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Schwartz takes Speedway Title to California
By Dave Henderson / The Sun-Bulletin (Binghamton, N.Y.)
Owego, NY, August 7, 1977
Champion Bobby Schwartz overcame a slick track and constant bike
problems to outduel the best local riders and emerge as the winner
of the U.S. Open Speedway Championships at Champion Speedway.
The 20-year-old Santa Barbara resident, riding five different
motorcycles in the course of the long day, won the second and third
heats of the four-heat finals to clinch the $1,500 first prize.
"I still don't believe it. This is the biggest win of my life,"
said Schwartz. "I was depressed earlier today. I thought if I rode real
good I could overcome the bike troubles enough to make the finals - but
I never thought I could beat these guys."
There are six or seven guys here who could win consistantly in Division
Two back home and would be competitive in Division One," said Schwartz,
who currently ranks third at Costa Mesa, the sport's major league home.
"All they need is a little more exposure - the pros run five nights a
week out there."
Defending Champion Speedway points champion Hank Bassett of Briarcliff
Manor won the final heat as Schwartz fell after a first turn joust
with Norm Robinson, and copped second place money after a runoff
with Rodney Payne. Robinson was third.
Schwartz, who beat World Champion Peter Collins in a special
exhibition in Costa Mesa this spring, suffered varying problems
with his bike and teammate Mike Maely's during yesterday's semifinals,
then found more problems after borrowing fellow Californian Brian Bishop's
machine and finaly Oaklahoman Mike Hughes'.
It was on Hughes' worn bike that Schwartz ran the finals, finishing
second to the seemingly invincible Payne in the opening heat and winning
the middle two.
"These guys seem to ride a little wider out here than they do at home, and
I was able to pass them underneath pretty often." explained Schwartz, who
flies back to California today and will start his race week tomorrow.
Payne, the runaway track point leader this year and seven time winner in
Division One features, was perfect up to the finals - winning all three
qualifying heats that he competed in and all four of his semifinal heats.
... the semis - and tied Bassett. Schwartz, Robinson and Philadelphian Ivan
Blacka for second place. The four ran a special runoff heat, in which the
fourth man would be eliminated. Schwartz passed Blacka on the third lap,
to secure the final qualifying spot.
"It was a slick pass, just beautiful," said Blacka to Schwartz afterward.
"I thought it was Norm going by, but it didn't look like his style. There
was nothing I could do about it."
After running second to Payne in the opening heat of the finals, Schwartz
took the lead on the third lap of the second heat. Payne, Bassett and
Robinson collided in the third turn of the final lap - Bassett climbing
back onto his bike and sprinting past the teetering Robinson to claim
second while Payne earned no points for his fourth place finish.
Schwartz - the third heat easily, with Payne second and Bassett third -
clinching the title since neither Payne or Bassett could muster enough
points in the final heat to catch him.
Colorful Champion regular Rick Stone of Conneticut missed the finals
by one point in qualifying as points were awarded on a 3-2-1-0 basis
for heat finishes.
Stone, riding a bike borrowed from Pennsylvannian Larry Weiss, rode
with a cardboard stuffed boot serving as a cast for his broken left
leg. He gained an entry to the event only as an alternate when three
riders - Nebraskan Jim Rohn, Owego's Jim Saddlemire and Canadian Tony
Armstrong dropped out. Rohn never showed, Saddlemire is not recovered
from a work injury and Tony Armstrong was injured while racing at
Batavia on Friday night.
The track management announced at mid-show last night that a second U.S.
Open Speedway Championship will be held next year. The rain-plagued
two-day event was followed by a loyal crowd of over 2,500.
Championship Finals (Earnings included heat money)
1 - Bobby Schwartz, Santa Barbara, Calif. ($1,830)
2 - Hank Bassett, Briarcliff Manor ($1,030)
3 - Rodney Payne, Apalachin ($760)
4 - Norm Robinson, Spensorport ($630)
1st Final Heat - Payne, Schwartz, Bassett, Robinson (3,2,1,0)
2nd Final Heat - Schwartz, Bassett, Robinson, Payne (5,3,1,3)
3rd Final Heat - Schwartz, Payne, Bassett, Robinson (8,5,4,1)
4th Final Heat - Bassett, Payne, Robinson, Schwartz (7,7,2,8)
Semifinal Standings
1 - Payne (1,1,1,1) - 12 points
2 - Bobby Schwartz (1,2,1,1) - 11 points
3 - Bassett (1,1,1,2) - 11 points
4 - Robinson (1,1,2,1) - 11 points
5 - Ivan Blacka (1,1,2,1) - 11 points
6 - Stone (2,1,2,1) - 10 points (W. Cornwall, Conn.)
7 - Brian Bishop (2,2,1,2) - 9 points (St. Luis Obispo, Calif.)
8 - Gene Bonsignore (2,4,1,1) - 8 points (Rochester, N.Y.)
9 - Gary Ford (1,2,2,4) - 7 points (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
10 - Rick Workman (2,3,2,2) - 7 points (Huntsville, Ala.)
11 - John Leale (3,1,3,3) - 6 points (Hackettstown)
12 - Timmy Joe Sheppard (2,3,3,3) - 5 points (Culver, Indiana)
13 - Mike Maely (2,3,3,3) - 5 points (Corona, Calif.)
14 - Tony Westbrook - (4,2,1,4) - 5 points (Huntsville, Ala.)
15 - Terry Guy (4,4,2,2) - 4 points (Bowling Green, Ky.)
16 - Peter Atwater (4,2,4,2) - 4 points (Chenango Bridge)
17 - Mike Hughes (3,3,3,3) - 4 points (Bethany, Oaklahoma)
18 - Mark Plew (4,3,3,2) - 4 points (Vestal)
19 - Bill O'Brian (3,4,4,3) - 2 points (Nimmonsburg)
20 - Jerry Messersmith (3,4,4,3) - 2 points (Vestal)
21 - Dennis Pierce (3,3,4,4) - 2 points (Rochester)
22 - Chip Jagger (3,4,3,4) - 2 points (Fenton)
24 - Bruce Sill (4,4,4,3) - 1 point (Towanda, Pa.)
25 - Mike Lauterborn (4,4,4,4) - 0 (Rochester)
.. sorry, the photocopy I am copying from is very poor, and that's all the story I have. - Editor
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