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/127670
Round 14: Spartan Stadium By Chris Jo nnum I Photos by Kinne y Jo nes (Above) Mike laRocco (7) was the benificiary of the clash between McGrath and Emlg , as he swooped by and wo n his third main event of the season. (Left) Jeff Emig (6) and Jeremy McGrath (1) waged an all-out war for the lead until they collided and went down. McGrath stili clinched the Camel Supercross Champio nship with a second-place finish. 9{;UJllS;tk 6est;?f~ it UJllS; tk UJOIWli ?ftime&. 0t J SAN JOSE, CA, JUNE 4 . lot was rid ing on the pen ultimate round of the series in Cali fornia ' s Silicon Va lley, and before the nigh t wa s over, a lot is exactly what the bo isterous, 27,256strong crowd got. Jeremy McGrath needed just four points (or a 17th-place finish) to guarantee his second -s trai gh t Camel Supercross crown, while Damon Huffman required only 10 poin ts (lllh place) to secure the 125cc Western Regional Supercross title . That the two would clinch the ir respective champi- onships was all but gu aran teed , so it was no s u rp rise when th ey did ju st that. When the lights were turned out, man y peopl e had reason to be proud - but for most of those same p eople, the jo y would be bittersweet. McGrath did indeed clinch his title but finished a disappointing third in the main event. He now knows he'll be the proud recipient of a $75,000 check from the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (a lo ng w it h healthy bonuses from Honda and other sponsors) - but has lost all hope (at least for this year) of match- ing his own record of 10 Coors Light Challenge wins in a single season. The Ho nda/l-8OQ-COLLECT rider showed his d om ina nce by easily setting th e fastest time in his heat race - but, for the th ird-straigh t ro und, failed to wi n the main event. (This is the longest winless streak of McG rath's 250cc supercross career.) . Mike laRocco rode to his third supercross victory of the season - but like the other two wins, thi s one was tainted when McGrath crashed ou t of conten tion . Kawasaki rejoice d in winning the team 's sixth 250cc race (Supercross and Nati onal MX) in a row - b ut saw the pres tigiou s stadium title slip from their grasp once again. In the 125cc class, Hufhnan rode brilliantl y and clinched th e inn augura l championsh ip of his career - but, like McGrath, the Team Suzuki rider saw his chances for the win ruined by a clash with another rid er. Team SplitFire/Hot Wheels/Kawasaki reveled in the joy of Pedro Gonzalez' first-career supercross win - but despaired as they saw the number-one plate they' ve held for three years taken by another team. Even though most of the bright spots were som ewhat tarnished , it was a great evening of supercross - high in tension, excitement and drama.