MOTOR RACING / SHAV GLICK : Two Power Boat Championships in the Southland

Power boats, with two national championship events scheduled, take the racing spotlight in the Southland this weekend with a Formula One oval race at Long Beach Marine Stadium and International Hot Boat Assn. drag races at Castaic Lake.

Formula One boats, the world’s fastest outboards with speeds of about 140 m.p.h., will race Sunday on a 1 1/4-mile oval course. Marine Stadium, built in 1932 for Olympic rowing events, has not been used for professional racing since 1982, according to Mike Little, marine operations officer for the city-operated facility.

Brian Daley of Alta Loma will be the favorite in his Yamaha-powered tunnel boat against a field of 20 entries. Daley won the American Power Boat Assn. championship in 1986 and was fifth in Formula One points last year. Other potential winners include Craig Wendt of Huntington Beach, the 1990 International Outboard Grand Prix champion; Don Johnston of Riverside, Greg Foster of Anaheim, and Ron Wilson of Redondo Beach.

The first of two qualifying heats will start at 11 a.m. Sunday with the 50-lap feature race at 2 p.m.

The IHBA Chief Auto Parts Nationals at Castaic Lake will be highlighted by a bonus to be paid the first top fuel hydro to run 230 m.p.h. or blown alcohol hydro to reach 200 m.p.h. A sponsor has posted $5,000 for the nitro-burning top fuelers and $2,500 for the alcohol racers.

Ron Braaksma of San Bernardino, who has reached 225 m.p.h. in his 4,000-horsepower Madness top-fueler, says 230 is attainable. The record is 229 by Eddie Hill, who left drag boats to race dragsters on asphalt.

“Our combination (motor, prop, V-drive) is so sweet, we didn’t hurt a part when we went 225 at High Point (N.C.),” Braaksma said. “We know how to make it go 230, and I can guarantee you that we will step it up to hit and surpass 230 over the next couple races.”

Tom Wright, in his methanol-fueled Cuckoo’s Nest, has the fastest pass of 199.55 m.p.h. in an alcohol hydro boat.

Qualifying on Saturday will set the field for final eliminations Sunday. Castaic Lake is located five miles north of Magic Mountain at the Lake Hughes exit off Interstate 5.

The ninth annual WERA 24-Hours West--one of only two 24-hour motorcycle endurance races in the United States--will be held Saturday and Sunday at Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond.

Team Suzuki Endurance of Lake Elsinore, eight-time WERA champions, will be heavy favorites in the twice-around-the-clock race over a 2.5-mile, nine-turn circuit near Edwards Air Force Base.

Team captain John Ulrich’s team is expected to challenge its own 24-hour mileage record of 2,215 miles at 92.29 m.p.h. made last year at Willow Springs. That average speed included pit stops and a 20-minute red flag period when all racing stopped.

In a 24-hour race, each team can use up to seven riders--but only one motorcycle. Riders can ride no more than two hours at a time. Team Suzuki’s GSXR1101 racing bike will be ridden by Chuck Graves of Granada Hills and Steve Patterson of Detroit during the daylight hours, with Kurt Hall of Hilton Head, S.C., Michael Martin of Carrollton, Tex., and Wes Cooley of Bend, Ore., handling the night shift.

The team was formed in 1980 by Ulrich and Bruce Hammer. After Hammer was paralyzed in 1982 when he crashed into a steel barrier at Elkhart Lake, Wis., Ulrich and Team Hammer won their first WERA national championship in 1983 and repeated in 1984. After two more victories in 1986 and 1987, Team Hammer became Team Suzuki and won consecutive championships in 1989-90-91-92.

They have won eight of 10 races this year, including a four-hour enduro last April at Willow Springs and clinched this year’s title two weeks ago in a six-hour race at Memphis, Tenn.

Racing begins at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Motor Racing Notes

STOCK CARS--Ron Hornaday Jr. will be seeking his third consecutive NASCAR Southwest Tour victory Saturday night at Saugus Speedway when he drives his Pontiac in the Featherlite Trailers 100 on the one-third mile paved oval. The Palmdale driver leads tour standings after 12 races with 1,873 points to 1,843 for Doug George and 1,836 for Rick Carelli, who has won six races. Figure 8s and a train race will complete the program. . . . Lance Hooper won his eighth Winston Racing Series sportsman main event last week at Saugus, Gary Sigman won his first track championship with a second-place finish. Sigman’s consistency paid off as he completed every lap of every main event all season.

Also Saturday night: Final NASCAR Winston Racing Series points race for sportsman cars at Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino, Mac Tools Sportsman Grand Prix at Cajon Speedway in El Cajon, late models and dirt cars at Santa Maria Speedway and the final IMCA modified points race at Bakersfield Speedway in Oildale. . . . Ventura Raceway will hold a street stock program Friday night.

DRAG RACING--Top alcohol dragsters and funny cars will be featured in the Palmdale Meet this weekend at the L.A. County Raceway in Littlerock where the National Hot Rod Assn. will also hold a Division 7 sportsman championship meet. More than 400 entries are expected for the fourth of six Pacific Division events. Time trials and qualifying will be held Friday with final eliminations starting at 8 p.m. Saturday and resuming at noon Sunday.

SPRINT CARS--Winged outlaw mini-sprints are scheduled Saturday night at Ventura Raceway along with IMCA modifieds. . . . California Racing Assn. wingless sprinters will be at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix on Saturday night.

MOTORCYCLES--Harley-Davidson teammates Chris Carr and four-time defending champion Scott Parker will be at it again Sunday when the Camel Pro dirt track series resumes action on the mile oval at the Fresno District Fairgrounds. Carr, who has been runner-up to Parker the past three years, holds a 13-point lead (205-192) with three races remaining. The series will end with a half-mile national Oct. 10 at the L.A. County Fairgrounds in Pomona.

SPEEDWAY BIKES--Chris Manchester, 19, emerged as top qualifier for the Oct. 3 U.S. Nationals, edging out former champion Bobby Schwartz and reigning champion Mike Faria. Faria will be after his fifth consecutive victory tonight at Lake Perris Speedway. Speedway USA will host the U.S. Masters championship Saturday night in Victorville.

MISCELLANY--Monster trucks will perform next Tuesday and Wednesday nights at the L.A. County Fair in Pomona. Doug Domokos, the Wheelie King, will also give demonstrations. . . . The Southern California Timing Assn. will resume its monthly time trials Sunday at El Mirage dry lake. . . . Georges Jobe joined an illustrious group when he won the world 500cc motocross championship. It was Jobe’s fifth world title, joining Roger DeCoster, Joel Robert and Eric Geboers as five-time champions. All are Belgians.