Motor Racing / Shav Glick : Braaksma and Black Continue 200-m.p.h. Battle in Drag Boats

More than 160 of the world’s fastest drag boats are expected to compete this weekend at Puddingstone Lake in the International Hot Boat Assn.’s Summernationals.

The Summernationals is the fourth round of the IHBA’s 10-event schedule.

In the top-fuel hydro class, Ron Braaksma of Downey will be trying to maintain his standings lead over defending world champion Tom Black of San Pablo, Calif. Braaksma, in Madness, ran 204.54 m.p.h. in 5.37 seconds over the quarter-mile Puddingstone course in April’s Springnationals to take the lead over Black, who drives Final Effort.

Braaksma set an IHBA record when he ran a 5.22-second elapsed time in the Winternationals last March at Firebird Lake in Chandler, Ariz. Black holds the speed record, 210.27 set last year at Oroville, Calif.

Tim Capaldi, who crashed at more than 188 m.p.h. in the Springnationals, will return in his blown alcohol hydro boat, Shot in the Dark, to challenge Dean Kirchner, who set a Puddingstone record of 193.80 in Blown Crazy during the Springnationals, and Gary Kincaid of La Verne, in Top Gun.

Capaldi, of Canoga Park, was driving Jim Pisciotta’s Thunder from Down Under, when he crashed.

Championships will be determined in 12 pro and four eliminator or sportsman classes in the two-day event. Puddingstone Lake is located in Frank G. Bonelli Park, near San Dimas. Qualifying will start at 7 a.m. Saturday, with eliminations Sunday at 8 a.m.

Rick Johnson, Honda’s 1988 Supercross and national 500cc motocross champion, will not ride Saturday night in the Coors Super Challenge at the Coliseum, final stadium event of the season.

The veteran rider from El Cajon won the first five Supercross races of 1989 before he broke his right wrist in a fall during practice March 5. He has been training in Colorado in hopes of racing at the Coliseum, but doctors advised him against returning so soon.

Johnson now hopes to race for the first time at Mammoth Mountain June 24-25, also skipping the U.S. Grand Prix 500cc World Championship June 18 at Hollister, Calif.

Jeff Stanton, Johnson’s Honda teammate from Sherwood, Mich., clinched the Supercross championship last week in Oklahoma City, but will be in the Coliseum finale.

Besides the 250cc main event Saturday night, there will be a $25,000 shoot-out in the 125cc class featuring East Coast champion Damon Bradshaw of Charlotte, N.C., and West Coast winner Jeff Matiasevich of La Habra Heights.

STOCK CARS--The Winston Cup, after running 20 years of June races at Riverside International Raceway before the track dropped off the schedule last year, will return to the West Coast Sunday for the Banquet 300 at Sears Point Raceway, in Sonoma. Rusty Wallace won the last race at Riverside and will be one of the favorites in the $517,522 race on Sears Point’s 2.52-mile road course. Also on the Sears Point schedule is a Southwest Tour race Saturday.

NASCAR sportsman cars will race Saturday night at Saugus Speedway, along with Pro Four West mini-stocks and a train race. . . . Ascot Park will present the first of two 150-lap International Enduros for domestic and foreign cars Sunday night. Entries include hobby mini-stock leader Bruce Penny, sprint car drivers Mike Kirby and Duane Feduska, and female competitors Sandra Bartosh, Becky Geurin and Julie Reed.

Sportsman cars will also compete Saturday night at San Bernardino’s Orange Show Stadium and Cajon Speedway in El Cajon. . . . California dirt cars race Saturday night at Santa Maria. . . . Street stocks race Friday night at Ventura Raceway.

SPRINT CARS--Brad Noffsinger, former California Racing Assn. champion who has won two straight at Ascot Park, will continue his chase of standings leader Jerry Meyer when the Parnelli Jones Firestone CRA series resumes Saturday night at Ascot.

MIDGETS--The United States Auto Club’s western regional series will visit Bakersfield Speedway in Oildale on Saturday night. . . . Modified midgets and outlaw mini-sprints will race Saturday night at Ventura Raceway.

MOTORCYCLES--Sam Ermolenko, who won the American Final last Saturday night in Long Beach, will delay his return to British Speedway League competition long enough to ride tonight at Ascot Park’s South Bay Stadium.

SAND DRAGS--The United Sand Assn. will hold its monthly day-night drag competition Saturday at Glen Helen Park in San Bernardino.