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SUP.ERCROSS· . 1996 F.LM. WMkI.Superctoss Championship SerIes Rounds 2-4: Bercy Stadium (Left) Hampered by arm-pump the previous two nights, AMA Supercross Champion Jeremy McGrath capped off the weekend with a wire-la-wire victory. (Below) Frenchman David Vulllemin claimed the weekend's 125ccclass overall win. All the while Emig was rising from an eighth-place start. The 250cc National MX Champ seemed to dial the Paris track in as the weekend went on, but his inability to get a holeshot proved costly. On this night he blasted all the way up into second and was in a position to pounce on his teammate Huffman with three laps to go. How.ever, the younger Hu.(fman kept calm and made all of the necessary lane switches to prevent any pass. He took the checkered £lag with inches to spare for the biggest 250cc main-event win of his career. "Like I was saying, 1 wanted a good start and no traffic!" Huffman said. "1 saw Jeremy ahead of me and I knew he was having some problems, so I just rode my own race and didn't get too excited or make any mistakes. I went by him in the whoops and then my only concern was to get far enough past him so he wouldn't stuff me in the corner. 1 went through realJy fast and had plenty of room. You know, it wasn't a big feeling to pass him because I know he's not 100 percent, but it was still pretty cool. 1 knew Jeff was close at the end, but 1 didn't worry about him. I just stuck with my lines and kept looking ahead." "I'm happy with the way 1 rode, but I'm not happy with second," Emig said. "I've never won a race here before, or actually anywhere in Europe, now that 1 think about it. You can always say, 'If there was just more time!' But I'm really happy that Damon won, happie! than when anyone other than my teammates Damon or Ryan wins." Larry Ward overcame early traffic woes to grab third place on the podium and the King of Bercy points lead going into Sunday's finale. A poor-starting Hughes was fourth while McGrath's late downward spiral landed him in fifth. Button finished sixth while crashes eliminated Albertyn, Tortelli and Pichon from contention. After the initial qualifiers sorted Emig and, for the third straight night, Ward as the heat races winners, Albertyn and Hughes as the semi leaders, and Yamaha's newest member Ezra Lusk as the LCQ winner, the top 15 riders went to the line for the third and final main event of the Paris weekend. But by the time one lap was in the books (or on the disk, as this race uses electronic scoring), it looked as if the stage had been cleared for the great McGrath. "Showtime" was back on form and the number-one Honda scooted away from the field early. Hughes gave initial chase and stayed within a few seconds all the way to the finish, but it was a command performance'for McGrath all the way. He led all 20 laps, put in the fastest laps of the weekend (averaging 42 seconds throughout the race) and crossed the checkered flag with three comfortable seconds to spare. It was a record sixth Paris SX race win for McGrath. "1 think it was a combination of a new bike and not racing in a while," explained McGrath of his early struggles. "1 felt great tOnight, but we have a lot of work today before January. 1 just relaxed a Jot more and decided to have fun and not keep worrying about what the fans or anyone was thinking about my other results. Once 1 took the pressure off I felt like myoId self - no p,oblems!" As for surrendering his King of Bercy crown to Hughes, McGrath said, "Of all the guys here, I'd rather see Ryno win it than anyone else, especially after he got hurt and missed the MX des Nations. I'm really glad for him." The race might have been closer if not for a brief tangle on Jap four between Ward and Emig. After matching up with Emig down through the whoops, Ward held the inside line in the banked left-handed U that followed. Emig went outside into the jumper that followed and pinned the Honda to the wall. The move mayor may not have been fair play, and Ward ended up with a bent front disc. But even more costly to Ward was the fact that he lost the King of Bercy title in the process; a third- or fourth-place finish on Sunday would have given him the crown. "I passed Emig for third going through the whoops, then he just stopped, squared it and ran right into me," Ward said. "I.didn't have to pass him but I thought I that I could still win the race. Jeremy had been fading all weekend and I thought I'd catch him. Emig just ruined my day." Hughes might have made a bid for the Sunday night win but was wisely more occupied with holding off his teammate Emig and clinching the crown. Emig, a sixth-place starter, got close at the end but could not displace his teammate for the crown. When the final King of Bercy standings £lashed on the scoreboard, Hughes threw up his arms in victory. (N Bercy StlIdlum Paris, France Results: November 8-10, 1996 (Rounds 2-4) FricL1y 250 MAIN (20 I.ps): 1. Larry Ward (Han); 2. Ryan Hughes (KOlW)i 3. Sebastien Tortelli (Kaw); 4. Damon Huffman (!c.w); 5. Jeff Emig (Kaw); 6. Ez,. Lusk (Yam); 7. Mike Cr.ig (Han); 8. Greg AJbertyn (5uz); 9. Jimmy Button (Yam); 10. Jeremy McGrath (Hon); 11. John Dowd (Yam); 12. MickaeJ Pichon (Suz); 13. Cyril Porte (Hon); 14. Brian Swink (Hon); 15. Mickael Mascrno (Han); 16. Phil L.wrence (Yam).