Speedway Returns to Fairgrounds

Only Anaheim Stadium and Los Alamitos Race Course have operated longer among professional sporting venues in Orange County than the Orange County Fairgrounds, site of the weekly speedway motorcycle races.

The brakeless, 500-cc motorcycles will roll onto the 190-yard oval for the 24th consecutive year at 8 tonight with some significant changes under promoter Harry Oxley of San Clemente.

Oxley, who began promoting the races in 1969, is coming off two unprofitable seasons, during which crowds were routinely less than 2,000 in the peak summer months. But Oxley is now heading the daily operations of what was once the most successful weekly motorcycle race in the country.

For openers, Oxley told the fair board at Costa Mesa that high prices were driving him out of business, and he threatened to close if changes weren’t made.

“A regular-sized beer was $4.25 and they had eliminated the kid’s meal,” Oxley said. “I told them if something didn’t change, I wasn’t going to open this season. One of the fair board members asked me, ‘Mr. Oxley, is that a threat? I said, ‘No, that’s just a good business decision.’ ”

Oxley won the consumer war. All concession prices were lowered and the popular kid’s meal returned. Continuing on the consumer bandwagon, Oxley lowered admission prices $3 for teen-agers ages 13 to 17 and children under 12 will continue to be admitted free.

“The fair board and concessionaire actually did more than I asked for,” Oxley said. “The fans are the winners.”

Oxley continued to cut corners by dropping his long-standing association with the American Motorcycle Assn., sanctioning body for all major U.S. motorcycle races. Oxley paid the AMA a fee of $250 per night; he now pays the sanctioning Speedway Racing Assn. (SRA) $50 per night.

Riders who were paying $165 for an AMA license to compete for the season are now paying $50 a year in the SRA. Oxley also changed insurance companies so the riders no longer pay a deductible in the event of injuries.

During the off-season, Oxley and other promoters staged low-cost, new rider’s schools in an attempt to attract new blood into the sport. The schools at Glen Helen Regional Park were highly successful, and Oxley says, “We have a huge influx of new riders.”

Oxley also has decided to stage a two-part season. The first half will conclude with the Fair Derby on July 10. The track will close for three weeks with racing resuming on Aug. 7.

Oxley will continue to promote the American Final, but has changed the site of the country’s most important speedway race from Long Beach Veterans Stadium to Ventura Raceway. The race, the first step for American riders toward the world championship, is scheduled for May 30.

Costa Mesa wasn’t the only track that hit hard times in 1991. Victorville closed midway through the season, and crowds often dipped below 500 at Glen Helen under former promoter Stu Peters. But there are signs of a renewed interest at both tracks.

Gene Woods, a veteran rider from Newport Beach, will promote Saturday night races at Victorville. Bud Feldkamp has taken over the Glen Helen track, and Brian Church, who operated successfully at Perris last season, will promote races for Feldkamp.

About the only thing that hasn’t changed is the sport’s top riders. Defending U.S. champion Mike Faria, Bobby Schwartz, Robert Pfetzing, Brad Oxley, Steve Lucero and Gary Hicks will win a “fair share” of races in 1992.