Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Costa Mesa Speedway (Left) Shawn McConnel[ (left) passed Jason Chism (center) In the closing slliges of the race to win the 25-lap Classic at Costa Mesa Speedway. Brad Oxley (right) came from the SO-yard line to finish second. (Below) Joe Winston was all smiles after winning the crash-shortened 12-lap Support race. McConnell marathon man By Elaine Jones Photos by Mike Basso COSTA MESA, CA, MAY 16 hawn "Mad Dog" McConnell had the speed and the endurance to win the biggest race of the evening at the Orange County Fairgrounds. So what's the big deal? . Every season, Costa Mesa Speedway puts on what has become known as a "classic" - a marathon of a speedway race that runs 25 laps, with 12 riders in a handicap format. . Speedway bikes aren't designed to go 25 laps, what with their little fuel tanks and, in many cases, oil that goes straight through the motor and does not recirculate. Some interesting modifications. are made .to get these bikes ready: Plastic bottles filled with oil attached to the fr~e, gas tanks taped together, and anything else the human mind can come up with are strapred onto the machine in the hope that it will go the distance. That takes care of the bike, but the rider is the biggest factor in this race. Twent)i-five laps on a speedway bike is pretty mtense, and the guy riding it had better be 10 good shape. After eight laps, arms. are p~pe~ up 'and the right leg is sending major pam messages to the brain that "enough i enough." As athletes put It, the wall has been hi t, and if you can go through, you have a chance. The main event comes after three rounds of qualifymg, so a full night of racing has pretty much already been done. And after all was said and done, it was McConnell, a Costa Mesa veteran, who grabbed the lead away from a fading Jason Chism and then led two other vets, "Rad" Brad Oxley and Bobby "Boogaloo" Schwartz, to the £lag to claim the win. The pipe that lines the infield was pulled in to make the track bigger for the larger-than-u ual field in the hope that It would be more conducive to passing. After the three qualifying rounds and one tie-breaker event to set the field, the main-event lineup was complete. Charlie Cooley set up on the 20-yard line, with Chism, Randy DiFrance co and Paul Colston sharing the 30. Andy orthrup, "Fast" Eddie Castro and Gary Ackroyd had the 40yard line staked out. McConnell had sale run of the 50. The 60 held Chris Manchester and Schwartz; Gary Hicks was also scheduled to start on the 60, but on advice from the ambulance crew after he had taken a tumble earlier, he chose not to run. Oxley, a three-time winner of this event, was lined up on the BO. . DiFrancesco and Ackroyd tangled in the first tum as the race got under way. The red flag came out and, after bikes and bodies were untangled, Difrancesco was out - not for causing the red, but for having his pit crew come over the wall. In this event, no pit crew can come on the track for any reason. The rider has to do everything on his own. This was discussed at the riders' meeting and stressed. Difrancesco argued the point, but the ref held firm. S On the restart, it was Cooley, from the low yardage, who took the lead. It was short-lived, as Chism ran him down by the third lap. Chism then started p~tting a whole lot of daylight between himself and the rest of the field, and he looked to have the win in the bag. It seemed that there would just be a question of who was going to finish second. But from the long yardage, the big boys were on the move, and McConnell was within striking distance as he ran fourth, behind Ackroyd, but in front of Manchester, Oxley and orth.rup. There was still a whole lot of race left when Schwartz started putting himself into contention. He slowly picked his way through traffic, moving into the seventh slot at the end of lap six. Then, at the front of the pack, it all fell apart for Chism on the 17th lap. "1 saw McConnell next to me and l' just didn't have any more fight," Chism Said. McConnell took over the lead, with Oxley and Schwartz going with him in the second and. third spots. Manchester moved into the fourth on the 21st lap. There was a very scary moment on the 23rd lap when Northrup's front suspensIOn snapped as he went into the first turn. The forks bottomed out, and he wa spit over the