Racing Review
RACING REVIEW
CAROL A. SIMS
TWO WEEKLY OVAL EVENTS IN CALIF.
Flattrack racing is on the rise in California. No sooner had J. C. Agajanian announced that the weekly half-mile oval season at Ascot Park in Gardena would begin on Friday night, April 3rd, than word came from Jim McLennon, owner of the new Champion Speedway, just south of San Francisco, stating that the Northern California half-mile season is slated to start the last Saturday night in March and continue weekly through late October.
This is welcome news to riders and fans from both Northern and Southern California, for it means that the top competitors will be able to travel to both events each week. Initial plans by McLennon were to hold the Champion Speedway races on Friday nights; we feel he made a wise decision in switching to Saturday. The clay surfaced Champion track, incidentally, is located in Brisbane, a suburb of San Francisco, between the International Airport and Candlestick Park, home of the baseball Giants.
Outstanding events to be held at Ascot, in addition to the weekly shows which will feature such favorites as AI Gunter, Jack O'Brien, Stuart Morley, Elliott Schultz, Neil Keen and Sammy Tanner, will be the 8-Mile National Championship on July 18th, and the 50-Lap TT National Championship on September 26th. All this, plus TT races on the first Sunday of every month, should give fans and riders a most satisfying and well-rounded schedule of events in 1964.
HAWLEY HAULS ON 4 WHEELS, TOO
Don Hawley, National Number 6 and a top motorcycle competitor for 14 years, is dividing his interest these days between two wheels and four. Here he is shown at the wheel of the Maxson-Jeff ries Off y which A. J. Foyt drove to the USAC Eastern Sprint Car Championship. Don will be competing in weekly Wednesday night CRA sprint car races at Ascot Park, Gardena, Calif., starting in June, as well as in USAC midget races. umph Cubs to shame and out-performed some very respectable 250cc's as well in its initial competition outings.
AAMRR ROLLS AHEAD
The American Association of Motorcycle Road Racers (AAMRR) made great strides in the Eastern U.S. during 1963, and even more activity is planned for 1964. A leading competitor under the new banner is Canada's Fred Gailey, shown cornering at Vineland, New Jersey in most determined fashion aboard his Matchless G-50. Two years ago Frank Oldham of Topeka, Kansas purchased a small machine to ride to and from work. Always interested in racing, he entered a few scrambles meets, liked it, and last season launched his career as a professional racer. Riding a Yamaha for tuner Stanley Newton of Topeka's Harding Wheel Co., Oldham wound up 7th in overall national novice point standings while competing in only half as many meets as the six riders ahead of him. He chalked up 23 firsts, 2 seconds and a third in 13 race meets, didn't fall off even once, and hopes to match that outstanding record while competing as an amateur this year on BSA.
NEW KANSAS MOTO-CROSS TRACK
Located eight miles southeast of Wichita, Kansas is a new moto-cross course, Aztec Park, which features 14 jumps, 4 left hand turns, 3 right handers, a sand trap and an extra long straightaway. The 3/4-mile course is entirely roped off, has not been graded, and duplicates parts of several International Moto-Cross courses in Europe. Under the direction of promoter Bill Grapevine and the Aztec Park M.C., plans for 1964 include five AMA sanctioned events in addition to weekly club meets.
LOTS OF RACES IN TEXAS
Texas' AMA District put together a program of 66 state races and three in Old Mexico for 1964 with events, sometimes two and three each weekend, running between March and December. Major events will be the State Rally in Bay City, June 6-7 and the Southwestern TT Scrambles in Temple, Oct. 18. The Gents M. C. of Longview, a club less than two years old, will hold a Get Acquainted Rally Aug. 9, when they hope to have their new Riverside Park completed.
More than 150 delegates from 51 clubs attended the sanction and business session, presided over by Bill Oatman of Austin, 1963 state referee; F. L. Gilbert of Waco was elected 1964 referee. Herbert Stelter, owner of Southwest Motorcycle Parts Dist., presented a silver service to Lloyd Redman of Longview, the state's high point novice for '63.
Antonio Serrano Liceaga of Mexico City spoke, thanking American motorcyclists for help in improving the sport in Mexico. Additionally, he announced that future Mexico City events would follow the book on AMA rules, and was granted a sanction for TTs on Nov. 29 and invited the group down for the event.
The Monterrey, Mexico clubs were given sanction for two meets. They also announced they were footing the food and lodging bills for American entrants in the races. Johnny Gregory, president of the Laredo Motorcycle Club, represented the Monterrey clubs and challenged the Americans to win back the Challenge Trophy at the Laredo International Scrambles, which his club sponsors on Sept. 6.
KANSAS AMATEUR A REAL GOER
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AFM SCHEDULE FOR 1964
Officials of the American Federation of Motorcyclists (AFM) met in Fresno, California to decide the 1964 road racing schedule and came up with a slate of 8 races. Willow Springs, March 15, will lead off the season, and Cotati course in Northern California on Oct. 4 will conclude the point races. A rider's six best performances will count in the point tabulations.
Unlike past seasons, an overall high point rider will not be decided. Instead, champions in each class (125cc, 175, 250, 350, 500, and open) will be crowned at year's end.
The eight point races will be all-motorcycle events. However, divisional races with sports cars and formula cars, plus non-point all-motorcycle meets will be held. Dates of such races will be announced at least two weeks in advance, and a national FIM race Nov. in Willow Springs is being discussed. All AFM meets will now carry full insurance.
A total of 121 riders earned AFM points last season, which saw the highpoint award jointly shared by Norris Rancourt and Tony Murphy.
PENNSYLVANIA HARLEY ABLE ONES
This fast-moving stable of HarleyDavidson riders compete out of Andy Zanotti's shop in Butler, Pennsylvania and accumulated the impressive collection of brass during 1963 in events ranging from
drag races to T.T. scrambles. Left to right are Robert Croyle, Paul Kolen, Tom McCormick, Zanotti, Gilmore Gilliland, Kenny Bauer and Allison James.
HE'S BLOWING OFF THE EXPERTS!
Wailing along on his 99cc Vantech scrambler is sensational 14-year-old Joey Petz (14, really?) at a recent scrambles race in Bakersfield, California. The pintsize youngster won all three moto-cross heats by half-a-lap each time, besting several top-rate riders including Class C experts Wayne Sumner and Gil Allison while he was about it. The potent Vantech machine hasput quite a few 200cc Triumph Cubs to shame and out-performed some very respectable 250cc's as well in its initial competition outings.
NORTH-SOUTH SCRAMBLES CHAMPION
Glen Vincent, above, won the Edgewood, Maryland, North-South scrambles championship. Riding his BSA 250 Starfire, Glen was easily top man in the hard fought event, beating such champions as George Roeder, Jimmy Hayes and other leading Eastern riders. He rides out of Wolfe's Cycle Shop, Springfield, Mass.
JOE WEATHERLY FATALLY INJURED
Race fans throughout the country were saddened by the news that Joe Weatherly, former AMA National Champion and two-time Laconia road race winner in early post-World War II years, died of injuries sustained in a crash at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway's Turn Six during a NASCAR stock car race.
Leading NASCAR driver throughout 1962 and 1963, Weatherly was 41 years old and still a charger. The Norfolk, Virginia competitor always maintained that cycle racing was more satisfying than car racing to him, taking "more ability and guts," and he said recently that he had no thoughts of quitting the cars until "I can't make the turns anymore."
