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/126946
Jeff Ward (31 and Micky Dymond (51 duelled for the lead in the third heat race. Dymond won the heat, but Ward (inset) won the main. AMA/Coon Supercross Series: Round one Ward's way at Anaheim sellout By Kit Palmer Photos by Kinney Jones and Nate Rauba ANAHEIM. CA, JAN. 31 "I always wanted to win this race," said Kawasaki's Jeff Ward after claiming his first-ever Anaheim Supercross win, Ward picked a good night to win at Anaheim Stadium located only 15 minutes V·· h f rom 'h' M" IS ISS10n leJo orne, because the largest crowd to ever watch a supercros 70,351 - packed the stadium. 'Th ck II d . d' . e. era was rea y eman 109 but'. m 10 the best shape of mY,;areer, sothmgs are looking real good. Ward saJd. . .. Th~ngs are also lookmg good for Ward s Team KawasakI teammate Ron Lechlen who landed a second place after reeling in and passing Yamah.a's BrocGlover late in the 20lap malO event. Glover held control of second place throughout most of the main in his first supercross race since breaking his wri t halfway through the 1986 season. "I guess it wasn't too bad for the first try out there, " said Glover, "I felt reasonably good, but I need a Iittie more work to keep up with Jeff. I' think I'm a little bit ahead of ch - dull" (regarding his injury comback). I'm not 100%, that's for sure, but I'm trying, and that's all I can do." Rick Johnson's hopes of defending hi SupercrossChampionshipgoto£f to a bad start after he crashed hard.m the malO. Johnson, who had easily won his heat race, landed a little shon over a high-speed triple jump and was pitched off his Honda. He laid on the track motionle and was carried 0[£ the track on a stretcher, where he was immediately taken to the hospital. After the race Honda race team manager, Dave' Arnold, said, ''It looks like he just knocked himselfout. Hemighthaveacon u sion and a little bit of shock, but he had feeling in his legs and was talking. I don't think he's too bad off.·· Johnson's CAT can at VCI Medical Center wa negative and, apan from hisslightconcu sion,thedefending champion is okay and expect to race in the February 7 Houston Supercross. In his first supercross race since breaking his wrist last year, Yamaha's Broc Glover jumped all the triple jumps to a third-place finish. Finishing fourth overall was Team Honda's Micky Dymond in his best supercross placing ever. A few second behind Dymond was the newest addition to Team Yamaha, Australian Jeff Leisk. Tonight's supercross series opener wasn't too good for Team Suzuki as only one team rider (out of three), George Holland, made ittO the main. Erik Kehoe suffered a midweek knee injury and after practicing at Anaheim, decided his knee wasn't up to handling what some riders claimed was a dangerous Anaheim track. In his supercross debut for Suzuki, Johnny O'Mara only lasted one lap in his heat race before pulling off the track and takin~ himself out for the evening with an injured knee; it was the opposite knee that he injured last year. . In the 125cc main, Jeff "Chicken" Matiasevich thrilled the crowd with a spectacular come-from-behind win in what turned out to be the most exiting race of the night. Despite getting a rear flat tire, Matiasevi h finished inches ahead of the Dean Matson, Craig Canoy and Michael Craig frei~ht train. This year's supercro s format remains exactly the same as last year's with four heat races (top four immediately transferring LO the main), two semis (LOp two reaching the main), a Last Chance Qualif I' (one transferring) and one, 20-lap main fielding 21 riders. The L25cc class ran two heat races and one main. Heats The first heat race saw Honda riders Ricky Ryan and Scott Burnworth taking the early lead ahead of Kawasaki-mounted Tyson Vohland, Guy Cooper (Honda) and Carlo Coen. By the end of the fir t lap it was still Ryan out in front with Vohland and Cooper trailing. Vohland eventually found his way into the lead while Cooper settled into second. The rest of the ei~ht-Iap race saw Vohland and Cooper duel for the lead. On the final lap, Vohland lost control of his Kawasaki in the whoops with Cooper plowin~ into him from behind. Both riders went down with Cooper recovering first. By the time Vohland regrouped, Ryan had already slipped by. So at the finish it was Cooper with the win ahead of Ryan, Vohland and Yamaha rider Billy Fr,mk. The second heat race saw Glover nail the holeshot ahead of Leisk, Holland and Lechien. During tile first lap, Holland got out of shape in the whoops and Lechien shot past. Lechien also flew by both Leisk and Glover in the same move. Holland dropped back LO last place while Lechien mOLOred home with thewin. Glover finished second while Yamaha rider Jeff tanton worked his way up LO third. Lcisk finished founh. Heat three turned into a Ward/ Dymond duel while Kawasaki riders Eddie Warren and Mike Fisher bauled for third, Ward LOll" the holeshot with Dymond in close pursuit. However, Dymond surprised Ward by w"ing to the inside in a turn and snatched the lead. Dymond managed LO stay ahead of Ward and actually pulled away. Ward decreased the gap late in the race, but Dymond held him o£f. Warren finislied third ahead of Fisher. The founh heat was a Johnson runaway. He had no problems taking the win while Canada's Ross Pederson passed Honda-mounted Larry Brooks for second. Another Honda rider, Jeff Hick, finished fourth. Semis Semi number one saw Yamaha's