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/127795
MOTOCROSS ... AD 12512SOcc·National Championship Motocross Series Round 9: Kenworthy's MX Park By Kit Palmer Photos by Jimmy T TROY, OH, JULY 28 e's already wrapped up his fourth supercross title in a row winning 14 of 15 SX races along the way; he's broken just about every record there is to break; he's already won five outdoor 250cc Nationals as well as a truckload of motos this season; and he already has a commanding series points lead. So what could Team 1-800-Collect/Fox/Honda's Jeremy McGrath - the defending 250cc ational champ - possibly lack? Motivation, perhaps? According to Super Mac himself, that was exactly the case following the first 250cc National moto at the supercrossish Kenworthy's MX Park in Troy, Ohio. McGrath was stricken by a case of the blaahs, as longtime rival Jeff Emig simply pulled away from the defending 250cc champ to take the opening-moto win over race-favorite McGrath. On a track that some thought would have suited McGrath's riding style to a tee lots of jumps and man-made whoops McGrath was plainly outridden to the checkered flag by Emig, and McGrath quickly admitted that he just wasn't "too motivated." '1 don't know," said McGrath. 'Tve been training and all, but I just couldn't get going. I'll have to do omething (to get motivated) between motos." That something ended up being a chat with his tuner and close friend Skip Norfolk. Whatever orfolk said to his rider did the trick. McGrath came out of the hole in the second moto looking more like the McGrath we're all familiar with. After mixing it up with a few riders for a couple of laps, he simply blew the doors off everyone to record his sixth National overall win of the series. "Skip's a good motivator," a smiling McGrath said afterward. Obviously. Emig rode a flawless race in the first moto, pulling away from McGrath and the rest of the 40-rider field, but the former 125cc National champ struggled in the second. He led early on, only to get passed by McGrath, then tangled with previous-round winner Greg Albertyn of Team Suzuki. Emig would still finish third in the moto and take second overall, though he leaves Kenworthy's an additional two points down on McGrath. Perhaps the ride of the day was turned in by Honda of Troy rider Larry Ward. Ward finished a respectable sixth in the first moto but would take second in the second moto after passing both Emig and Albertyn, then thwarting a strQng late-race challenge by Emig. His 6-2 moto finishes gave Ward third overall and his team's first 250cc podium finish - ever. And what better way to do it than in front of the team's hometown crowd. Kawasaki's Ryan Hughes showed that he is almost fully recovered from the broken jaw he suffered at the Charlotte Supercross in April. Although he says his strength isn't entirely back, he did tell his competitors by way of his performance on the track that he has certainly regained his speed. Hughes ran among the leaders early in both motos before dropping off the pace ever so slightly by midway. Still, Hughes put together two strong fourth-place finishes to grab fourth overall. Jeremy McGrath gives his tuner Skip Norfolk s ride blIck to the pits after winning the second 250cc moto lit Troy. McGrath crsdlted Norfolk for his win.