Penhall, Sigalos Live for the Competitions

Bruce Penhall and Dennis Sigalos, who became the first two to win world championships in different disciplines and on different surfaces in 1994, are not resting on their laurels.

The Orange County tandem, who won world speedway motorcycle championships and followed with world powerboat championships, will be the favorites Sunday in the third annual Dana Point Ocean Spray Offshore Grand Prix.

After winning a second consecutive American Power Boat Assn. Class D championship last year in their state-of-the-art 37-foot Scarab, Crave the Wave, Penhall and Sigalos opened 1996 by winning the overall crown last month in a Pacific Offshore Powerboat Racing Assn. event in San Francisco.

Penhall is the pilot and Sigalos the throttle man.

“We beat two open boats and three modifieds, all in larger classes than ours,” Penhall said. “Now we want to do it again in our hometown race, especially since Ocean Spray is not only the race sponsor but also our boat’s sponsor.”

Penhall, who lives in Laguna Hills, is the only American rider to have won two world individual speedway titles, which he accomplished in 1981 and 1982. Sigalos won the world pairs crown in 1982. Both rode on the winning U.S. team in the 1982 World Team Cup.

As many as 45 boats, some from the East Coast in search of national championship points, will be in the Dana Point race. Proceeds will help support the Orange County Marine Institute.

Racing will begin at noon Sunday when the boats parade through the main channel heading to the formal 1 p.m. start between the San Clemente pier and harbor entrance. The race, most of which can be viewed from local beaches, consists of 10 laps on a course paralleling Doheny Beach, Capistrano Beach and the San Clemente pier.

There will be six classes of boats, from 25 to 46 feet, including Fountain, Scarab and Cigarette designs.

Practice runs are scheduled on the course from 10 a.m. Saturday.

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The Vintage Grand Prix of Pomona, a resurrection of sports car races held at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds during the 1950s and ‘60s, will be held this weekend at the Pomona Fairplex.

Porsche will be featured with more than 30 factory-built race cars entered, including four 917 Can-Am cars, two 962 Grand Prix cars and three 550 Spyders, which the late Ken Miles raced at Pomona.

The Porsche contingent is planned as a tribute to Vasek Polak for his support of Porsche racing. Polak is expected to drive in the featured Porsche races Saturday and Sunday.

This will be the first time the Pomona road racing track has been used for sports cars since 1965 when Dan Gurney, Carroll Shelby, Jerry Unser, Chuck Daigh and Max Balchowsky were racing. The two-mile course, with 13 turns, is nearly identical to the original.

Motor Racing Notes

SPEEDWAY CYCLES--Mike Faria, 1990 and 1991 national champion, will return to Costa Mesa Speedway on Friday night to race in the Ocean Spray/Penhall Cup. Faria now rides for the Edinburgh Monarchs of the British Speedway League. Also visiting from England will be former U.S. champion Chris Manchester and Charlie Venegas. They will ride Friday night at the Orange County Fairgrounds, then go to Auburn for a world championship qualifying race Saturday night. As part of the Penhall Cup festivities, a number of ocean racing powerboats will be on display, including Penhall’s Scarab.

STOCK CARS--Winston Racing Series sportsman, street stocks and Grand American modifieds will be at Cajon Speedway on Saturday night. . . . Kern County Raceway will feature late models, I-4 modifieds and Figure 8 racing Saturday night. . . . Ventura Raceway will run street stocks Saturday night.

SPRINT CARS--Arizona winged sprint cars will share Saturday night’s billing at Perris Auto Raceway with IMCA modified stock cars. It will be the Arizona contingent’s first time at the new Perris half-mile oval. . . . Wingless cars of the Sprint Car Racing Assn. will be at Doug Fort’s Santa Maria Speedway on Saturday night.

MOTOCROSS--Jeremy McGrath continued his total domination of the national 250cc outdoor season by winning both motos of last Sunday’s sold-out AMA feature at San Bernardino’s Glen Helen Park. McGrath, who will race Saturday night in a Supercross in Denver, has won all six motos in the three outdoor championship events. The next 250cc outdoor race is May 26 at Mt. Morris, Pa.