Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

(Left) Team Moto XXXlO'Neal's Brian Deegan shocked the fans by winning the 125cc feature and launching his bike off the finishline double. The fans loved it but the AMA did not and Deegan was fined $500 for the incident. (Below left) Team Yamaha's Ezra Lusk picked up the $1000 holeshot award for his start in the 250cc main event and went on to finish a fine second. (Below) Deegan and team manager Kenny Watson celebrate at the finish of the 125cc main. great job on my bike this week. We got another three horsepower out of it and I'm excited. I'm going to go up from here - I just had to get this first one (podium spot) down, you know. Last week I didn't even get to race hardly, so I'm happy." Team Kawasaki's Damon Huffman improved upon his 11 th-place finish from last week and took a fou.rth, despite having the flu this week. Huffman battled heavily with Team Honda's Steve Lamson throughout most of the main until he crashed two laps from the finish, giving Huffman the fourth position. "1 was in fifth for so long," Hu.ffman said." We were real close and I was getting roosted and pulled off all my tearoffs. The pressure finally got to (Steve) Lamson and he crashed off the finishline jump. I'm pleased with this finish after riding the couch all week being sick. I just used my head the whole time and that's the only thing that got me through." Team Honda of Troy's Larry Ward persevered again and finished fifth after having to qualify out of a semifinal race. He led the main event for a few laps and rode smart, still recovering from a b'i'dly injured ankle. "Last Friday was the first' time I got to ride my '97 bike," Ward said. ''I'm still getting used to it and working things out. I crashed as hard as I've ever crashed in my heat race. I'm still only one or two points out of second and I'm ju.st gonna gel as many points as I can these first five races, let myself heal, and ·come on strong after the break. I'm still· feeling in shape and I just need to get a little more speed." Ward's teammate, Mike Craig, finished sixth, 125cc World MX Champ Sebastien Tortelli finished a respectable seventh, Albertyn finished eighth after a crash at the start, Mike Kiedrowski got ninth and Lamson recovered to close out the top 10. The 125cc main event was expected to provide some added entertainment with the inclusion of 125cc East Coast riders Ricky Carmichael and David Pingree of Team Pro Circuit/SplitFire/ Kawasaki, and Honda of Troy's French import Stephane Roncada, who were all riding to shake the bugs out before the start of the East Region series in a few weeks. A large pileup ruined chances for many, but it was Team Moto XXX/O'Neal/Epitaph/HSKS of Ocala's Brian Deegan who shocked the pu.ndits by Mnning the 125cc West Coast fearure - Kevin Windham country. After Windham's spank-fest last weekend, most wondered if they should race for second on down, but the defending champ got a so-so start and crashed himself to the back of the top 10. Deegan crashed himself out of his heat last week, compressed two vertebrae in his back and wasn't able to ride all week. The Canyon Lake, California, resident dogged Primal Impulse/ Honda's Robbie Reynard and took the lead with four laps to go as Reynard faded with severe arm pump. Deegan shocked them more when he let his bike go solo (aka ghost ride) over the finish-line double and crossed the line after his bike, in one of the wildest displays supercross has ever seen. His team was going nuts. Deegan was consequently fined $500 by the AMA and his team manager, Kenny Watson, was fined the same amount for ru.nning onto the track - botl1 justified safety violations. "I saw a lot of people go down at the start," Deegan said. "The guy to the right of me took everybody out and it set me up perfectly. My bike was perfect - everything. I was in the right place at the right time and I'd been doing a lot of training, so I was able to keep the pace. Once I was in second, I could see Reynard fading and I couldn't even think about my back. All I could think about was winning. "Everyone has done every jump," Deegan replied about the finish-line flight. "I just thought that would be the punkest thing I could do. I'm going to pay Kenny's fine, too." FMF/Yamaha's Frenchman David Vuillernin in1proved upon his fifth place from last week with a second place in the final. Vuillernin is now tied for second with Windham in the,points chase wit!, 38, just two points shy of leader Reynard. "My start was not very good out of the gate," Vu.illemin said. "But I stayed very close on the inside. I did not see the crash and came out in third. After Rey- nard started to get tired, I got second. 1 could not get out of the line and get Deegan. He did not make a mistake and I stayed. I want to thank Donny Emler of FMF and Terry Varner for my bike, and my mechanic, Brent Myron." Team Suzuki's second-newest member, athan Ramsey, made good on his new ride with a third-place finish and a trip to the podium. He finished second to Windham in his heat to qualify. "It took me three or fOill laps to get going," Ramsey said. "There was that big crash to the right of me and I got off about eighth. I started passing riders, got into third and started closing in on the leaders. I didn't see the two-lap board to know it was the end of the race. When the checkered flag came out, I couldn't believe it. I might've been able to get them. Next week." Reynard held on for fourth and is looking for some answers to his armpump dilemma after two straight weeks of leading only to encou.nter the problem, Pro Circuit/SplitFire/Kawasaki's Craig Decker and Casey Johnson got fifth and seventh, respectively, when they had to make up time from the start crash and Roncada took sixth. Windham got eighth due to the aforementioned, self-induced crashes while Chaparral/ Yamaha's Travis Preston finished ninth and Prin1al Impulse/ Honda's Shau.n Perolio was 10th. 250cc The first fOill would make it to the main out of heat one and Team Honda of Troy's Mike Craig emerged from the first corner with the lead, followed by Henry, Emig, Huffman, McGrath, Yamaha's John Dowd, Suzuki of Japan's Kyle Lewis and Ward in the mix. Craig's lead was short-lived when he washed out in a comer. Henry assumed the lead and held it to the end. Behind Henry, Emig,. McGrath and Huffman held the pace. McGrath carne up slighly short on a triple, giving the third spot to Huffman by the finish. Lewis and Tortelli ba ttled in fifth and sixth, and would finish accordingly, while Ward took a hard spill racing Mth the duo and pulled off. Dowd held on for seventh, Chaparral Yamaha's Phil Lawrence Crashed but held on to eighth,

• Cover