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/127367
_ Rm"ERO~~A~~~_M_~_SS_~_~_b_~_d5 ~ Jean-Michel Bayle (8) shot off the line ahead of Mike Kiedrowski (4), Ri ck Johnson (13), J ef( Stanton (1) and Guy Cooper (5) at the start o"f the main event. Stan ton (1) grabbed the lead exiting the first corne r and stay ed out front for 14 laps. J ef( Ward (3) and Damon Bradshaw (11) chased Stanton early in the race. Bayle busts out in San Diego By N ate Rauba Phot os by Ken Faught SAl' DIEGO, CA. FEB. 9 ren ch m a n Jean-Mi ch e l Bayle cap ita lized on his co m petition 's mistakes 10 win the Coors Ligh t Ch allenge before 32,862 in J ack Murphy Stadium. The mistake that propelled Bayle to the winner's circle, where the 21-year old from Manosque, Fra nce, collected $5000 of the $45,000 purse, Came from defending Camel Supercross Champion Jeff Sta nton. After leading from the start, a small misc ue sent Stanton into a hay bal e at the beginning of lap 14 o f the 20-lap race. Bayle went by " and rode uncha llenged to the check ered £lag to pick up his second .consecutive supercross victory, his third of the young season. a nd extend a nineyear Honda winning streak in San Diego. " " I am very h a p p y to win here beca use it was a very hard track ," said Bayle, who also won h is hea t race. Sta nton, however, won the first heat with a faster tim e, thus prevent in g Bayle from collecti ng an extra $2000 in the Coor s Silver Bull et Sho wdo wn, where the rider who wins hi s heat wi th the fastest time and al so win s th e main eve nt co llec ts a $1000 prize. T he Show do wn money roll s over to the next event if the main event winner does n't have the fast hea t tim e. Stanton o n ly lost o ne pos i tio n as the resu lt of his fall and he finished second, abo ut six seconds behind Bayle. Stan- F 6 ton also fell furt her behi nd Bayle in the point standings and tra ils 11 3-106. " Yo u can't make those mistakes and still win, " said Stanton. Kawasaki's J eff Matiasevich completed the top three afte r a sp iri ted baule with teammate Mike Kiedrowski, who finished fourth. KTM's Mi ke Fisher, from nearb y Santee, completed the top five for the second week in a row to eq ua l h is and KTM 's best-ever supercross finis h. There was no story boo k fini sh for ano ther loca l rider, Ri ck J ohnson, who hoped to have a good ride in h is final appearance in front of h is hometown fans before he reti res at the end of the year. After a special pre-race tribute, J o hnson finis hed fourth for th e final transfer ou t of hea t two . He then started seventh in the main event and en ded up eig h th, his best finish of th e seaso n whi ch also bumped him up two places in the poin t sta ndings to 10th. " I 'rn no t wor kin g with the bike, I'm fighting it everywhere," said Johnson, wh o still strugg les to find the form that ga ve him three career wins in San Diego . " I sho uld' ve never let Fisher and Larry Ward pass me." J ohnson was n 't the only one struggling in San Diego. " Former l 25cc Na tio na l champ Ron Lechi en was competing in his second Ca mel Supercross event since breaking hi s leg near th e end of the 1989 season.