Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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Jeff Stanton (2) beat Jean-Michel Bayle (I) by one second in the main event. The two Honda teammates are now tied for first in the point standings. Stanton wins in the Hoosierdome, Bradshaw crashes By Henny Ray Abrams INDIANAPOUS, IN, MAR. 21 he schedule said it was the ninth of 16 rounds of the Camel Su percross Series , but the season began anew in the Indianapolis Hoosierdome as the names at the head of the series point standings changed. Honda's Jeff Stanton rode persuasively to the win , beating teammate and defending Camel Supercross Champion Jean-Mi chel Bay le by about a second in the Coors Light Challenge before a crowd of 50,415 in the first -ever supercross in the Hoosierdome. It was Stanton's 15th supercross victory and it gave him sole possession of fifth on th e all-time winner's list. Yamaha's Damon Bradshaw, who'd led the series com ing in to the even t, fell on the 12th of 20 laps, finished last and lost the poin ts lead he'd held sin ce the second race of the series. With seven races to go , it's now a three-rider race for the champ ionship . Stanton and Bayle are tied for first with 186 points, while Bradshaw is four T 6 behind at 182. During his five-race winning streak earli er thi s yea r, Bradshaw had cautioned that the series was far from over. He was right and Stanton, chasing hi s third titl e, was quick to point that out. "It just goes to show that nobody has the champ io nsh ip won until the last race is run ," Stanton, 23, of Sherwood, Michigan, said. " It 's anybody 's ball game. I'm in it for the lo ng run. I want to get th e number one plate back. Jeff Stanton is here to stay." Bradshaw had gotten the jump a t the start of the 20-lap main , but Stanton was righ t on hi s tail, pa ssing him in mid-flight on the third lap . The 19-year-old North Caro linian shadowed Stanton, the pai r just ahea d of Bayle, until he landed on a lapped rider aft er a set of triple jumps near the stadium sideline. Brad shaw sligh tly injured his right wrist, but was fin ished for the night. " I was coming up for th e triples and there was a lapped rider in my way. I tried to move in the air," Bradshaw said, but it was to no avail. It hadn 't been a good night for the form er points leader; he'd also crashed ยท in hi s heat and had to advance to the main by winning his semi . Stanton earned $5000 from the $30,000 250cc purse with Bayle pocketi ng $3500. Kawasaki 's Mike LaRocco, who lives in South Bend, Indiana , finished a popular third whi ch was good for $2000. Fourth went to Kawasaki's Mike Kiedrowski, wh o was still unhappy with his unaggressive riding, and Suzuki's Guy Cooper ro u nded ou t th e top five. For the second week in a row, DGY Racing's Jimmy Button won th e 125cC" Eastern Regional main event, and for th e second week in a row he beat series points leader Brian Swink of Suzuki. Swink led for the first five laps of the 15-lap main, but Button took over in a left-hander on the sixth lap and the pa ir sped away from the pack. Button's lead , and the win , looked secure until the fina l lap whe n he sudden ly lost power. Swink moved in, but cou ldn' t get close enough before Button got his bike running and across the finish line. Swink was a close second with Doug Henry, Button's DGY Racing teammate, third. " I just kept thinking, 'Keep goi ng straight, pay attention to the track in front of me.' I think I'm getting used to th e bike, " Button said . "It makes a lo t of power." Still, Button' has a way to go to catch Swink for the l25cc Eastern Regio nal title. After six of 10 races, Button trails Swink 104 to 142. Henry lies third with 102 points. Button's cut of th e $10,000 .125cc purse was $2000. 250cc Honda teamsters Bayle and Stanton took control at the start of the first eight-lap heat and left the pack behind. Suzuki's Cooper moved into third on the second lap but fell, sta lling the