Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

compared to the carnage that existed in the very exci ting 125cc main event. Huge early crashes by class heavyweights Kevin Windham and Robbie Reynard were only the prelude to the demolition derby that would end the race. After race-long leader athan Ramsey crashed his Suzuki on a triple jump, Honda of Troy's Stephane Roncada used the bike for a landing pad and went down as well. Out of seemingly nowhere rode fellow Frenchman David Vuillemin on an FMF Racing-backed Yamaha to take the win over Kawasaki SplitFire/Pro Circuit's Casey Johnson and Kawasaki of Mexico/Tecate's Pedro Gonzalez. The PACE Motor Sports-produced Seattle event saw more than 54,000 fans fill the fully enclosed Kingdome. The . track's damp soil rutted up right away typical for the Seattle SX - and made for some awkward going for everyone. "The dirt was a little wet and it was by far the biggest jumps we've had all year," said Larry Ward of the unforgiving Seattle track. "Add 7- or 8-inch deep ruts all th.e way across every jump. You just have to hang on out there. A lot of the top, top guys looked like geeks out there at times. It wasn't because we don't know how to ride; it was because of all those ruts." (Right) Team Suzuki's Nathan Ramsey (38) grabbed the holeshot in the 125cc main, but it . was Frenchman David Vulllemin (125) who came from way behind to win. Ramsey crashed while leading. (Below) Suzuki's Jeremy McGrath was again in the hunt for the win, but a bobble late In the race ended his assault on Henry. McGrath finish second for the second week in a row. 250Cc Team Honda's Steve Lamson holeshot the first 250cc heat race but was quickly overtaken by HoT's Mike Craig. Then it was Yamaha's Ezra Lusk who quickly sped by for the lead, and. Ward also went around the pair a short time later, leaving Lamson and Craig to sort things out for third and fourth as Suzuki's Greg "Hunter" Albertyn followed in fifth. Urged on by the huge audience, Ward set after the leader and came within inches of his rear tire, but Lusk hung tough and Ward was unable to make any realistic passing attempts. Lamson repassed Craig for a hardfought third, while Albertyn failed to make the direct transfer with a fifthplace effort. Chaparral teammates Phil Lawrence and Jimmy Button also failed to transfer directly. Kawasaki/Shift/ Arnette-backed Emig blasted into the lead at the start of the second 250cc heat race; Henry, McGrath and Kiedrowski followed. Henry quickly turned up the heat on Emig and, after two laps, £mig bobbled in a corner and let Henry fly by. The Kawasaki rider was able to correct himsell before McGrath and Kiedrowski could do the same, which eventually made up the finishing order. Unable to transfer straight to the main were such names as Damon Bradshaw, Ryan Hughes, Damon Huffman, John Dowd and Moto XXX's Brian Swink. The crowd was blown away when home-stater Lance Smail blasted out of the first turn with the 250cc semi-one lead aboard his big, loud KTM fourbanger. Factory Suzuki riders Albertyn and LaRocco were right behind and made short work of Smail through a tricky r.hythm section, but the crowd continued to focus on the KTM fourstroke and Smail's efforts to get into the AMA Supercross record books as the first modern four-straker to make a 250cc main event. Kyle Lewis and Kawasaki-mounted Jeff Matiasevich also passed Smail after a few laps. As the laps wound down, Albertyn maintained control to take the win over LaRocco while- Lewis and Matiasevich (ough over third. On the last lap, But- ton silenced the crowd by catching up and passing Smail with a half lap to go. Button's momentum also carried him past Matiasevich for fourth, but Smail could not catch Matiasevich and settied for a noble sixth. SpljtFire/Pro Circuit's moonlighting 125cc rider David Pingree got the holeshot in the second 250cc serru but was soon passed by Kawasaki factory pilots Huffman and Hughes. Yamahamounted Dowd also got by Pingree, as did Manchester Honda/ AXO/Scottbacked Damon Bradshaw. The order of the uneventful second heat would remain Huffman, Hughes, Dowd and Bradshaw; so focus turned to the battle for fifth between Pingree and the privateer Swink. "Swinkster" seemed to find that old flame again and dispatChed the stubborn Pingree to the LCQ by taking the last transfer spot. Smail again brought down the house when he nailed his second holeshot of the rught in the LCQ, butthe presence of Team Chaparral's Phil Lawrence injured thumb and all - meant that Smail's best hope would be a runner-up finish. Pingree and Smail's fellow Northwesterners - Ryan Huffman and Jason McCorr.ruck - began a four-man battle that would see Smail lead all the way past the white flag, but then Huffman was able to make a last-lap pas just three turn from the finish to deny SmaH again. This time the KTM rider received a standing ovation for his efforts from the knowledgeable Kingdome crowd. For just a moment, early in 250cc main event, it appeared that Honda's Steve Lamson had finally shaken out of his early-season slump and found the stadium speed that has carried him to the podium several times in the past. But, by the time the pack crested the following jumps right off the start, Craig was in the lead with McGrath in close pursuit, followed en masse by Lamson, Ward, Lus ,Albertyn, Henry and £mig. "I didn't get a very good start, but I knew it was a 20-lap race, and if I made every lap count I would be okay," Henry said of hi midpack start. "I tried to find some lines and stay out of the ruts as much as 1 could." By the time Craig got around to the mechanics' area, his HoT mechanic Dean Baker knew that the best advice to give the leader was to write "Just Like Europe" on the pit board. (Craig, like teammate Larry Ward, always seems to do well in international SX races but seems to ten e up when leading in America.) Unfortunately for "Sting Ray," Lusk was too close for him to relax one bit and the Yamaha rider flew into the lead on the triple jumps. Lusk, still searching for a first-ever 250cc main-event win, immediately started to open up some ground as the rest of the lead pack jockeyed for position. On the fourth lap, Ward made a popular pass on McGrath for third, while Henry moved up to fifth. The Yamaha rider then actually had to pass McGrath for the first time this year by taking an unorthodox but incredjbly fast line over a set of staggered jumps. After rolling out of the corner on the inside, Henry doubled through the straight and then tripled into the next comer to pass a surprised McGrath on the outside. "I found that lme in practice and did the jumps just once, and then I tried it in my heat race a couple of times," H~nry said of the offbeat Ime. "There weren't really that many ruts over there, and even though I wasn't sure whether it was faster or slower, it was definitely more consistent than going over on the left side." The race changed dramatically on the sjxth lap when Ward passed his teammate Craig for second just as Lusk pounded himself" into the ground while all alone in a whoop section. The roof almost came down as Ward suddenly took the lead. Henry went right past Craig, followed by McGrath. "I felt great and the bike worked ~ great, but then I blew it," Lusk admitted. "I guess I got some things to work out with myself, but I'm really happy with my progress. I don't really remem- ~ ber what happened except that I got cross-rutted and fell, then highsided again trying to fix my bike from the first time. But I got a lot going for me now and I feel like it's only going to get bet- b\ ter." 0\ Craig spiraled down through the field over the next couple of laps before finally dropping out on lap 12 with sore ribs. Apparently, he bounced his ch.est off his crossbar pad and was having too much trouble breathing to continue. He was joined on tbe sideliI)es by Lawrence, whose injured thumb also made it too painful to continue, and a bitterly disappointed Hughes, whose bike seized on him. rl "," rl Cell 2 ..n cu ~ 7

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