Motor Racing / Shav Glick : Best of Europe and U.S. at Carlsbad

Two European riders, David Thorpe of England and Andre Malherbe of Belgium, will carry their battle for world motocross supremacy to Carlsbad Raceway Sunday in the Nissan U.S. Grand Prix, but the overall winner is more likely to be a young Southern Californian.

After six rounds of the world 500cc series, Thorpe, the defending champion, leads his Honda teammate by 10 points, 185-175. A third Honda rider, Eric Geboers of Belgium, is next with 155. In the 12 individual motos, Thorpe has won four, Malherbe three, Geboers and Kees van der Ven of the Netherlands, two each.

However, five of the last six U.S. Grand Prix championships have been won by Americans and the only time a European won--Hakan Carlqvist of Sweden in 1983--it was on a technicality after he and Broc Glover of El Cajon had finished with the same number of points.

No American riders are seriously contesting the world championship this season, prefering to stay in the United States and ride in the American Motorcyclist Assn.’s three series, the 500cc, 250cc and Supercross for stadium events.

“There’s a lot more money to be made here and you don’t have to handle all the hassle with money and language and funny food like you do in Europe,” said Ricky Johnson of El Cajon, who has already won the national 250cc and Supercross championships.

Johnson, 21, has ridden in Europe as a member of the winning U.S. team in the Motocross de Nations, but has never competed on the 500cc world circuit.

Johnson will attempt to become the first rider to win all three U.S. championships in the same year when the AMA 500cc series starts next month. He won 6 of 12 stadium races and 8 of 10 national 250cc motos, winning more than $300,000 from the two series.

“I want to win Carlsbad very badly,” he said. “It’s sort of like my home track, it’s only about 35 miles from where I live, and winning it would give me a great start toward winning the 500cc championship. Plus, beating the Europeans in front of the hometown fans is always fun.”

David Bailey, who moved from San Diego to Axton, Va., a few years ago, is the defending champion. Other leading U.S. riders entered include Jeff Ward of Mission Viejo, the 1985 stadium champion; Jim Holley of Woodland Hills, last year’s Rodil International Cup winner; and Ron Lechien of El Cajon.

Although Carlsbad is only No. 7 in the 11-event world championship series, the results of the U.S. race have weighed heavily in determining the champion the last two years.

Each time it came down to Thorpe, the young Englishman who gave up a promising soccer career to concentrate on motocross, and Malherbe, who carried on the Belgian tradition established by Joel Robert and Roger DeCoster by winning world championships in 1980 and 1981.

In 1984, Thorpe ran poorly at Carlsbad and Malherbe finished fourth behind Glover to move into a substantial lead which he held to win his third world title. Last year it was Malherbe who faltered and Thorpe finished second en route to dethroning the Belgian.

“In ’84 I only took four points away from Carlsbad and virtually ended any chance I had of taking the title,” Thorpe said. “But last year I got 30 points against Andre’s 20 and gave myself some breathing space in the championship.”

Both Thorpe and Malherbe were testing at Carlsbad for several weeks before last Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix to familiarize themselves with the hillside course.

Glover, the 1984 winner, is not entered because of an injured wrist.

This year’s two 45-minute motos, which will be the final 500cc world championship to be run at Carlsbad after 14 years, are being held on Saturday to accommodate television. All previous events were on Sunday.

The first moto will start at noon Saturday, with the televised main event set for 2 p.m. It will be shown on ABC-TV’s “Wide World of Sports” live in the East but delayed in the West. “Wide World” will be on Channel 7 Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and on San Diego’s Channel 10 at 3:30 p.m.

Two 250cc motos for local riders will fill out the program.

A day of pro-am racing, on the same course the professionals will ride, is scheduled for Sunday, starting at 9:30 a.m.

