Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

GULTRACROSS Mickey Thompson Off·Road Championship Gran Prix Series: Round 6 I J erem y McGrath dominated the Ult racross main event by leading the Ill-lap race from start to finish without a cha llenge . McGrath steals the show at the Rose Bowl By Donn Maeda PASADENA, CA, MAY 5 igh teen year old J erem y McGrath from Sun City, California made sho rt work of th e 250cc Ultracross main event at Ro und 6 of the Mickey Thompson Off-Road Gran Prix held before 45,127 fans wh o came to see th e off-roa d truck, buggy, motorcycle and ATV event, at the Rose Bowl. After a less than ideal qualifier, the T eam Green Kawasak i/White Bros '! AXO Sporr/Scou/ Ceer/Bell Si tko len e/ Alumilite/Koll er 's Ko lorsspo nsor ed rider took the lead at th e start o f the main event and pulled out to a convincing win . First-time pro T o mmy Clowers and Ra y Crumb fini shed second and third, making it a Kawasaki Team Gr een sweep of the top posi tio ns. Defend in g Ultracross Champion Jim Holley stor med frorp the sixth row into fourth p lace ahead of Chr is Young, whi le series points' leader Mich ael Ray Craig, salvaged ninth after a run-in with the cha mp during thelat er stages of the race. In h is debut professional race, Team Green Kawasak iiThor/NGK/ Ara i/ M a x i m a / O a k ley/ T r ic k/ D u n lop / E 28 CTi /Ceet/TsubakilKoll er Kol o rsbacked Cl owers qual ified with the eig hth fastest lap time, fini shed six th in h is heat race, and rode like a seaso ned pro during the main event. Clowers started on the front row next to McGra th , wh o had th e fa stest q ualifying time, and held off th e cha rges of 18 o ther pros to finish second. Crumb qual ifi ed with th e II th fastest tim e and finished sixth in his heat race, whi ch placed him o n th e second row at the start of the main event . Crumb rode hard in th e main , guarding his position from a charging Holley and Young . H eats Larry Brooks grabbed the lead at th e start of th e first qualifi er, bu t o n the first lap Young stormed into second and began to pressure the Hon da rider. Young too k the lead in a fast wh oop sectio n and began to pull awa y, while Kyle Lewi s a nd Lo well T h o mso n worked th eir way o nto Brooks' rear fender. T he d uo carried their battle past Broo ks on the fifth lap. Young too k an un contested win, Lewis was seco nd with a few seco nds o ver Thomson, and Brooks. McGrath sta rted from the sixth row , but his cha rge to th e front was cu t short by a pair of down ed riders in front of h im and he fini shed seve nt h behind Crumb an d Kerry Mull igan. Heat two saw Sha ne Trittler tak e the early lead but he was quickly bumped back to third wh en Randy Moody and Mike Ch amberlain sai led pas t in th e jump sectio n. Mood y wen t down o n lap three, leavin g Ch amber lain o u t fro n t. Sudden ly, H olley a nd Craig came from back in th e pack and ass umed the top two positions. Craig ho un ded Holley a nd th e two riders mad e contact qu ite a few tim es as they a rg u ed ov er th e lead . Crai g outdistan ced Holl ey o ver a lar ge j um p an d took the lead, but Holley stuck to h is knobs like glue. Craig took the win just ahead of H oll ey, Ch amber lain and Trittler. Main Twent y riders lined up for the sta rt of the main event , with the sta rti ng posruons inverted to pro vide more passing and excitement duri ng the mai n event . Hea t winners Craig and Young were pu t in the sevent h ro w, wh ile McG ra th and Clowers were gridded in row o ne after their mediocre heat fin ishes. McGrath jumped out to an immediat e lead over Clowers, Crumb and J oel Albrecht. As the pa ck rounded the track to begi n la p two, McGrath alrea dy established a 10 bi ke lengt h lead . Crumb ho unded Clowers, but the 17-year-old fro m Sant ee, California, hun g tou gh. Holl ey and Craig sliced th rough the pa ck a nd into the fifth and six th pos itio ns on lap five of the IO-lap race. Cra ig pu lled alo ng side