Motor Racing / Shav Glick : Speedway Cycle Champion Is Off to an Embarrassing Start

Speedway motorcycle racing, Southern California’s most successful weekly sports show since Harry Oxley and Jack Milne took it to the Orange County Fairgrounds 17 years ago, is getting more competitive each season.

How else can you explain why U.S. champion Kelly Moran and No. 3 national rider Alan Christian both failed to qualify for either the scratch or handicap main events in last week’s season opener at Costa Mesa?

“It was one of the most embarrassing moments I can remember,” Moran said. “Here I am, the national champion, and couldn’t make either main! I know one thing: Next Friday night, I’ll be on the gas until I get the checkered flag.”

Moran, Christian, Lance King and last week’s winner, Mike Faria, head the entries for Friday night’s race, second in a 27-week season. Faria was the winningest rider on the local circuit last year, winning 22 scratch main events. King, third-place finisher in last year’s world championships, has decided against returning to the British Speedway League and will ride the entire season in Southern California.

The same cast will also be at Ventura Raceway on Tuesday nights and at the Inland Motorcycle Speedway in San Bernardino on Wednesday nights.

In addition, two new tracks will join the speedway circus soon.

Carlsbad Raceway will open a new oval for Sunday night racing April 14. The track was built by Kelly Moran and is said to resemble the old Irwindale track.

The new Ascot Competition Center track in Gardena, located north of the half-mile race track, will hold weekly races Thursday nights starting April 18, a week later than had been planned. Construction problems are responsible for the delay.

STOCK CARS--Saugus Speedway will officially open its 27th year of racing Saturday night with four main events, including a 40-lap race for modifieds on the flat, third-mile oval. Sportsman, street stock and Figure 8 cars will race 30, 25 and 15 laps, respectively. . . . Pro stock, Bomber Figure 8 and oval street stocks will race Sunday night at Ascot Park, with a demolition derby to follow. Ray Burns, two-time defending champion in the Curb Motorsports NASCAR series, opened the season with a win last week and is favored again, although former Figure 8 drivers Ed Ferro and Don Wright Jr. may prove to be contenders. . . . Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield will open its weekly open competition series Saturday night with five-time track champion Jim Thirkettle favored. The Sylmar veteran won the 100-lap Sonny Easley Memorial race two weeks ago at Mesa Marin. . . . Cajon Speedway, near San Diego, and Bakersfield Speedway, in Oildale, will hold open houses Saturday night as previews to their season openers--April 13 at Cajon and April 20 at Bakersfield.

MOTOCROSS--”Stormin’ Home,” a TV movie featuring motocross champions Brad Lackey, Broc Glover and Kent Howerton playing themselves, will be on Channel 2 Friday night at 9. . . . The Miller Superbowl of Motocross will return to the Coliseum May 11. . . . The CMC night motocross program will be held Friday at Ascot Park.

SPRINT CARS--Brad Noffsinger, who won the U.S. Auto Club’s western regional midget race Sunday night, will try for his first sprint car victory of 1985 Saturday night in the Kraco-CRA main event at Ascot Park. The Huntington Beach driver has the year’s fastest lap at Ascot of 18.75 seconds and has been the fastest driver at both previous Ascot races, but has yet to win.

INDY CARS--Rocky Moran of Arcadia, who hasn’t driven an Indy car since 1981 at Watkins Glen and hasn’t driven in a four-wheel car race since the 1982 Can-Am at Road Atlanta, is returing to Indy cars this year and has entered the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, opening event of the Championship Auto Racing Teams season April 14. Moran, 30, will drive a Leader Cards March for A. J. Watson. . . . Randy Lanier, defending IMSA Camel Pro champion and winner of last year’s six-hour race at the Times Grand Prix of Endurance, has announced that he will compete for the Vandervell rookie title in CART this year.