Motor Racing : Title Already His, but Rick Johnson Gunning for a Third Coliseum Win

Rick Johnson of El Cajon, very likely the finest motocross rider in the world, has already clinched the American Motorcyclist Assn.’s Supercross series for stadium racing, but he says he’ll be riding in the season finale Saturday night at the Coliseum as if the championship depended on it.

“Los Angeles is an important market for us,” Johnson, a Honda team rider, said. “And besides, I’d like to be the first to win three straight in the Coliseum.”

Marty Tripes won consecutively in 1972 and ‘73, as did Jimmy Ellis in ’75 and ‘76, and Johnson has won the last two.

For the first time since motocross was introduced in a stadium setting by Mike Goodwin in 1972, the name of the Coliseum event has changed. No longer is it the Superbowl of Motocross, but rather the Coors Super Crown of Stadium Motocross. The change was made by the new promoters, Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group, who took over this year from Goodwin’s organization.

“In the two races we had (Anaheim and San Diego) with the Thompson guys, I’d say they have been better for the riders,” Johnson said. “Goodwin always had great looking tracks on paper, but when we went to ride on them, they were sort of sloppy. With Thompson, the courses have been more professional, wider and more interesting.”

Johnson won 9 of 11 Super Crown and Supercross races this year. In the two he didn’t win, he finished second to Jeff Ward at Houston and third behind Ron Lechien and Ward at Seattle.

Johnson also won the U.S. 250cc Grand Prix last year at Hollister Hills, Calif., a championship he plans to defend this year at Unadilla, N.Y. Because of an international rule forbidding riders from competing in more than one GP class a year, Johnson will pass up the U.S. 500cc world event June 26 at Hollister Hills.

“I’ll be at Mammoth Mountain the week they run at Hollister,” Johnson said. “That’s my favorite motocross course in the world. The course at Hollister is not that great, it’s hard to pass and it’s just not much. The way I have it worked out, I had my choice of two good tracks, Mammoth and Unadilla, or one bad track. It was an easy decision.”

Johnson, who has never ridden regularly in Europe in pursuit of a world championship, went to Nijmegen, Holland, last year for what was termed the World Series of Motocross and beat every top rider from around the world. He did it in what has become something of a trademark, coming from last to first place as he did in last year’s Coliseum Superbowl.

Although Johnson is already the Supercross champion, a title of sorts will be at stake Saturday night in the Triple Crown of Super Crown, given to the rider with the best combined results from Thompson Group-promoted events at Anaheim, San Diego and the Coliseum. Since Johnson won both earlier motos, his lead is not likely to be challenged. Johnson has 50 points to 42 for Ward, 40 for Micky Dymond, 35 for Lechien, 34 for Broc Glover and 30 for Eric Kehoe.

Jeff Matiasevich, the ultracross leader from La Habra Heights, has a big lead over fellow Kawasaki rider Mike Kiedirowski of Canyon Country, 160-96, but Matiasevich will not ride because of a broken leg.

The only thing Johnson hasn’t won this year is the AMA outdoor 250cc series, which he lost by seven points to Kawasaki rider Ward. Each won three events, but Johnson failed to finish once and that made the difference. Johnson is also defending champion in the 500cc outdoor series, which has not yet started.

“I hold the No. 1 plate, and I want to keep it,” Johnson said.

During Easter weekend, Johnson nearly had a disastrous accident while water skiing at Lake Martinez, near Yuma, Ariz., on the Colorado river. It was in almost the precise spot where Bob (Hurricane) Hannah, then the country’s No. 1 rider, suffered serious leg injuries while water skiing in 1979.

“I was skiing barefooted and I noticed the boat bump, like it might have hit a submerged rock, so I let go,” Johnson said. “Wouldn’t that have been freaky, if I’d hit a submerged rock the way Hannah did, in the same place. If I’d hit it, it might have ripped my foot off.”

STOCK CARS--Sportsman cars at Cajon Speedway will have their richest and longest race of the year Saturday night, a 100-lap main event paying $9,000. Formula Fords will also make their debut at the El Cajon facility. . . . NASCAR sportsman and street stocks will race Saturday night at San Bernardino’s Orange Show Speedway. . . . Hobby stocks race Friday night at both Saugus Speedway and Ventura Raceway. Saturday night’s feature at Saugus will be the 100-lap Miller American. NASCAR street stocks, Figure 8 racing and an ego challenge are also scheduled. . . . Jerry Meyer and Marcus Mallet continue their rivalry Sunday night when the pro stocks of the NASCAR Winston Series headline at Ascot Park. Four other divisions plus a Figure 8 chain race are on the program.

SPORTS CARS--The stock cars held their last go-around at Riverside International Raceway last weekend. Now it’s the sports car set’s turn. The California Sports Car Club, along with Sports Car Club of America affiliates from Las Vegas, San Diego and Arizona will hold a three-day program July 2-4 with national and regional championship races on the twisting road course. Chairman Jim Snelling is inviting any driver who ever competed at Riverside to contact the SCCA office at (818) 508-7811.

SPRINT CARS--The Parnelli Jones Firestone/California Racing Assn. series will move up the road to Santa Maria Speedway for its Saturday night program. Vintage cars will share the Santa Maria billing. . . . Winged mini-sprinters will run against three-quarter midget cars Saturday night at Ventura.

MOTORCYCLES--Johnny Airtime, the newest name in motorcycle jumping, will try to break Earnie Adams’ Ascot Park record of clearing 18 cars during the truck pull nationals Saturday night. Airtime says he’ll make 19. . . . Defending national champion Brad Oxley leads the AMA speedway standings with 3,017 points to 2,880 for Bobby Schwartz as speedway racing continues weekly on Thursday at Ascot’s South Bay Stadium, Friday at Costa Mesa’s Orange County Fairgrounds, Saturday at Victorville’s Speedway USA and Wednesday nights at the new Inland Motor Speedway track at Glen Helen Park in San Bernardino.

Western Eastern Racing Assn. road racers will hold sprint races this weekend along with Suzuki National Cup races at Willow Springs Raceway. . . . CMC motocross riders will be at Ascot Park Friday night, and at Glen Helen Park on Sunday.

DRAG BOATS--The fifth annual Bullhead City Family Boat Drags will be held this weekend at the Sunshine Marina in Bullhead City, Ariz. Qualifying runs are set for Saturday with eliminations Sunday. . . . Ron Braaksma of Downey defeated Fred Bray of Houston in the International Hot Boat Assn. Summernationals last Sunday at Puddingstone Lake to pad his lead in the IHBA standings.

NEWSWORTHY--Dan Greenwood, president of Riverside International Raceway, will join Sears Point Raceway in August as part of its new management team. Greenwood will succeed Darwin Doll, who resigned to accept a similar position at the to-be-built Albuquerque Raceway in New Mexico. . . . Bill Marcel, a longtime associate of the late Mickey Thompson, was named president of the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group, it was announced by Collene Thompson Campbell, executrix of the Thompson estate and chairman of the board for MTEG. Mike DeStefano was named executive vice president.