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/126829
(Above) Holley (24) and Myerscough (99 ) spent most of the semi this close. John DeSoto (4) goes wide, Holley won it by inches. (Above) Defending Alohacross Champ Ron Turner finished third. (Below) Jim Holley (second from right) made plenty of friends in Hawaii, do wn and sq ua red back un derneath h im . I kn ew he d idn ' t.. hav e the momentum to clear th e double jump, but ' was n't su re ' d id either, bu t' tried it anyway a nd it worked out okay." '" had him th ere," said Myerscoug h , " bu t he got rig h t back around me on the do ub lejump. Righ t towards the end, I cu t in an d he just went off the double ju mp, and I th ought I had him blocked but he cu t a little bit more than' tho ugh t a nd clea red the jump and go t by me." Myerscough tried to get past H ol ley during th e last lap but lap ped riders hampered his effort, H o lley won one o f th e most exci ti ng su percross races of a ll time and th e crowd loved it. . '" did n 't want to push it," said Holl ey, " it was o n ly the sem i and we sti ll go t th e mai n . I screwed up a coup le o f times a nd he got arou nd me, whi ch was kind o f good, because I co uld follow h im th rough a co u p le of corners a nd see j ust exactly where I cou ld pass h im , lu ckily this is a passin g track a nd ' cou ld pass him back , The main thing was th e lappers, becau se th ey got in m y way o u t th ere a cou p le of times. I: hope th is isn ' t goin g to be a preview o f th e main , becau se' don ' t like raci ng tha t close; ' can ha ndle the pressure but' don' t like racing like th at , with so meone houndin g me. In the ma in , I'm not go ing to da bble arou nd an d gi ve Bria n a cha nce to ca tch u p like he did." Tedder too k his seco nd hol esh o t of the n igh t in the seco nd semi, but Vernoude n was breath in g do wn his back. Turner and another rid er ba iled ove r a dou ble j u m p righ t after the first turn. '" was in second p lace o n the sta n ," said Turner, " th en a g uy we nt .o ver th e set o f do u bles a nd crashe d, a nd' ran into him and fell o ff. Wh en m y bike landed , I guess it put a lo t o f p ressu re o n the rear su b frame and Droke m y frame." Brok en fram e and a ll, Turner o nce aga in had to wark h is wa y up through the pack a nd did so success fully, while Tedder a nd Vern ouden traded posi tio ns a few times. Fina lly , Vernouden passed Tedder o ver a do u ble j um p and held o n fro m there. Tedder took seco nd, while T urner fini sh ed third wi th th e frame dr agging o n th e rear tire. Consolation Despi te hi s heavil y-braced kn ee, Oveland won the conso lation race . '" can' t work th e jumps, I ca n ' t work th e bumps, a nd ' ca n'tsi t do wn to go a ro u nd corners, but I'm sure having a good tim e," sai d O veland. " My mind is 100%, my heart rs 100%, but m y body isn't." Main Tu rner and hi s 190cc Cagiva g ra bbed th e ho lesh o t in the main bu t was immedi ately passed by H olley. After T u rner foll owed F urui ke, Myerscough. Whitt in gham , DeSo to , Kah oopii a nd Amarin . Less tha n a lap lat er , Myerscou gh shot past Fu ru ike th an Turn er a few jumps la ter. With in a co u p le o f laps, Myerscou gh was breathing he vil y a down H olley's back , a nd it loo ked to be a replica of th e first sem i. About th is time, DeSot o cras hed p retty ha rd after tagging a hayba le th at ha d ro lled o nto the track. " I g uess Karl was a hea d 'o f me" sa id DeSo to , "and hit a bal e, and th e f1 agg ers had their backs to it. I didn ' t see it until th e last m inu te a nd hit it. T he flagman was n' t doi ng hi s job, an d Tedder ca me arou nd and hi t me fro m behind. I was so mad, bu t what ca n ya say?" This mi shap put bo th rider s a t the back of the pack . Meanwhi le, H oll ey a nd Myer sco ugh were back at it aga in, bu t this rim e it did n ' t tak e nearl y as lo ng for Myerscough to get arou nd H oll ey, a nd o nce he did, th e race was a ll hi s. Short ly a fter , M ye r scou gh h ad extended h is lea d to a lmost five seco nds . N ear the end of th e race, both Myerscough a nd H olley lap ped the third pl ace rider, T urner. As they crossed th e fini sh line, it was Myersco ug h, H oll ey, T urner, Verno ud en , Kahoop ii, Tedder and Raco ma . . " Brian was j us t rid ing harder," said H olley. '" was making a lot o f mi sta kes, he had hi s mech anic here a nd ' d id n' t, a nd ' think he was a little bit mor e p repa red fo r th e race than' was. Once he go t by me I lost my dr ive. No t mak in g any excuses, or a nyt hing, but Brian just rode a hard race and the better man wo n . I th in k every body got the ir money's worth to n ig ht , a nd I'm loo king forward to maybe coming back nex t year - it • sho u ld be a good o ne!" Results 1. Brian M yerscough (Suz); 2. Ji m Holley (Yam); 3 . Ron Turne r (Cag);.4 . Karl Vernoud en (Han ): 5 . Neisha Kahoop ii (Kaw ); 6 . Matt Tedder (Hon); 7. Royce Racoma (Yam); 8 . David A marin (Suzl; 9 . Ja ea Furu ike (Yam); to. Joh n DeSoto (Hon); 11. Stu Wh itt ingham (Hon); 12. Phil Dveland (KTM). 17