Bayside Updates Racing Weaponry

Bayside Racing's Redmond-based assault on the Indy car circuit this year will be done with better quality weapons.

Team owner Bruce Leven, whose first venture on the CART circuit last year was done with second-hand equipment, has purchased two 1990 Lola chassis and up-to-date Cosworth engines for an expanded campaign this year.

Increased involvement by prime sponsor Texaco/Havoline has allowed Leven to improve the machinery and expand the schedule from eight races to at least 11. Included are the Indianapolis 500 May 27, the annual road race at Portland International Raceway June 24 and the new Vancouver, B.C., Grand Prix street race Sept. 2.

Ex-Seattleite Dominic Dobson, 32, of Fairfax, Calif., will return as the driver, as will team manager Walter Gerber.

Bayside's involvement with sports-car racing on the IMSA GTP circuit will be reduced. However, Leven has lined up a formidable team for the 24 Hours of Daytona, IMSA's season-opener Feb. 3-4.

The Porsche 962 will be driven by Bob Wollek of France, Sarel van der Merwe of South Africa and Dobson.

Wollek, along with John Andretti and Derek Bell, won the Daytona marathon last year. The Bayside entry (Klaus Ludwig, van der Merwe and James Weaver) placed fourth.

Cope optimistic

-- Derrike Cope, whose five-year struggle for recognition on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit has been met mostly with frustration, appears to be gaining momentum.

Cope, 31, of Spanaway, is being hailed as one of NASCAR's future stars going into the 1990 season-opening Daytona 500 Feb. 18. Never has he had the support - financial and mechanical - that he has this year.

Cope's prime sponsor the past two years, Oklahoma-based Purolator, has increased its involvement, Cope said by telephone from North Carolina. The contract is for 20 races, but, said Cope, he thinks contributions from associate sponsors will allow him to run the entire 29-race schedule.

Cope and members of his Bob Whitcomb team are preparing Chevrolet Lumina-bodied cars with engines built and maintained by Rick Hendrick mechanics.

Hendrick, a millionaire busi-

nessman and high-level NASCAR player, runs a team of three cars to be driven this year by Darrell Waltrip, Ken Schrader and Ricky Rudd.

``His is a class act and I think he feels the same about us,'' Cope said of Hendrick. ``It's a great marriage.''

When Cope became aligned with Whitcomp early last season, his ability to compete improved dramatically. Of 21 races, he finished in the top 15 nine times, with four finishes (including a sixth) in the top 10.

``We put ourselves into a position to win several races,'' Cope said.

Meanwhile, Cope's friend and Northwest driving rival, Chad Little of Spokane, reportedly has improved his situation by securing Bull's Eye Barbecue Sauce as sponsor for 15 races. Little again will drive Ford Thunderbirds owned and prepared by his father, Chuck.

Cope said his former crew chief, Dave Fuge of Auburn, still is seeking a sponsor for a car to be driven by Hut Strickland.

Supercross: 1 race only

-- For the first time since 1977, the first year Supercross racing was held in Seattle, only one such race has been scheduled for the Kingdome. The stadium motocross event Feb. 17 will be the third of the 1990 series that will begin in the Houston Astrodome Feb. 3.

Jeff Stanton of Sherwood, Mich., is scheduled to defend his 1989 series championship on behalf of Team Honda.

Evergreen 500

-- Bill Elliott, the NASCAR Winston Cup star from Dawsonville, Ga., apparently is planning to make an all-out assault on the Motorcraft 500 at Evergreen Speedway July 15.

Elliott reportedly has told Evergreen officials that he will be in Monroe with his own car and his ``A team'' crew in an effort to win the 323-mile NASCAR Winston West event on the 5/8-mile oval.

The ``500'' will be one of three Winston West races in the Northwest. The others are at Portland Speedway July 4 and Tri-City Raceway in West Richland Sept. 30.

Evergreen is scheduled to open its 1990 season March 30 with a NASCAR Northwest Tour race, one of three Tour events scheduled at Monroe.