SPRINT CARS--Lealand McSpadden, the Tempe Tornado from Arizona, will make Ascot Park his next barnstorming stop when he drives Saturday night in the California Racing Assn. main event. McSpadden won three races on a CRA tour of the Midwest and also won the opener at Baylands Raceway in Northern California. He will face defending CRA champion Eddie Wirth, who won his first 1986 main event last Saturday night at Ascot, along with other CRA regulars such as Bubby Jones, Mike Sweeney and CRA point leader Brad Noffsinger.

MOTORCYCLES--With the excitement of last week’s Nissan American Finals behind them, Southland speedway riders are back to their weekly racing programs this week. Riders from the British League, who won all five berths in the world qualifying competition, have returned to England, leaving the local booty to riders such as Alan Christian, Brad Oxley, Mike Faria and Steve Lucero. The five qualifiers--Shawn Moran, Sam Ermolenko, Lance King, Bobby Schwartz and Kelly Moran--will ride Saturday in the Overseas Final in Bradford, England. . . . San Bernardino’s Inland Speedway will hold its annual Firecracker Derby next Wednesday night with an all-scratch program for first division riders plus an exhibition by the leading eight juniors. . . . The CMC will hold its weekly motocross Friday night at Ascot Park. . . . The Toyota Budweiser Formula USA Gran Prix will be run Sunday at Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond with Earl Roloff of Spring Valley on a Kawasaki and Jim Vreeke of Canoga Park on a Yamaha as the favorites.

DRAG RACING--Nitro-burning fuel altereds, once one the most-popular hot rod classes, will have a revival this weekend at the Los Angeles County Raceway in Palmdale where the National Hot Rod Assn. will also introduce its new super series for super eliminator, super X and pro street equipment. Qualifying will start Saturday at 4 p.m. with eliminations Sunday at 2 p.m.

STOCK CARS--Veteran Long Beach driver Gabby Garrison, who will turn 70 on July 2, will be honored Saturday night at Saugus Speedway. Garrison, one of the 13 charter members of the Pacific Racing Assn. when stock car racing was introduced at Saugus in 1959, still drives his No. 51 Dodge in the NASCAR sportsman division. Saugus fans can look forward to not having a full moon this Saturday night. Last week, with the track lit up almost like daylight, a normal 40-lap race took on marathon proportions with one restart and eight yellow flags before Ken Davis won in a Chrysler. It was the first Chrysler to win at Saugus since Wild Bill Foster in the early ‘70s. . . . Rick Gifford will be going for his fourth straight pro-mod win Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway in Oildale.

MIDGETS--A combined program of United States Auto Club midgets in a western regional series race and three-quarter midgets of National Midget Racing Assn. will be held Sunday night at Ascot Park. Robby Flock, Rusty Rasmussen and Wally Pankratz lead the USAC series.

HYDROPLANES--The American Power Boat Assn.’s premier race, the Budweiser Gold Cup, will be held Sunday on the Detroit River with Chip Hanauer, driving the Miller American, attempting to win his fifth straight Gold Cup to match a record set 50 years ago by Gar Wood. Hanauer did not race in the season opener at Miami because of possible damage to the boat’s turbine engine from the salt water, but another turbine-powered boat, Miss Budweiser, was the winner with Jim Kropfeld driving. The unlimited hydroplane season will wind up with two races on the West Coast, Sept. 21 on San Diego’s Mission Bay and Sept. 28 on Lake Mead, near Las Vegas.

DRIVER OF THE YEAR--Michael Andretti, who has won two of the last three CART Indy car races, edged out NASCAR points leader Dale Earnhardt in mid-season balloting for 1986 driver of the year. Young Andretti, whose father Mario won the award in 1967, 1978 and 1984, polled 56 votes to 53 for Earnhardt, followed by Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal with 47, the team of Al Holbert and Derek Bell, 27; and Daytona 500 winner Geoff Bodine, 25.

NEWSWORTHY--The Porsche Owners Club will conduct time trials Saturday and Sunday at Riverside International Raceway. . . . BMW, which withdrew from the International Motor Sports Assn. Camel GT series last April, will return July 6 with two cars and four drivers, David Hobbs, John Watson, John Andretti and Davy Jones.