AMC Wednesday Night At OCIR Raceway
AMC
at
Orange County International Raceway
Wednesday August 13, 1975
By: Tom Corley
AMC Wednesday night racing is doing so well now that I believe that there are more people coming out than there were one Bette Lasker used to race on Fridays in the past. Tonight was no exception and it's great to see everyone getting back together at OCIR. I didn't think that it was going to be SCM reporters night but it looks like that's what it turned out to be. On the track and field besides myself was the Scene who covers the Carlsbad races, Danny Raymond who does the AMC at Rawhide events and Joel Jamieson who does the excellent CMC at saddleback coverage.
Eight hotshoes Mimade up the ni Expert competition this evening but while it was an excellent race the only thing about it was that it was a little one sided. This naturally was because Jeff Ward of Jeff Ward Racing Products was on the move and was going so fast that he swept the entire three motos. Ricky Simmons Has been looking good in this class lately and hasn't been racing here for that long at all. Simmons was a sure bet to win the class tonight but Ward out classed him so he hooked a second just barely over brad Roberts who has just counted up on a trek new novel for DG Performance Specialties.
Jeff Ward has now got the wickedest looking 100 that I've ever seen because it is a mini cycle with an Elsie 100 Mill in it. Jeff smoked the minis but couldn't whip the 100 expert class because hauling DG racer Broc Glover, Bob Reyes and Pete Hillebrecht of Harry's were going even faster on full scale the machines with Elsinore engines as well.
evidence of this being a huge night of racing was that year were three divisions of 125 beginner racing and the class seems to pull in more racers and any others. Rob Schaffner, Richard Guthridge and Rick Pareat All smoke the competition in those races. But even though the competition got smoked so badly I hope that they still come out and shoot for the top, because it was great to see so many new racers.
Randy Skinner had it all over the 125 intermaniac people with two firsts and a second. Skinner won the class on his number 37 Honda with no problem but I have talked to him and he has told me that he really wants to get a new Yamaha monoshock 125 even though he's doing so well. Lance Mason beat Randy only in the final moto and captured second overall over Brad Vandenburg OF B&M Motor Parts who never races under the lights while Cary Stophel had consistent fifth places which gave him third overall somehow.
All right now I'll get into the nights great pro races! To the surprise of everyone Dave Carlson is now flying around with a T&M jersey on so I guess that he is racing for that company, but I didn't talk to him about it. Broc Glover Was winning so much in OCIR racing that the DG Perfomance Specialties people picked him up and gave him a ride. The way whenever he won, their jersey would be on his back. Well Broc started off in winning style tonight and won the first Moto and beat out Carlson by a bear. After that Carlson took command of the race and won the first place money over Broc, Vince Van Hook of Crown Cycle, Mike Johnson of Molly, Rick Bean of John Paul's Honda and Dave Boydstun.
Gary Ogden really dug on the photo that I took him in last week's issue of SCM when he was sliding around the jackknifed corner. I'm sure that his sponsor Escondid Suzuki did to because their name was right on the front of his jersey. Tonight Gary was out to win two classes and he came very close to doing so too. Gary won the first 250 pro moto but had to follow behind Dave Carlson who he was dicing side by side with at times. So Carlson who lost only the first Moto won the 250 pro money which meant that he really made out because he won the 125 pro clients as well! Ogden Cleaned up with a second over Mark Marinez who is always in the top three, Larry Lewellen who got one really find start, Tom Cross and Mike Yorba who usually only race is a Maico in the 500's. I talked to Gary Ogden on the phone after tonights race and just before press time which really helped me with some of the details of the 500 pro class. Ogden can really cook in two classes a night but he says that he isn't quite in shape to do so during day races. Well on glad to see that he recovered OK after his mean wipe-out at the Superbowl and is still in the money. Last week the 500 pro contest was between Bruce Baron and gave Gerig. this time it was strictly a Bruce Baron-Ogden contest and both had their hassles with the blanks. In the first Moto Gary flared out ahead while Bruce hauled from behind but had pipe problems. In the second Moto those two were one-two and side by side but Ogden Can-Am edged out Barons Sunshine Yamaha mono just barely. Tthe third moto was really strange because in this race Ogden had a crack pipe and I believe his stinger came off. When this happened Baron had it made so he beat Gary but didn't win this moto because Mark Rodman out gassed them both for the win. Rodman is now out of his cast that was slapped on his leg when he got hurt in the Hang Ten Grand Prix. He used to work for Sunshine Yamaha, but now he works at Dallas Baker and he was racing a Kawaski out of that shop tonight. Overall Gary Ogden won the 500 Pro Class with a fine one-one- three finish and beat Bruce Baron, Mark Rodman, Jim Nasser and Mike Foreman.
Gary Ogden really dug on the photo that I took him in last week's issue of SCM when he was sliding around the jackknifed corner. I'm sure that his sponsor Escondid Suzuki did to because their name was right on the front of his jersey. Tonight Gary was out to win two classes and he came very close to doing so too. Gary won the first 250 pro moto but had to follow behind Dave Carlson who he was dicing side by side with at times. So Carlson who lost only the first Moto won the 250 pro money which meant that he really made out because he won the 125 pro clients as well! Ogden Cleaned up with a second over Mark Marinez who is always in the top three, Larry Lewellen who got one really find start, Tom Cross and Mike Yorba who usually only race is a Maico in the 500's. I talked to Gary Ogden on the phone after tonights race and just before press time which really helped me with some of the details of the 500 pro class. Ogden can really cook in two classes a night but he says that he isn't quite in shape to do so during day races. Well on glad to see that he recovered OK after his mean wipe-out at the Superbowl and is still in the money. Last week the 500 pro contest was between Bruce Baron and gave Gerig. this time it was strictly a Bruce Baron-Ogden contest and both had their hassles with the blanks. In the first Moto Gary flared out ahead while Bruce hauled from behind but had pipe problems. In the second Moto those two were one-two and side by side but Ogden Can-Am edged out Barons Sunshine Yamaha mono just barely. Tthe third moto was really strange because in this race Ogden had a crack pipe and I believe his stinger came off. When this happened Baron had it made so he beat Gary but didn't win this moto because Mark Rodman out gassed them both for the win. Rodman is now out of his cast that was slapped on his leg when he got hurt in the Hang Ten Grand Prix. He used to work for Sunshine Yamaha, but now he works at Dallas Baker and he was racing a Kawaski out of that shop tonight. Overall Gary Ogden won the 500 Pro Class with a fine one-one- three finish and beat Bruce Baron, Mark Rodman, Jim Nasser and Mike Foreman.