Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

anything," sa id Henry. "There was a wall of ha y bales all around the track an d 1 had to jump over one just to get bac k on where 1 di d." The FIM jury decided to overlook Henry's infra ction, due to the difference in rules for American supercross. As Bullon started to ease away from the lea d pack, Lams on ju m ped u p to second ahead of Craig and Henry, whil e Hughes ski p ped in to fifth . LaRocco made a th ird -la p m iscue and la nd ed hi mself at the ve ry back of th e pack. Eve r ts and Dema ria also wen t d own ; Everts re-entered the race las t while Demaria quit. For 14 la ps, Button led the fie ld befo re his illness caug ht u p with him and fatigue slowed him d own. Even as the three Hon das of Lamso n, Craig and He n ry started to catch the lead Suzuki, all e yes we re focused o n th e rise of McGrath thr ou gh the field. After a few fru itless attemp ts at jump-passes early in the show, McGrath started knifing his H onda u nd er hi s competitors in th e ba nked turns, someti mes initiating contact but never actu all y taking anyone out. Missed in the e xcitem ent o f McGrath 's actions was the sudden overtaking of Button by Lamson, Henry and Craig. "The main event was mine to lose an d 1lost it," said a d isappointed Button af ter hold ing the lead for nea rly tw othirds of th e race. "I've been sick all wee k - look at my hand s shaking - and it just caught up with me at the end. J. was .pulling away, too. 1should have wo n." "I was really surprised at how good Button wa s rid ing ," said Lamson . " I kind of wanted to wa it to see if he would get tired and he actually started to pull away. Then 1 think he did finally ge t tired aro und the halfw ay mark." McG r a t h ' s clean s t rea k of p asses came to a close with fou r la ps to go. After jum ping past Button he reached fou rt h-p laced Cr aig and took him into the hay bales. Craig nearly fell over the hay bales but was able to keep the bike u p right but back wards on th e t rack. .This allow ed Button to repass Cra ig, a position he wo uld hold to the checkered (Right) Crowd favorite Jeremy McGrath (1) was hindered by a pair of first-tum crashes, but stili fin ished second on both nights. Michael Craig (19) was fi ft h on Saturday, but crashed out on Sunday. Mike laRocco (3) had terrible luck In Spain. like 1d id something wrong." What the fans were doing was baaing the o rganizers for having a street bike parked so close to the track. They mo ved the bike off the infield between heat races. Bolley, 12th on Saturday night, also crashed out of the heats, as did Button , whos e o utside line on the start finally landed him in the hay bales . . McGrath beat Henry in the first semifinal ra ce with Demaria fiv e secon d s back in third . Lamson kept his winning streak alive at four-straight races when he took the second semi win ahead of Ward and Hu gh es. A surprise non-qualifier was Huffman, who suffered a poo r start in the last-chance round and coul d not mak e the top four. Wh en th e ma in ev e n t went o ff, ano ther huge pileup formed in the first tum, bringing down McGrath, LaRocco, Matiasev ich, Hughes, Button, Demari a (Right) Frenchman Frederic Bolley was delighted to score . Sunday's win. Bolley's sponsor, Chesterfield, Is also the title sponso r of the series. (Bel ow) Pedro Gonzalez was quite Impressive In the air, and finished second In the popular jump