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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1533378
O ctober 21, 1992 ® M ä S I E S Coors ILS. Speedway National Championship Mike Faria (center) leads Ronnie Correy (left) during a heat. Faria was the favorite for the championship, but was disqualified after an altercation with Bobby Schwartz. addition, the 19-year-old became the first rider to earn the title with a perfect 15-point maximum since Bruce Pen hall accomplished the feat in 1980. 24 On the podium after the race, Bobby Schwartz (left) and Steve Lucero doused Chris Manchester with champagne. Manchester won every heat in which he competed. Manchester perfect! By Scott Daloisio Photos by Bob Jones COSTA MESA, CA, OCT. 3 C hris Manchester made American speedway history when he became the first rider to win the National Championship on his first attempt. In Many insiders tabbed Manchester as the main challenger to two-time National Champion ''Flyin' " Mike Faria, but many in the crowd were surprised as they watched him zoom away from the competition time after time. To put it simply, the second- generation racer made it look easy. Faria was favored to win before the event. He had four bikes in the pits and drew number one for the night, which meant he would start in gate one in his first and last rides, and he would always be on a freshly-dragged track. In heat one, Faria looked predictably strong. He roared out of gate one to assume control of the lead over British- Leaguers Ronnie Correy, Billy Hamill and northern California champ Bart Bast. Correy, who started in lane four, drifted wide off turn two and Hamill and Bast quickly ducked inside of him. Hamill shook off Bast in turn four and went after Faria. He pulled to the 35- year-old's rear tire and applied heat all the way to the checkered, but Faria was equal to the task. He earned the win and three points towards the crown. Heat two was all Bobby Schwartz. The oldest rider in the field at 36, Schwartz waltzed to a five-bike length victory over Steve Lucero. Robert Pfetzing, riding with a dislocated shoulder, finished third. Prior to the event, Charlie Venegas had blown up the motor on his number-one bike in the pits, and was forced to switch to his back-up GM, which was more suited to big tracks. It only bothered him one time in the third heat. Coming from the pole, Venegas got a clean gate. Scott Brant started in gate three and went to the outside. Brant got a drive off turn two and looked ready to take the lead, but Venegas wheelied and cut across the line. Brant took evasive action to avoid Venegas and by the time he pegged the throttle again, Brad Oxley had passed him for second place. Venegas pulled to a comfortable lead and an eventual win. Brant got back on line and used the cushion to chase down Oxley, but he ran out of time and Oxley beat him to the checkers by half a bike length. CTi Brace/Thor/Ancra/Motul/ Shoei/Brant Eng./Team KG/NJK/ Cirello Racing/Gary McDonald Rac- ing/Howard's Muffler/Burn's Back- hoe/Light Projects/Mike Kelly/KK Jawa-backed Manchester wearing a paper-thin set of colorful leathers, made his first appearance of the night in heat four. On the start Andy Northrup touched the tapes and was excluded by referee Jim Fishback. John Aden came in to take his place. On the restart, Manchester got a miserable gate and was battling for third with Aden. In turn two on the second lap, Gary Hicks "parked," and Louis Kossuth had no choice but to make minor contact. Aden then plowed into both riders, and all three tumbled down. Fishback ejected Hicks from the heat for causing the crash. "I think that's a little harsh, but that's speedway," said Hicks. "I'm fine and I'm going to go out and do my best to win all my other races." The third start of the heat proved to be the charm. Manchester got a tremendous gate from lane four and easily won the race by half a straight over Aden. Heat five was the start of Faria's downfall. With a pole-position start against veterans Faria, Lucero and Brant, Manchester blasted off the line and into the lead, but the race never completed a lap before the third red flag of the night came out. Lucero tried to knife his way inside Faria, and made contact. Lucero fell, while Faria flew over the bars. His bike flipped into the air and came down on his legs, and Faria was down for more than two minutes. The woozy champion returned to the pits and tried to prepare for the restart. The normal two-minute hold stretched to more than five minutes as everyone awaited Faria's return. Faria emerged, but his bike died and yet another machine was brought out for him. Faria got a launch from gate two, but it was not enough. Manchester was putting horsepower to the ground as he drove off turn two and took com mand of the lead. Faria got sideways on lap one and Brant made contact with his rear tire. That straightened Faria out, but it slowed Brant, and Lucero went sailing into third. Man chester cruised ahead of all the action to the checkers for the win. "I'm hurting pretty well right now, but tomorrow it's really going to hurt," said Faria. "There was no room down there (on the inside) and Steve Lucero T-boned me." On the other side of the pits Lucero said, "If that's what he thought, that's what happened, I suppose. It's racing. I don't want him to win. I don't want anybody to win except myself." The next red flag flew in heat six. Pfetzing screamed off the line and into