Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Motorcycles Make Return To Playfair After 80 Years

Paul Delaney Correspondent

Playfair Race Course will see an exhibition of horsepower like it hasn’t seen in more than 80 years Saturday night.

That’s when a group of local racing promoters bring an American Motorcycle Association (AMA) Flat Track event - the Playfair Half-Mile - to the horse track.

Gates open at 4 with racing to follow at 6:30. Advance discount tickets are available from G & B Select-A-Seat.

Motorcycles last ran at Playfair prior to World War I as part of a fair and promoters hope this is just the first of a long line of flat track events.

“We’re waiting for the 1997 horse racing dates to be announced and then we’ll hope to schedule one or two flat track races,” said co-promoter Bert Marsh.

“If this race is a success I think we could bring an AMA Grand National race to Spokane next year,” Marsh added.

Turning the horse track into a motor racing track is a lot of work.

“We’re scraping the top 8 inches of sand and clay and getting down to the original hard surface,” Marsh said. That chore will take the better part of three days to complete.

“It’s going to be the equivalent of asphalt,” Marsh said. “This surface is a favorite among the riders.” Speeds will approach 110 mph on the long straightaways.

Word has traveled through the motorcycle racing grapevine that the Playfair track is going to be a good one.

“This race is bringing riders out of the woodwork,” said Marsh.

For example, Mickey Fay of Spanaway, a former national No. 1 rider in 600’s, is looking for equipment so he can ride, said Marsh.

Among the entrants, John Wincewicz of Olympia is the only rider to win twice racing at Coeur d’Alene and is a former Grand National rider.

Drags, stock cars at SRP

Two former champions will continue to battle as the Mountain Dew High School Drag Racing Series continues on Friday night at Spokane Raceway Park. Time trials begin at 5:30.

Lakeside (Nine Mile) and the Spokane Skills Center are separated by just two points after four races and are far and away the leaders. St. Maries is a distant third place.

Saturday’s regular bracket drags and stock car racing returns to SRP with gates opening at 4 p.m.

Sunday the Dukes Auto Club will stage its annual Nostalgia Drags.

Hoerner wins Pro Gas

If things keep going as well as they have for Spokane’s Todd Hoerner when he visits the Woodburn Drag Strip south of Portland, Hoerner might take up residency in Oregon.

Hoerner won the Super Gas title at last weekend’s NHRA Division Six race. The win was his second in Super Gas and third overall after winning Super Street in 1989.

While James Arsenault didn’t win in Super Gas, he did run a perfect 9.900 and won a special award from series sponsor TRW.

Riders roll

Last Sunday’s AMA Grand National race in Illinois was rained out so Mica’s Joe Kopp will have to wait for his live national TV debut. No make-up date has been announced.

While Kopp sat idle in the Midwest, a number of his former flat track buddies got in some racing last weekend.

Joe Kopp’s cousin, Lon, won the Open Class at Rapid City, S.D., finishing just ahead of Spokane’s Russ Yamamoto.

Brian Watson of Spokane won the 600 Amateur at Casper, Wyo. Lon Kopp also fared well at the Central Wyoming Fair event winning the Dash For Cash and finishing as runner-up in the Open Expert.

Pit stops

After weeks of special events, Stateline Speedway returns to a local racing program on Friday and Saturday nights. Friday night the Sportsman class runs its midseason championship. Saturday the Street Stocks will battle in their midseason championships. The Northwest Mini-Supers and a Fever 4 challenge are also on Saturday’s schedule. Friday time trials begin at 6:30 and Saturday’s at 6 … Eagle Track in Republic will run its annual Rick Martin Memorial race Saturday. The race is run in honor of the former racer who was killed a number of years ago in an automobile accident. Time trials are at noon… . Spokane’s Jeff Zimmerman won his third Northwest Modified series race of the season last Saturday at Kalispell and has closed to within 14 points of leader Greg Ochs of Colville.

xxxx

This sidebar appeared with the story: POINT LEADERS Northwest Modified Series points leaders thru July 13: Greg Ochs, Colville 494 J. Zimmerman, Cheney 478 Blaine Sneva, Spokane 469 Ed Hudson, Spokane 440 Stan Cafferty, Moses Lake 421 Dave Weaver, Colville 358 Steve Lovitt, Ephrata 342 Doyle Braton, Rathdrum 300 Dan Noble, Eltopia 295 Danny May, Wenatchee 290