Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

SUPERCROSS THOR/PARTS UNLIMITED AidA SUPERCROSS SERIES DeWI Stadium McGrath was on the move· and was obviously trying desperately to get around his teammate Albertyn before Emig had any chance of getting away. McGrath succeeded in passing Albertyn on lap three and then set his sights on Emig, who just couldn't find that extra speed for a quick getaway. Instead, McGrath reeled him in and began searching for a way around his longtime nemesis. Three laps later, McGrath rode around the outside of Emig and shot into the lead, much to the delight of the huge crowd. McGrath slowly put a little distance on Emig, while Albertyn, followed by Ward, wiltched all the action from a close third. (Above) Kawasaki's Ryan Hughes came from nearly dead last to finish third. (Right) Frenchman Stephane Roncada (112) matched Windham's everY move for about half the race. Roncada showed that he'll be a serious title contender in the East Coast series. r:--.. 0\ Hughes, Bradshaw and Ward stayed close the entire eight-lap race but no one could make a pass. Ward fell off the pace slightly tow.ard the end while some way back Dowd held off Chesterfield's Mike Brown. . Henry was never a factor in the race, nor was Huffman - thanks to Henry. On the first lap, Henry rammed Huffman from behind and their bikes locked. By the time they got going again, the pack had stormed by. Later on, Henry again crashed when he overshot a bowl turn and nearly touched down on another section of the tracl$. Both 250cc semis produced little action, at least l.(p front. Albertyn led from start to finish in the first six-lap semi while Kiedrowski followed the whole way in second. LaRocco sat comfortably in third from start to finish, and Suzuki rider Kyle Lewis finished fourth after passing Chaparral/ Yamaha's Jimmy Button late in the race. Finishing one spot out of a straight shot to the main was Pro Circuit/SplitFire/ Kawasaki's David Pingree, who was competing in his first 250cc race. Henry made up for his heat-race blunders by sailing to victory in the second semi. Brown, however, did keep him honest the whole way and would end up second. Huffman finished a little way back in third while Dowd took the checkers all alone in fourth, though he was pressured by the fifth-place finisher, Oregon's Ty. Birdwell, early in the race. Jeff Matiasevich took the LCQ win at the expense of Pingree, who was nipping leader. Mike Chamberlain's heels. Pingree was run off the track when' Matiasevich came up and stuffed him in a turn. Pingree eventually crashed into a hay bale while trying to re-enter the track. Chamberlain was Matiasevich's next ~ ~~~~~cl~n~n~~~~~u~:~~~~:~~= ..n berlain. It didn't take long for things to get ce exciting in the 250cc feature. As the pack headed into the first turn - a mild left ..0 before a sharp right - Lamson had the C!) slight edge on the 2D-rider field, but the ~ 125cc National MX champ went into the first turn a little too hot' and lost both wheels as he slid to the ground, taking a ~ 2 8 For Emig, some of the pressure had been relieved when Albertyn crashed, but he couldn't really relax because McGrath wasn't far behind, and both Ward and Huffman were badgering McGrath. Huffman, the only rider left who seem~d to have the momentum to catch' Emig, got around Ward but moments later, he too went tumbling off the track. "1 just went around Larry Ward, and 1 was right behind McGra!h going through the whoops," said Huffman, who was tending to a sore right knee afterward. "1 had a good -line through the whoops all night, 1 would kind of wheelie into them. 1 was just coming up to the very end of the whoops, leahing toward the inside to cover the inside line, and my boot kind of caught the edge of one of the whoops ,and it ripped my leg off the bike. And then 1 had no back brake because my leg was 'behind me, that's why 1 went over the top of the berm." The incident dropped Huffman all the way back to 16th. Huffman's crash ended any true threat to Emig's lead, since neither McGrath nor Ward had shown any signs of reeling in the leader during the last half of the race. The only .rider left who was actually closing the gap on Emig was Hughes, but he was too far back with too little time. Hughes passed Ward for third on the 15th lap and that would be as far as he could go. McGrath did get a little closer to Emig in the last few laps, but Emig was in command. The Kawasaki rider took the checkers less than two seconds ahead of McGrath, followed closely by Hughes. Ward 'followed a few seconds later just ahead of LaRocco. Next across the line, albeit some way back, was Henry, followed by Dowd, Craig, Lamson and Albertyn. . Lamson finished l1'th, while Kyle Lewis finished 12th after a 14th-place start. Kiedrowski finished 13th, just ahead ofJimmy Button, Matiasevich and Ezra Lusk. Lusk got off to a 10th-place start and had worked his way up to as high as seventh before crashing to the back of the pack. Chamberlain, Birdwell, Huffman and Brown rounded out the field. 125cc handful of riders out with him. Lamson was fortunate he didn't get run over. "1 got lucky," Lamson said. "1 got a footpeg or something up my side but that was about it." As for why the crash happened, lamson explained: "1 got a pretty good jump and somebody was on my inside, and 1 kind of held it on a little bit longer than them. 1 went into the first turn, and 1 think it was Emig who came around on the outside. 1 was already on my brakes, and the bike just came out from under me. It was an easy fall. I guess 1 wanted the holeshot a little too much." "Lamson wen t in there hot and slid out," said Hughes, who was one of many riders caught in the mayhem. "Bradshaw fell and I hit him, and then I got my bike out of the pile and took off." Lamson was never really heard from again as he silently worked his way up through the pack to finish ninth. Bradshaw got as high as 11 th, and Kiedrowski, who rounded the first turn in last place after the big crash, salvaged an 11th. Henry, made a good recovery by finishing sixth. Meanwhile, up front, Emig found himself leading the way, followed by Albertyn, McGrath, Ward, Huffman, Craig and LaRocco. McGrath started pulling away ever so slightly, which had many believing this would be his first victory aboard his 1BOO-Collect/Suzuki of Troy/Fox Racing R.M250. But it wouldn't be as the unthinkable happened on lap 10 McGrath fell over. While coming out of a tight and sandy right-hand turn, McGrath slid out. "Every time 1 was going to the outside, outside, outside, every time," McGrath said. "Then 1 saw there was an inside line in the sand, and 1 went into the inside. My rear wheel didn't catch the rut - 1 clutched it to go and 1 wasn't in the rut, braaaa, and slid out." By the time McGrath got up and going again, Eillig and Albertyn had . already ridden past. . Emig was now out in front again, but Albertyn was making serious challenges for the lead, just like he had at the series opener in Los Angeles. Albertyn could taste another victory, 'if only he could get around the Kawasaki rider. Unfortunately for Albertyn and Team Suz.uki, that win would have to wait at least another week after "Albee" got out of shape over a series of jumps and went tumbling off the track. Nearly half the pack rode by Albertyn while he struggled to get going again. Kevin Windham had an easy time of it in the first 125cc heat race, winning over Team Suzuki's Nathan Ramsey and Team Kawasaki of Mexico/Tecate's Pedro Gonzalez. Team Moto XXX/O'Neal/HSKS of Ocala's Brian Deegan, winner of the previous week's main event, finished fourth, just ahead of Stephane Roncada. The second heat race was topped by Pro Circuit/SplitFire/Kawasa!

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