San Diego Roundup : Motorcyclists to Race on Ice for First Time at Sports Arena

Brad Oxley and Scotty Brown are expected to compete in the International Speedway Motorcycle Ice Racing competition tonight and Saturday in the San Diego Sports Arena.

Oxley is the U.S. speedway champion. Brown is the current leader on the ice racing circuit.

The races, which begin at 8 each night, will be held for the first time in the Sports Arena. They are part of the ISMIR circuit, which is sanctioned by the American Motorcycle Assn. and includes races in Tacoma, Wash.; Oakland, and San Francisco.

The races feature 500cc speedway motorcycles equipped with special tires with metal studs to help grip the ice. The motorcycles do not have brakes because of the danger involved if the brakes lock in a turn.

Riders from six countries, including New Zealand and West Germany, are expected to compete.

There will be four heats in two divisions and a main event each night.

Twenty of the athletes who will be competing for spots on the U.S. Olympic canoeing and kayaking team will be in the San Diego area from Oct. 28 through Nov. 1 to consider Lake Hodges in Escondido and the Otay Lakes in East San Diego County as possible training sites.

The athletes and three of the team’s coaches will decide whether to opt for one of the San Diego sites for their pre-Olympic training camp or to remain at their current permanent headquarters in Indianapolis, according to Suzanne Strassburger, the executive director of the Escondido Convention and Visitors Bureau. The pre-Olympic camp will be held in the summer of 1988 before the Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea.

They also may choose one of the lakes as a permanent headquarters. Strassburger said that the year-round climate in San Diego County and the fact that the U.S. volleyball team is located in San Diego are reasons for selecting San Diego.

Applications are now being accepted for the Gamay Noveau 10-kilometer run and 1 3/4-mile fun run, to be held Nov. 15. Both races will begin at the Gamay Noveau Winery on San Pasqual Road in Escondido. Proceeds from the races will help renovate San Diego Balboa Stadium and will benefit youth programs in San Diego. For more information, call 272-1029.