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/127657
(Left) Three-ti me 250cc National MX Champion Jeff Stanto n (5) was ham pered by bad start s. Here, he passes Honda of Troy's Tod d DeHoop en route to a fifth-place overall fi ni sh. (Bel ow) Team Kawasaki's Robb ie Reynard (33) wo n the seco nd 125cc National mot a, much to the delight of his fathe r/luner, Robe rt. In the first mota, Reynard finished nint h and ended up fifth overall. off th e tr ack with severe stomach cramps. Henr y wa s 13th overall in the 125ccdivision. And then there' s Camel Supercross Champion Jeremy McGrath. After raging thro ugh the 250cc class field in moto . one to finish fourth, McGrath "cruise d" home sixth in moto tw o after a close encounter with his fuel tank. McGrath was sixth overall. 250cc Eager to strut his stuff, defending cham pi on Kiedrowski ripped off th e line in the first 3O-minute-plus-two-lap moto and led the 4o-man field through the first turn. It was Swink, however, who had the most courage in the first two turns and zipped from fifth into first. "1 just had a good line and held it on," said Swink, who went on to establish an immediate lead . "I was pumped to get the holeshot, but 1 hit some bumps and swapped, and Swink got by me," said Kiedrowski. LaRocco and Suzuki's Jimmy Button also pounced on the faltering Kiedrowski and snuck in to second and third, respectively. Button surprised not only LaRocco, but the crowd as well, by turning up the wick and passing LaRocco for second at the start of lap two . " I felt really strong," said Button, who for the past few years has raced a 125. "The 250 fits me better outdoors." It wasn't until lap four that LaRocco was able to displace the lanky Button, and by that time Swink had pulled out a five-second lead. Meanwhile, Kiedro wski, Doug Dubach, Cliff Palmer, Dowd and McGrath rounded out the top eight. While Kiedrowski worked on Button, LaRocco did his best to reel in the fleeting Swink. Kiedrowski succeeded in displacing Button in a matter of turns, but it would take until lap eight for LaRocco to close to Swink's rear fender . "I felt good, but my arms started pump}ng up really bad about the _ - .. -------,--_.- ---.. , . halfway mark," said Swink, who repeatedly shook his hand s off of the bars while jumping. "By the time LaRocco caught me, 1 had loosen ed up and was able to pick up the pace." Try as he might, LaRocco was unable to find the extra edge needed to overtake Swink and would eventually settle for a close second. "Brian rode a really good race," said LaRocco. "Once 1caught him, he adapted to my better lines very quickly so that 1couldn't pass." After pa ssi ng Button, Kiedrowski was unable to keep pace with LaRocco and Swink, and finished a distant and lonely third, some 13 seconds back. "I fell down in the back section of the trac k and lost some time," explained Kiedrowski. "After that, it wa s no use trying to catch them and wasting a lot of energy." McGrath crosse d the fin ish line in fourth after putting on a very-impressive charge through the pack. McGrath s ta rt ed the race in 12th, and pushed hard from start to finish. "1 just want to get th rough th is race healthy," sai d