Motor Racing / Shav Glick : Al Unser Jr. Makes Off-Road Debut

Stadium motocross, popularly known as Supercross, has played to sell-out crowds of about 70,000 for seven straight years at Anaheim Stadium, prompting promoter Mickey Thompson to decide it was time to introduce four-wheeled vehicles to the same site.

Thompson will open his fifth Off-Road Championship Gran Prix season Saturday night at Anaheim Stadium with a full program of Grand National sport trucks, 1,600cc single seater buggies, ultrastock all-terrain passenger car look-alikes, four-wheeled ATVs and Odysseys.

Al Unser Jr., who won the International Race of Champions last year in addition to the year’s final Indy car race at Miami, will make his off-road debut driving a Jeep Comanche against defending series champion Steve Millen and Ivan Stewart in Toyotas, 1985 champion Roger Mears and Coliseum winner Sherman Balch in Nissans, Rose Bowl winner Glenn Harris and Jeff Huber in Mazdas, and Danny Thompson, winner of last year’s final race at Pomona, in a Chevrolet S-10.

Veteran Baja champion Walker Evans, who was honored as “personality of the year” at the SCORE International-High Desert Racing Assn. dinner last Saturday night, is entered in a Dodge truck. Evans’ crew chief, Randy Anderson, was named mechanic of the year.

The 1,600cc single seater race has attracted 31 entries, among them several family combinations. Fathers and sons include Bob and Robbie Gordon of Orange and Jim Fishback and Jim Jr. of Fontana. Brothers Brad and Kent Castle of Cypress and Frank and Al Arciero of Los Alamitos are also in the field.

Qualifying will start at noon with the first race at 7:30 p.m.

The stadium motocross season will also start in Anaheim Stadium on Jan. 31 with the Coors Supercross Kickoff featuring defending champion Rick Johnson of El Cajon and 500cc champion David Bailey of Axton, Va., on Hondas. The opening race of the Suzuki Quad Racer national championship series will be held in conjunction with the Supercross.

The Thompson off-road show at Anaheim will not be the only event kicking off the 1987 racing season this weekend.

Mike Kidd, Former American Motorcyclist Assn. Camel Pro series champion, has turned promoter and Saturday night will present what he calls the Pomona Mile on the L.A. County Fairgrounds horse racing oval. The Fairplex track, however, is not a mile but slightly more than 5/8 of a mile. Among the riders will be former Grand National winners Alex Jorgensen and Terry Poovey.

Friday night, also at Fairplex, Kidd will present the opening round of the American All-Terrain Vehicle Assn. championship series for three- and four-wheeled ATVs and Odysseys. The 10-race program will have a purse of $12,000, largest of the 10-race series.

The tentative West Coast racing schedule for 1987:

Indy Cars

April 5--Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, CART road race, Long Beach.

April 12--Phoenix 200, CART oval race, Phoenix International Raceway.

Oct. 11--Champion 300, CART road race, Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey.

Stock Cars

Mar. 6--Season opener, Olimpic Racing Assn., hobby division, Saugus Speedway.

Mar. 22--Opening night, NASCAR Winston Racing Series, Ascot Park.

Mar. 28--Southwest tour, NASCAR Grand American oval race, Saugus Speedway.

Apr. 4--Southwest tour, Cajon Speedway, El Cajon.

May 9--Southwest tour, Orange Show Speedway, San Bernardino.

June 6--Winston West 250, NASCAR oval race, Ascot Park.

June 21--Budweiser 400, NASCAR road race, Riverside International Raceway.

July 3--Firecracker 50, NASCAR Winston Racing Series, Ascot Park.

Nov. 8--Winston Western 500, NASCAR road race, Riverside International Raceway.

Drag Racing

Jan. 29-Feb. 1--Chief Winternationals, National Hot Rod Assn., L.A. County Fairgrounds, Pomona.

May 1-3--U.S. Fuel & Gas meet, NHRA Division 7 series, Famoso Drag Strip, Bakersfield.

Oct. 16-18--Castrol GTX Fallnationals, NHRA, Firebird Raceway, Chandler, Ariz.

Oct. 29-Nov. 1--Winston Finals, NHRA, L.A. County Fairgrounds, Pomona.

Sports Cars

April 25-26--Los Angeles Times/Ford Grand Prix, International Motor Racing Assn., Riverside International Raceway.

May 3--Monterey Triple Crown, IMSA, Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey.

May 16-17--Camel 300, IMSA, Firebird Raceway, Chandler, Ariz.

Aug. 2--Ford California Grand Prix, IMSA, Sears Point Raceway, Sonoma.

Oct. 25--Southern California Grand Prix, IMSA, Del Mar Fairgrounds, Del Mar.

