Motor Racing / Julie Cart : European Riders Get a Break in Coliseum Races

In the world of motocross, there is stadium racing, which is preferred by most Americans, and open-course racing, which is preferred by most Europeans. Europeans, who prefer wide open, less sharply angled tracks, will therefore be at a disadvantage in the Coliseum for the Rodil International Trophy Championship World Supercross Final Saturday night.

That being the case, the promoters of what is being billed as the world’s first stadium motocross championship are giving the European riders an edge. The main event will be run with a handicap start, with the top 10 American riders starting in the second row, behind the foreign riders.

Although Jim Holley of Woodland Hills is leading after the first two rounds, European racers are expected to press him in their first stadium appearances. Among the foreign contingent are Pekka Vehkonen of Finland, world 125cc champion; Atsushi Okabe of Japan, John van den Berk of the Netherlands and former world champions Eric Geboers and Georges Jobe of Belgium.

Jobe became the youngest world champion when he won the 250cc motocross title in 1980, when he was 19. He finished second the next two years and won the world championship again in 1983. He has had mechanical problems this year and is fourth in the standings.

Geboers, 23, won the 125cc world championship in 1982 and 1983. Jobe and Geboers are products of Belgium’s strong motocross tradition. Both are know for their aggressive riding style and spectacular jumping.

The Coliseum course is not particularly popular with the riders but is well liked by fans. There are several consecutive jumps, plus the peristyle jump where riders roar up a launching ramp that sends them 70 rows up from the stadium floor.

INDY CARS--The United States Auto Club has left engine specifications unchanged for 1986 but has announced restrictions on the size of the race cars’ aerodynamic wings and wind tunnels to offset recent increases in speed.

The USAC rules apply only to cars competing in the Indianapolis 500-mile race. All other Indy-car races are sanctioned by Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART).

The front spoiler has been reduced seven inches in width, the depth limited to eight inches and the thickness limited to two inches. USAC also imposed limits on how far forward the wing may be mounted.

In an effort to reduce down force, the width of the aerodynamic tunnels which act to force the car toward the pavement has been restricted to 15 inches on each side of the car.

SPRINT CARS--Kraco, which has been sponsoring the California Racing Assn. series for the last six seasons, will not renew its sponsorship after this season. . . . Eddie Wirth has a 63-point lead over Mike Sweeney in seeking his first driver’s title in the Kraco-CRA series, but Wirth, who co-owns his car, trails Dean Thompson’s owner, Bruce Bromme, by 60 points in the owners’ standings. The trio will battle it out Saturday night at Ascot Park.

MOTORCYCLES--Sam Ermelenko and Alan Christian are the favorites in AMA speedway racing at South Bay Stadium Championship tonight at 8 p.m. at South Bay Stadium.

OFF ROAD--Entrants in the SCORE Baja 1,000 will take off at dawn Friday for the 11th annual running of the endurance race. A new course has been laid out, placing the start and finish in Ensenada for the 820-mile race. A sidecar motorcycle team is entered for the first time since 1971. An all-Belgian team consists of Ronny Renders, Marie-Jeanne Van Havwermeiren, Clarr Butsen and Michel DeBeeck. The team is a former class winner in the 8,000-mile Paris-to-Dakar Desert Rally.

STOCK CARS--The Winston Western 500, Nov. 17 at Riverside International Raceway, is the final race in the $12 million Winston Cup Series. Darrell Waltrip has a 35-point lead over Bill Elliott in the series. Geoff Bodine is the defending champion. The Winston Cup champion will earn nearly $400,000.