Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

(Left) John Dowd became the oldest rider ever to win a 125cc Superc ros s main. The Yamaha rider took advantage of a crash by leader Mlckael Pichon and earned his first-ever stadium win. (Above) Doug Henry made his return to racing at the Georgia Dome. The Yamaha rider finished 14th. Pichon DNFed the race after stepping off his SplitFire /Pro Circuit/ Kawasaki bike over a triple jump in an effo rt to avo id an unforesee n d own ed rid er . Pichon's crash, along with those of Tim Ferry, Davey Yezek and Brian Deegan the usu al conten ders - left the steps to the pod ium available to first-time Pro- Am competi tor Cha rley Bogard an d Honda priva teer Jim Neese . Th e Atl anta track, designed once aga in by Dirt Works, u nderwent some mi racul ou s changes between Friday's press-day practice sessions and the main events on Saturday night. Wet Georgia clay made the going difficult and ru tted on Friday as few ride rs even attempted to jump any obstacles on what was more or less .a muddy track. Course workers employed every dirt-drying technique they knew to get better conditions, including dropping powder cement on the faces of the jumps and leaving the ventilation system running wide open throughout the night. The result of t he rescue efforts was a decen t but unforgiving track. "The d iffe ren ce between the track right now and the track yesterday is u nbelievab le," McGrath said halfwav thr ough Saturday night's program. "It:s pe rfect right now compared to what it was . I was kind of nervous that it wasn't going to be any fun after yesterday, but they really got it together. It should be a great race toni gh t even thou gh the rut s w ill come back by the time we're done." 250Cc In the first 250cc heat race, Kawasaki's Ryan Hughes wen t dow n on the start, cau sing a ch ain react ion that also d ropped Hond a's Steve Lamson, Hond a of Troy' s Mike Brown and Great Western Ba nk's Budd y Antunez. Up fron t rod e H onda of Troy / Sinisalo's Brian Swink, followed by Suzuki pri va teer Barry Ca rst en , Suzu ki's Ezr a Lusk and Mike LaRocco, and Team Ch aparr al's Lar ry Brooks. Series runner-up Damon Huffm an was back in 10th after pickin g his way through the first-tum carnage, but he was quickly making progress through the pack. "I just got tangled up with Ryno and someone else got back into me, so I just high -sid ed off the bike," said Lamson, wh o's bike was damaged enough to need a t ri p back to t he box van fo r so me straightening out. Georgia's own Lusk knifed his way thr ou gh everyone to get the lead . much to the delight of the partisan crowd. But halfway thro ugh the race Lusk caught a hay bale in the first tum and dropped his Suzuki out of a qual ifying position. That left Swink right back in the lead, though laRocco made quick work of him to get a yellow bike back up front. In the end LaRocco took the win - his first checkered flag of the season and first since rejoining Team Suzuki . . "I had a good result, but I don't feel like I rode real great. I'm just trying to focus on the track and the bike and get everything working for the main event," said laRocco, who had one podium finish to date com ing into Atlanta. "I like the track and I usually do well here, so I'm looking forward to the main event. I just need to smooth out some areas." LaRocco won the "Battle of Atlanta" in '95 aboard a Kawasaki. "I got a good start for the first time in a long time," said th e Mich igan-born , Florida-based Swink. "Second is about as good as first in a heat race - pretty much an even pick on the gate - bu t I would've liked to have won because it's been so long since I've done that!" A pair of factory Kawasakis filled in the last two qualifying spots as Huffman and Hu gh es raced through the pack to finish third and fou rth. Lusk lost ou t on a d irect tra nsfer wit h a fifth- place finish ahead of Brooks and Brown. The seco nd heat race sa w McGra th burst from the starting gate with the lead. Emig and Hond a of Troy /S inisalo's Mike Craig jumped right up besid e McGra th on the exit of the first tu rn and a b rief ta ng le be twee n Em ig a nd McGrath allowed Craig to roll around the outside of the both of them . Bu t Emig and McGra th both zap ped Craig back and started into yet another McGrath-Emig duel. For half the race, Emig led McGrath as the crowd rose to their feet in anticipation of a sp rint to the finish. Announcer Larry Naston kept reminding the crowd that it was Emig who stopped McGrath's season-long unbeaten streak in a San Diego hea"t race and a repeat seemed to be in the works. Alas, halfway through the race McGrath low-jumped past Emig on a triple and pulled away for his 10th race win in 11 starts this season . "We kind of had a dogfight, me and Emig . I just had to get away from him becau se he's back up to his old tricks blocking-passing, running me off th e track and shit," said McGrath. "I was riding real hyper the first couple of laps and then I smoothed out and rode smart. I figured the best thing todo was just pass him and get away. " A grea t battle for third developed between Craig and first-time Yamaha teammates Damon Bradshaw and Doug Henry, who was ma king hi s '96 debut after spending the last eight mon ths on th e sidelines with a ca reer- threatening back injury. Craig emerged with third at the finish, and Bradshaw edged Henry for the fina l transfer spot. Among the other non-qualifiers were Xtreme / Atomic 22/PJl 's Jimmy Button, H on d a of Troy/Sinisalo's Larry Ward, Great Western Bank's Phil Lawrence, and Noleen's Kyle Lewis. At th e start of the firs t se mi, Lusk blasted into the lead ahead o f Carsten, Lamson, Brow n and Broo ks. Lamso n took the lead from Lusk at the end of the first lap, but Lusk reta liated just a few turns later to take back the lead. Lusk, who has been rid ing with vigor this last mo nth, took a we ll-ap plauded w in, followed bv Lamson, Brown, Kawasakimounted- Antunez and Honda of Hou ston's Jeff Dement. "I've been wo rking really hard these last four m on ths to show the people what I'm made of," said Lusk, who spent much of '95 on the injured reserve list. "I want to show everyone that deep inside I've got what it takes to succeed, and I want to show everyone what my Suzuki can do, too." Ward holeshot the second heat race ahead of Button, Kansas privateer Jeff Hedden, and F&S Suzuki's Mike Treadwell. Henrv started ninth or so but was quickly riding in a qualifying, top-five position. Button passed Ward through the sand section and pulled away for the semi win ahead of Ward, Henrv, Yamaha-mounted Lewis, and Lawrence, wh o seemed to be struggling on the rutted Atlanta course. "I have to get it out of my head that 1 have the same pressures on me that these factory guys do," said Button, who is riding in his first full 250cc supe rcross season after spending his formative years on a 125 and 1995 in Europe. " If 1 just ride and not worry abou t things, 1do so much better. I lose my confidence too easily. 1 need to remember that there's no one out th ere I need to im p ress except myself. Mayb e a "wha t-t he-hel l" attitude will work a little better." In the LCQ Larry Brooks scored the win ahead of veteran New Jersey pilot Barry Carsten. Hedden was a close-butno-transfer third. As the pack jettisoned itself from the

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