Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127835
SUPERCROSS THORIPARTS UNLIMITED AMA SUPERCROSS SERIES Team Suzuki/1-80oCollect's Jeremy McGrath used his first main-event holeshot of the year to win his second Supercross of the season and close to within six points of series points leader Jeff Emig. By Cameron Coatney Photos by Kinney Jones ST. LOUIS, MO, APR. 5 hen Supercross Series points leader Jeff Emig crashed and injured his thigh during practice on Friday, Team Nac Nac Enterprises/Suzuki of Troy / Fox's Jeremy McGrath smelled blood.. Like a predator, McGrath sensed that his prey was weak and moved in for the kill, earning his second win of the season in the very same place where Emig was able to put a stop to the four-time defending champion's perfect season a year ago. McGrath used his first main-event holeshot of the year to his full advantage, inching a~ay for the victory in front of 44,012 fans after passing Emig for good on the first lap after the two went back 'and forth for several exciting, bar-to-bar corners. McGrath obviously pleased with his starts and overall per- formance as he continues to grow more familiar with his works Suzuki. "I got two good starts tonight, which was great," McGrath explained while signing autographs. "My Suzuki's working great off the line. We're getting it dialed in and not testing so much new stuff. 1 got the holeshot in the main and had to dish out a little aggressiveness in the beginning beca use (Jeff) Emig doesn't let off. He doesn't give you any space so 1 just had to take what 1 wanted out there. 1 knew once 1 got out in front 1 could just go because 1 was riding smooth - and 1 knew Emig was hurt." Team Kawasaki's Emig finished second, but McGrath's win inched him closer in the points raca. The Canyon Lake, California, resident is just six points behind Ernig, 220-214, with four races to go. "I'm trying not to worry about the points battle, yet," McGrath explained. ''I'm having a good time and trying to make sure I'm on every week. If 1 can get starts like that from here on out, I'll be stoked. I'm riding well, I've just got to get up front and run with Jeff." Emig rode well considering the practice crash, an incident tha t had the defending AMA 250cc National Champion thinking he'd suffered a broken femur. The injury turned out to be a deep-thigh bruise, but Emig had more to worry about when he had to qualify out of a semi for the first time this year after an altercation with Team Manchester Honda Racing/AXO's Damon Bradshaw in the second heat. Still, Emig hung in there and finished second, despite having to repass Honda of Troy's Larry Ward for second. "I was tight and in a lot of pain," Emig said after the race. "I wasn't really focused qecause my mind was preoccupied with the injury. Even though it was a second, I'm' really happy that 1 stayed that close to McGrath since 1wasn't com- pletely on top of my game. Consequently, 1 knew that McGrath was going to be really aggressive since he knew 1 was hurt, yet we rode nice and fair. He rode good and took advantage of my injury, but I'm still satisfied. I'm ready to go., We've got four races to go and 1 couldn't be happier." Team Yamaha's Ezra Lusk had to overcome his own set of problems and persevered to finish third, his third podium finish in as many weeks. Lusk overcame practice crashes and an average start in the main, moving himself into a distant third in the point standings. "I went out in practice and crashed my brains out three times in a row," Lusk said. "I hurt my ribs, my wrist, but 1 still won my heat race. My heat win was 10 seconds slower than Jeremy's so we figured out where I needed to improve and 1 put it together in the main. 1 think 1 learned a cardinal rule in the main and that's never start to the right of Jeff Emig. We carne in side by side, got pushed wide and everybody snuck underneath us. I made a mistake or two on the first lap and had to start all over again. 1 didn't really know where 1 was at, but Steve (Butler) kept letting me know that my lap times were better than or at least equal to Jeremy's. 1 didn't care where I was as long as 1 was passing people and moving up." HoT's Ward got a top-five start; passed Ernig for second on lap five, but eventually settled for fourth at the finish. "I passed Emig and was running second," Ward explained. "There was a triple on the right side that kept getting really soft in the line 1 was taking. One time both of my pegs hit and 1 cased the triple and started slowing down. Emig got back by and then Ezra got me with just a few laps to go. I'm having a slight problem with arm pump, but I'm a lot better this weekend than I was last weekend. 1 have the speed and 1 was catching Jeremy (McGrath) and was within three seconds of him a t the halfway mark. I can get over arm pump, but not eve.ryone can get the speed." Team Suzuki's Mike LaRocco had to go to a semi to qualify for the main and finished a respectable fifth in the feature after an average start. "Pretty much, all of my starts sucked tonight," LaRocco said. "I made a lot of mistakes in the first part of the main and finally calmed down and started riding decent, but I still had to work my way back up after 1 ran into some people. It just wasn't a good night." . Bradshaw and Team Kawasaki's Ryan Hughes both worked up from midpack starts to finish sixth and seventh, respectively. Chaparral/Yamaha's Jimmy Button, still riding tentatively due to his shoulder injury from last week, finished eighth, ahead of his teammate Phil Lawrence and Team Suzuki's Greg Albertyn. Albertyn ran fourth for a while, until two small crashes sent him backward. It was rather surprising that he was riding a t all, COnsidering last week's crash in Orlando (see Briefly...). The first 250cc heat race of the night was all McGrath. He got the holeshot and withstood some early pressure from Team Primal Impulse/Honda's Robbie Reynard before walking away for the win. Ward ran third behind Reynard, passing the Oklahoman in the whoops on lap three and finishing a comfortable second. Albertyn had to work by a fast-starting Buddy Antunez and then Reynard before getting into third. Reynard, meanwhile, grabbed the final direct transfer to the main in fourth, in front of a charging LaRocco. Washougal MX/Tom Morgan