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/126949
The start of the 125cc main saw Suzuki's Ronnie Tichenor (32) and Yamaha rider Kenny Bollmeier (496) battle for the lead in the whoops. Rick Johnson (1) diced with Ron Lechien for haH the main before pulling away and taking his second supercross win in a row. AMA/Coors Supercross Series: Round,. Johnson, Lechien 1-2 in Miami By Kit Palmer MIAMI, FL, FEB. 21 "I heard the crowd screaming," said Team Honda's Rick Johnson. "I glanced out the corner of my eye and saw a green fender right behind me. I knew it was him." The "him" Johnson was referring to was the same rider Johnson diced with last week in San Diego - Kawasaki's Ron Lechien, who was about to pass Johnson for the lead halfway through the 250<:c main event, inside Miami's Orange Bowl S14dium. Lechien forced his Kawasaki inside Johnson and snatched the lead away, but Johnson quickly retaliated by squaring 0[£ the same turn and stuffing his way back into the lead. From then on, Johnson put his Honda into overdrive, pulled away and captured his second-in-a-row supercross victory. With two wins under his belt this season, Johnson is slowly picking away at Jeff Ward's series points lead. ''I'm on the comeback trail," said Johnson, "and I'm fired up." Ward, who was riding with a broken right ankle, finished third. "I broke it last week in San Diego when I cased it over a jump," said Ward. "It's pretty sore, but I'm going to have to ~ait until after Daytona to have screws put in. Then I'll have a couple of weeks to recuperate before the next race in Seattle." Ward was riding in Miami with a plastic brace supporting his ankle. On a hot, muggy night in southern Florida, more than 18,000 spectators witnessed the first-ever supercross event in Miami, and Johnson, Lechien, Ward, Keith Bowen and Johnny O'Mara took the top five honors. The main event, however, got 0[£ to a rocky and scary start when Team Yamaha's Broc Glover and Johnson got the jump.on the pack, but Glover's front wheel washed out from underneath him in the first tum, taking out nearly half the pack with him when he crashed..Johnson, Lechien, Ward and O'Mara were among those who avoided the pile up, and went on to battle throughout the main. Glover had to be carried' off the track on a stretcher. "They took him to the hospital for some X-rays," said Yamaha's Keith McCarty. "He had a cut across his head and got hit in the back and in the ribs. But other than that, I think he'll be okay." In the I25ccclass, Suzuki's Ronnie Tichenor made good use of a holeshot in the main and led from start to finish, collecting his first win of the series. Second overall went to Yamaha rider Kenny Bollmeier, while Tichenor's Suzuki teammate Keith Turpin finished third. Heats On what many riders described as an easy, but good (and short) race course, the first heat race got underway with Glover dominating. The Yamaha pilot quickly jumped out to an early lead while Danny Storbeck, Jo Jo Keller, Fred Andrews and Jeff Stanton chased. The battle for second place was intense and lasted throughout the eight-lap moto. Honda-mounted Storbeck managed to maintain his number two position despite heavy pressure from Andrews late in the race. Keller and his Kawasaki secured an immediate trip to the main after stuffing Stanton in a turn and pushing the Yamaha rider off the track. Stanton recovered to finish sixth behind Ryan. The econd heat race saw Kawasaki rider Eddie Warren take the holes hot ahead of Yamaha's Jeff Liesk and O'Mara. In the second turn of the race, O'Mara crashed. "I just went to the outside where I hadn't been before," said O'Mara, "and it was real slick. The front end went out really quick and put me down." With O'Mara out of contention, Leisk found himself way out in front, ahead of Yamaha· rider Ross Pederson, Warren and Jeff Frisz. Near the end of the moto, however, Leisk lost concentration and bailed over the whoops, handing the lead to Warren, who had passed Pederson four laps earlier. Leisk managed to salvage third behind winner W.arren and Pederson. Honda rider Dean Matson finished fourth; O'Mara was forced to transfer via the semis. Johnson had smooth sailing in the third heat race, taking a wire-to-wire victory. Billy Frank was second at the end of the first lap, but was passed by Johnson's teammate, Micky Dymond, during lap two. The only real dice in the race took place between Team Suzuki riders Erik Kehoe and George Holland. The two dueled throughout the moto with Kehoe getting the upper hand. Johnson won the race, followed by Dymond, Frank and Kehoe_ Johnson later received, for the second time this season, a $1000 check from the Coors Cup program for setting the fastest heat race time. Bowen nailed the holeshot in the fourth heat, but was passed by Lechien on the first lap through a section of whoops. Ward spent the next two laps dicing back and forth with Bowen, until Bowen dropped his front wheel off the side of a tabletop jump and lost momemum. Bowen kept third place inches ahead of Honda rider Larry Brooks. The rest of the race was uneventful; Lechien took an easy win, followed by Ward, Bowen and Brooks. Semis The first semi saw Holland, Ryan, Yamaha-mounted Brian Manley and Stanton battle for the lead. Holland led off the start with Manley in close pursuit. When Manley tried to dive