The ‘Slammer’ Makes Its Debut in Supercross

David Schwarzott, a 25-year-old factory worker from Long Beach, has attended every stadium motocross race at Anaheim Stadium since 1978.

He raced amateur motocross for seven years and once built his own practice track on some vacant land in Dominguez Hills.

So when promoters of the Anaheim Supercross race announced a contest in which fans could design an obstacle for Saturday night’s race, Schwarzott called on his years of riding experience and track-designing skills to create, “Schwarzott’s Slammer.”

The creation features a 15-foot-long ramp that lifts riders over a 15-foot gulch and toward a 12-foot wall. The trick is to get the front wheel of the bike to hit the top of the wall or the rider risks sliding backward into the gulch, where he finds a series of whoop-de-doos or short berms.

If this happens, the rider must work up enough speed over the whoop-de-doos to get over the 12-foot wall. The obstacle figures to challenge even the best stadium rider.

Track construction crews, who haul in thousands of cubic tons of dirt into the home of the Rams and the Angels, thought Schwarzott’s entry was the most dramatic jump that could be constructed without risking injury to the riders.

Schwarzott said the obstacle has been developed and tested through years of riding.

“I first built the slammer on my practice track,” he said. “My friends and I were always trying different things. After I built the slammer, we tried to figure out the fastest way over it.

“The word got out that we had a good track with some challenging obstacles, and pretty soon, a lot of professional riders in the area started showing up. That’s when the cops started chasing us off.

“So I figured out a way to hide from the cops. We cleared some brush and hid a car in there with all our riding gear and tools. Whenever the cops came, we hid in the brush while they chased everybody out. Once the cops left, we’d start riding again.”

Schwarzott competed in 125cc and 500cc races at Ascot Park, Saddleback Park, Corona and Carlsbad. He also rode the Trans-Cal series in 1983. He retired from racing last season.

He anticipates his obstacle will be a big hit with the riders.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in all the stadium races I’ve attended,” he said. “I thought I might have a good chance of winning the contest. I don’t think you see any complaints from the riders.”

Schwarzott’s entry was among the 210 received by Stadium Motorsports of Laguna Beach, the promoters of Saturday night’s race. Contestants ranged from a 7-year-old boy to the vice-president of a title insurance company.

Many of the entries were not as practical or creative as Schwarzott’s obstacle, though some names were offbeat. “Billy Boy’s Bunker,” “Endo Alley,” “Mojave Mama,” “Show No Mercy” and “Anaheim Torcher” were among the best.

Some of the bizarre designs included a large spike mounted on plywood and buried below a designated area of the track, a giant plastic alligator with a moving jaw that the riders passed through as it opened and shut and a windmill in which the blades rotated past the opening of a doorway that the riders would pass through.

Water obstacles, which have been banned by the sanctioning American Motorcycle Assn. in stadium races, were also popular entries. The AMA banned all water holes after riders complained that sand and mud could make their throttles stick.

Jeff Tezer of Rancho Cucamonga reasoned that Supercross “needs to imitate natural obstacles as much as possible.” He submitted an intricate water crossing because “so many natural terrain tracks feature a stream or water hole.”

Motocross Notes

The winner of the Anaheim race has gone on to win the Supercross series in three of the past four years. Donnie Hansen won at Anaheim in 1982, David Bailey won the next year and Johnny O’Mara won in 1984. All three riders also claimed the series titles. Broc Glover won at Anaheim last year, but he finished two points behind Jeff Ward for the title. . . . Kent Howerton, now retired, is the only rider to win twice at Anaheim. Howerton won in 1979 and 1981. . . . A rider auction to benefit injured rider Danny Chandler will be staged in the Fun Zone near Gate 10 at 3 p.m. . . . Gates open at 6 with the 125cc heat races beginning at 7. . . . Glover will be riding with a brace to protect a broken right thumb.