contest. flag. " I sho uld not have even been bac k there with Jerem y," said Craig after the race. "I wa ited around too long to pas s Lamso n and Button, and 1 jus t got into their rhy thm . I w asn't a gg res si ve e nou gh aft er th at, and when Henry passed me it really messed me up." McGrath mad e one more p ass to secure second place ahead of Henry bu t, wi th only one lap remaining, could not reel in Lamson, who threw a one-handed no-legger at the crowd as he crossed the finish-line tabletop. "I rode a total of 58 laps," figured s ixth-place Hughes, who rode every qualifying round to get into the main. "Th e fumes were starting to get to me because 1 have asthma, especially in the m iddle of the last race." Ward finished right behind Hughes, with LaRocco an uncharacteristic eighth after his early spilt . SUNDAY The stars of Sunday's three heat races were the same as the previous night's: Lamson, McGrath and Henry. The casualties included Cra ig and Everts, who crashed together going thro ugh th e _ whoops. Craig's fall was compounded by the fact that his body slammed headfirst into a BMW police motorcycle that was being displayed alongside the track. NI drove my head right into that big bike," said Craig, who, along with Everts, called it a night after the crash. NI ,go t up and the people were whistling and Cooper. Out fro nt was the bla ck Yamaha of Belley, who, like Hu ghes the night before, had to ride every qualifying lap ava ilable to even make the main event. Lamson was second wi th Henry , Ward, Kawasaki-mounted Gonzal ez , Emig and Dobb giving chase. Bolley rode at a quick pace for a few laps, but Lamson could not be shaken. Lamson, ho we ver, picked up a flat tire before fi ve laps were counted and slipped right out of th e race. Bolley inherited a short lead and an open track. While Hen ry, Ward and company cut in and out on one another, Bolley seized the opportunity to sprint away fro m everyone. At the halfway point, his lead reached a high of 10 seconds. "Bailey got away really quick and that's important on a track lik e thi s," said Henry. "There were three guys battling around me and when you 're close like that you have to ride defensi vely all the time." "I mad e the start and I rode out front thinking that they would catch me," said Bailey, thr ough an interpreter. "At the halfway mark 1started to tell myself that I could win it because I would look back across the track and I did not see Jeremy." McGrath was still charging through the field, passing his way into sixth by the halfway mark. But at tha t point, he reached Emig's rear fender and his momentum was put on hold. "When I reached Emig I got stuck righ t there," said McGrath . "But I d on't think that it was the thing that kept me from catching Bolley . If I would not have fallen, if I had even just been last place off the start, I think that I might have been able to catch him . I didn't have a problem with anyone but Ernig." McGrath took Henry with jus t four laps to go but had no chance of catching the jubilant Bolle y, who had the pressure of ri d ing in front of all of his Chesterfield bosses, who also spons or the series. Henry finished two seconds behind McGrath wi th Ernig fourth and Gonzalez an impressive fifth. Gonzalez ce le b ra ted his top five fin ish and thanked the partisan crowd with a remarkable finish-line whip-it. "I am very happy and very surprised to win," sai d Bailey at the post-race press conference. "This is the biggest win of my entire career. 