Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

1994 Camel Supercross Series Predictions By Chris Jonnum ell, it's tha t time of the year the most Our year-end, two-w cross Series is loomin g on the h don 't like the series; on the contrary, w attellaing and co.vering each of i 1 packed MX tour in the world, and e rounds. The reaso n we begin to squirm every January is tha it's tfie one time of the year when we really have to stick our necks out, and mak e our predictions for the upcoming season. You might think it's tou gh to win a championship, but if you wan t to experience real pressure, try pred icting the champion before the season even starts, and then pu blish your pick for all the wo rld to see. It's no mea n feat, as evidenced by our 0-2 record over the past two years. Yes, we predicted Damon Bradshaw would take the title in '92 and '93, but he has since retired, and whi le we'll miss him, at least he won't be able to let us down again. In any event, here's wha t the point standings will look like after the final round in Las Vegas, according to the Cycle News crystal ball. W #1 Jeremy McGrath - Team Ho nda Murrieta, California Betting on the defending champ may seem likea c p-out, but the fact is, we'd be craz y to do anything else. "Showtime" has set new standards for the sport of stadiUm racing, and so far no one has been abl to folloW! is lead . Last year, McGrath shocked su percross pundits everywhere, includin g us . The shock really wasn't so much.that he had won the title, but that he had done so in such a dominating fashion. He won a record 10 main events and clinched the title with two rounds remaining, all in his rookie year in the 250cc class! Now, with a year of experience under his belt, Jeremy should be stronger than ever. If he's smart, McGrath will retain the enthus iastic, spontaneous approach to racing that got him so far in '93. Too many riders trea t the sp or t like a job o nce they reach the top, a frame of mind that inevitably leads to bum-out. However, our conversati ons wi th the champ lead us to believe that McGrath is more eager than ever for the new season to start; his competition is prob ably less enthus iastic about facing him. We doubt that Jeremy will back up his own pred iction of winning at least 11 rounds, but then again , he did surprise us last year. liS Jeff Stanton - Team Honda Sherwood, Michigan Prior to last season, when most peo ple were i~ Jeremy McGrath, Jeff Stanton predicted tha t his ~ne~ teammate would be a contend er. Stanton was 'gllt, but tfie tables are now turned, and McGrath is pegging Jeu for a comeback in '94. The three-time supercross cham pion had a season he'd probab ly like to forget last year, bu t has wise ly used his off-season time to test and relax. Last year, both Stan ton and long-time rival Damon Bradshaw appear ed to be burned out, apparently wai ting for a McGrath m istake that never came. After the season , Stanton reportedl y cam e close to following the same route chosen by Bradsh aw - retirement. But Jeff claims to be rejuvena ted, and wit h his Honda factory ride on the line, we expect him to show the same hunger tha t he did back in '89. . Unfort unately, we don't think that will be en ough to dethrone his young teammate. 118 Doug Henry - Team Honda Oxford, Connecticut We're choosing Doug Henry as the top-placiI!g 2SOcC Class rookie for this season, and expect him to i a t least one main event in '94. Doug is a fearless nQer who liaS gotten where he is through hard work. He is enterjpg . second year as a factory rider, and is fresh off a season most riders would kill for. Henry collected the 12Sec outdoor and 12Sec east coast supercross titles in '93, and also contested the 250cc class at select western rou nds. With the confidence gained from those experiences, Henry sho uld be a force to be reckone d with in '94, though we don't expect him to enjo y !he success McGrath did in his rookie year. " w.;. ..,.."..... . 113 Mike Kiedrowski - Team Kawasaki Canyon Country, California A tru e "la te bloomer," Mike Kiedro wski is just beginning to reach his peak at 25. Fresh from his best-ever supercross season, Mike will be satisfied with nothing less than a Camel Supercross Championsh ip in '94. Now that e's won that elusive first stadium race, the four-tim e iN'a tiol\a MX Champ ion s ho u ld h a ve th e con fid ence required to be a contender for the title. He is more enthusiastic than eve r, and has no doubt undergone a rig orous training regime n during the off-season. He'll be on a new, quicker-handling bike that's better suited for the tight quarter s of man-made tracks, and, hopefully, Kawasaki has done enough testing to avoid the first-year teething problems that plagued Honda's new models in '91. We think Kiedrowski will come closer to securing the crown than he d id last yea r, and expect the title chase .to go all the way down to the wire. But while the " MX Kied" will probably win several main events, McGrath's natural indoor talent will pr evail in the end. #17 Mike laRocco - Team Kawasaki South Bend, Indiana Though he sometimes goes unnoticed, "other Mike" is often without equal when it re s eed. On e of the most stylish riders on laRocco's form has been compa red to ow," Johnny O'Mara. Misfortune has e been his downfall, usually in the form of injuries and poor starts. For the past two years, laRocco has won the series opener in Orlando, only to see his season ruined by a fragile wrist. Mechanical gremlins cost him what appeared to be a sure title in the '92 125cc National MX Series, but ·LaRocco finally secu red his first National crown last year (taking the historic final 500cc championship). It seems unlikely that Mike's misfortune could continue for yet another seaso n, and his getaways showed improvement last year. We expect "LaRocket" to be in the fray and, if he can last the entire season, he'll give both McGrath and teammate Kiedrowski a run for their money. #19 Michael Craig - Team Yamaha El Cajon, California We may be going out on a limb here, but we that Yamaha's newest factory rider will make the top fiv in th series standings this year. What's mor e, we think Midiael Ray will probably score his first-ever main event win in '94. t 25, Craig is no spring chicken, but he has the heart and desi re of a rookie. At times he show ed blazing speed last year, and led at Pontiac until crashing. In order to do well, Craig will have to improve his physical stamina, a void injury, ride wi thin his limits, and overco me the pressure of filling Damon Bradsha w' s boots. But he has been working closely wi th mechanic Brian Lunniss, and with top-notch factory machin ery, Mike should finally be able to reach his po tential. 1110 Brian Swink - Team Suzuki Linden, Michigan Brian Swink was Jeremy McGrath's eastern counterpart as the du o dominated the 1991 and '92 125cc supercross series, but he didn't match M~rath's accomp lishm en ts when they switched to the 259sc ~ivision last year. We feel tha t Swink has yet to reach his potential, perhaps partly due to the large Suzuki squad, where concentrated rider support is difficult to achieve . He has shown imp ressive speed at times, but has yet to main tain that velocity for 20 laps. Brian is a stylish rider who is fun to watch, and if his team can manage to give him the personal attention which he deserves, he'll likely respond by working on his stamina and turnin g in some solid rides. 114 Steve Lamson - Team Honda Riverside, California Steve Lamson finished the '93 ercross Series in fifth place, and pred icting that he'll finish '94 in ' t mean we do n't think he's i e contrary, Steve steadily bettered his r esults last yea r, surpr ising Honda as he d eveloped in to a top-no tch rider indoors. Lamson has moved to southern California, where he is more in- to uch with the Honda factory and can concentrate on testing and training. Unfortuna tely, we expect the compe tition to be tougher in '94, and that, more than anything, is what will keep lamson from improving his placing. We'll be surprised if he wins a main event this year, but expect him to be a top con tend er in the 125cc Nationals . However, if there's going to be one rider to really blow ourpredictions, it will be Lamson.

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