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/127174
1989 Supercross preview Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum - Los Angeles, California. Daytona International Speedway - Daytona. Florida. 10 year, 1 don't think 1 will do anything any differently. I'm doing everything textbook like I've done when I've won championships before." O'Mara seems to have the confidence this year that he's lacked over the past couple of years. . "I know 1 have a really good chance of winning the championship," he says. And then there's Erik Kehoe. A few short years ago, when things looked gloomy in the Suzuki pits, when the team was struggling to get riders into the main events, there was always one bright spot, one rider who team manager Pat Alexander could always count on making the final, and that was Kehoe. . Kehoe is one of Suzuki's most consistent riders in supercross events. He rarely fails to reach the mains and he 's usually up front dicing for a heat race win. But Kehoe has yet 'to find the right combination to win a main event, but then again, only three riders besides Johnson did in 1988. Heading into the supercross season, Kehoe is coming off a back injury sustained late in the outdoor National series. But he feels he's ready to race again. " I had a couple of injuries late in the season last year that have kind of set me back a little, but I've had a lot of time off compared to most seasons. 1 think this is going to work to my advantage rather than disadvantage. "I. feel ' real good right now, I'm in good shape and all my injuries have healed up - I'm ready, said Kehoe." Of course, Johnson is a major concern for Kehoe. Kehoe feels that R.J. is g?ing to be the one to beat, onceagam. "It's going to take sheer determination and confidence, those are the two main things needed to beat Johnson," says Kehoe. Nineteenyear-old Ronnie Tichenor is the third member of the team. The Floridian has been a part of the Suzuki organization since 1987, but 1989 will be his first year as a fulltime factory rider. Tichenor proved he was a top-rate supercross rider by winning the 1987 Eastern Regional 125cc Supercross Series crown, but this year, Tichenor will concentrate on the 250cc class. Last year, Tichenor was slowed by shoulder injuries. . Tichenor is coming off a fourthplace finish at the Japan Supercross in November and has been training and practicing at home ever since. "Last year, 1 started the season hurt, but this year I'm feeling really good," says Tichenor. " I' ve been training hard and 1 feel really good, and I. feel 1 will do really good in the series." But what about Johnson? " Well, (Damon) Bradshaw beat him in Japan, so you know' he can be beat. 1 think that helped everyone right there. It's going to take getting a good start, and riding real consistent, almost to the point where you 're almost over your head. You're going to have to ride your race and not pay attention to him. 1 think Johnson gets really flustered when he can't pass you. You just have to ride real aggressive and consistent." Team Yamaha Team Yamaha is also going to be armed with a three-man team: Micky Dymond, Doug Dubach and Shaun Kalos. ' Team-leader Micky Dymond has to be one of the most exciting riders on the track today. He's stylish, fearless over the double and triple jumps and extremely fast. Fast enough to capture two 125ccoutdoor National Championships for Honda in 1986 and '87. Because of technicalities, though, . Dymond was left without a ride after the 1987 season. Yamaha quickly scooped him up, but 1988 turned into a disappointing year for Dymond, a year he would just as soon forget. A wrist injury early in the year sent Dymond into a tailspin. Dymond hopes he can turn things around for '89, beginning with the Anaheim Supercross where he finished second last year. Doug Dubach . made his name known in '88 as the holeshot artist. He had the uncanny knack of beating everyone to the first turn. Unfortunately, once in a while he got a little overly aggressive in the first tum and ended up plucking hay out of his spokes. But most of the time, Dubach found himself leading the pack and was usually rewarded with top finishes. His best ever was third place at the final supercross of the 1988 season in Los Angeles. Riding Yamahas as support rider for the past few years, Dubach finally landed a job as factory rider, which has given him a mental and physical boost for '89. ''I'm pretty happy with the whole program that Yamaha has put together for me, and 1 would really like to win a supercross before the season's over and 1 expect to be in the top few positions. My goals are to be m the top five in points at the end and 1think my chances are pretty good." Dubach feels it's going to take more than finesse to put the skids on Johnson 's dominauon this year. "For me or for anyone else, it's going to take - to be stronger-minded than him and that's going to be difficult to do, because he's a ' very strong-minded person. " Shaun Kalos is pure business when it gets down to racing, He's not a known for flashy riding or colorful tactics on the track, but he is known for going fast. And at the young age of 17, Kalos is one of Yamaha's greatest hopefuls. This will be Kalos' first serious attempt in supercross and he's convinced he'll be hanging it out with the best su percross racers in the world. "If I'm ridin' good, physically and mentally, 1 think I'll be in the top three," says the soft spoken Kalos. Kalos has his own philosophy about dethroning the' champ, Johnson. "Well, you know, I'm going to have to have a positive attitude about beating Johnson and 1 can't let him intimidate me. I've run with him before and 1 know how fast he is. Everybody has their own ways of what they should do and I'll just have to try everything 1 can do. So we'll just have to see how it comes out." Non -fa ctory Besides the factory riders, there are some support riders and privateers out there to watch for. One such rider is Yamaha support rider Damon Bradshaw. The 16-year-old rider from South Carolina shocked the supercross world when he flat out beat Johnson at the Osaka Supercross in Japan in November. However, Bradshaw,like teammate Mike LaRocco, will be concentrating on the Eastern Regional 125cc Supercross Series, but will go up against Johnson and ride the 250cc class in West Coast events, such as Anaheim. , Another rider to watch for is former supercross champ Mark Barnett. Although he hasn't raced professionally since 1986, the " Bomber" got the itch to go racing again and will be riding under the privateer Tuf Racing Team banner on a Suzuki. Unfortunately, Barnett's comeback suffered a setback when he crashed while practicing on his farm in Alabama, January 4. He broke some ribs in the fall and will be sidelined for approximately six weeks. •