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/127565
B~~EW~~c~~_ere_ro_ss_srn_'~_:R_OU_~_8 After five of 10 Eastern Regional races, Henry holds a nine point lead over Lusk, 114 to 105, while Kawasaki Team Green's Scott Sheak, 11th today, is third with 59. Henry's cut of the $10,000 125cc purse was $2000, Lusk taking home $1000 and Ferry $750. m (Left to right) Jeremy McGrath, winner Mike Kiedrowski and D~on Bradshaw celebrate. McGrath retained the points lead. Kiedrowski wins first at Daytona By Henny Ray Abrams Photos by Kinney Jones and Donn Maeda "we 12 DAYTONA BEACH, FL, MAR. 6 came, we saw, we kicked their ass," Kawasaki's Mike Kiedrowski said after scoring his first-ever Camel Supercross Series win in the 23rd Daytona Supercross by Honda. "These last two weeks in Florida have probably been the greatest two weeks of my life," said 24-year-old Kiedrowski, who won last week's Gainesville National. "This win is especially nice because the race is sponsored by Honda and I'm on a Kawasaki:' It was Kawasaki's first Daytona Supercross win since Jimmy Weinert won in 1979 and it appeared almost effortless. Kiedrowski chased down early leader, and series points leader Jeremy McGrath, and rode more aggressively through the rutted whoops to take the lead on the eighth of 20 laps. Once out front, Kiedrowski pulled away, winning, unofficially by over 11 seconds, though he slowed dramatically on the last lap to acknowledge the crowd that saw a mostly follow-the- ~ leader race on a bright and sunny, but cool Florida afternoon. Honda's McGrath, 21, was a comfortable second, with Yamaha's Damon Bradshaw a disappointed third. Honda's Jeff Stanton finished fourth, the victim of a broken rear shock linkage, and saw the end of his four-year reign and Honda's 10-year victory string at the Florida facility corne to an end. The series lead still belongs to McGrath with 174 points, 13 better than Bradshaw after seven of 16 events. Kiedrowski is just a point l>ehind Bradshaw with 160, while Stanton holds fourth with 152. Kiedrowski's share of the $50,000 250cc purse was $8000, with McGrath earning $3500 and Bradshaw $2000. All was not lost for race sponsor Honda, however. Doug Henry led the 125cc Eastern Regional final from startto-finish in a procession that lacked the slightest bit of drama. Henry was out front from the first lap on, stretching his lead to close to 20 seconds at the mid- way point of the IS-lap race, extending it to near 30 at the end. "The race was pretty much errorfree," Henry said after winning his second round in a row and extending his series points lead. "When the fans started cheering it was pretty exciting. That was the best part of the race. I pulled out about 21 seconds and then I eased off a bit:' Suzuki's Ezra Lusk finished second, quite a feat since he blew his rear shock on the third lap and fought a bouncing motorcycle the whole race. "I came through the whoops every time and I was off the track and it wanted to endo me," the Georgian said. Third went to RRP Yamaha's Tim Ferry, closing on Lusk at the end, but coming up a few seconds short. ''I'm from Florida (West Palm Beach) and this is my last race in Florida this season so I had to do something for my fans," Ferry said. "This is the best supercross finish of my career. Last year my best finish was fourth:' 250cc Heats Daytona has a unique race format, three 30-rider, eight-lap heats with the top five transferring directly to the 30rider main; then two six-lap semifinals that advance six riders from each to the main; and a last chance qualifier that advances the top three finishers. Suzuki's Jeff Matiasevich had his moment in the sun, leading the first heat before being quickly displaced by a number of riders, including Kiedrowski and Stanton. The "MX Kied" took the lead before the end of the first lap, Stanton coming with him past Matiasevich, the pair pulling away from the field. By the midway point Kiedrowski and Stanton had close to 18 seconds on a four-rider battle for third, Matasievich leading the way. Kiedrowski turned up the steam in the second half of the race, Stanton slowing on the fifth lap in a set of whoops near some inflatable palm trees and the race for the win was over. Kiedrowski would win by close to six seconds with Stanton a secure second, and Noleen Racing's Shaun Kalos taking over third on the seventh lap. Privateer John Dowd and Matasievich took the final two direct transfers. "On the first lap he passed me through the whoops," Kiedrowski said of Stanton. Then he didn't jump on me on the jumps and I just got back by him. I rode my own race and that's what it takes to win here." The second heat holeshot went to Bradshaw and 10-minutes, 27.06 seconds later so did the second heat win. No one was going to stop him, though Kawasaki's Michael Craig gave it a try, and at the end he had over a 16 second cushion. Second, also from early on, belonged to Kawasaki's Mike Craig, the Californian settling in after briefly passing Bradshaw on the second lap. At the end he had close to 13 seconds on· Suzuki's Larry Ward, third in the parade from the end of the first lap. Yamaha's Jeff Emig had to work to finish fourth, passing Pro-Circuit's Buddy Antunez on the fifth lap. Antunez held on for the final transfer. At the start of the third, and final, moto Suzuki's Brian Swink did a "Flying W" in the first tum, taking both Steve Lamson and himself off the track and letting Jeremy McGrath and Suzuki's Guy Cooper scoot past. McGrath was quickly gone, lapping over a second faster than second-placed Phil Lawrence after Cooper crashed while trying to keep pace. A 1Q-second McGrath lead at the midway point stretched to over 20 at the end, the young Honda rider's win never in doubt. "It's going to be a demanding 20 laps," McGrath said, looking forward to the main event. "The track's changing every lap. It's more like an outdoor track. I really don't consider it a supercross track, but everybody's got to race it and I'm looking forward to it:' 250cc Semis Honda of Troy / AXO/Pro Circuit's Erik Kehoe was away fastest and in the lead of the first semi, with Yamaha Japan's Kohji Ohkawara second, and Yamaha's Jeromy Buehl third, and on the move. Buehl first passed Ohkawara starting the third lap and went by Kehoe at the end of the lap. The pair raced