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/127652
;.:. i\ . "....'~, ..... "",- ~ ~ . ..\. i••..'.~~~r: .i ':. , ~ . .~ . :.'-'S SupercroSsSeriesS. . Round 3:Anaheim Stadium UE C OS P R R ..' AMA l·.·-Wt, s tanton, ward finish 2-3... By Chris Jonnum Photos by Kinney Jones ANAHEIM, CA, JAN. 29 n d o h. yes - Jeremy MCGrath won again. bet ••• isn't that pretty much a given these days? A For the third time in as many weeks, McGrath made it look easy as he rode to vic tory in a Coors Ught Challenge, proving tha t nobody - or no thing, foe that matter, including an earthquake can stop him when he feels like winning . This week's ve rsi on of the "McGrath stomp" was performed at the Team Honda/l-BOO-COLLECT rider's "hometown" venue, Anaheim Stadium, just 50 miles from his house in Murrieta, California. Though it was the same facility' where McGrath had earned his firstever win just one year and six days earlier, the stadium had a slightly different look to it this time aroun d as a large section of seats sa t va cant, scarred by th e Janu a ry 17 trembler th at devastated much of southern Californ ia. McGrath, now 22, didn't appear to be affected at all. "That's the whole idea," responded McGrath, when accused of providing a boring race. "I've been riding every day lately, and I'm faster now than I've ever been. I think it would be really neat 10 win all 15 rounds, but I doubt if that will happen. Right now, I'm just worrying about each race." Not only did McGrath continue his perfect record in the 1994 AMA Supercross Series, but his primary competition suffered a major setback. The third time was definitely not the charm for Mike LaRocco, who had turned in impressive runner-up finishes at the first two rounds and appeared to be the only rider with a shot at dethroning the defending champ. Misfortune struck the Team Kawasaki ace, as he was forced out of the main event when he cased his KX250 on a triple jump, breaking his crankcase and seriously impairing his chances for the supercross crown. The 500cc National champ will now have to overcome not only McGrath, but a 30point deficit if he is to claim the title. "That's not what I needed," said a dejected LaRocco after the race. "I'd much rather be in the thick of things than starving for points. All I can do now is win." Three-time supercross champion jeff Stanton turned in his best ride of the year, finishing a steady second overall even if he was over 15 seconds behind. his Honda/I-8OO-COLLECT teammate. "I 'm about as happy as you can be (with second place)," said Stanton. "It's like (the difference between) a handshake and a kiss . I'm not too worried. My shoulder's still a little so re from a crash last week in Houston. I've been in this position before. He's riding good right now; I've just got to get up there and contest him and keep driving forward." Also posting his best result of the year was Team No leen/Sizzler/Yamaha's Larry Ward, who finished in third place. Ward pulled the holeshot for the third week in a row, but unlike last week, he didn't fade as the race wore on. "Sure, I trained - lots of cheeseburgers and Twi nkles," joked Ward, when asked if he had stepped up his training program during the week. "Actually, (Left to right) Runner-up Jeff Stanton, wi nner Jeremy McGrath and Larry Ward celebrate on the pod ium. For McGrath, It was his third-straight win .