Holley in the do uble jumps, but found him self on th e g ro und wh en he tried to pass Holley in the foll owing tum. Holley co nt inued h is charge towards the front and displaced Ryan Hughes for fourth. Young also made a blitz for the front as he worked past eigh t riders and onto H olley's lea thers. The Suzu ki rider looked for a way around th e defending Ult racross Champion, but ran out of time before he could mak e a serio us bid for fourth. Up front, McG rath had pulled out to a hu ge lead and began waving to th e cro wd. Cl ow er s pull ed a few seco nds o ver Crum b, whi le Holl ey and Young were just a few bike lengt hs apart. McGrath took a co nvincing win o ver Clowers, Crumb and H oll ey. " I felt reall y confident wh en I found o ut I had the fir st row (sta rt i n g posi tion ), but I kn ew bad luck cou ld stri ke at any tim e li ke it did .in my heat ." sa id McG rath. " O nce I got o ut front, I jut too k it slo w and tried to ride sm oot h a nd n ot make a ny mistakes." " I was a little nervious at th e start," sa id Clowers, " but after th e first couple of laps I felt confident that I cou ld keep the pace up. T hi ng s wor ked out better than I expect ed; I'm loo kin g forw ard to bein g a pro!" " I' m pump ed!" excla imed Crumb. "This is the first tim e I'v e do ne thi s good! I think I could have stuffed Clowers early in the race, but we're all Team Green rid ers and I'd just rather finish with Kawasaki on e- twothree. " a Resul ts Q UAU FYI NG : I. J =my McG ra . h (33.3480); 2. R ya n Hu gh es (33,4070 ); 3. Low ell T homso n (33.4760); 4. Mike Cra ig (33.6320): 5. Kyle Lewis (34.0350); 6. J im Ho lley (34.29 10); 7. Ryan Car lisle (34,3810); 8. T ommy Clowers (34,7380); 9. SCOll Myers (34.8880); 10. Bryan Em ig (34,8980); I I. Ray Crumb (35.0120); 12. Andy G ride r (35 . 0 1 70~ 13_ Derek Natvig (35.0340); H . Mike Chamber lai n (35,0350); 15. Russ Wagem a n (35.0530); 16. Shawn Wyn ne (35.09001; 17. Km-y Mu llil;3n (35, 1350); 18. J oel Albrech t (35." - 0); 19. C hns Young (35'=); / 20. Tracy Mo nteron e (35.....0 ); 2 1. Dana Wigg ins (35,3900); 22. Randy Mood y (35.4940). H EAT 1: Ch ri. Young (S uz); 2. Kyle Lewis (Kaw); 3. Lo well Tho mso n (Yam); 4. l...arry Brooks (Hon) ; 5. KnTy Mulligan (Yam ); 6. Ra y Cru mb (Kaw); 7. J =y McG ra.h (Kaw): 8. Levi Nob le (Kaw); 9. Dustin Evans (Suz); 10. Derek Nalvi g ( Kaw); I l.lyan Ca rfiale ("-a w ); 12. Mark Broo ks (Suz); 13. T im T elford (Ya m); 14. R uss wageman (Sw); 15. Scott Myers (S Ul): 16. David Kroc k (Ka w]: 17. Micha el Roc (Han ); 18. Dan a Wiggi ns (Ya m ); 19. T im McCJin· lock (Ho n); 20. Brian M an l~ {Kaw), HEAT 2: I. Mike Craig ( Kaw); 2. J im Holley (Ya m ); 3. Mike Ch am bcr la in ( Ya m); 4. Shane Trjrrl er (Kaw); 5. And y Crider (Kaw); 6. J oel Albrecht ( Ka w~ 7. T omm y Clowers (Kaw); 8. Bryan Emig (Klw); 9. Ryan Hu gh es (Kaw); 10. Shawn Wynne (Suzl i i. Don Burk e (Hon); 12. J cll rcy Nor dstr om (Kawl 13. 1 John G rttn way (Ho n); 1· . R ich T ru chi nski (Yam) ; 15. Mik e Ulric h (Hon) : 16. Brett Stu bbs (Kawl 17. lgnacia Rivera Jr. (Hon] : 18. T racy Monte-one (Ya m ); 19. Randy Mood y ( Ka w ). MAIN: I. J erem y McGrath (Ka w): 2. Toilmy Clowers {Kaw): 3. Ray C ru mb ( Ra w) ; 4. J im Holley (Yam ); 5. Ch ris Young (SUl ); 6. Ryan Hugh es ( ~l W ); 7. J oel Albrech t ( Kaw); 8. Kerry Mulligan (Y. m): 9. Mike Cra ig (Kaw); 10. Larry Broo ks (Hon) II. Mike Chamber lai n (Yam ): 12. Bryan Emig (KJ.w); 13. Low ell Thom son (Ya m ); 14. Sha wn Wynn e (Sul ); 15. Derek Natvig (Ka w ): 16. Kyle Lew is (Kawj 17. Andy Cr ider (Ka w) ; 18. Levi No bel ( Ka~); 19. DUlin Evans (Suz ); 20. Shane Tritt ler ( Ka w) . 25Oc< ULTltACROSS POINT STANDIN GS: I. Mike Cra ig (325); 2. J im Holl ey (318); 3. Lceell Tho mso n (287); 4. J e",my McG rath (155); 5. Chris Yo ung ( 130: 6. Ryan H ug hes ( 107); 7. Micky Dyrsond (89); 8. Soon Myers (79); 9. Mike Young (78l 10. Scou Ty ler (62).

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