ranks of the early winners, with 1986 Northern California Junior Champion Bobby Hedden second and Josh Larson, who finished second in the National in 1994, taking the final point. Hedden made a quick return in heat five, with the same two-point finish as the prior heat. Three-time California State Champion Lucero made his intentions clear from the raising of the tapes this time around, charging out of his gate-four starting position and into the lead for good. Odom scored his first point of the night, while Venegas' hopes for the championship took a serious blow, as he would finish with no points. Heat six saw the first battle of the unbeatens take place between Schwartz and heat-one. winner Oxley. It was no contest, though, as Schwartz showed lightning reflexes on the start and took the runaway win in front of Northrup, Oxley and Hannah. As the points race began to shape up it was Schwartz and Pfetzing who would enter the third rnund tied, both with perfect scores. Lucero was still in it with a strong chance, having only dropped a single point to Schwartz in heat three. And Hancock was tied at four points with Northern California riders Sisemore and Hedden. The next round would prove fateful.

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