Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

MOTOCROSS . . . AMA t251250Cc'National Championship Motocross series By Donn Maeda Photos by Carl Ockert and Maeda BINGHAMTON, NY, AUG. 27 t takes a comBination of many things to make a champion. Natural talent, physical conditioning, good equipment and a little bit of luck all come into play. At the penultimate round of the 125 and 250cc National Championship Series, one more basic ingredient became apparent as Steve Lamson and Jeremy McGrath earned their respective class wins desire. For Lamson, it was a question of need as he raced to a pair of strong moto wins in the 125cc class. After losing the series point lead at the previous round, the Team Honda/l-800-Collect/Fox rider entered the penultimate event with a seven-point deficit to points leader Ryan Hughes, and only four motos to make it up. Lamson needed to win, and win convincingly if the title that he so longs for is to be his. The oft-used race cliche "he did what he had to do" was never more appropriate, as Lamson turned in two gritty performances, topping Suzuki's Damon Huffman in both motos. Hughes, meanwhile, could do no better than third in both outings, and "Lamy" left Broome Tioga Sports Center with a three-point lead. "1 was so pissed after 1 got taken out . at Washougal, you don't even know," said the normally easy-going Lamson. "Every time I thought about it, I wanted to strangle the guy who took me out. 1 guess 1 dwelled on it too long - the whole two weeks we were off - but 9 maybe that fueled my fire today. 1 felt good." While McGrath's points situation entering Binghamton wasn't half as desperate as his teammate Lamson's, the three-time Supercross Champion proved that his will to win was just as strong. McGrath enjoyed a healthy 33-point lead over Yamaha's Jeff Emig, and no one would have blamed him if he decided to play it safe and take no chances in the final four motos of the series. McGrath's first-ever 250cc National Championship is within his grasp, and he could afford to sandbag a bit. But anyone who's seen McGrath charge on a supercross track should know better than that. Now a proven outdoor contender, McGrath raced to a convincing first moto win in his typical wire-to-wire fashion. In moto two, however, McGrath crashed while leading and handed the lead to Emig. Initially, it appeared as if the moto win was Emig's, as McGrath didn't need to win to secure the overall and could afford to settle for second. For Emig, there would be no such luck. McGrath rode like a wildman for a few laps before settling down and steadily reeling in his rival. The Red Rider pounced as Emig pulled a goggle tearoff, and with that, the race was over. McGrath raced off with the moto and overall wins and further extended his series point lead. With only the' Steel City National remaining, McGrath enjoys a 47-point lead and needs only finish 18th in the first moto to clinch the title. If his ride at Binghamton is any indication, don't expect McGrath to cruise around in 18th at the finale. Round 11: Broome Tioga Sports Center "Man, I wanted that one bad," said McGrath. "My parents flew out, and they haven't seen me win a 250cc National before, so I wanted to do it in style. When you come back from a crash like that and win, it means more than when you just run away, that's for sure." Yamaha's John Dowd was second in the first moto, and third in moto two behind McGrath and Emig, good enough for second overall. Emig crashed early i1l race one and soldiered on with a severely tweaked front end, but managed to race up to seventh. That, combined with his second in moto two, wrapped up third overall for the former 125cc National Champion. Temperatures in the low 70s and constant cloud cover' may have kept the large crowd on hand cool, but the action on the natural-terrain/supercross-style course was hot and heavy. 250Ce NATIONAL McGrath led the charge off the line, and for all intents and purposes, the race was over. Dowd did his best to shadow the Honda rider for several laps, but eventually, McGrath would break free and enjoy a 10-second lead at the finish. "I was riding a little tight at the start of the race, maybe for the first five laps," admitted McGrath. "Then I started to concentrate on breathing and riding smooth. That was pretty much it." The defending event champion, Dowd, was impressive as he matched McGrath's every move for the first four laps. In the end, however, Dowd was alone and out of striking range. "1 was (Above) Shortly .fter winning the 88COI1d 125cc-clue mota, Steve Uun8Ol'l (right) ruahlld to the startlng line to give his teemmetB Jeremy McGrath (lett) BOmB pointers. McGrath won his mota . . well. It w.. the fourth time this yeer thlIt LBmBOn and McGrath .wept both el...... tight at the start, but after I relaxed I started to actually push Jeremy a little," said Dowd. "Then my arms started to pump up, and the shoulder that 1 dislocated at Washougal started to get tired. I didn't know what to expect at this race, so second is good." Another Yamaha rider, Damon Bradshaw, came home a close third. The Beast From the East gated seventh and took control of third by the third lap. Though he was unable to eat away the four seconds that separated him and Dowd, Bradshaw looked fast and fluid. "I was charging pretty good, but my stomach started to hurt pretty bad in the last 10 minutes," said Bradshaw. '1 had to go to the bathroom. 1 guess 1 could have gone in my pants, but 1 sure didn't want to have to dean that up after the race. Maybe next moto I'll wear a diaper." Fourth went to Honda of Troy's James Dobb. The Englishman gated fourth and ran as high as third before settling into his final finishing position. Dobb stayed within striking distance of Bradshaw to the very end, turning in yet another one of his impressive late-season performances. "Honda of Troy has told me that my '96 contract depends on my last few

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