handlebars. Luckily, he was unhurt, but the suspension was toast. As the laps wound down, Oxley gave it everything he had to get that fourth win, but it was McConnell who was the spoiler. Both riders used the low line so it was easier for McConnell to k~ep Oxley at bay. In the end, the "veterans" showed the "young'.os" how it's done. McConnell (39), Oxley (37) and Schwartz (41) picked up the top three spots. "The Kid" (Manchester) was fourt~, with ~astro and Ackroyd fifth ~nd sixth. Chism, who did such a great Job for most of the race, finished seventh. The Support class ran a 12-lap main which was cut short on the ninth la~ when several riders tangled. Joe Winton came from low y;u:dage and led from the start. He was still there when the red came out. Robbie Saur came through traffic from the 50 to pick up the second spot, with Tom Buckingham commg away from the 20 to land the show money. John Vandermeulen topped Greg Starcevlc and Mark Prentice to win the. Support B main. (N Orange County Fairgrounds Costa Mesa, California Results: May 16, 1995 2S-LAP CLSSC, J. Shawn McConnell (GM); 2. Brad Oxley (Wes); 3. Bobby Sc.hwartz (GM); 4, Chris Manchester Oaw); 5. Ed Castro Oaw); 6. Gary Ackroyd Oaw); 7. Jason Chism Oaw); 8. Paul Colston craw); 9. Andy N?rthrup Qaw); 10. Charlie Cooley (Wes); 11. Randy Difrancesco craw). 12·LAP SUP: 1. Joe Winston (Wes); 2. Robbie Sam Oaw); 3. Tom Buckingham (Wes); 4. Bryan Thompson craw); 5. Mark Adams craw); 6. Randy Skinner Oaw); 7. Tom.Wetz.el (jaw); 8. Bill Green (Wes); 9. Marvin Sonmer craw). SU: B: 1. John Vandermeulen (Wes); 2. Greg StarcevlC Oaw); 3. Mark Prentice Onw); 4. Mike Boyle Oaw). AHRMA National Dirt Track Series, Round 5 Old bones By Margie Siegal Photos by Sue Christian HANFORD, CA, MAY 16 om Horton and Gary Davis spent most of their time sitting down at the fifth round of the Classic Bike Magazine I American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association's National Dirt Track Series. Both stood up just long enough to get their trophies for one event before sitting back down on the motorcycle they were to ride for the next event. The third running of the Hanford Vintage Race was sponsored by Vintage Cycle Promotions in conjunction with a vintage show and swap meet..The evening was highligh ted for the large, bOIsterous crowd by a special event: exhibition laps by a 1975 TZ750 Yamaha once ridden by Kenny Roberts. Before the heat races, the 3/B-mile track was a little rough, bu t by the time the first main event for the Over 35 class was staged, there was a narrow blue groove and the track kept getting better all night. Triumph-riding Horton led the way past the checkered £lag, with Yamaha rider Matt Rohr a close second and Bultaco rider Jeff Lessley a distant third. T . BSA rider Mike Van Li nden got the Jump m the Over 50 Senior event and Mickey Alonzo, on a Triumph, came from behind to take the second spot over J. Richard Brewer in third. The crowd-pleasing Dinosaur event (f~r 1951-and-earlier machines) started WIth Horton, this time on a 1951 Triumph, leading the pack - but it was short-lived, as he was passed on the second lap by Davis on another 1951 Triumph. Meanwhile, Adam Sabedra, on a 1949 Ariel, gathered steam and took over the lead on the fourth lap. The announcer timed the bikes at 60 mph as they thundered around the track with Davis consistently going high and Horton gomg low. The low line was the right line and Horton took the flag, with Sabedra second and Davis third. The Novice Vintage 250cc-class winner was Yamaha-mounted Marc Lyons. The 250cc Classic class featured a gaggle of Harley Aermacchls, but a BuHaco ridden by A. Mawjce Ortega took the win. Horton and his Suzuki took second and Jim McMurren (Harley Aermacchi Sprint) took third. The Novice Vintage 600cc-c1ass win was taken by Cory Schmuck, riding a 1974 Honda. A 1964 Triumph took Dave Maxwell to the win in the Novice Vintage 750cc class. One of the bigger classes of the evening, the Classic 500s, was led from start to finish by Allan MeRei, ndmg a 1951 Triumph, with BSA pilot Davis second. Davis, changing to a Triumph, started in the lead in the Classic Open class, but he developed a mechanical problem halfway through and fell back. Fellow Triumph rider Herbert Wolff took the win, with Davis just behind, smoking badly.

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