1 really d id not (~ expect to be here." Palau Sant Jordi Stad ium Barcelona , Spain Results: Novembe r 5-6, 1994 Saturday HEAT 1: 1. Larry Ward (Yam); 2. Jeff Emig (Yam) ; 3. Fred eric Vialle (Kaw); 4. Yves Demaria (Han); 5. Jeff Matiasevich (Yam); 6. Mike Jones (Suz). HEA T 2: 1. Doug Henry (Han); 2. M;L, LaRocco (Kaw ); 3. Damon Huffman (Suz ); 4. Jimmy Button (Suz ); S. Stefan Everts (Kaw ); 6. Alessio Chi odi (Hon). HEAT 3: I. Jeremy MtGrath (Han); 2. Mike Craig (Hon); 3. Steve Lamson (H on) ; 4. Pedro Gonza lez (Kaw ); 5. Jam es Dcbb (Han); 6. Yann Cuedard (Kaw ). SEMI 1: 1. Stefan Everts (Ka w ); 2. ~rry_ Ward (Yam ); 3. Doug Henry (Hun); 4. Yves Demana (Hon); S. Damon Hufrman (Suz); 6. Jeff Emig (Yam); 7. Ryan Hughes (Ka w) ; 8. Jeff Mati ase vich (Yam); 9. Frederic Bolley (Yam); 10. Micha el Ma sch io (Yam); 11. Thierry Bethys (Yam); 12. Mike Jones (Suz) ; 13. Frederic v lalle (Kaw) ; 14. Francisco Garcia (Yam ). . SEMI 1: 1. Stev e Lam son (Hon) ; 2. Mi ke Craig (Ho n); 3. Ped ro Gonzalez (Ka w) ; 4 . Mike la Rocco (Kaw); 5. Jeremy McG rath (lion); 6. Jimmy Button (Suz); 7. Vann Guedard (](a w) ; 9. Aless io Ch iod i (Han ); 10. Ja mes Dobb (H a n); 11. C uy Cooper (Suz); 12. Co llin Dugmore (Suz); 13. Luc.. P re tto (H on) ; 14. Da nie l ObeIi>co (Kaw ~ 2O-LAP MAIN: 1. Steve Lamso n (Hon ); 2. Jeremy McGnth (Han); 3. Dou g Henry (H on); 4. Jim my Button (Suz ); 5. Mike Craig (Hun); 6. Ryan Hug hes (Kaw ); 7. Un)' Ward (Ya m); B. Mike LaRoa:o (Kaw ); 9. Ped ro Gonzalez (Kaw ); 10. Jeff Ma tiasevich (Yam); 11. Damon Huffman (Suz) ; 12. Frederic BoIIey (Yam); 13. Jeff Emig (Yam ); 14. Stefan Everts (Ka w); 15. Van n C uedard (Kaw ); 16. Yves Demaria (Hon). Sund.1:y . HEAT 1: Do u g Henry (H a n) ; 2. Yve s Demaria (Ha n); 3. Pedro Gonulez (Ka w) ; 4. Jef f Matiasevich (Yam); S. Luca Pretto (Hon); 6. Jimmy Button (Suz). HEAT 2: 1. Je re my McG u th (H a n ); 2. Mike la Rocco (Ka w) ; 3 . James D obb (Han) ; 4 . Damon H u ffm a n (5uz); S. Alessio Chiod i (H on); 6. Ph ill ipe Du Pasquier (Yam). HEAT 3: 1. Steve Lamson (H a n); 2. Larry Ward (Yam ); 3. Jeff Emig (Ya m); 4. Ryan Hugh es (Kaw); ;; . Ped ro Tragter (Suz); 6. Dani el Obel lsco (Kaw). SEMI 1: 1. Jeremy MtGrath (Hon); 2. Dou g H enry (H a n); 3. Yves De ma ria (H a n ); 4. Ped ro Go nza lez (Kaw ); 5. Ja mes Dobb (Hon ); 6. Jeff Ma tiasevich (Yam); 7. Colin Du gm or e (5uz); 8. Yann Gued ard (Kaw); 9. M;chael Maschio (Yam ); 10. Thi erry s..~hy. (Yam); 11. Luea Pr ettc (H a n) ; 12. A les si o Ch iod i (Han) ; 13. Cregory Riaux (Yam); 14. Jim my Button (Suz). SEMI 2: 1. Ste v e Lam son (Han); 2. Larry Ward (Yam); 3. Ryan Hughe (Kaw) ; 4. Mike LaRocco (Kaw ); .. 5. Frederic Bolley (Yam); 6. Cuy Cooper (Suz ); 7. Damon Hufrman (Su z); 8. Jeff Emig (Yam); 9. Pedro Tragter (Suz) ; 10. Phill lpe Dupasquier (y am); 11. Frederic Vialle (Kaw); 12. Mike Jones (Suz); 13. David Avile.. (Kaw); 14. Daniel Obeli>co (Kaw ). :zo.LAP MAIN: 1. Fred eri c Bolley (Yam); 2. Jeremy McGrath (Han); 3. Doug Henry (Hon); 4. Jelf Emig (Yam) ; S. Pedro Gonza lez (Kaw); 6 . Mike LaRocco (Kaw) ; 7. Larry Ward (yam); 8. Miehad Maschio (Yam); 9 . Jimmy Button (Suz); 10. James Dobb (Hon); 11. Frederic Vial)., (Kaw) ; 12. Cuy Cooper (Suz); 13. Steve Lamson (H on); 14. Yves Demaria (Hon); 15. Ryan Hughes (Kaw ); 16. Jeff Matiasevich (Yam).

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