Duo Comes Out of Retirement for Dana Point Race

Four of the last five years, Bruce Penhall and Dennis Sigalos have won the Dana Point Offshore Grand Prix.

The duo, which set the Super Vee World Kilo record (133.024 mph) by nearly 20 mph July 4 in Sarasota, Fla., seemingly ended their careers by winning the American Power Boat Assn. (APBA) world championship for the fifth time in six years. They were inducted into the sport’s Hall of Champions in February and they retired.

Then came a phone call two weeks later from their team manager, power boat pioneer and hull manufacturer Reggie Fountain.

“He said, ‘What’s it going to take? We need you boys out there,’ ” said Penhall, who will race Sunday off the coast of Dana Point as teams circle back and forth along the coastline to San Clemente Pier. “He wouldn’t take no for an answer. . . . He put together such a sweet deal, no one in their right mind would pass it up.”

So Penhall and Sigalos again drive their twin engine V-bottom Fountain in countrywide racing events, the 14-event APBA series, making public appearances and trying to claim another title.

The Dana Point race is not a part of that series, but they couldn’t pass up a race in their backyard.

Penhall’s focus nowadays is on his sunglass company and his four children, ages 8 to 16, who live with him and his wife, Laurie, in Laguna Hills. Sigalos, of Newport Beach, who works in his family catering service, has a daughter, Avalon, 10, and a newborn son, Arden.

“Both Dennis and I made the decision ourselves to hang it up--we had accomplished our goals and we’re business and family men,” Penhall said.

“We’ve been on the road [with separate speedway motorcycle careers] since we were 14 years old. We’ve been around the world nine or 10 times. We felt we were missing a big part of our family and our business and it was time to slow things down.

“When the deal came up, we had to discuss that with our powers to be, our wives and our business partners, and everyone was very receptive to it.”

Penhall’s youngest sons, Ryan, 12, and Connor, 8, didn’t fall far from the tree. They’re now racing motocross.

“It’s fun for me, but very nerve-racking,” said Penhall, who won two speedway individual world championships as well as a pairs and team title. “I’m extremely proud, but on the other hand, I’m frightened to death. I don’t want to see my kids go through the pain and agony it takes to succeed.

“When you get into motorsports, it’s a little more risky, a little more dangerous, and when you race at such a high level, you have to realize there’s going to be an accident or two, and that’s what frightens me.

“This is something I never encouraged, but they gravitated to it after seeing me race on videos. To make a long story short, it runs through the veins.”

This is the only West Coast racing appearance by Sigalos and Penhall, who gets occasional acting jobs and does some commentary for Speedvision and ESPN2.

They aren’t the only ones who consider Dana Point a home race.

Matt Alcone of Laguna Beach last competed in the event four years ago, and has since been inducted into the Offshore Racing Hall of Champions with several world and national titles. He is returning in his twin engine catamaran, a 45-foot Skater capable of speeds reaching 160 mph, alongside Modified world champion Craig Ferguson (Huntington Beach), and former champion and world record-holder Rique Ford (Pomona).

Joe Black (Laguna Hills), reigning national champion in Stock, will debut a new driver--his older brother, Leo Black (Dana Point).

In all, there will be eight classes competing. The 100-mile races begin at noon.

A vendor fair and testing take place Saturday. Racing begins Sunday at noon.

INDY RACING LEAGUE

San Juan Capistrano’s Jeff Ward finished among the top three (for two different teams) in his first two races and expects similar results Saturday in Charlotte at the Indy Racing League’s Visionaire 500K.

“We tested there with the new team and the car, and we were one of the quickest teams there [though] our motor was a year old and 40-50 horsepower off what we will have,” said Ward, who finished second last year in Charlotte.

Ward, who gained fame racing motorcycles, still seeks his first IRL victory; he has finished second and third three times each in 13 career starts.

“Last year, we should have won three or four races, but I had a tire problem, I cut a tire, I hit a wall, I had an oil line break,” said Ward, 37. “I’m expecting to win two or three races this year.”

Ward took third at Orlando and then two weeks before Phoenix, he switched teams, leaving ISM Racing for Pagan Racing. His crew went with him, and he finished second at Phoenix.

“Pagan Racing wasn’t funding a car and was only going to run the Indy 500 until I became available,” Ward said.

“Pagan had called me to run Indy, they had been a top-notch team, and we weren’t running at Phoenix with ISM, but I had to go there to keep my points going, and everything worked out.”

CHAMP CARS

Orange’s Robby Gordon likes his chances of winning Sunday’s race in Nazareth, Pa. Gordon, who 2 1/2 weeks ago moved from 14th to fourth place on the first lap at Twin Ring in Motegi, Japan, and eventually finished eighth (despite running the last lap in first gear), likes Nazareth’s 0.946 tri-oval track because the driver can make a difference.

He started on the pole there in 1995, and last season, in his debut with Santa Margarita-based Arciero-Wells Racing, started 24th but finished seventh.

Gordon has started extremely well as an owner/driver, especially given his car’s shakedown took place at the first event, in Homestead, Fla., on March 21.

“At Homestead we were the second-fastest Toyota [to Cristiano da Matta] in our first race--only one of [Cal Wells’] Toyotas out-qualified us,” Gordon said. “In our second race, we were the fastest Toyota in qualifying and had the highest finish. From out of the box, we’ve never been last--and we’re never going to be last. We’re driven to be on top of the grid. It’s amazing how soon we’ve been able to be competitive.”

With four days of testing this week going into Nazareth, Gordon is typically confident.

“There’s no doubt in my mind we’re going to win,” he said. “We’ll be stellar at Nazareth.”