MOTOR RACING / VINCE KOWALICK : Naylor Digs Ventura’s Dirty Work
Transforming Ventura Raceway’s 300 x 600-foot dirt arena from a one-fifth-mile oval stock-car race track into a challenging off-road course filled with berms, dips and double jumps is a dirty job.
But Jim Naylor loves it.
As a result, more than 200 motorcycles, buggies and assorted off-road vehicles will take to the transformed track tonight for Ventura’s third motocross/off-road show of the season.
For Naylor, Ventura’s promoter and the United States Auto Club’s promoter of the year in 1991, it marks the 60th time, by his estimate, in the past five years he has spent two days digging, carving and moving earth to prepare for an off-road show.
And when the races are completed, Naylor spends another two days replacing dirt and re-grooming the track in preparation for stock-car racing.
Naylor’s Case 580K Wheel Loader--a bulldozer with wheels--might not be the most exciting vehicle on the track at Ventura this weekend, but it might be the most important.
“Building the track takes about 20 hours of tractor time,” Naylor said. “It’s a matter of moving a lot of dirt fairly quickly. The reward is watching them race and getting feedback from the drivers.”
For the most part, Naylor said, his efforts have been met with approval.
The course, which varies only slightly with each show, will be about a mile long with slightly different routes for motocross and off-road vehicles.
Included is a two-foot-high jump on the main straightaway that every vehicle must navigate, plus a back straightaway with “two big jumps like a double-humped camel,” Naylor said.
All told, the course includes about 20 jumps for motorcycles and 10 for off-road vehicles.
The motocross event is the third of 10 this season at Ventura. The 20 drivers who compile the most points in the 80cc, 125cc and 250cc classes will advance to the annual Ventura County Fair Motocross, scheduled for Aug. 23.
About 40 off-road vehicles in four classes are scheduled to race tonight. Anyone with an off-road vehicle is eligible to enter the day of the race.
“You don’t have to call, just bring it,” Naylor said. “As long as you meet the technical requirements, bring it and race.”
All in the family: Ventura’s off-road program will include cousins Clint and C. J. Mears competing in off-road buggies.
Surname sound familiar?
Clint is the son of three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears. C. J. is the son of Roger Mears, Rick’s brother and a champion off-road driver.
Over there: Ventura’s IMCA Modified division, the track’s counterpart of Saugus Speedway’s Grand American Modified class, has grown to 19 cars after beginning its inaugural season with only six.
But only about a dozen drivers compete regularly. And track officials readily allow that a few more cars would make main events more interesting.
“We pick up a new driver about every week,” Ventura General Manager Cliff Morgan said. “We had heard that we would be picking up some more of the guys from Saugus. Some of the guys are still talking about coming out.”
So far, only Herb Hill of Simi Valley has put his motor where his mouth is. Hill, the only driver to race at both tracks in the Modified class this season, began the season at Saugus but has switched to Ventura, where he races virtually full time. Hill is sixth in the points standings at Ventura, 20th at Saugus.
“I made the switch-over because I love the dirt, for one thing,” Hill said. “I wanted to race both, but once I got started at Ventura, I kind of got hung up in the points situation.”
Ventura’s Modified class is sanctioned by the International Motor Contest Assn.; Saugus’ Grand Am division is sanctioned by NASCAR.
The cars, however, are virtually identical, the only major difference being the tires. Saugus drivers race with racing slicks on the track’s paved oval and Ventura cars have tires with treads.
But only a change of tires and a few turns of the wrench are needed to switch tracks, Hill said.
“You could run both on one weekend very easily,” Hill said. “I could change my car in less than two hours, and that’s without killing myself. I just think that most of the guys haven’t given it a try yet.”
Moving up: Ron Hornaday Jr. of Palmdale leaped to within four points of leader Rick Carelli of Denver in the NASCAR Southwest Tour standings after last weekend’s 200-lap race at Sears Point International Raceway in Sonoma.
Only a week ago, Carelli appeared uncatchable. He arrived in Sonoma with four victories in seven starts and a 98-point advantage over Hornaday. But engine failure forced Carelli from the race on Lap 33 and he finished 29th. Hornaday went on to finish second to Jon Paques of Albuquerque, N.M.
The tour reaches the halfway point of its 18-race schedule June 27 at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield.
Miscellany: Three drivers recorded their first main-event victories of the season last weekend at Saugus: Doug Renno of Canoga Park won the 40-lap Sportsman race, Eric Sunness of Canyon Country won the 25-lap Street Stock oval main and Dana Moore of Valencia won the 20-lap Hobby Stock oval main.
Kiyo Watanabe of Burbank is ninth in the American Motocross Assn. Supertwins points standings entering this weekend’s two-day program at Brainerd, Minn. Watanabe finished seventh May 31 at Texas World Speedway in College Station, Tex.. . . . Willie Surratt of Lancaster is 20th in the AMA 250cc championship series entering Sunday’s race in Sacramento.
