MOTOR RACING : Jones Seeks to Begin at Fairplex as He Ended at Ascot

Ronnie Jones of Oklahoma City won the last motorcycle race at the late J.C. Agajanian’s Ascot Park. Now he would like to win the first one at the L.A. County Fairplex in Pomona, a national championship event Saturday night promoted by Chris Agajanian, youngest son of J.C.

The race--20 laps on a half-mile dirt track--will be the third round of the 17-race Camel Pro championship series.

Actually, it won’t be the first cycle race on the horse racing oval, but it is the first one with national championship status. Mike Kidd promoted a western regional race there in the winter of 1987. It was won by Alex Jorgensen, now retired, and therein lies a connection that Jones believes might help him win.

“I remembered that Jorgensen won on a Honda, like the one I’ll be riding, so I got ahold of Bob Staub, his tuner, and asked him if he still had his race notes from four years ago and if he did, could I use them,” Jones said. “He said he had them, and as long as Alex was retired, he didn’t mind passing them on to me. I think they might be a big help in getting the bike set up early.”

The reason the notes may be so important is that the Fairplex track is odd-shaped. It has long straightaways, almost like a mile track, and tight turns, like a quarter-mile track.

“I know a little about the way the track is laid out because I saw a horse race there,” Jones said. “But the guy who comes with the best bike set-up and the best gear ratio is going to win. Because no one has raced at Pomona since--and none of this year’s riders were in that race--I think those four-year-old race notes will get us in the ballpark with our preparations.”

Jones, 30, is tied with Chris Carr of Valley Springs, Calif., in the standings after winning the opening race on Daytona’s quarter-mile short track and finishing second to Carr in the Sacramento Mile.

“That win at Ascot last September gave us the momentum we needed to start off fast this year,” Jones said. “We were close in a lot of races last year, and we knew sooner or later we were going to win, but we needed the win at Ascot to prove it to ourselves. And to the other guys, too.”

Jones joined with Honda dealer George Garvis three years ago to run for the Camel Pro championship. The team finished seventh in 1989 and moved to third last year behind three-time champion Scott Parker of Swartz Creek, Mich., and Carr.

“Scotty and I came into the series in 1979 as rookies, and now he’s won the championship three times and I’m getting tired of waiting for my first one. I think we have a real chance this year, even though George and I are running a private team and Scotty and Chris ride for the Harley-Davidson factory team with just about an unlimited budget.”

Jones’ career got off to a fast start when he defeated Kenny Roberts in a wheel-to-wheel short-track race at Houston in 1980, the year Roberts won his third world championship. Jones has won seven national races, including one at Ascot in 1985 as well as the track closer last year.

“Winning that last race at Ascot, in front of the biggest crowd in the track’s history (11,032), will be something I’ll always cherish,” Jones said. “Probably in 10 or 20 years, when people sit around and reminisce about Ascot, it will become even bigger, but for me it meant that all the hard work over the whole season had paid off with a win.”

Jones also will do some promoting this year, at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City, with a half-mile race on July 27.

“I saw one of the last races there, when Gene Romero won in 1971, and it was watching that race that helped me decide to be a racer,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for someone to revive racing here after it died out in the late ‘70s, but since no one came forward, I decided to do it myself.

“The nearest dirt track motorcycle race to Oklahoma City is 600 miles to the east in Springfield, Ill., and the nearest one to the west is Pomona. I think I’ll have a big area to draw from.”

Also at stake Saturday night will be the Camel Challenge, in which the six fastest qualifiers race five laps with the winner collecting $10,000. The 20-lap main event pays $5,000 to win.

INDY CARS--Pole day qualifying for the May 26 Indianapolis 500 is scheduled Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a prize of $100,000 for the driver/car combination that posts the fastest speed for four laps, or 10 miles. In jeopardy will be the records of 225.575 m.p.h. for one lap and 225.301 for four laps, both set by Emerson Fittipaldi last year. Qualifying to fill the 33-car field will continue Sunday and May 18-19.

STOCK CARS--Winston Racing Series sportsman cars are scheduled to race Saturday night at Saugus Speedway and Cajon Speedway. A train race is also on the Saugus program. . . . Dirt cars and late model hobbies will run Saturday night at Santa Maria Speedway. . . . Street stocks and a demolition derby are set for Friday night at Ventura Raceway.

MOTORCYCLES--Speedway sidecar racing, featuring teams from New Zealand and Australia, have been stealing the show Friday nights at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. They will continue sharing billing with regular speedway races through May 31. . . . Santa Maria Speedway will hold a short-track dirt race Friday night with former national champion Ricky Graham as guest of honor.

MIDGETS--Sleepy Tripp, who became the winningest midget racing driver in United States Auto Club history when he won last Saturday night in El Centro, will be at Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino Saturday night in an attempt to pad his record. Tripp’s victory was No. 132 in national and regional races, breaking a deadlock with the late Rich Vogler for midget victories.

MOTOCROSS--Donnie Hansen, 1982 national and Supercross champion, will bring his Motocross Academy to Glen Helen Park in San Bernardino this weekend. Mike Kiedrowski, a Kawasaki team rider, will demonstrate riding techniques Friday and Saturday. Hansen retired after suffering a near-fatal injury late in 1982, but he returned to the sport in 1984 when he formed his training and instructional academy in Sacramento.

VINTAGE CARS--The Vintage Auto Racing Assn. will hold a series of races Sunday at Willow Springs Raceway.