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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127561
AMA Camel Su ercross Series: Round 5 Jeremy McGrath (15) bolted to the head of the pack at the start of the main. Brian Swink (19), Damon Bradshaw (8), Jeff Stanton (1) and Jeff Matiasevich (12) take chase. c ra ro son a By Chris Jonnum Photos By Kinney Jones, Nate Rauba and Kevin Wing SAN DIEGO, CA, FEB. 6 nce was impressive enough; twice, remarkable, but three-consecutlve Coors Light Challenge main event victories by a rookie is just plain impossible! Or so it seemed. But evidently, it's not, as Team Honda's Jeremy McGrath proved in San Diego. Two weeks after earning his firstever victory at Anaheim, and one week after backing that win up with another victory in Seattle, 21-year-old McGrath from nearby Murrieta, California, posted yet another victory in front of 30,674 spectators in Jack Murphy Stadium. 'Tve been trying hard and my bike's been working great," said McGrath after his win. "Everything'S just been working right for me lately." To say the least. What's even more impressive is that McGrath is starting to make his wins look easy. Though forced to transfer to the main event through his semi after a heat-race crash, McGrath pulled the holeshot in the feature and that was that as far as the number one position was concerned. Team Honda's defending Camel Supercross Champion Jeff Stanton - McGrath's teammate - ran in second for the first part of the race and looked to have a chance at running down his teammate, but the three-time champ crashed at the midway point and let Kawasalci's Mike Kiedrowski slip by for the runner-up position. Stanton remounted in time to salvage third place. "I just need a start!" said Kiedrowski, still hungry for his first Camel Supercross win. "I can't get discouraged," said O 6 Stanton, who is also seeking his first win of the season. "You've just got to keep looking forward. 1 got in the top three, and 111 just have to go out and win next week." And what about Yamaha's main man, Damon Bradshaw, the rider who most were and still are picking as the one who will dethrone Stanton? The North Carolina racer had an off-night that can be blamed on the flu, crossing the line in sixth place. "I picked up a bug on Tuesday, and wasn't able to train like 1 should have," croaked a hoarse Bradshaw. "I rode my bicycle the last couple of days, which probably didn't help (my recovery), but 1had to do my training." For his win, McGrath pocketed $5000 of the $35,000 250cc class purse posted by the promoter, the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group. McGrath assumed the points lead by winning in Seattle and with less than one-third of the 16-race series in the books, McGrath enjoys a 14-point lead, 109-95, over Kiedrowski, who leap-frogged up three spots at San Diego after an off-night in Seattle. Stanton and Bradshaw are tied for third with 94 points apiece, just one point in arrears of Kiedrowski. Roundone winner Kawasaki's Mike LaRocco sat out San Diego with an injured wrist, and slipped from third to fifth in the standings with 78 points. While the premier 250cc class is beginning to look like a McGrath benefit, the 125cc Regional Series saw the fifth different rider in as many weeks score their first-ever win. This time it was the likable Frenchman Mickael Pichon, who backed up last week's runner-up performance with a victory. The 16-year-old Honda rider pulled the holeshot and led the entire race in only his third-ever 125cc Western Regional Camel Supercross event. "I'm going home (to Le Mans) tomorrow, and I should definitely get a big welcome," said Pichon through an interpreter. Team Splitfire/Hot Wheels/Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Jimmy Gaddis, who won the Western Regional opener