SUPERCROSS
THORIPARTS UNLIIlITED AliA
SUPERCROSS SERIES
had the lead but threw it away when he
crashed at the end of the long whoop
section before the finish line, and Eickel
took the win. Hodges took second and
went to the main. Going to the pits for
the main event were Apple/Goat Eyewear's Yoshitaka Atsuta in fourth and
KTM four-stroke rider Lance Smail in
fifth.
It was all Henry going into the first
turn of the 250cc main event with Bradshaw, Hughes, Emig, Button, Craig,
Lawrence, and McGrath giving chase..
Henry wasted little time in opening up
a five-second lead by the end of the
first lap, while Emig and Bradshaw
worked on each other for the second
position. Hughes was sitting in fourth,
but by the end of the first lap he was
able to pass Bradshaw for third and
began stalking Emig. McGratll ran fifth,
Craig sixth, Button seventh and Ward
eighth.
Lawrence went down hard in a
whoop section on lap three and retired
from the race with a suspected broken
collarbone. Lusk came around the first
lap in 11th and surprisingly worked his
way up through the pack and into seventh by lap six, but crashed in a slick
turn after passing Ward. The Georgian
quickly remounted and resumed racing
in 11th.
The surprise pass of the night came
on lap eight, when Hughes blitzed by
his teammate Emig in the whoop section
before the finish line to take over second, hocking many in attendance.
Bradshaw followed suit soon after,
which dropped Emig to fourth - right in
front of McGrath in fifth. McGrath
trailed Emig by three seconds. for a few
laps, when Lusk, who had climbed back
through the pack, passed McGrath for
fifth on lap 13 and started out after
Emig.
Lusk made his move and went by
Emig in a whoop section to take over
fourth on lap 17. With just a few laps to
go, Damon Huffman was all over
McGrath for sixth and passed the fourtime defending champ on lap 18.
Henry led every la p of the main
event, and lapped the field up to eighth
place by the finish to take the win.
Hughes kept charging and was closing
the gap on Henry by the finish, but had
to settle for second. Bradshaw held on
for third, and Lusk climbed fourth.
Emig finished fifth and in front of
McGrath, which guaranteed him his
first 250cc supercross title. Huffman finished sixth, McGrath rode around to
seventh, Ward eighth, LaRocco ninth,
with Button closing out the top 10 for
the evening.
0
Sam Boyd Silver Bowl
Las Vegas, Nevada
Results: May 17, 1997 (Round 15 of 15)
2SO HEAT 1 (8 laps, 20 riders, top 4 t.ransftr): 1.
Ryan Hughes (!
