Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

GMOTOCROSS AMA National Championship 125/250 MX Series: Rounds 3/3 . m In his professional debut, Robbie Reynard finished seventh in the 125ce division. Doug Henry (16), here battling with Lany Ward, was the ronner-up in the 125cc class. 12 headed. Kiedrowski was slowed slightly by lappers near the end, but most moved over when the two-time 12scc National champ began yelling at them. Kiedrowski scored the moto win, with )3radshaw the runner-up and laRocco crossing the Line several seconds back in third. "1 ran into lappers, and then 1 couldn't catch them (Kiedrowski and Bradshaw)," said LaRocco. "They were just too far ahead." Cooper was a distant fourth, holding off Stanton's charges for the last few laps, and Dowd got by Lamson on the last go-around after the Honda rider went wide over an uphill triple and got a long section of banners stuck in his rear wheel. Suzuki's Jeff Matiasevich, KTM's Cliff Palmer and Lawrence completed the top .10. _ Bradshaw again nabbed the holeshot in the second moto, but this time Kiedrowski was mired back around 10th place. Lamson gated much better than in moto one, and was holding down second, though Bradshaw had already put three seconds on him at the completion of the first lap. Stanton quickly assumed third, with Jone~ fourth and Lawrence slipping to fifth after a third-place start. Cooper, LaRocco and Dowd came through next. Completing the first circuit in ninth, Kiedrowski had a long, tough moto ahead of him. 1 got a terrible start, and 1 just started passing people," said Kiedrowski. "My main objective was to pass Stanton." While Bradshaw set about extending his lead, Kiedrowski began picking off riders one at a time, first nabbing Dowd on a long, whooped downhill. By lap five, Bradshaw had stretched his margin on Lamson to nine seconds and LaRocco had advanced to third after passing Stanton in the back section. Dowd slipped back several sections after going down, and Lawrence was also fading. "1 was hanging right with Stanton until I slipped in one of those hardpacked turns in the back," said Dowd. "I was so mad, but man, those comers were slippery." "1 think I wore myself out in the first moto," said Lawrence. "I was a little more cautious in the first tum that time - a little too cautious; I let Stanton by. I just didn't want to go down again with 38 guys behind me." LaRocco got by Lamson for second on the seventh lap, but with Bradshaw riding like his old self, laRocco had 11 seconds to make up. Kiedrowski was up to fifth, approximately five seconds in arrears of Stanton. Kiedrowski narrowed the gap, and began to look for a way by the Michigan resident, and the pair's battle carried them past Lamson. "My arms pumped up in the first moto, but I felt a lot better (in the second moto)," said Lamson. "I just need to work on a few things and do better." On the 12th circuit, Kiedrowski made his move. He passed the defending champ in an off-eamber tum at the bottom of a steep downhill in the track's back section, but Stanton retaliated. The two riders actually touched tires as they charged up the following ascent, but Kiedrowski held onto the third spot. LaRocco was too far ahead for Kiedrowski to catch and was actually gaining on Bradshaw, but time ran out and the top five positions remained the same. "1 was just flowing really good," said Bradshaw after earning the overall win. "I just tried to ride smart and no~ make any mistakes, and that's what I did. LaRocco was catching me towards the end, but he was probably hanging it out on the edge quite a bit. I know 1 would be if 1were in his place." Kiedrowski's third place in the moto earned him second overall, while LaRocco was second in the moto and third on the day. "He (Bradshaw) was just too far ahead, and 1ran out of time," explained laRocco. Stanton was fourth in the moto, with Lamson fifth, Dowd sixth and Cooper seventh. Matiasevich was eighth, despite having a section of banner caught in his rear wheel early on, and Palmer was ninth. Lawrence slipped to 10th place by moto's end. 125ce National Emig gave a preview of things to come by pulling the holeshot and thus avoiding the huge crash that took place behind him in a tight right-hand comer following the first sweeping left. McGrath, who had a strong secondp'lace start, was the first to go down, and nearly everyone but Emig was effected. "McGrath crashed and took out (Doug) Dubach," said Hughes. "I swerved to miss them but I hit someone and we went down. Then everyone just started piling up:' "1 caused it," admitted McGrath. "I just slipped. I wasn't down that long, though." . Reynard got a rude welcome to professional racing, as he was also a victim of the crash. "1 was probably a little ahead of midpack when I saw everyone going down," said Reynard. "I tried to go around, but I couldn't, and 1crashed. I was way back, out I wasn't too worried. My dad was trying to tell me where I was every lap, but 1couldn't see him half the time:' Reynard comple'ted lap one back near 30th place, but was up to 20th just one circuit later. . With much of his competition already out of the hunt, Emig cruised up front, with Honda of Troy's Todd DeHoop a few seconds back in second and Henry remounting from the crash in third, with his right radiator shroud hanging off. Henry soon moved into second, passing DeHoop on the whooped downhill, but Emig already had a five-second advantage. DeHoop repassed Henry on lap three but went too far to the inside over an uphill triple and landed on a section of banners. Henry seized the opportunity to again take over second place. "I was riding good 'til 1 got that banner stuck in my rear brake," said DeHoop. "1 took the good lip over that triple, but it just sent me over too far to the inside:' McGrath picked himself up back around 12th, but quickly began dispatching of riders in a bid to sal.vage a respectable finish. By the sixth lap, Emig was enjoying a IS-second lead on Henry, and Kehoe had passed his teammate DeHoop for third. ·McGrath was already up to fifth, ahead of Suzuki riders Brian Swink and Larry Ward. Reynard was in 13th position. McGrath soon passed DeHoop for fourth, and then, at the halfway point of the 16-lap race, he overtook Kehoe. Henry was three seconds ahead, and while McGrath closed to his teammate's rear fender, Henry picked up the pace and McGrath couldn't find a way around. Emig cruised in for the easy win, with Henry hanging on to second and McGrath notching third. Swink made a charge at Kehoe on the last straight, but Kehoe gassed it into the final tum in an attempt to hold him off and maintain fourth. Kehoe passed the flagman ahead of Swink, slamming into the berm and taking out a hay bale in the process. However, the flagman was standing a few feet in front of the finish line banner, which Swink actually passed under ahead of Kehoe, who was slowed by his bobble. In a controversial decision that upset both Swink and Suzuki team manager Ray Tetherton, AMA officials gave fourth place to Kehoe. Kawasaki Team Green's Scott Sheak was fifth, and Reynard finished seventh in his debut ride, while DeHoop slipped to 12th with his malfunctioning rear brake. "1 didn't really have to push it, so I've got a lot left over," said Emig. "1 could have gone faster if 1had to:' Emig proved his point by putting his Steve Butler-tuned YZl25 into the point at the beginning of moto two, but this time his competition survived the first turn without major incident. McGrath was running second, with Hughes pressuring him from third. Also starting well were Swink, Ward and Kehoe, while Henry and Reynard were both way back in the pack.

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