Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

SUPERCROSS·1993 Predictions the 31-year-old veteran decided to hang up his boots after last season. "The Flying Freckle" spent his entire 15-year professional career aboard Kawasakis, collecting two 250cc Supercross crowns. His 20 supercross victories put him in third place on the all-time win list behind Rick Johnson (28) and Bob Hannah (27). Ward's final year did not go as he hoped, due in part to several injuries. He did manage to win one last National MX round before retiring however, nabbing the victory at the Steel City SOOcc National. Ward will still be involved in motorsports in 1993, but will be switching to Indy Ught cars instead of motorcycles. 11 Ron Tichenor #10 Residence: Palm Harbor, Florida Tuf R iding foron a Racing Suzuki, Ron Tichenor had an impressive season last year, overcoming injuries to place third in the 12Scc National MX Series and 11th on the 2S0cc Supercross circuit. Tuf racing picked up Tichenor in 1991 after he lost his factory Suzuki ride, and he started off well with a fourth-place finish at the series-opener in Orlando. His strongest finish last year was a fifth-place showing at San Jose, but he seems to perform better outside of the stadiums. like Jeff Ward, Tichenor will not contest the Camel Supercross Series in 1993. Though he was the highest-finishing privateer in '92, the 23-year-old Tichenor failed to pick up a factory ride this season, and decided to relocate to the Far East where he will campaign the Japanese National Championship. 10 Jeff Emig #6 Residence: Grand Terrace, California nder the guidance of factory Yamaha teammate Damon Bradshaw, Jeff Emig was able to make the top] 0 in his first complete season on 2S0cc machines last year. While he didn't manage to finish in the top five in a main event, Emig came on strong after the conclusion of the Supercross Series, winning six of the last seven rounds in the 12Scc National MX Series to score the title. If he can attain the same aggressiveness aboard a 250cc bike on a supercross track that he has shown on a 125, the 22year-old Emig will be able to run near the-front of the pack. With the confidence that naturally comes with a National title, expect Emig to make the podium at least once this year. U 9 Doug Dubach #14 Residence: Costa Mesa, California veteran on the Supercross circui t, the 29-year-old Doug Dubach is known for his friendly disposition and his ability to judge the starting gate and pull a holeshot against faster riders. Yamaha values him not A 14 only as a competitor, but as a talented test rider. "The Doctor" won his firstever main event at the San Jose Supercross in 1991, and followed it up last season with a trip to the podium at the same event. Dubach is a tough rider to pass, but his speed is a notch below the top competitors. If he can avoid injury Dubach will probably manage to make the top 10 again next year, but he isn't getting any younger. 8 Jeff Matiasevich #12 Residence: Anaheim Hills, California tiT he Chicken" had a stellar season in his rookie year in 1990, but injuries and a lack of physical conditioning have dropped him down a notch for the past two years. Last season, Matiasevich got more attention for his clashes with other riders and subsequent fines than he did for his results, but many feel that he still has the speed necessary to win a main event. A factory Kawasaki rider for the past five years, Matiasevich was dropped from the team after last season and made the switch to Team Suzuki. While the move was anything but a morale-builder, Matiasevich may get a . shot of new life from the change. II he can attain some consistency and regain the form that he displayed two years ago, Matiasevich may improve his spot in the final point standings. 7 Larry Ward #9 Residence: Society Hill, South Carolina T eam Suzuki decided not to re-sign Larry Ward after he made the rostrum just one time in 1992, but the 22-year-{)ld will be back riding as a privateer in '93. The Washington native is a tough competitor who is fun to watch, but he needs to improve his selfmotivation if he is to add a second Camel Supercross win to his record. Ward failed to make the main event at San Jose last year, but he had an iplpressive off-season, scoring victories at several overseas supercrosses. Ward will be anxious to prove that he deserves more support, but unless he finds some of the speed that he seems to have in Europe, he will probably slip out of the topl0 this season. 6 Mike LaRocco #5 . Residence: South Bend, Indiana extremely close to winning the 12Scc National MX Championship last year, but has hinted that the added power and weight of the 250cc bikes are painful on his wrist. Hopefully, he will not suffer the same fate as Rick Johnson, whose career was prematurely ended by a wrist injury. LaRocco has the speed to win more supercrosses this season, but to do so, he must overcome three obstacles; his wrist, poor starts and last year's disappointing finish in the 125cc National MX Series. S Guy Cooper #7 Residence: Stillwater, Oklahoma the A nother ofGuy guys", circuit's "nice Cooper is unquestionably the "old man" of supercross. Still, the 3O-year-{)ld factory Suzuki pilot's never-say-die attitude and spectacular jumping ability make him one of the most popular riders with the fans. "Air Time" has yet to win a main event, but he has come close on several occasions, making the podium foUr times last year. He suffered a broken femur near the end of the 1992 motocross season, but claims to be ]00% prepared for the new year. Cooper has stated that this will be his last season of ptofessional motocross before switching to off-road competition. Competing in the '94 ISDE is his eventual goal, but he'd like to leave supercross with at least one win to his record. 