Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

SPEEDWAY 29TH ANNUAL COORS UGHT SPRING CLASSIC (Left) Bobby SChwartz (left) rode the outside line to narrowly defeat reigning U.S. National Champion Steve Lucero and claim the sixth Spring Classic title of his 24-year career. By Scott Rousseau Photos by Bob Jones here was a time when picking Bobby Schwartz to win the Coors Light Spring Classic at-Costa Mesa Speedway was a no-brainer - just look at the books. The former two-time World Pairs and two-time U.s. National Champion was the man to beat at the fabled Southern California speedway season opener from 1986-90. Seven years later, he is again. Schwartz, 39, more than showed !)is Spring Classic brilliance of old before 6000 fans at the 29th running of the event to claim his sixth Coors Light Spring Classic title. In one of the most exciting Scratch feature races seen at Costa Mesa in recent years, he just beat reigning U.S. National Champion Steve Lucero back to the stripe at the end of the frantic fourlapper to earn the title. Ironically, the last time that Schwartz won it, he was wearing the number one himself. '1 like this," 'Schwartz said. "I really didn't know how I was going to do tonight. I haven't really been riding speedway. I stayed home from my Australian and New Zealand tours this year because I bought a new house. I'm happy. I'm excited. I really didn't have that much confidence." What Schwartz lacked in confidence, he more than made up for with quick starts and riding technique on a tricky Costa Mesa oval that did offer outside grip to anyone brave enough to risk track position in search of it. Lucero started off the scratch program with a heat win in event 11 as he gated Robert Pfetzing, Pat Linn and Craig Furman and sped off to victory. Pfetzing followed Lucero home for the transfer to the semis. Schwartz followed suit as he grabbed heat 12 while being pursued by Shawn McConnell. Andy Northrup took a win over Brad Oxley in heat 14 as both riders advanced, and three-time and defending event winner Mike Faria took care of business in the final scratch heat with Ed Castro finishing second and moving up the ladder. The semis and the last chance qualifier set the field for the heads-up, fiveman four-lap Spring Classic feature, and the races were telling indeed. The first semi pitted heavy hitters Schwartz, Lucero and Oxley with the champion taking a surprising back seat to winner Oxley and Schwartz. Pfetzing got an excellent gate in the second semi, towing orthrup along with him, while Faria, like Lucero, floundered in the back, desperately trying to get past bbth Northrup and Pfetzing. It wasn't to be. Things got better for Lucero and worse for Faria in the last chance as Lucero got back on pace with a lightning-fast victory. Faria's night, however was practically over after the first turn, w here he got the holeshot from ga te three but bobbled just enough to let Lucero get underneath and pull away. It was a disappointing finish for the 40year-old who will spend his year back in California after a two-year stint overseas in the British Premier League. Rick Pearce started his first division career off in style by holding off veteran Shawn McConnell to win the Handicap feature. "I'm bummed," Faria said. "Things just didn't work out. My bike stilI has the same setup on it from the ationallast year. I should have changed the timing. I'm just a little rusty. I should have practiced. I ain't a spring chicken anymore. It won't be like this on opening nigh t!" When the riders rolled to the line for the Spring Classic main event, Pfetzing lined up on the pole with Lucero to his immediate right. Northrup was in gate three while Schwartz occupied gate four and Oxley was against the wall in five. When the tapes went up Schwartz appeared to get the drop on the rest of the field, but Lucero was there to meet him when the field hit turn one and the champ forced his longtime nemesis wide to the dirt line as they came off turn two side by side. Schwartz's chances appeared to be spoiled, but he got a huge drive as he hung his GM out (Above) SChwartz celebrated the victory with his number-one girl, daughter Annemarie. against the wall to rocket back into contention with Lucero down the back straight. Meanwhile, Pfetzing had pulled out on Oxley and Northrup and set himself up in a great position to watch the battle ahead of him. Pfetzing would wind up third. ''That was the fastest main event I've ever been in here at Costa Mesa - I swear," Pfetzing said. ''The momentum just kept building. It was a good race. I kept thinking that I was going to get one of those guys up front, because you always figure that the inside guy will go after the outside guy. If Steve would have gotten Bobby, then 1 would have gotten Bobby. There was good dirt out there, but it was just too far out there." Apparently not for Schwartz. The lead battle continued with Lucero again keeping Schwartz on the outside. But Schwartz got hold of the track time and again to shoot up the front straight before pulling around Lucero in one and then drifting across the groove back to the outside off turn two. Lucero clung to the pole and the pair continued their high-speed ballet for almost three laps before Schwartz finally got the slight edge he would need with a big drive off tum two just before the lead duo took the white flag. Lucero never gave up, but when they fell under Jerry King's checkered flag Schwartz just beat the champion to the line as the crowd roared its approval. "Second - I'm changing my number to two!" Lucero said in mock anger. "The track was in really good condition. 1 just tried a little too hard. 1 couldn't really chase Bobby because of the line. he was running. 1 got out of the gate good, but it drove me just a little too deep into the corner and I couldn't get my momentum going. But hey, that's what speedway is aIJ about." '1{ the track hadn't been as good as it was, there would have been no way that I could have pulled that off," Schwartz said of his inside-outside riding technique. "1 was just hoping that I could get some momentum going. 1 knew that when I got that really good shot off turn two on lap three that 1 was going to be okay. It was nice to be able to do that. If I hadn't, who knows how much longer it would have been before I won again? 1 just wish we had more races each week. After 24 years, this is still fun."

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