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/127653
"1 just had to put all this stuff behind me and go for it, " said a stiU-hacking McGrath afterwards. "1 rode like crap in the qualifiers, but 1 felt okay in the final - just a little tired and fatigued . 1 started getting a so re throat on Thursday and then 1 got the whole deal {cold)." Desp ite feeling "under the weather" an d getting beaten by Craig in the semi, McGrath said he stiU wasn't too concerned about Craig in the final. "Mike is a ve ry fast ri der," said McGrath, "but I didn't think he had ZO laps in him - but then again, 1 d idn' t know if I had either. 1 know 1 was looking for tha t two-lap board." Craig was happy with his third-place ride. "Early in the race 1 though t I cou ld beat him," said Craig. "It's just hard to keep that kind of pace for 20 laps , and he (McGra th ) is so used to it. But my main go al was to fig ht him and 1 d id that, so I'm happy. "Finishing th ird is a good starting po int," added Cra ig . "I know now 1 ha ve the s p eed and can w in one .o f these." Kiedrowski kept things excitin g by chipping away at McGrath's lead during the last six laps. He, too, had a lot of confidence going into the feature after having set the quickest heat race time earlier in the evening. His second-place finish in the final was his best of the season. "I've been getting bad starts, so all this week we've been working reaUy hard on the bikes' suspension, and we've got 'em wor king good, and that helped a lot tonight," sai d Kiedrowski. "It's good to win your hea t race because you know you're doing everything right. That helps you out a lot in the main." . Kiedrow sk i' s secon d -p lac e fi nish came none too soon for the Californian, who has gotten off to an unexpectedly slow start on the seaso n. . "After the first couple of races, I felt really down," said Kiedrowski . "1 was beginning to feel that I was falling into the same rut as Jeff Stanton and Damon Bradshaw, and 1 wanted to get out of it right away. Things are coming around; the' bikes ar e good and 1 enjoy riding them now." Steve Lamson had a roller-coaster ride on h is Hond a/1-800-COLLECT CR250. He sta rted the feature in th ird, then dropped back to as far as seventh before working back up to fourth at the finish, while Jeff Matiasevich, on a n NCY / Oakley / Bell Helmets-backed Yamaha, p assed Team No lee n /Sizzler/Yama ha's Larry Wa rd in the las t turn for fifth. "Actually, I spent most of the race dici ng with Lamson," said Ward, who finished third last week in Anaheiin. "1 just didn't fee l comfortable to nigh t. 1 was fighting the ruts al1 night." Seventh went to Team Suzuki's Brian Swink, while Team Kawasaki's Mike laRocco had another frustrating night with an eighth-place finish. LaR occo, who DNF' ed last week's race at Anah eim when the engine cases on his KX250 pul1ed apart, had a crashplagu ed night in San Diego. While running third behind Craig an d McGrath on the third lap, LaRocco clipped a hay bale w ith his fro n t brake le ver a n d crashe d, taking Matiasevich out with him. LaRocco recov ered in eighth and climbed back up to sixth - before having another altercation, this time with longtime rival Team Yamaha's Jeff Emig. While ju m p in g over a s tai r- s te p table-top that led to a tight, right-hand turn, LaRocco and Emig tangled and both riders went down in a heap. They quickly scrambled .b ack onto their respective mounts, but in the process (Above) Kyle Lewis (53) edged out Jeff Ma tlasevlch for the holes hot In the 250cc feature. lewis stalled his bike a tum later. (Left) Damon Huffman, Ryan Hughes and Pedro Gonzalez (left to right) filled the rostrum In the 125cc feature. Hughes overcame Injuries, crashes and the recent death 01 his lather to win his lirst-ever 125cc feature. Emig gave laRocco a good, swift kick wi th his boot. "He (laRocco) fully cleaned me out," sa id an upse t Emig. "1 had been using the inside li ne every lap a n d he launched off th e ju mp an d landed on me. He wasn't using his head - we both we re d oing good and he took us both out!" As for kicking laRocco, "It was the heat of the moment," said Emig. . "1 was a little out of control, trying to make up time," admitted LaRocco. "1 had crashed earlier and was passing guys. 1 was going to the inside of him (Emig) and . he moved over and 1 landed on him. At the time, 1 didn't really know if he had kicked me; 1 felt something but 1 wasn't sure. U had known for sure...well, things would've been differen t." LaRocco recovered in seventh bu t cou ldn't advance during the remaining 10 laps . "When ~ crashed (w ith Emig), 1 hit my ar m and my hand went numb - it was a funny-bone thing. 1 couldn't hold on," said laRocco. Finishing in ninth p lac e, between LaRocco and Emig, was Stanton, w ho had star ted th e race in the exact same position. Stanton was visably upset with . his performance an d was un availabe for comment afterw ar ds. Team Honda/1-800-COLLECT ' s Doug Henry finished 11th, followed by Team Noleen/Sizzler / Ya ma ha rid er Larry Brooks and local hero Ron Lechien. Returnof "Th eDo er" on Lechien, who many cal1 the most naturally talented rider the sport has ever seen, returned to action a t the San. Diego Supercross, whe re the .EI Cajon, California, resident put on an inspiring perfo rmance for his hometown crowd. The 1985 125cc National MX Champion had been working with an aftermarket company on securing a ride for th is season, b u t those arrangements feU through and Lech ien was forced to make other plans. "They were basically blowing smoke up my ass," said Lechien after the race, a can of Coors Light in his hand. " I was running out of time a nd 1 ha d to get something go ing. Lu ckily, JT a nd FMF got together and bought me a bike. 1 ha d a good time tonight." . Lechien, 25, piloted a 1994 Kawasaki KX250 with yellow FMF flame graphics, and he exhibited the style and showmanship he was known for in his prime. Lechien finished sixth in his heat race before transferring to the main via a third- place finish in his semi. He per formed clickers an d nofooters thr oughout the ZQ-Iap feature - even with Mike Kiedrowski hammering from behind - and still finish ed an impressive 13th. Lechien's appearance can't really be called a "comeback," as he competed in several even ts towards the end of the '93 season, including the Mammoth Motocross and the San Fran cisco MTEG Ultr across round. Still, it was his first race of '94, and Lechien says he d oesn't want it to be the last. "My first priority will be European events, and between those I'll do Ultracross and Supercross - whatever's out here on the west coast ," said Lechien. "I'm just trying to make a little money and have some fun. " Lechien's 13th-place finish netted him $1070 at San Diego, and if his ear-to-ear grin was any indication, "The Dogger" also accomplished his second goal -Chris Jonnum R