RACING ROUNDUP

Riverside’s Roger Thompson, riding for the Granada Hills-based Dodge Brithers Racing team, was the only multiple winner in the third Vintage Short Track Motorcycle Races at Ventura Raceway.

Thompson won two consecutive races, taking the 10-lap Class C Footshift main event on a 1968 Harley-Davidson KR750, and going wire to wire in the 650-to-950cc Class 10-lap feature on a 1972 Harley XR750.

Gary Davis of Woodland Hills was entered in three classes, winning the 450cc Asian Class 10-lap main on a 1973 Honda XL350, but ironically enough, Thompson was one of the racers who kept Davis from his second victory of the evening.

Thompson passed Davis coming out of Turn 2 on the fourth lap in the 650-to-950cc race, going on to win by several lengths, and Davis finished third behind Jeff Gabhart, but was moved up to second when it was discovered that Gabhart’s Honda did not meet the specifications for the class.

Jim Rosa defeated Davis in the second Class C footshift 10-lap main.

In the 1000cc-and-up Hooligan Class 10-lap feature, Ventura’s Dave Duvarney held off Canoga Park’s Rick Stecyk to win the closest race of the evening.

Stecyk, who finished third in the 450-and-under Class two years ago while racing with a broken hand, led the first four laps before he was forced to slow down in Turn 4 by a slower bike in his path, allowing Duvarney to slip past.

On the final lap, Stecyk pulled even with Duvarney heading into Turn 3, but lost traction coming out of Turn 4.