Supermodifieds

Feb. 8--Skoal Copper World Classic, Phoenix International Raceway.

Mar. 21--Western States championship race, United States Auto Club, Mesa Marin Speedway, Bakersfield.

May 2--Western States championship race, USAC, Saugus Speedway.

Oct. 10--National championship race, USAC, Saugus Speedway.

Off-road

Jan. 10--Mickey Thompson Gran Prix, closed-course series, Anaheim Stadium.

Jan. 17--Thompson closed-course series, Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego.

Jan. 31--Parker 400, SCORE International, Parker, Ariz.

Mar. 7--Gold Coast 250, High Desert Racing Assn., Las Vegas.

Apr. 4--Great Mojave 250, SCORE, Lucerne Valley.

May 2--Thompson closed-course series, Rose Bowl, Pasadena.

May 9--Mint 400, HDRA, Las Vegas.

June 6--Baja Internacional, SCORE, Ensenada, Baja California.

July 4--Fireworks 250, HDRA, Barstow.

Aug. 15-16--World closed-course championships, SCORE, Riverside International Raceway.

Sept. 12--Frontier 250, HDRA, Las Vegas.

Oct. 10--Thompson closed-course series, L.A. County Fairgrounds, Pomona.

Nov. 6-7--Baja 1,000, SCORE, Ensenada, Baja California.

TBA--Thompson closed-course series, Orange Show Stadium, San Bernardino.

Sprint Cars and Midgets

Feb. 21-22--World of Outlaws, winged sprint cars, Ascot Park.

Feb. 28-Mar. 1--California Racing Assn. wingless sprint car doubleheader, Imperial County Fairgrounds, El Centro.

Mar. 14--CRA opening night, wingless sprint cars, at Ascot Park.

Sept. 11-12--World of Outlaws, winged sprint cars, Santa Maria Speedway.

Oct. 22-24--Pacific Coast Nationals, World of Outlaws winged sprint cars, Ascot Park.

Oct. 25--CRA Challenge, wingless sprint cars, Ascot Park.

Nov. 21--Don Peabody Classic, CRA wingless sprint cars, Ascot Park.

Nov. 26--Turkey Night Grand Prix, U. S. Auto Club midgets, Ascot Park.

Motocross

Jan. 17-18--Golden State Nationals, Continental Motosport Club, Carlsbad Raceway, Carlsbad.

Jan. 31--Supercross, Anaheim Stadium.

Feb. 1--Golden State Nationals, CMC, Glen Helen Regional Park, San Bernardino.

Feb. 14--Supercross, Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego.

Feb. 15--Golden State Nationals, CMC, Sunrise Valley Park, Adelanto.

April 5--Opening night, CMC weekly series, Ascot Park.

Motorcycles

Jan. 17-18--American Federation of Motorcyclists, road race, Riverside International Raceway.

Mar. 7--Speedway Spring Classic, Veterans Stadium, Long Beach.

Mar. 8--Speedway Spring Classic, Inland Speedway, San Bernardino.

Mar. 13--Speedway Spring Classic, Orange County Fairgrounds, Costa Mesa.

Apr. 3--Season opener, speedway weekly series, Orange County Fairgrounds, Costa Mesa.

Apr. 5--Formula USA, road races, Willow Springs Raceway, Rosamond.

Apr. 11--National half-mile, American Motorcyclist Assn. dirt track, Ascot Park.

May 9--National TT steeplechase, AMA dirt track, Ascot Park.

June 13--American Speedway Finals, Veterans Stadium, Long Beach.

July 30-Aug. 1--U.S. vs. World, speedway bikes, Ascot Park.

Sept. 26--National half-mile, AMA dirt track, Ascot Park.

Oct. 10--U. S. Speedway championships, Orange County Fairgrounds, Costa Mesa.

HONOREES--Members of the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Assn. 1986 All-American team will be honored Friday night on the Queen Mary in Long Beach. Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal and many of the 11 other drivers selected will be present. The winner of the Jerry Titus Award for the driver receiving the highest number of votes will be announced. The dinner, open to the public, will start at 8 p.m. following an autograph session by the drivers. . . . Brad Noffsinger will be honored as CRA champion Saturday night in an awards banquet at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.

OFF-ROAD--Other SCORE-High Desert Racing Assn. awards, in addition to Walker Evans as personality of the year, went to Yokohama Tire Corp. as contingency company; Spirit Racing as pit support team; Barbary Coast as entry sponsor; and Jean Calvin, editor-publisher of Dusty Times off-road racing publication, journalist of the year. . . . The Whiskey Pete/Nissan hare and hound motorcycle championship, a 150-mile race through the southern Nevada desert, will be held Saturday. An entry of 350 riders will start at 9 a.m. from the Stateline Casino, near Las Vegas.