Motor Racing / Shav Glick : Anaheim Supercross Opens Season

Southern California’s most successful motor racing event, the Anaheim Supercross, will kick off the 1986 racing season Saturday night at Anaheim Stadium, with another full house anticipated.

The Anaheim Supercross has sold out for seven consecutive years, and to make sure of eight in a row, promoter Mike Goodwin has added automobiles to his opening night program.

Seven of the world’s best riders--David Bailey, Bob Hannah, Rick Johnson, Jeff Ward, Jim Holley, Ron Lechien and defending champion Broc Glover--are entered in the motocross.

Glover recently signed a new three-year contract with Yamaha at a reported $1 million, making him the highest paid motocross rider in the world. Three of the top riders have switched mounts for 1986, Hannah moving from Honda to Suzuki, Johnson from Yamaha to Honda and Lechien from Honda to Kawasaki.

Holley, surprise winner of the Rodil International world championship trophy, has been promoted from a Yamaha privateer to a member of the factory team.

Sandwiched between the 125cc and championship 250cc motos will be three off-road races for desert buggies, similar to those that compete in Mickey Thompson’s closed-course off-road spectaculars.

Goodwin has created a separate course for the four-wheelers inside the confines of the baseball-football stadium. Among the drivers expected to compete are Frank and Al Arciero, Bob Gordon, Steve Kelly, Jim Fishback, Dave Bonner and Michael Whithers.

Also Saturday, from 4 to 6 p.m., there will be a benefit auction for former U.S. Grand Prix champion Danny (Magoo) Chandler, who was paralyzed last month in a spill during the Paris Supercross. Chandler, who was uninsured, is recuperating in a San Jose hospital.

Shirley Muldowney, former world top fuel drag racing champion, will begin her comeback Friday at Firebird Raceway in Phoenix.

Muldowney, who suffered severe leg injuries during a high-speed crash June 19, 1984, near Montreal, will make her first runs in a new 260-m.p.h. machine Friday with plans to compete Saturday and Sunday in a National Hot Rod Assn. Division 7 meet on the same strip.

Current world champion Don (Big Daddy) Garlits will not be at Firebird but will open his ’86 campaign in the Winternationals, Jan. 30-31-Feb. 1-2 at the L.A. County Fairgrounds in Pomona.

Drag boat racing drivers and owners will meet Saturday at 4 p.m. at 10155 Canoga Ave. in Chatsworth to continue discussions on forming an organization to standardize the sport and promote greater safety.

The tentative West Coast racing schedule for 1986:

INDY CARS April 6--Phoenix 200, CART oval race, Phoenix International Raceway.

April 13--Long Beach Grand Prix, CART road race, Long Beach.

Oct. 12--Laguna Seca 300, CART road race, Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey.

Oct. 19--Phoenix 200, CART oval race, Phoenix International Raceway.

STOCK CARS March 23--Curb Motorsports Winston Racing Series opener, Ascot Park.

March 29--All-American Challenge Series, NASCAR oval race, Saugus Speedway.

June 1--Budweiser 400, NASCAR road race, Riverside International Raceway.

July 4--All-American Challenge Series, NASCAR oval race, Cajon Speedway, El Cajon.

July 5--All-American Challenge Series, NASCAR oval race, Saugus Speedway.

Nov. 16--Winston Western 500, NASCAR road race, Riverside International Raceway.

DRAG RACING Jan. 18-19--Division 7 series, National Hot Rod Assn., Firebird Raceway, Phoenix.

Jan. 30-Feb. 2--Winternationals, NHRA, L.A. County Fairgrounds, Pomona.

May 2-4--Bakersfield Smokers meet, Division 7 series, Famoso Drag Strip, Bakersfield.

Oct. 11-12--Fallnationals, NHRA, Firebird Raceway, Phoenix.

Oct. 23-26--World Finals, NHRA, L.A. County Fairgrounds, Pomona.

SPORTS CARS April 27--Los Angeles Times-Ford 6 Hour race, International Motor Sports Assn., Riverside International Raceway.

May 4--Monterey Triple Crown, IMSA, Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey.

May 28--Trans Am, Formula Atlantic, Sports Car Club of America, Riverside International Raceway.

June 15--Summer Sprints, Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey.

Oct. 12--Firestone Firehawk enduro, IMSA, Riverside International Raceway.

Oct. 26--Firestone Firehawk enduro, IMSA, Firebird Raceway, Phoenix.

Nov. 9--Camel GT, IMSA, Del Mar race track, San Diego.

SPRINT CARS & MIDGETS Feb. 22-23--Midwinter Outlaw Nationals, World of Outlaws, winged sprint cars, Ascot Park.

Feb. 28-March 1--California Racing Assn. sprint car doubleheader, Imperial County Fairgrounds, El Centro.

March 15--Opening night, CRA sprint cars, Ascot Park.

July 3--Firecracker 50, CRA sprint cars, Ascot Park.

Oct. 23-25--Pacific Coast Nationals, sprint cars, Ascot Park.

Nov. 22-Don Peabody Classic, CRA sprint cars, Ascot Park.

Nov. 27--Turkey Night Grand Prix, U.S. Auto Club midgets, Ascot Park.

OFF-ROAD RACING Feb. 1--Parker 400, SCORE International, Parker, Ariz.

March 1--Mickey Thompson closed-course series, Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego.

April 5--Great Mojave 250, SCORE, Lucerne Valley.

May 9-10--Mint 400, High Desert Racing Assn., Las Vegas.

June 7--Baja Internacional, SCORE, Ensenada, Mexico.

July 5--Fireworks 250, HDRA, Barstow.

July 19--Thompson closed-course series, Coliseum.

Aug. 16-17--World closed-course championships, SCORE, Riverside International Raceway.

Sept. 6--Frontier 500, HDRA, Las Vegas.

Nov. 7-8--Baja 1000, SCORE, Ensenada to La Paz, Mexico.

Dec. 5--Frontier 250, HDRA, Las Vegas.

MOTOCROSS Jan. 18--Supercross, Anaheim Stadium.

Jan. 26--Skoal Golden State Nationals, Continental Motosports Club, Carlsbad.

Feb. 8--Supercross, Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego.

March 2--Skoal Golden State Nationals, CMC, Quail Canyon, Gorman.

June 29--U.S. Grand Prix, world 500cc championship, Carlsbad Raceway.

Aug. 8--Supercross, Coliseum.

Oct. 20-21--Trans-Cal, closed course, Ascot Park.

MOTORCYCLES (Camel Pro series) April 5--National TT steeplechase, Ascot Park.

May 10--National half-mile, Ascot Park.

Sept. 20--National half-mile, Ascot Park.