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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127798
M CROSS. OTO' AlIA t25l25Occ National Motocross Championship series • Round 11: Washougal Motocross Park By Cameron Coatney Photos By steve Middlesworth WASHOUGAL, WA, AUG. 18 ometimes things just come easily, while sometimes it just doesn't work out the way you planned it. Team Honda's Steve Lamson knows both sides of coin, as last year he had to fight back from a large deficit to win the 1995 AMA 125cc MX ational Championship over Ryan Hughes that came down to an epic final-moto battleof-the-year at Steel Gty. Lamson had to work hard this year, of course, but he was able to wrap up his second consecbve AMA 125cc National Motocross Championship with five motos-to spare with a commanding victory in the 125cc class at the 16th annual running of the Washougal AMA 125/250cc National Motocross. In the 250cc class, Mike LaRocco gave Team Suzuki its second National victory of the year when he took the overall win with a 2-2. This has been a stellar year for Lamson and the Team Honda rider has won nine of 11 Nationals thus far, and the last seven in a row. He did it at Washougal with a commanding 1-1 performance that saw the 25-year-old finally get a second-moto holeshot that has been somewhat elusive for him this year. "It feels so good to wrap it up at Washougal," Lamson said. "I've had orne bad luck here in the past and it's nice to finally do good here. I wouldn't have been happy had I not won the second moto. I finally broke my secondmoto-bad-start syndrome. I know the fans want it to come down to the last moto like it did last year, but I'll gladly take it this way. I just want to thank my mechanic Mike Gosselaar - he's done a great job, and Cliff White and Wess McCoy. I couldn't have done it without them. I'm going to go out and try to win the last four motos of the year now." Earning a second overall in the 125cc class with a 3-3 was Honda of Troy's Mike Craig, who stepped up a notch on the podium after finishing third at Millville two weeks ago. "In the first moto I fell trying to pass a couple of guys on Suzukis (Dobb and Fer:ry)," said Craig. "The second moto went pretty good. I've been coming out and trying as hard as I can. Last week I got third. This week I got second. So maybe it'll be a first next week." Team Yamaha's 31-year-old factory rider John Do",d had another podium finish at Washougal, taking third overall with a 6-2. It was his eighth podium finish this year and should be worth something with contract time at hand. "The second moto was so much fun. At 31, I'm still feeling good," Dowd said after being asked about future contracts and his age. 'Tm not ready to retire. I'm looking forward to next year. My contract is still up in the air, but I'm hoping to stay with Yamaha and ride the 125s again." Fourth overall went to Team Yamaha's Kevin Windham, who took second to Lamson in the first moto, but a few skirn:l.ishes with Suzuki's Tim Ferry held him back to sixth in the second moto. Team Honda of Troy's Mike Brown matched his finishing position from Millville in fifth overall with a 5-8. American Honda / Primal Impulse/ Fox-backed Robbie Reynard got sixth with a 12-4, Quicksilver/Performance Engineering's James Dobb took seventh with a 4-13, Team Chaparral's Michael Brandes and Brian Deegan fought over the Skoal Bandit Privateer Award in eighth and ninth, respectively, and American Honda/Prirnallmpulse/Fox's Kim Ashkenazi closed out the top 10.