Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/141065
N -: l M .... C) c ": ., :J en ~ w Z W ...J U >- U S tory and Photos by Dennis Greene VE NTURA If you were confused about the way ' the story c ame out in Cycle News last week don't feel like the only one; tliere was a computer error in prin ting and as the story came out of the machine, it got a case of hiccups and to say the least it put things a little out of order. There is a magic connected with the International Speedway Promoters that are now running the show at Ventura. Looking back at the last five years that they have been running the show at Costa Mesa they have tripled the seating and from all ap pearan ce th ey are well on there way in doing th e same thing in Ventura. All those little thing that bug a new event that were mentioned last week are a thing of the past. This past Tuesday nigh t we go t down to so m e serious racing and the riders showed the fans what close racing is all about. This season the Scratch racing events have been dominated b y the Bast boys and i t is indeed rare that one or the other does not win ' the Main Event. Tuesday night was one of those rare nights. Bill Cody was in top from and got the jump ou t of the hole first to hold o ff the challenge of Don Cu llum and the Bast brothers wire to wire for the win . Keith Tennis, a Division Two rider that has been on top now in two main events, is ready fo r his chance in Division One . He .demonstrated h is skill b y running away with the Main Event and at n ot time was he c hal len ged . Billy Gray has go t te n o ff to h is best st a rt ever th is se ason in Speedway he has be en winning or placing very well in all o f hi s Handicap e ven ts . He h as been m o ved b ac k in yard age and still h as managed to come home first in at least two Main Events. Bill got the checkered flag jup ahead of Larry Moon and Steve Bast in the Handicap Main at Ventura to round a fine night of Speedway. BAKERSF IELD The second night of Speedway took us to Bakersfield where the weather had warmed up quite a bit. Not 'o nly the weather was hot and the Bast boys as well, Mike from the 50 y ar d line shot the front straight away like a bullet and had taken over half th e pack before they came out of turn 2 in the Handicap Main. Lap by lap he picked off th e rest fo r a very impressiv e win. Not to be out dorie older brother, Steve won the Scratch Main over Mike who was busy working his w ay ar ound Guy Waterson and Mark Cherry. There are dozen riders wh o were also rans last year that are so very much improved that everyone is havin g a hard time picking a sure winner. One of th e biggest reasons Speedway is growning b y leaps and bounds. There wasa tim e when most anyone could sit in th e st ands and after 4 or 5 eve n t s pi ck ou t the rider who would win , and it go t to be a Ii ttle on the dull side. This season th e Bast boys are we ll out in front in the p oints lead but they have b een beaten in many qualifying even ts by q uite a large field of rid ers much the fans delight it is has n ot been th e same 5 o r 6 guys, th e list o f new talent is lo ng and this will gu arantee a longer life t o th e sp ort. T eammates Bill Cody and Mik e Konle were matched up in th e Fe ature Match R ace at Bakersfield for th e first tim e this y ear after a great d eal o f p roding by th e fan s. T hese two riders have a great appeal to the cro wd an d ~ h ave been th e center of co n ve rsa tio n ~ about who is reall y the fastest this even was to prove it out. Bill an d Mike got o ff well together and the 2-lap sprin t co uld have gone to ei th e r, but Mike pulled out in fro n t as th ey came past the st art-finish lin e ho lding a slim lead for the win. ~ I i ;piEOWAY ·i i : NAt/NG i CO~ESTO • It was th is sort of thing ... ~I iJR_ C U O NTY ~~~~~ INTE NA NAL R TIO I RWINDA L E A t th e p rese nt ti me o u r National Speedway Champion Ric k Wo ods do es not travel t he wh ol e ci rcuit wit h th e res t of the guys, h e has chosen to just ride the even ts in hi s area at Irwindale and Costa Mesa. T his has led to much speculation a bou t how we ll h e would d o if he rode every event agains t the to p gu ys. The largen number o f fans that go from track to tr ack are ready to see Woods put it to th e Bast boys but it has n ot happen ed ye t. Number One has had h is problems , t he largest o f which are th e Bast b o ys wh o j us t keep o n winning. Rick has troub le re adjusting to th e smalle r trac ks tha t we run o n here in the stat es this along with so me of th e w orst race lu ck like o the r riders falling in fro nt of h im and bein g p u t into the wall on se veral occassions to m iss th em has led to so me sa ying th at he is ove r th e hill and n othe r co uld be fa rther from the truth . T h urs day nigh t at Irwindale R ick did q uali fy fo r b oth Mai n Events and eac h • • ___ RACEWAY • OP ANG[ COU N T'" I'HEPNA T ' ONA L P ... C E w .. ... I~ LOC .. T[ O ON TH[ S " N T" "N" f PW'" I_ M ' , So UTH OF O O'SN["'L " NO . [ . I T TH ( $... NT .. " N " f A wY A T So N O oll C A N YO N 011 \1[ . DR ()ot T T IoII S A N DIEGO f ftw... AT M O U L TON .. ... 001 ... . 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