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/126914
(Above) Jeff W.rd (1 ) PII.... Ricky Johnson in the second moto of the 250Cc d .... (Below) Keith 80wen beceme the first rider to' win two 125cc Hlltio." in 1986. Ward put together a 3-1 tally to beat Honda teammates johnson (1-3) and David Bailey (2-2) while Bowen's 1-3 score beat Micky Dymond (6-1) and Larry Brooks (2-7). In the four previous rounds of the 125cc dass there had been four different winners, so Bowen became the fiTSt to repeat. For Ward it was a satisfying way to end his reign as 250cc National Champion. For Johnson it was just another step in what he hopes is the march to the triple crown. The 21year-old from EI Cajon, California, was beaten for the fiTSt time on an outdoor track in 1986, but he still earned the championship less than a month after wrapping up the Supercross title in Phoenix, Arizona. The hilly Lakewood track was well prepared and the'dust problems that forced part of the track to go unused a year ago;never materialized. 260cc National AMA National Championship MX Series: RoundS Ward's race, RJ's title in Colorado By Paul Carruthers LAKEWOOD, CO, JUN. I Kawasaki's Jeff Ward prevented Team Honda's Ricky Johnson from becoming the first rider in AMA motocross history to sweep an entire series, but Ward couldn't stop John- 10 son from slealingaway his 250cc ational Championship during the fi nal round at the'~e~ wood Motorsports ~ark. Te~m_ ~ ",.·",,,,,,\u 1 "4 Yamaha's Keith Bowen put the kids on a treak of a different kind as he became the fir t rider to win twO ationals in thi year's highly competitive 12S<;cd.a ." ", .•• '. " .'." The first 250cc moto got underway under sunny skies on the outskirts of the mile high city with Danny Storbeck jamming his way up the start hill and into turn one with the lead. johnson, who has gOllen good starts all year, was second as the pack exited turn one. Billy Liles' Kawasaki held third with johnny O'Mara third and Bailey fourth. Ward had a midpack start and was 10th as the pack went up the long uphill. Storbeck held johnson off for a lap and a half, and Bailey, who had disposed of O'Mara, also followed his teammate past Storbeck's Yamaha on lap two. By the end of the second lap, johnson held a 2.I-second cushion over Bailey as the two pulled away from the pack. Ward, meanwhile, was up to seventh. By the end of lap four, however, Ward had moved up to fifth and was pushing Liles hard in a challenge for fourth. Suzuki's Bob Hannah, who had earlier won his qualifier, was way back in the pack. Lap five had johnson leading Bailey by four seconds with O'Mara fighting off a determined Ward. Liles held fifth with Storbeck, Billy Frank, Ron Lechien, jeff Frisz, jeff Hicks and Alan King chasing. By the end of the sixth lap, Ward was in third place, but wa trailing Bailey by nearly six second. The eighth lap i when thing tightened up and Bailey started to make a move on johnson. The Virginian wa hQwing.a.,wheel here and a wheel there, but the ninth lap saw johnson snake through traf[jc with a high degree of success. The result was a little breathing room, but that didn't last long.• The 14th lap had Bailey pusliing and gaining considerably on johnson on the uphill. This was Bailey's chance as the two banzaied down the other side, but Bailey's run ended in a near crash at the bollom and, once again, johnson could breathe easily. The year's most dominan t rider coasted over the fi n ish line wi th both fists raised in victory; a second 250cc ational Championship was hi . ''I'm 0 happy I can't believe it," were the new champ' first word. "1 made a couple of mistakes and he (Bailey) caught up." What about the upcoming second moto? "I've got nothing to lose now," johnson said. ''I've just got to relax and go for i l. " It was Storbeck again leading the way in turn one as moto two got underway in dry conditions, but under threatening skies. johnson, however, was right with him as was O'Mara, Ward, Hannah and Bailey. Lap one ended with johnson in the lead with Ward and Storbeck in tow. StOrbeck passed Ward going up the big hill, but at the tum on the bottom Ward held his line and blocked him off the line and of( the track. O'Mara and Bailey were involved in their own dogfight for third place with Hannah holding down (ifth and Lechien sixth. Ward and johnson ended lap two side-by-side as the duo flew 0(( the finish line jump. O'Mara and Bailey were still dulting it out while gaining slightly on the leading two. Hannah, meanwhile, was hanging tough in (j(th. The fight (or the lead went back and forth until the fj(th lap. In the back section of the track johnson "washed out the front end and it shot me 0(( the track. I was lucky to save it. " That was all the help Ward needed as he streaked ahead of O'Mara and Bailey. By the time johnson got his act together he trailed Ward by 6.5 seconds. On the seventh lap, Bailey zapped O'Mara and on lap eight johnson did the same. At the end of the eighth lap, johnson trailed Ward by six seconds as Bailey started to reel-in Ward. During the final laps, Bailey got close to Ward - real close - but by the last lap Ward held a 1.3 second advantage. That coupled with Bailey going down in a swamp section of the cour e when he collided with lapper Roben Halstead., gave Ward an easy last lap and his first overall outdoor win in 1986. Bailey easily gOt up in time to beat johnson, O'Mara, Lechien and a rejuvenated Hannah. "I got by Rick and he put a good move on me, but he started making mistakes and he went off the track," Ward said. "Heel more happy that I won (rather than happy that johnson's streak was broken). I've had a lot of bad luck this year, but I've been coming on strong with two good races in a row." 1 26cc National The closeness of this year's 125cc class has to be seen to be bel ieved and any lillie edge can make the diHerence. Dymond and his Honda mechanic tried to do just that as they strolled down to the starting gate a liule early to groom a line from the gate. This illegal action was picked up on by Suzuki team manager Pat Alexand,er and Yamaha's jerry Griffith, and the two let the AMA know about it. The rule tate that no mechanic or rider can touch the area in front of the tarting gate, and so the AMA promplly had the area