NO ROOM FOR STREET RACERS OFFICER LOOKS FOR LOCATION WHERE RODS CAN RUN FREE.

Byline: Lisa Van Proyen Staff Writer

SUN VALLEY - Just minutes into a recent big street race involving more than 75 souped-up cars on Glenoaks Boulevard, sirens blared as 11 police vehicles swooped in to encircle the illegal racers.

As officers ticketed the youths for racing and arrested 10 p.m. curfew violators, one officer had a different plan. Ron Walker tries to talk the kids into finding legal ways to race.

Walker, a senior lead officer at the Foothill Division, has been drumming up support from fellow officers and street racers to find alternatives, including the construction of local drag strips.

``I see what a positive racing is,'' said Walker, who grew up in North Hollywood and in his youth used to cruise Van Nuys Boulevard in his 1963 Chevy Impala.

``It builds their self-confidence and develops their mechanical skills. But I want them to do it in a safe way.''

Many racers agree.

``If they open up a track near here, people would be safe,'' said a driver in a black convertible Mustang who declined to give his name at the April 29 race.

``We're young and we like the rush of speed. It's just like people who like to sky dive. They like the rush. It's mostly to show off. You want to show people that you've got a nice car.''

Legal alternatives that Walker has explored include building a motor sports center at the now-closed Lopez Canyon Landfill or in the Hansen Dam area - two areas with wide-open spaces that are far enough away from homes that they won't affected by the noisy hot-rodder engines.

He has explored proposals to designate a Valley street for racing during certain times and days, and for using Whiteman Airport one night a week.

But for every location, there are objections raised and issues of who will back the plan financially.

Meanwhile, in his two years of work on the illegal street racing problem that plagues the northeast San Fernando Valley, he's seen teen-agers with a passion for revving up their engines to 130 mph in 10 seconds end up critically injured or dead. And he knows that despite this sweep on illegal racers in an industrial area of Sun Valley on April 29, they'll be back here in a few weeks.

A legal alternative for the racers is the answer, he said. And the racers he arrests couldn't agree more.

``We wouldn't be here if there was a track open,'' said one driver from Van Nuys who declined to give his name for fear of being arrested. Valley youths are forced to drive at least 45 minutes away to Pomona, Lancaster or Bakersfield to race, and oftentimes the tickets are sold out because of the high demand, Walker said.

So far Walker has met dead ends in his efforts for a local venue.

The Lopez Canyon proposal was no-go because of drainage issues, said David Gershwin, a spokesman for Councilman Alex Padilla.

``A racetrack has to be fairly flat. It's not viable with the water build-up there. There's not enough drainage in the event of a storm,'' Gershwin said.

Another problem is methane gas collection lines would have to moved underground for a racetrack, said Javier Polanco, a sanitary engineering associate at the landfill.

``We'd have to go back and do a bunch of design work,'' Polanco said.

And some residents in the Hansen Dam area have objected to the impact of racetrack noise on the equestrian areas.

But Walker, who has been restoring a 1967 Plymouth Barracuda sitting in his garage at home for 18 months, remains optimistic.

``I think like anything else, time and money can overcome anything,'' he said.

In his fight to help the youths, Walker regularly hands out ``Get Out of Jail Free'' cards from the National Hot Rod Association for the drivers to go to the Pomona Raceway for free street-legal racing.

Pat Davenport, a deputy for Councilman Joel Wachs, whose district includes the Northeast Valley, praised Walker for his efforts.

``I think it's wonderful. . . . He's not just trying to suppress it, but looking for a way to channel a rather persistent teen-age interest,'' she said.

Until a feasible alternative is found, racers say they will continue their underground movement of driving their muscle cars on public streets - knowing they face paying thousands of dollars between the steep fines and the repairs to make their cars street legal after they're caught.

``These kids are getting busted, and they're being made into criminals,'' said Angel Nieves, president of Teamwork Motorsports, a nonprofit organization based in Long Beach also seeking alternatives for illegal street racers. ``They're being booked and fingerprinted when all they want to do is participate in a hobby.''

CAPTION(S):

6 photos, map

Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Officials inspect a car for smog equipment violations, while its occupants receive tickets for attending an illegal street race.

(3 -- color) A vehicle does a U-turn on Glenoaks Boulevard in Pacoima, as police arrive nearby to issue tickets and check equipment in connection with hot-rod street racing.

(4 -- color) A Los Angeles police officer keeps an eye on juveniles arrested for 10 p.m. curfew violations during a crackdown on street racing on Glenoaks Boulevard in Pacoima.

(5 -- color) Los Angeles police officers speak with youths about illegal night-time street racing in the Northeast Valley.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer

(6) A plan for a racetrack at Lopez Canyon Landfill would require that these methane gas pipes be placed underground.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer

Map: Porposed street racing site