Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Jeff Matiasevich (19) crashed on the parade lap but bounced back to dominate the main event, Jeff Stanton's (2) runner-up finish nearly locked up the Masters title. Guy Cooper finished second in his hea t race, then the 125cc National champ battled with Doug Dubach before taking control of third late in the 2O-lap ma in even t, Italian Alessan dro Puzar (4) had a terri ble da y. The 250cc World champ fell in front of Johnson in the second heat, then crashed hard on the first lap of th e main. Doug Dubach led the main for a lap before mistakes dropped hini back, A lapped rider and soft dirt at the tra ck 's edge cost Dubach third place la te in th e ra ce. with Stanton, Kiedrowski a nd Mike La Rocco all having little difficulty demoting Australian Glen Bell. 1 Larry Ward made no mistakes to easily win th e first semi , but Puzar was put down in th e first turn of semi two and had to rid e th e LCQ after just failing to ca tch Motokazu Otsuka at the finish. Austra lian Steven Andrew had ru n away with the race. Puzar finally got things together to dominate th e Last Cha nce Q ua lifier. There was d r a m a immedi atel y before th e main event wh en Matiasevich cra shed while performing acrobatics during the parade la p. While Kawasaki team manager Roy Turner checked o n Ma tiasevich, wh o was limping and in jured a finger, hi s mechanic rapid ly repl aced a damaged front bra ke lin e. I When the gate dropped at 5:30 p.rn., Dubach shot o u t front an d led for a lap unti l he momentaril y falte red in the whoops. T hat's all Matiasevich needed a nd he pounced, then on th e next lap Stanton also go t by Dubach. "We bumped a few times, but then jeff made a good pass : ' said Dubach. riding through th e triples put Du bach into th e dirt wh ich was breaking a way from th e side of th e track. That left Cooper relativel y secu re in third to th e fin ish . Cooper co uld n 't even see th e lead ers. how ever. " I j us t rod e co ns istently, ma ybe a lillie too conservatively," said Cooper. "I just wasn 't up to speed with Stanton and Matiasevich. " U p front, it gradually became clear that Mati asevich wasn't going to make th e mistak e that Stanton needed to pass him and th e ra ce ende d with the Kawasaki rider in front. After a ierrible start, johnson passed O'Mara for seventh wi th six la p s remaining, but he couldn ' t add Everts or Kiedro wski to his list. The two youngsters had both ridden superbl y to bailie th ro ugh to fift h fro m o utside th e top 10, and th ey engaged in a tense struggle to th e checkered flag. Kiedro wski j u mped a head a t th e one-la p board, but Everts retaliated in th e next turn a nd stay ed ahead of the Am eri can to th e finish . T ha t made Everts th e o n ly non-A MA l icen se Down in th e field th ere had already been plenty happening. Puzar got into trouble over a triple jump o n th e first lap a nd careened off th e tra ck. Hi s unha ppy day ended with a trip to th e h ospital wh er e 15 sti tc hes were required to close a laceration o f hi s left elbo w. Bradshaw was th e next to go down. Sixth on lap o ne behi nd Cooper and jeff Ward, Bradshaw simply ra n o ut of tra ck. " I felt co nfident that I could win from there, but the dirt just br ok e a way as I tried to go wid e around Ward," said Bradshaw. H is levers bent, Bradshaw fell again and finished 14th. Geboers quit after five la ps when he go t nowhere from a miserable start, wh ile Mati asevic h and Sta nton got away. Bayle had joined jeff Ward and Cooper in loo kin g for a way a ro u nd Dubach. Bayle was a victim of wh oops, however, a nd j eff Ward en countered th e sam e problem as Bradsha w and dropped back to fin ish ninth. That left Cooper to enga ge Dubach. After th ey had excha nged positions several tim es, a backmarker who was ho lder to fin ish in th e top II , as mistakes had dropped Finland's Veh konen behind Bayle a nd Larry Ward a t th e finish. j ohnson, so long th e darlin g o f th e j apan ese fan s, went to th em aft er the race a nd threw so much o f hi s riding gear over th e fen ce that he ended up riding back to the p its in h is soc ks a nd underwear. At th e other end of th e stad iu m, Matiasevich restri cted his strip to above th e waist befo re joining Stanton and Co oper in th e winner's circle. CN Resul ts T OKYO SX MAt N EVENT: I. J ell Matiasevich ( Ka w): 2. Jell Sunta n (Ha n); 3. Gu y Cooper (Sur); 4. Doug Dubach (Yam); 5. Stefan Everts (Sur); 6. Mike Kiedrowski (Ha n); 7. Rick J ohnson (Ha n); 8. J ohnny O 'Mara (Ka w): 9. Jell Ward (Ka w): 10. Je-an Michel Rayle (Ha n ); I I. La rry Ward (Sur); 12. Pekka Vehkon en (Yam); 13. Glen Bell (Hon); 14. Damon Bradsh aw (Yam) : 15. Takayuk i Mi yau ch i (Ho n); 16. Ste ven Andrew (Yam) ; 17. Mot okazu Ot suka (Ha n); 18.T adakazu Otsuka (Hon ); 19. Mike La Rocco (Sor); 20. Eric Gebocrs (Hon); 21. Alessandro Puzar (SUl). MAST ERS OF MX PO INT ST ANDt NGS: I. J ell Sunta n (51);2.Alessandro Pu zar (33): 3. J ean -Michel Rayle (31); 4. Don ny Schmi t (27); 5. Eric Geboer s (26); 6. Edwin Evertsen (24); 7. Rick Johnso n (23); 8. Pedro T ragter (22); 9. John Van den Berk (21); 10. (TIE) J ell Mati asevich / Stelan Everts (20).. 7

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