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/127198
Rick Johnson (2) returned to action after a four-month layoff due to an injury. He led Stanton (7) in the first moto, but dropped to second. The track at Red Bud was a delight for the 9200 spectators. Here Ty Davis (22) and Denny Stephenson battle in the second 125cc moto. La Rocco, who collected his secondever Nat ion al rnoto win. " I got a good sta rt and just rod e safe. Besid es, I like the track. Wh at more co uld you ask for ?" Perhaps for LaRocco , the answer may have been a better start in moto two. The final moto saw th e return of the Holland/Bradshaw battle, but LaRocco was near th e back of th e pack, fighting to gain pos itio ns . Davis was third, but soon surre ndered that positi on to Matiasevich wh en he slid out and fell ba ck a few slo ts. Michael J on es was fourth-with Stacey Coo k fifth and Spangler sixth. _ Up front Bradshaw co nt inuous ly jabbed at H olland 's lead w hi le Kiedrowski and Schmit stru ggled to gain positions. Schmit fell in th e first turn as Kiedrow ski was forced to pull off th e track to fix a dera iled chain. "The chain came off after a bearing in the hub brok e," said Kiedrowski. "This is go ing to hurt me (in poi nts )." . Sho rtly before th e half way ma rker Brad shaw ma naged to get ins ide of Holl an d and ma ke a pass. H owever, Brad shaw's lead was cu t sho rt when th e pipe was crushed near the hea der. " Righ t after I got by Geo rge (Holla nd )," said Bradsh aw, " my pi pe go t smashed. I don 't kn o w if I hit a rock or just landed too hard on .something. After that I just rod e to collect poi nts ." Whi le Bradshaw circled th e course a nd dropped back to fini sh ninth, Holla nd took the win a nd Matiasevich darted into second ahead of Span gler, Keh oe, Ward a nd Coo per. "T hings went good," said Hol land. "I go t a good start and Damo n was right behind me. He stayed there for quite a long time, and I was kind of hopin g he would pa ss me. It's like he was playin g cat a nd mou se. H e had some good lines and I wanted to see th em . I figu red I could always pass him back la ter." But Bradshaw had the same idea. "I could have passed him 10,000 times," said th e Yamaha rider, " bu t I wanted to leave the pressu re on him. H e left a big hole which I didn't take, bu t th e second tim e I co uldn 't resist. I took the lead and that's wh en the p ipe go t screwed up." 250cc Tichenor started the 250cc class by leading Dubach, Dymond, Lamson, Stanton and Ward at th e start of moto on e. T iche nor managed to hold o n to th at lead for th e first three laps until Dymond worked his wa y up and stole the point po siti on. Once i n to th e lead , Dym ond opened up a little breathing roo m on the Suzuki rider , who now had to conte nd with J ohnson and Stanto n. A few pl aces back Ward was trying to ma ke up for lost tim e and q uic kly broke in to th e top five. At th e same t i me Johnson passed Tichenor over a set of do ubles, and Stanton did th e same thi ng a tu rn later to mo ve in to thi rd. As the race approached th e half way point , Dymond th rew away hi s Yamah a and surrendered the lead to Johnson. From there th e H onda rider stayed in co nt ro l for several la ps until Stanton man aged to decrease the gap separa tin g the two. After severa l laps of dicing, Stanton snuck around J ohnson and then J ohnson sta lled h is bike. The Ho nda rider q uick ly go t his mount restarted, but it was too late. Stanton took the win two seconds ahead of Johnson and more than 10 seconds ah ead of Ward . Todd DeHoop (18) sets up Stacey Cook in the second 125cc moto en route to his best-ever National finish. De Hoop went 5 -7 for fourth overall. D ym ond managed to sn ea k b