Off-Road Gran Prix : 43,987 See Ashley Win at Coliseum

Dave Ashley of Riverside, who had never before led a single lap on the eight-stop Mickey Thompson Off-Road Gran Prix circuit, was a surprise start-to-finish winner Saturday night in the Grand National Sports Truck race, the 10-lap main event at the Coliseum.

Jeff Huber was in position to challenge Ashley at the wire, but he crashed into the hay bales in the middle of the last turn on the final lap.

Danny Thompson, promoter Mickey’s son, was second, and Ivan Stewart finished third.

In Saturday’s other races, before a crowd of 43,987:

--Rory Holladay’s crash into a barricade just before heading up the peristyle ramp on the final lap allowed Rennie Awana of Cerritos and John Hassham of Westminster to pass him, with Awana going on to win the Odyssey race. Holladay finished third.

--Charles Sheperd of Bakersfield outdistanced the field by approximately 60 yards to win the four-wheel ATV event, and Sean Finley of El Cajon held off Roger Burman of Ft. Dodge, Iowa, in a much closer battle for second. Sheperd was the fifth different winner in six races this year in the event. Four riders were within 15 points in the chase for the overall title at the start of the night, led by Yorba Linda’s Jimmy White, the only two-time winner in 1987, with 195 points.

--Greg George of Cucamonga, who won last year at the Rose Bowl and who has won twice this year, was victorious again in the UltraStock race, edging Ken Kazarian of Rolling Hills Estates, the winner at the Rose Bowl in May and the point leader coming in, by a half-car length. Lloyd Castle of Bellflower was third.

--Albert Arciero of Anaheim won his second Unlimited Super 1600 of the year, tying his brother, Frank Jr., for most victories in the event in 1987.

--Sacramento’s Tyson Vohland scored a 15-yard victory over Doug Dubach of Costa Mesa in the 250cc motorcycles. Jon Nelson of Santa Cruz was a distant third.