4 Mike Kiedrowski #3 Residence: Canyon Country, California ast year, we L predicted that Mike Kiedrowski would win his first supercross main event, and while he failed to do that, we're making the same prediction for this season, Kiedrowski will no doubt gain confidence from his strong performance in the National Motocross Series last season, where he was crowned the SOOcc National Champion in his first year on the openclass bikes, Kiedrowski is one of the nicest riders in supercross, a quality that may actually hurt him on the race track. Nevertheless, the 23-year-{)ld will probably reach his peak during the next two seasons. Kiedrowski is a very consistent racer, which allowed him to finish fourth on the season last year despite making it to the podium just five times. Kawasaki has put their hopes for a supercross crown on Kieqrowski, and if he can kick his aggressiveness up a notch, "The MX Kied" will be a contender for the title in 1993. 3 Jean-Michel Bayle #4 'MikeLaRoc c 0 turned a lot of heads when he won the second 250cc Supercross main event of his career at the series-{)pener in Orlando last season, but a wrist injury and poor starts kept the quiet 21-year-{)ld from fulfilling his true potential. laRocco is a dedicated rider who is not afraid to run at the front of the pack, and he was a member of the winning American team at the MX des Nations in Australia last year. Though his talent is unquestioned, the factory Kawasaki rider remains a bit of a question mark for 1993. He came Residence: Manosque, France erhaps the Ptalented rider most naturally the sport has ever seen, Jean-Michel Bayle has left supercross to pursue a career in road racing. After a record-breaking season in which he won the Supercross and 250cc and 500cc National MX titles two years ago, Bayle appeared to lack the desire for a repeat performance in ]992. Despite spats with teammate Jeff Stanton, how- ever, Bayle still managed to win three main events and make the top. three in the final point standings. Bayle has never been a person to take the easy route, and this was never more apparent than in the '90 season, when the Frenchman turned down a lucrative factory ride in Europe to race against the faster Americans. In '93, many curious motocross fans will no doubt keep an eye on the resul ts in the 250cc World Championship Road Race Series, in which Bayle will be contesting a Chesterfield-backed Aprilia. 2 Damon Bradshaw #8 Residence: Mooresville, North Carolina e thought he would do it last year and he came close to backing up our prediction, but Damon Bradshaw admittedly choked at the final round and handed the Camel Supercross title to Jeff Stanton. For 1993, the 2o-yearold Bradshaw will have to overcome a post-season knee operation and the disappointment of losing the last year's championship if he is to secure his firstever title. - Bradshaw is one of the most aggressive riders on the track, a fact that has resulted in crashes and injuries in past years. He appeared to have harnessed that aggressiveness last season, but made a mistake at Las Vegas when he T-boned Jeff Matiasevich and crashed, losing valuable points in the standings. Bradshaw's style off the track is similarly dramatic, as he is not afraid to speak his mind. He has stated that he has no plans of changing his strategy this year, claiming that his record-setting nine supercross victories last season prove that he's doing something right. Some call him cocky, but there is no denying that "The Beast from the East" is fun to watch. Bradshaw has spent almost no time on a bike since the final round at the Los Angeles Coliseum in July, and there is some speculation that this will hurt him in '93. We think, however, that the time off will prove to be a good move on Bradshaw's part. He will be out for revenge this season, hungrier than ever to prove that he is number one. Damon Bradshaw will be the 1993 Camel Supercross Champion. W 1 Jeft Stanton #1 Residence: Sherwood, Michigan £ler losing A Cam ethe1 Supercross Championship to Jean-Michel Bayle in 1991, most people wrote off Jeff Stanton's chances at the title last year. He proved them - and us wrong, however, securing the crown at the dramatic final race in Los Angeles. Stanton, 24, has shown that training and consistency are more important than being flashy, as he scored the title despite winning only three main events. A hectic off-season in Europe didn't give Stanton much of a rest after last season, but he is in such good physical condition that he will probably not be affected. In 1993, Stanton will still top several main events, but it will take more than three victories to win the title this year, We could be wrong again, but we feel that although Stanton will come close, he isn't hungry enough and doesn't have the speed to hang with Damon Bradshaw.

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