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/1545446
USA Speedway and International Speedway Inc. have jointly announced that the opening round of the 2006 AMA USA Speedway National Champ- ionship Series will be held at the famed Costa Mesa Speedway at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, California. The event, scheduled for Saturday night, August 5, will mark the return of AMA Championship Speedway racing to Costa Mesa after an absence of nearly 10 years and reflects a new level of cooperation between USA Speedway, the AMA's exclusive competition affiliate for speedway racing, and International Speedway Inc., which operates Costa Mesa Speedway. "USA Speedway is thrilled to have ISI/Costa Mesa Speedway join our 2006 national series," said USA Speedway executive director Bill Amick. "Not only does this bring another premier facility into the series, but it marks a major step forward in USA Speedway's efforts to unify and expand American Speedway competition." On behalf of International Speedway Inc., its president, Brad Oxley, said: "We're really excited to have this oppor- tunity to participate in the AMA USA Speedway National Championship Series and bring another premier event to our fans in Costa Mesa. We've been impressed with some of the new directions taken by USA Speedway, and we're optimistic that this event will help forge new and positive relationships within our sport." USA Speedway and ISI both expressed gratitude to Harald "Howie" Zechner for his role in achieving the sanction agree- ment. Zechner, who operates RAZ Video and serves as a member of the USA Speedway Board of Directors, played a pivotal role in negotiations to reunite Costa Mesa Speedway and the AMA/USA Speedway. Differences over rules led to a parting of the ways in 1997, and several reunification initiatives in recent years have failed to bear fruit. In January, Oxley was a featured speak- er at the AMA Team USA Speedway Testimonial, and a new round of discus- sions between his ISI organization and USA Speedway began at that time. The newly refurbished Costa Mesa Speedway holds a special place in the his- tory of American Speedway motorcycle racing, and, under the direction of pro- moter Harry Oxley and former World Champion Jack Milne, it was the epicenter of the sport's postwar resurgence in Southern California. It is America's longest-running Speedway venue and is currently conducting its 38th consecutive season of motorcycle racing. Although the announcement encom- passed only the single event on August 5, USA Speedway and ISI confirmed that dis- cussions are taking place regarding possi- ble AMA/USA Speedway sanction of this fall's U.S. Nationals, a mainstay on Costa Mesa Speedway's calendar and an event Amick called "America's most prestigious single-day Speedway championship event." If the talks move forward as hoped, they will result in the full unification of American Speedway and mutual recogni- tion of the AMA USA Speedway National Championship Series and of the U.S. Nationals as the sport's premier champi- onships. "This is very good news for American Speedway," commented Dave Joiner, whose Fast Fridays Speedway in Northern California will conduct two rounds of the AMA USA Speedway National Championship Series in 2006. "Having Costa Mesa in the national series will strengthen the series and help us move forward with a real vision for the future." Fast Fridays Speedway hosted single- day AMA National Speedway Championships annually from 1998 through 2001, and in 2002 Joiner was instrumental in the launch of the AMA National Championship Series. He has also played a key role in the negotiations lead- ing to Costa Mesa's inclusion in the 2006 AMA USA Speedway National Championship Series. The 2006 AMA USA Speedway National Championship Series schedule is as follows: August 5 Costa Mesa Speedway Orange County Fairgrounds Costa Mesa, California September 1 Fast Fridays Speedway Gold Country Fairgrounds Auburn, California September 2 TBA October 7 Fast Fridays Speedway Gold Country Fairgrounds Auburn, California C Y C L E N E W S • JULY 5,2006 15 Costa Mesa Gets Speedway Opener 30 Years Ago July 6, 1976... Women's Motocross National Champion Sue Fish was on the cover of Cycle News 30 years ago; Fish claimed the Women's Grand National Championship at Indian Dunes, topping more than 100 women from around the country. Kathy Brobeck topped the Women's Intermediate class on the day... Jay Springsteen became the 12th different win- ner in as many Grand National/Camel Pro Series National flat-track races in Columbus, Ohio, topping Kenny Roberts and privateer Steve Moorhead... Roger DeCoster topped the 500cc World Motocross class in West Germany, going 1-1 on the day to maintain his championship points lead. DeCoster did so in front of thousands of American troops that were stationed on the U.S. Army and Air Force bases in the area. 20 Years Ago July 9, 1986... Three-time World Motocross Champion Andre Malherbe made the cover of Cycle News 20 years ago; Malherbe took the top spot in the Canadian round of the World 500cc MX Championship after tak- ing a fourth overall at the USGP in Carlsbad, both finishes moving him closer to points leader David Thorpe... Rick Johnson took the top spot at the USGP round, followed by David Bailey and Jeff Ward... Andy Nicholls topped the Belgian 250cc World MX GP, while Massimo Contini was the man in the 125cc ranks... Can-Am's Geoff Ballard claimed his second overall ISDE qualifier win in Oregon... Ronnie Jones held off a late-race charge from Bubba Shobert to win the Ohio Half Mile National flat-track win... Team Hammer took its sec- ond straight overall WERA National Endurance series win in Talladega, Alabama. 10 Years Ago July 3, 1996... Factory Honda moto- cross teammates Jeremy McGrath and Steve Lamson shared the cover of Cycle News 10 years ago; McGrath went 1-1 on the day at Southwick to take the overall 250cc MX win, while Lamson went 1-2 to take the 125cc overall win. Both the Honda teammates left the "sand capital" sitting atop the points stand- ings... Scott Parker took his factory H-D flat- tracker to the Sedalia Half Mile win, topping fellow H-D rider Steve Moorhead and Honda-mounted Kevin Varnes... We debuted Honda's all-new, aluminum-framed 1997 CR250 motocrosser. The bike was revo- lutionary and was the first aluminum-framed production MX machine... We ran a feature on Aprilia 250cc road-race World Champion Max Biaggi and his newfound domination of the quarter-liter class. NAMED: Michael A. Moskowitz, as director of sales/East Coast, for Vento Motorcycles USA, effective immediately. In his new position, Moskowitz will oversee eastern region sales operations of Vento powersports vehicles, including systems implementation, brand building, sales training, financial management and dealer relations from Maine to Mississippi (excluding Florida). He will coordinate the activi- ties of up to six regional sales managers and is currently interviewing and placing five new regional sales positions by the end of the year. BORN: A baby boy, Raymond Alex, to former exhaust rep- resentative and current Powersports Institute instructor Alex Rossborough and his wife, Kristen, on June 16 in Cleveland, Ohio. ANNOUNCED: A marketing agreement between Gianat- sis Design, producers of the popular FastDates.com Motor- cycle Pinup Calendars, and SPEEDtv.com, the official web- site for Speed Channel. Under this agreement, SPEEDtv.com will be selling the FastDates.com calendars through its affiliation with Motorbooks.com, beginning July 1, when the new 2007 FastDates.com calendars are released. ETC. PHOTO BY CHRIS JONES