Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126775
Ul Broc Glover finally captured the elusive Carlsbad win after three nearmisses, going 4-1 to beat Ricky Johnson's 3-2. Johnny O'Mara won the first moto, but then a crash in the second round meant he had to work up from dead last to fifth. end there ei ther; he set his sights on Malherbe and began closing the gap. Up front, Bailey still maintained a semi-comfortable lead over O'Mara. For the next five laps, Bailey had control of the race and looked unbeatable until the lIth lap when he started to slow. He eventually came to a complete halt with a destroyed rear wheel. "I thought I had a flat, but I starteq to hear noises, and then I knew the wheel was falling apart," said Bailey. "I hoped I could finish but there was no way. The track is very rough and demanding." Bailey wasn't terribly upset by this misfortune, realizing there were no points involved. With Bailey out, O'Mara inherited the lead with a large distance over Malherbe. At one point, though, Malherbe did start a hard charge at o 'Mara and got fairly close, but 0' Mara managed LO again pull away. Johnson gained some distance on Malherbe but it wasn't enough LO pressure the Honda pilot. O'Mara crossed the finish line first, a good distance ahead of Malherbe, Johnson, Glover and facLOry Husky rider Micky Dymond. Europeans Georges lobe, Vromans, Britain's Graham Noyce and Finland's ]ukka Sinonen were among those on the DNF list. The start of the second moLO saw Glover with the holeshot followed by Malherbe, Johnson, Thorpe, Bailey, Kawasaki's Jobe and Geboers. The first LO make a move was Bailey, who dove by Thorpe during the second go'round. Then Johnson made a successful pass on Malherbe for second. Glover's lead began to shrink as]ohnson gOt on the gas. But before]ohnson could make a mover he'crashed. "The shock started ackin~," said ohnson. Glover and Johnson were all smiles in the winner's circle after engineering a 1ยท2 Yamaha sweep in the Nissen-sponsored event. "I fell down and bent my fingers back. It hurt a bit, but it isn't major. I was reeling Broc in when it happened." Johnson recovered in third. The real story of the moLO was O'Mara. The Honda pilot crashed in the first turn and restarted dead last. But, with a little bit more than half the race completed, O'Mara had worked his way into ninth and was putting heavy pressure on Jobe. Atthis time, Glover was enjoying a comfortable lead over Johnson, who had retaken second, but Bailey was pressuring hard from third. With four I.aps LO go, Bailey made his move and shot by the ailing Johnson. The Honda pilot then set after Glover and made up the distance very quickly. A few laps from the end, Bailey shot past Glover up the famous "Carlsbad Freeway" for the lead. But disaster struck Bailey again on the next lap when he got a little too close LO a lapped rider on a downhill - and was pitched sideways. "A lapper got in my way," said Bailey, "and I hit a bump, pitching the bike sideways. I rode it out until I hit the fence at the bottom. Other than a few scrapes, I'm OK. It was scary!" Glover reclaimed the lead and easil y held on LO take the win and overall. Johnson finished a distant second ahead of Geboers, Malherbe, O'Mara, Vromans and Jobe. "I felt real good out there," said Glover. "The first moto didn't go very good, but I felt much better the second ti me ou t." Support Lechien was blazingly fast in the 250cc Support race, leading from 'staJ:tto finish in both'molos without a hitch. Durin each outin ,an ex- 9