1983_05 Insight May 1983

              Insight
Racing: 'Reciwave'
drives to success
third annual Cetti's Kids' Night will
beheld this season on Saturday, July
16. Cetti also attends a race held in
Anderson, California each year to
benefit the handicapped.
One thing that makes Kids' Night
possible is the willingness of the other
members of the Super Modified Racing Association to help with the
logistics for the evening.
Camaraderie is common among the
families wbo participate in the racing
programs at the speedway.
"Everybody has his own racing
secrets but if something happens we
all stick together," said Cetti.
Cetti also emphasized that racing
is a family sport and has something
for everyone. Racing is excellent
entertainment and a whole day of racing costs only a little more than a
movie.
To a race fan there is nothing
more exciting in the world than to
watch and listen as 20 cars roar down
a short straightway at speeds more
than 100 miles an hour and try to
make a narrow turn without running
into one another.
Tbe cars racing at the Madera
race track are known as super
modifieds and fall into three basic
design types. The cars, which are
very safe, are classified by where the
engine is mounted.
The first type of car is known as
an "upright" because its engine is
mounted in an upright centered position directly in front of the driver. The
upright is the most common of the
three types. Less common are the
rear engine type cars resembling In-
dy cars. Only one or two teams are using rear engines this season.    .^^_
The third design, which has only
recently become popular, is the "offset roadster." The offset roadster used by the Red Wave Team is
distinguished from other cars by its
off-center engine. In the case of the
Red Wave car, the engine is mounted
18 inches left of the car's centerline.
This unique design allows the car to
travel through turns faster. Accor
ding to Cetti, the car able to travel
through turns the fastest has an advantage and a good chance of winning.
One thing all three types of cars
have in common is a large airfoil,
known as a wing, mounted on top of
the car. The wing acts as a stabilizing
force and helps the car hug the track
for better maneuverability.
Tbe Red Wave car, with the
engine turning 7,500 revolutions per
minute and producing about 700
horsepower, is capable of attaining
speeds of Madera's three-eighths mile
asphalt oval near 115 miles an hour.
On longer tracks, such as the one-
half mile track at Bakersf ield. the car
can reach speeds near 145 miles an
hour.
Because of the high speeds, the
car takes a tremendous beating and
must be thoroughly inspected after
each weekend of racing. Tbe Inspection includes taking the engine completely apart and examining it for any
internal damage that may have
resulted.
"You really have to (be)
dedicated but we all enjoy it," said
Cetti who has driven all three types of
super modified cars along with
another class of car known as a
Midget.
Despite the great amount of work
required on the car, all of the crew t
members work full time jobs during'
the week. Cetti works in construction
and Smith owns Valley Muffler Ser-
Tbe car is co-owned by Smith and
Jerry George, owner of Valley Ornamental Iron. Because of the great
expense of running and building a
Athletics: Program
earns large profits
Continued from page I
Self-generated Income includes
gate receipts, advertising, concessions and interest. Television revenue
and other special gains-for instance, the money to be realized from
participating in the National Invitation Tournament basketball championships this year — also figure into
the self-generated total. By nature,
the sports program is the largest self-
generator of revenue on campus.
tlvities fees fund ($10 per student, inJ
curred each semester) provided]
$145,000 in 1981-82, or 3.8 percent of the]-
total funding. The Associated]
Students began providing IRA funds*
six years ago, while at the same time}
reducing direct Associated Students?
appropriations from $18,336 in 1977-78'
to more in 1981-82.
—State funding last year totaled*
$1,223,695, or 31.6 percent of the fuijJ
ding total.
aOEisfjsl
Minutes before the start of the main event. Bob Cetti plans oat his strategy.
race car, the team also has several
sponsors from the local business community who also contribute money
and materials to the team. In return
for their contributions each sponsor
has the name of his company painted
on the car. The only other way to help
defray the cost of racing is to win
races, a difficult task, but even that
doesn't cover all of the expenses. The
winners share of the purse averages
only $500 to $2,000 for each race.
"When I started racing you could
build a car for $2,000," said CetU.
"Now they're $40,000."
An example of the type of expense
encountered  is  the cost of racing
slicks and wheels. The tires, whicn
are good only for one or two races,
cost $350 a pair while aluminum racing wheels are priced at $250 each.
The choice of the red paint and
number 74 are attributed to Cetti, who
also owns a red truck and motorcycle
and claims almost everything he owns
is red.
"I've had red cars and number 74
for 19 years," explained CetU. "I
started with red and that number and
stuck with it."
CetU, 42, began his racing career
at the now demolished Kearny Bowl
race brack. He has won most of the
major racing events held in the valley
at one Ume or another.
By nature, the sports
program is the largest self-
generator of revenue on
campus.
"As our sports program ha*
grown, it's generated income that, for
the most part, is plowed right back
in," said Graham. "Of course, the
self-generated funds have been helped
considerably by the school's sue-
But, Graham said, should CSUF's
intercollegiate teams have poor
seasons (resulting in a drop in expected revenue), the program would
be covered by its own reserve funds,
which were $348,961 in 1981-82.
Other highlights from the report:
—The InstrucUonally Related Ac-
 .
—Men's basketball grossed
$954,123 in 1981-82 but spent just
$416,299. The only other money-
making sport was football, which
posted a net profit of $82,194. Football
went over the $1 million mark in boUf
revenue and expenditures.
—Men's sports in general
generated $2,524,701, or 92.9 percent-
of the total program's revenues, both
state and non-state. However, men's
sports spent $2,143,540, or 85.9 percent
of the program's total expenditures.
Women's sports as a whole spent
$357,730 and generated $191,562
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