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/127649
,' FloridaT C O S Round 1: Gatorback Cycle Park M Winter AMA Series " OO R S . (Above) Br ian Swink (10), Carl Vaillancourt (69), John Dowd (16) and Jeff Curry (56) race for the all-Important earl y lead in the 250Cc Pro class on the wet and mud dy Gatorback tra ck. (Left) Ezra Lusk managed to stay somewhat clean In the 125cc Pro class by leadin g, and winn ing , both motos. By Mike and Anne Adair GAINESVILLE, FL, JAN. 1-2 eam Suzuki's Ezra Lusk topped the 12Sec Pro division, and Team Boyese n/ Yama ha/Penske rid er John Dowd once aga in becam e th e man to beat in the 250cc Pro ranks in the opening round of the Flori da Winter AMA Mot ocross Series at Ga to rback Cy cle Park. In the 12Scc P ro class, the Su z uki / F ox / Ren tha I / Be 1-Ra y / D.I. D/CTi/Scott /Du nlop/Bell /Troy Lee Designs-backed Lusk dueled with T 10 Mike Brown, Jim Neese and Dow d before sweeping both motos, "The first moto was the toughest. The track was muddy from overnig ht rain, my goggles were trashed by the fifth lap and it was hard to see," said Lusk, a former Florida Winter National Olym pics and Winter AMA champion. For the Yama ha/Boyesen /Penske / Scott i AXO/Twi n Air / Renthal/ Acerb is / DF /Ceet/ 100%/ Karch er / Du n lo p / MMF / Apico /D.I.D- spons ored Dowd, the opening round win marked a comeback. "Since winning the 1991 250cc series championship, I missed '92 with a broken leg and then ' 93 with su rgery to have the pins removed," Dowd said . "It feels great to be winning here again ." Dowd scored the overall victory in the 2S0cc Pro class after sharing moto wins with Team Suzuki's Brian Swink . The AMA-sanctioned, World Sportspromoted 24th editio n of th e se ries attra cted 724 riders fro m 27 sta tes, Can ada, Belgium, Ireland and South Africa. The 12Scc Pro action sta rted 'wit h Florida rookie Paul Currie leading Mike Brown , Ezra Lusk, Carl Vaillancou rt, Jim Chester and Scott Sheak. Brown ' reeled in Currie on lap two and pa ced th e m o to wit h Lu sk in to w . At th e ha lfway ma rk, Brown remain ed in the lead followed by Lusk, Chester, Vaillancourt and Japanese National Champion Ron Tichenor. Lusk finally made a pass for the lead on the eig hth lap and led Brown to the checkered flag for the firstmoto victory. "I tried to pass Brown early, but he roosted me, and I was ou t of gogg les," Lusk said . ,"I paced myself and waited for him to make a mistake, but he nev er did...I made a quick charge and caught him in the lappers for the win, " Currie, Tichenor and Sheak rounded out the top five, Bro wn rocketed from the gate in moto two to lead Lusk, Tichenor, Dowd, Currie, Sheak, Tim Ferry and Joel Dengler, That order would remain until lap six when Tichenor dropped out with a broken chain, Lusk again passed Brown late in the moto. Dowd al so passed Brown to move in to second on lap 10 and began to pull closer to Lusk. "I was closing on Lusk, but then he picked up the pace. He must have been saving so met hing," Dowd said afterwa rd . Lusk had the moto und er control and scored the sweep for th e overall win, followed by Dowd, Brown, Ferry and Sheak. The 250cc Pro action opened with Jeff Curry taking the first-lap lead ahead of Dowd, Jim Neese, Robbie Skaggs, Brian Carroll, Sheak, Dengler, Fred Andrews