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/127659
Round 8: Hoosier Dome By Chris Jonnum Photos by Kinney Jones INDIANAPOLIS, IN, MAR19 s the AMA Camel Supercross Series moved past the midway oint on its IS-stop circuit, defending champion Jeremy McGra th did liKeWIse in IS bid to eclipse his own mark of 10 supercross wins in a single season. On a challenging, rutted track in the In d iana p oli s Hoosier Dome, the Team Honda /I-80D-COLLECT rider collected his sixth victory of the season and the 16th of his career, extending h is already healthy adva ntage in the point standings. Th ings are running along right on schedule, thank you. " Let's see, what is that, six?" said McGrath after the 2Q-lap main even t had been complet ed . "There 's seven left. I guess I have to win five." Tha t McGrath will win the title already seems to be a forgone conclusion. Tru e, the season is far from complete, and over the previous two weeks the 22- year-old d isplayed th e closest thing to weakn ess tha t he has all season. His "Sp ring Break" in Florid a yielded a sixth-place finish a t the opening 250cc National, and a fourth place a week later at the grueling Daytona Supercross; perhaps McGrath was vulnerable afte r all. But those more in touch know tha t punishing, outdoor-style tracks have never been McGrath 's for te, and his finis h at Da ytona w as go o d eno ugh that he didn't lose much ground in the series. Th e Southern Ca lifornian a lways seems to d o wha t is needed, and he came through again at Indy, hi s wi n putting him in a pe rf ect po siti on to reclaim the crown. With Dayt ona now behind him and another win to bolster his courage, McGrath has a good chance of breaking his record, and a very good sho t at taking the title. He can rest easy in the knowledge that all of the remaining rounds will take place on the type of tracks that he rid es best - tight, technical, stadium courses. While McGrath' s v ictory ma y not exactly ha ve been a su rp rise, it was by no m eans hand ed to him on a silver platter. He twisted his ankl e in a rut on the final lap of hi s heat race, and was visibly tigh t in the ea rly stages of the ma in eve nt. Privateer Jeff Ma tiasevich kept the Yamaha holesh ot phenomenon alive, an d he and Team Yamaha riders Jeff Em ig and Micha el Cra ig led the champ for several laps befor e McGrath took the lead at the halfw ay po int. Emig held on to finish second, equalin g the best supercro ss result of his career and , bettering his best of the season by one. " Yo u ca n 't be upset with sec ond place , but you can' t be sa tisfied either," sai d Emig, a former 125cc Nationa l MX Ch ampion and the winner of the openI ing 125cc Na tion al two weeks earlier. "I'm to the point now where I'm lookJeremy McGrath won his sixth main event of the elght-race-old series , stretching his lead In the championship to a commanding 47 points.