Motor Racing / Shav Glick : Observed Trials Yet to Take Hold in U.S.

Observed trials constitute the slowest, safest and perhaps most sophisticated of all motorcycling competition.

The objective is not to go fast, but to go deliberately--without losing balance and permitting a foot to touch anything but the foot pegs while negotiating a short loop of terrain that may include moss-covered rocks, fallen trees, running water, soft sand and steep climbs. Or sometimes all of them.

The emphasis is not on horsepower, but on throttle control, balance, traction sensitivity and split-second reaction to impending disaster, which in trials means the furtive touching of a foot to the ground. A stab with the foot costs a point and, like golf, the low score wins.

When Bernie Schreiber, 3-time national champion, left his home in La Crescenta in 1979 to become the only American to win the world trials championship, many trials enthusiasts believed it would trigger a boom in trials interest and competition locally. It never happened.

The 1989 season will close this weekend with a dual competition that is annually the highlight of the year--the Schreiber Cup on Saturday and El Trial de Espana on Sunday in the Cougar Flats area near Lucerne Valley.

The Schreiber Cup, which is conducted by the Valley Observed Trials Enthusiasts--Schreiber’s club when he was a teen-age phenom--is held on a difficult series of sections patterned after the type used in world competition.

El Trial, which is in its 19th year, is conducted by the American Trials Assn. and the course is designed for riders with all levels of experience and skill.

Mark Manniko, of Littleton, Colo., the No. 3-ranked rider in the country, is defending champion in both events. Manniko, a protege of Schreiber who rides a Fantic, will be challenged by Tom Hamann of San Diego, the top Southern California rider.

Other local favorites are Mark Oldar of San Pedro, Scott Annand of Sun Valley and Peter Croft of Huntington Beach, who won the support class last year and is moving up to expert.

National champion Ryan Young, of Williamsport, Pa., has indicated that he may compete in both events, according to an ATA spokesman.

Cougar Flats is part of the Johnson Valley off-road vehicle area in the Mojave Desert. To reach the trials site, take I-15 over Cajon Pass to the Bear Valley exit. Go right (east) to Highway 18, which becomes Old Woman Road in the town of Lucerne. Turn left at Camp Rock Road, then right on Cambria, a dirt road, and follow signs to the competition area. Competition will start both days at 10 a.m.

ALL-AMERICAN BANQUET--Bill Stroppe of Long Beach, veteran mechanic and car builder who was recently honored by the Ford Motor Co. for his 50 years in racing, will be the keynote speaker at the 17th annual All-American team banquet of the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Assn. on Jan. 7 in the Spruce Goose pavilion at Long Beach.

Presentation of the American driver-of-the-year award, which has been made the last 15 years in New York City, will be part of the program. The naming of the 10 members of the AARWBA All-American team is also scheduled. The public is invited. For ticket information, call (818) 842-7005.

SPORTS CARS--Dan Pastorini, former pro football quarterback, will switch from drag racing to driving a Chevrolet Fabcar next year in the International Motor Racing Assn.’s Camel GTP series. The Fabcar team is the only GT prototype entry constructed entirely of parts made in the United States.

OFF-ROAD--Nick Gross, 37, a finish work contractor from Mission Viejo, will be honored Saturday night as the overall champion of the High Desert Racing Assn./SCORE International series at the awards banquet at the Gold Coast Hotel in Las Vegas. Gross, who drives a 1600cc VW buggy in the highly competitive challenger class, beat out Bob Gordon of Orange and Paul Simon of Fallbrook for the No. 1 honor. Gordon won the Toyota True Grit award for the highest average speed of 48.12 m.p.h. in his 2-seater buggy for the entire series.

The Showboat 250, final event of the Southern Nevada Off Road Enthusiasts, will be run Saturday outside of Las Vegas.

MOTORCYCLES--The Continental Motosport Club’s multinational motocross championships, involving 4-stroke cycles, veteran pros and women, will be held Sunday on the Barona Oaks Indian reservation near Ramona, in San Diego County. . . . Final event of the Western USA motocross series will be held Sunday at De Anza Park, east of Riverside.

The American Road Racing Assn. season will conclude Sunday with a program of sprints at Willow Springs Raceway.