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/127673
Round 5: Motocross 338 By Chris Jonnum Photos by Kinney Jones SOlJTI-i\'\1CK, MA, JUNE 26 ts deep, sa ndy surface and concrete starting-gate pad make the Motocross 338 facility unique on the professional .MX circuit, but the results at the venue's Suzuki-sponsored '94 National were strangely familiar. For the second year in a row , local favorite Doug Henry wowed the pa r ti san crowd by winning both 125cc rnotos, proving that his chances of defend ing the title are not yet over. "There's one guy back the re I don't thin k I know," joked He nry after the race, pointing to the crowd. "Ot he r than tha t, I'm pretty sure I know everyon e here . It feels great to wi n two-straight at horne, and it feels grea t to win back-toback. This is the firs t track I ever rode on. I like it so muc h better as a National!" With his wins, Henry - a resident of nearby Oxford , Connecticut - was vaulted from fifth place in the poin t sta ndings all the way up to second. The only obstacle ahead of h im now is h is Honda /1-800-COLLECT tea m mate, Steve Lamson, who trailed Henry across I 6 the finish line bo th times at Southwick. Lamson actually led for much of moto one, and while he never led a lap in the second outing, he came close to leading when it coun ted - at the end. Despi te fin ishing second, Lamson actually extended his series points lead, showing once again the effectiveness of his steady, consistent ap proach. "I carne up just a little short," said Lamson, who would h a ve taken the overall ha d he won the mo to. "Maybe if there was one more lap. I've just got to keep building my points lead and see what happens." Lamson's points lead is 21 over Henry, 205-184. In third with 182 is Team Suzuki's Damon Huffman, third at Sou thwick via 5-3 moto finishes. Team SplitFire/Hot Wheels/Kawasaki's Ryan Hughes and Jim's Motorcycle Sales' Mike Brown filled ou t the top five overall in the 125cc class. Land-Air Cycles' Mike Treadwell, Boyesen/Yamaha /Penske's Scott Sh ea k, Manchester Honda's Scott Carter, Land-Air Cycles' Tony Lokusso and Honda of Troy's Craig Decker completed the top 10. No ticea bly absent from the leaderboard was '92 champion Jeff Emig. The factory Yamaha rider - a hard-track spe- cialist - finished third in moto one, but was forced to drop ou t of the second race when his YZl25 quit on him, a suspected victim of the fine Southwick sand. The track also claimed 125cc Eastern Regional Supercross Champion Ezra Lusk, whose Suzuki RMl25 broke a reed in moto two. In the quarter-liter division, John Dowd - another local favorite - didn't fare quite as well as Henry. The Chicopee, Massachusetts, resident was impressive, posting 4-3 moto scores for third overall, but he couldn't hang wi th Kawasaki's two Mikes. At every rou nd thus far, the overall has gone to one of the Mikes - and a t Sou thwick it was laRocco. "I'm happy to finish third in fron t of my home fans, but I'd really like to win one of these damn things!" said Dowd. The Boyesen/Yamaha/Penske rider has won just one National in his career - the muddy 1991 Hang town MX. Henry wo n the 125cc class at tha t same event. While it was laRocco who scored the win, it was his teammate - Kiedrowski who ma ny tho ugh t to be the fastest rider on the tra ck. Kied rowski actually won the o pening m o to , and w hen (Above left) Doug Henry celebrates with wife Stacey and mechanic Pete Steinbrecher after winning both motos at his home track. It was his second 125cc National win In a row. (Above) Mike laRocco (7) traded 250Cc moto wins with teammate Mike Kiedrowski, and came away with his th ird overall win of the season. laRocco pulled a rare holeshot in the second outing, Kiedrowski hunted him dow n a nd m a d e an aggressive pass attempt. No team players these two, the Kawasaki duo clashed, and it was Kiedrowski who came out on the short en d of the stick. The defending cha mp fell and had to se ttle for second in the mot o and on the day, ma intaining his ll-poin t deficit to Lakocco in the series standings. "I had to take a chance, and I did; I lost and he wo n. That's how it goes," .sa id Kied ro wsk i. "We have fu n o ut there, and that's why we're always first and second ." Fourth overall was newly crowned Camel Supercross Ch a mpion Jeremy McGrath, who actually led a good part