Motor Racing : Glover Launches a Comeback Year

Broc Glover, former national motocross champion fresh from a pair of tuneup wins last week at Carlsbad, will open what he hopes will be a comeback campaign this weekend. Glover will ride in the 12th annual Continental Motosport Club’s Dodge Truck Golden State Motocross Nationals at Glen Helen Park in San Bernardino.

Glover, who won the Golden State 500cc championship in 1985, has missed most of the last two seasons because of a series of injuries. The 26-year-old veteran from El Cajon broke his leg in the second race of 1987 and later broke his tailbone in another accident.

Last weekend at Carlsbad, in a CMC warm-up event, Glover won both the 125cc and 250cc races on Yamahas.

The Glen Helen races are the first of the Golden State series. The professionals will race five weeks before breaking for the American Motorcyclist Assn.’s Supercross series. Amateur, or sportsman, riders will continue for three more weeks before concluding the series Feb. 21 back at Glen Helen.

Jeff Ward and Johnny O’Mara, former supercross champions, and Jackie Vimond of France, 1986 world 250cc champion, are expected to compete Sunday.

Also entered are defending champions Doug Dubach, Ty Davis and Mike Fisher. Dubach, who won the 125 title on an Italian Cagiva, has switched to Yamaha, and Davis, who won on a Yamaha, will be on a Suzuki. Fisher, the 500 champion, rides a Kawasaki.

Also entered are nationally ranked riders such as Micky Dymond, last year’s AMA 125cc champion; Ron Lechien, Eric Kehoe and George Holland.

The CMC Golden State Nationals has been the traditional season-opener for riders who use it as a final prep for the AMA national outdoor and stadium competition.

Among former GSN champions have been Brad Lackey, who went on to become the only American to win a world 500cc championship; Danny (Magoo) Chandler, Rex Staten, Jim Holley and Bob Hannah, the winningest rider in United States motocross. Hannah, 31, who is planning to retire after the 1988 season, is not planning to ride the Golden State series.

Other races will be held at Sandhill Ranch at Brentwood, Calif., near Stockton; Hollister Hills, near Hollister; Sunrise Cycle Park at Adelanto, and Carlsbad Raceway, former site of the U.S. 500cc Grand Prix.

The GSN, which started in 1977 as a $12,000 three-race series, has more than $600,000 in prize money, contingency money and awards for eight races.

The stadium season will open Saturday night, Jan. 30, at Anaheim Stadium as part of Mickey Thompson’s racing schedule.

Racing will start at 9:30 a.m. at all tracks.

ATTENDANCE--Total attendance for 15 major North American auto racing series increased by nearly 1 million spectators in 1987 over the previous season, according to a survey by Goodyear. A record total of 9,266,300 spectators attended 257 events in 1987, up from 8,346,000 for 253 events in 1986. NASCAR, with 2,053,000 for 29 Winston Cup stock car races, was the No. 1 attraction.

ALL-AMERICAN--Carroll Shelby, former sports car champion who drove the pace car at the 1987 Indianapolis 500, will be the keynote speaker at the 18th annual race drivers All-American banquet Jan. 9 at the Spruce Goose Pavilion in Long Beach. Most of the 12 drivers selected to the team are expected to attend.

MOTORCYCLES--Randy Mamola of Santa Clara, who is still looking for his first world road riding championship after finishing second four times, has moved from Kenny Roberts’ Yamaha team to Cagiva for 1988. Mamola is rumored to be getting close to $5 million for two seasons. Mamola’s seat with Roberts will be taken by Wayne Rainey of Norwalk, two-time AMA Superbike champion.

AWARDS-Cary Agajanian of Ascot Park received the United States Auto Club’s award as race organizer of the year at the United States Auto Club banquet Tuesday night in Indianapolis.

WILLOW SPRINGS-Owner Bill Huth had to call off paving of a new segment of his planned 4-mile road course earlier this week because of snow at the Kern County facility. Huth is expanding his 2.5-mile track, a popular testing site for all types of racing equipment, to give it more variety. The Willow Springs competition season will open Jan. 9-10 with the Western Eastern Racing Assn. conducting a Grand Prix motorcycle race.