y Tichenor for fourth , and Dubach was sixth over Bowen, Andrews , Kalos and Lamson. Ward took the early lead in moto two . Stanton was right on hi s tail ' as was Tichenor and th e rest of th e crew - and Stanton soon passed for th e lead. Johnson was fourth ah ead o f Andrews, Kal o s and Denn is Hawthorne. • Stanton immediately opened up a small lead over Ward and Johnson as T ichenor was forced to pull to th e in field to have his front brake fixed. With Tichenor out of the wa y Dymond managed to move up a spot and found himself in sixth behind Kalos. The pair of Yam ah a riders battled for three laps before Dymond ' was able to make h is way in to fifth . After br eaking away from Kalos, Dym ond began wo r kin g o n Andrews. Andrews ma naged to keep Dymond beh in d h im for severa l laps. Persisten ce, however, on Dymond's part allowed him to take over fourth during the later laps. At the front of th e pa ck Sta nt on maintai ned co mplete co ntrol, but almost lost it in the end. " I was trying to take it easy," said Stanton , "and I slid o ut o n a hill and had to b ump-star t my bike. It was shaky, but not really a problem. " While Stanton struggled to ge t go ing, War d rapidly closed th e ga p and had less than a quarter of a la p to make hi s hid. In the last turn Ward gave it wh at he had but came out a bike-length short. Johnson was more than 10 seconds back, ah ead of Dymond and Andrews. " It feels good to win in front of a Michigan crowd," said Stanton, " Bu t I didn't do an ything special.' It's all in m y blood. All I want to do is win races. " " T his is my first big race ba ck," said Johnson, " and I'm taking it just as that. Two weeks ago I could barely beat th e Vet Pro s at Carlsbad (a local California race). Each week is like a major step, and I hav e to tak e it a step at a time. I can' t win the titl e, so I'm j us t riding for fu n. I'm not making any excuses, but it's been a long time since I've ridden in th e mud. Look a t m y first moto. I was right th ere and I'll be th ere again." -c, • Results 125: 1. George Holland (Han) 4 -1; 2. Jeff Matiasevich (Kaw) 7-2; 3. Damon Bradshaw (Yam) 3-9; 4 . Todd DeHoop (Suz) 5-7; 5. Donn y Schm it (Han) 2·13; 6. Erik Kehoe (Suz) 11-4; 7. Larry Ward (han ) 12 ·5 ; 8. Dale Spang ler ISuz) 14 -3; 9. M ike laRocco (Yaml 1-22 ; 10. Ty Davis ISuz) 8·10; 11. Mi ke Kiedrowski (hon) 6- 12; 12 . Guy Cooper (Han); 13-6; 13. M ike Jon es (Yam)1 6- 11; 14. Stacey Cook (Han); 21-8; 15. Greg Bowe n (Han) 10- DNF; 16 . Denny Steph enson (Kaw) 12-DNF; 17. Jeff Emig (Kaw ) 34 -14; 18. Rick Simmet (Han) DNF-15 ; 19. Steve Childress ISuz) 15-33 ; 20 . Mal1hew Crown (SuzI25-16 . 250 : 1. J eff Stanton (Han) 1-1; 2. Jeff Ward (Kaw ) 3-2; 3. Rick Johnson (Han) 2-3; M icky Dymond (Yaml 4·4; 5. Ron Tich enor (Suzl 5-7; 6. Fred Andrew s (Han) 8-.5; 7. Shaun Kalas (Yam) 9-6; 8. Keit h Bow en (Suz)7· 9; 9. Denn is Hawtho rn (Kaw) 11-8; 10. Steve Lamson (Yam) 10-1 3; 11. Ray Somm a ISuz) 12-1 2; 12. Kurt M cM illen (Han) 1510; 13. Jeff Hicks (Han) 14-11; 14 . Doug Dubach (Yam) 6·2 5; 15 . M ike Fisher (Kaw ) 13·15 ; 16 . Keith Jo hn son (Kaw ) 27 -14; 17. Mik e Roth (Yam) 17· , 8; 1B. David Hand (Han) 21 · 16; 19 . Joe Maurer 20 -17 : 20 . Jeff Frisz (Kaw) 16-24 . 125 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS: 1. Holla nd (225); 2. 8r adshaw (2 15); 3. Kiedrowski (209); 4. Cooper (201 ); 5. Schmit (19 1); 6. LaRocco (171): 7. Ward (161 ); 8. Kehoe (154 ); 9. Matiasavich (127); 10. Davis (126) . 25 0 NATIONAL CHAMP IONSHIP POINT STANDINGS; 1. St anton (288); 2. Ward (24 5); 3. Tichenor (164); 4 . J ohnny O'Mara (155); 5. Kalas (153); 6. Dubach 1152}; 7. Ron Lechien (lSI); 8. Andrews (143 ); 9. Dymond (113 ): 10. Hawthorn (lOS ). 9