Orange County Roundup : Ex-World Champion Penhall to Race at Speedway Reunion

Former two-time world speedway champion Bruce Penhall heads the field of riders who will compete in the third Great Speedway Reunion Friday night at the Orange County Fairgrounds.

Penhall will ride against Dennis Sigalos in a four-lap match race at halftime. Penhall and Sigalos teamed to win the World Best Pairs championship in 1981. Sigalos broke his ankle three years ago at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach and hasn’t ridden since the accident.

“Wild” Bill Cody and Sonny Nutter, who helped popularize speedway racing at the Fairgrounds in the 1970s, will ride in a three-lap match race. Other veterans scheduled to compete include Ron Preston, Jim Fishback, Danny Becker and Billy Gray.

A percentage of the gate proceeds will be donated to the Adam Walsh Resource Center in Orange. Last year, the reunion raised $5,240 for the Children’s Hospital of Orange. Gates open at 6:30 with the first heat race scheduled for 8.

Orange Coast College is trying to locate members of the Pirates’ 1975 football team that was 11-0 and won the national community college championship. The team, which was coached by Dick Tucker, will be honored Oct. 11 at halftime of the Pirates’ Mission Conference game against Grossmont in LeBard Stadium. Members of the team or those who can help locate players should call Tucker, who stepped down as Orange Coast’s coach in January but is still the Pirate athletic director, at 432-5890.

The City of Fullerton will sponsor the third Nite Lite 10K on Oct. 18. The race starts at 5:30 p.m., and the 6.2-mile course, which is flat, will be lighted by Caltrans.

Racers of all ages can compete and there will also be wheelchair and walking divisions. Deadline for preregistration is Oct. 11. Cost is $12 including a shirt, $6 without. Late registration starts at 3 p.m. the day of the race at the corner of Wilshire and Pomona avenues in Fullerton. For more information, call Fullerton Community Services at 738-6675.

Bruce Jenner, Rafer Johnson and Bill Toomey are scheduled to attend The National Fitness Foundation’s awards presentation Oct. 16 at the Irvine Hilton. The ceremonies will honor Ram owner Georgia Frontiere, Carl Karcher Enterprises chairman Carl Karcher, Olympic gold medalist Edwin Moses, former Times sports editor Paul Zimmerman and Orange County Supervisor Thomas F. Riley for their dedication to fitness. For tickets and more information, call 770-2040.