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/127841
(Left) Team Kawasaki's Ryan Hughes came from behind to finish second. It was his first supercross podium finish of the year. (Right) Team Manchester Honda's Damon Bradshaw also made the podium for the first time this year with a third place finish. main propelled Bradshaw to his good finish. "This is a good way to end the supercross season," Bralishaw said. "I would have liked to be on the podium more this year, but unfortunately I wasn't able to. Everything worked good tonight except maybe having to ride the semi, but maybe that was good to ride it, to go out there and get some extra track time to get comfortable. It's good to get this momentum rolling before the rest of the outdoor season. I've been working more than I have been lately and hopefully it will start paying off for (Right) Going into the event, Suzuki's Jeremy McGrath had to win and hoped that Emig • finished 10th or worse in order to retain his number-one plate. Instead, McGrath finished seventh nursing a sore foot. me." Team Yamaha speedster Ezra Lusk finished fourth and secured third overall in the series for, the second ,consecutive year. He was one of the fastest riders on the track all night, but crashes slowed his progress. "I felt like I had the fastest bike out· there all night long," Lusk said. "I was about two seconds faster than everyone, but I just couldn't keep it on two wheels tonight. I was trying to ride cautiously and not push it in the corners, and still go fast. I got a terrible start and slid out and just had to keep coming from'way back. I caught back up to fourth. That pretty much sums up the night. If I would've got on the podium I would consider it a good night, but I didn't." Emig finished fifth, right in front of teammate Damon Huffman in sixth. Four-time defending champ McGrath was still nursing a cut foot from a few weeks ago and crossed the line in seventh at the checkers. Team Honda of Troy's Larry Ward finished eighth, with Team Suzuki's Mike LaRocco and Team Chaparral/Yamaha's Jimmy Button closing out the top 10 overall for the evening. McGrath had his hands full going into the first turn of the first 250cc heat in the form of Team F&S Suzuki/Pro Circuit's Jeff Hedden and Team Kawasaki's Ryan Hughes. Team Honda of Troy's Mike Craig, LaRocco, Button and Lusk trailed the trio closely. Hughes wasted no time and zapped McGrath in the whoops to take over the lead early on the first lap. Lusk moved himself into third and flew by McGrath in the whoops to move into second on lap two. Damon Huffman ran fourth, followed by Craig, Button, LaRocco, Hed- den and Team Mota XXX/O'Neal's Brian Swink. On lap five, Lusk washed 'out in a corner and crashed, handing second place back to McG.rath, and Huffman charged up to the rear fender of the quickly uprighted Lusk and began to apply pressure. Huffman started to make his move on Lusk for third when Button sneaked by both riders in a wide corner. Hughes took the wm with McGrath a few seconds back at the finish: Lusk had his own plans, though, and pulled up next to the battling Huffman and Button in the whoops. All three riders came together in the final corner and Lusk clutched out to steal third. Huffman and Button crossed the line nearly side by side, with Button taking the nod at the finish to secure the fourth and final transfer spot to the main. Craig finished sixth with LaRocco, Swink, Hedden and SMP's Grayson Goodman rounding out the top 10. , Emig had the advantage going into the first corner of the second 250cc heat with Henry, fellow four-stroke Husaberg-rider Shaun Kalas, Chaparral Yamaha's Phil Lawrence, Thor/Primal Impulse/Bill's Pipes' Buddy Antunez and Bradshaw in hot pursuit. Henry pressured Emig for most of the first lap and made use of his four-strokes, excellent ability to find traction, and pulled Emig out of the corner before the finish. As Henry stole the lead from Emig'over the finish-line 'double jump, Ward closed in on the duo, followed by .Lawrence, Antunez, Bradshaw, Kalas and Team Green's Mike Jones. Emig went back by Henry in a Whoop section, but Henry was not finished yet and took Emig's line away in the cotner before the finish-line jump again to secure the lead for good. From there on out, Henry steadily pulled away to take the win over second-place Emig some three seconds back. "It's hard to race with Emig," Henry explained. "He's always right where you want to be when you're trying to pass. l-et's just say he rides a pretty wide bike." "I was happy Doug was going so good," Emig explained. "It kept me focused and going fast, and that's what I needed to do tonight." Ward hung close to the two for the entire mota, waiting for a mistake or take-out-move crash, but it never materialized and he settled for third. Button ran a steady fourth and held off a charging Bradshaw by taking him wide in a turn a few corners before the finish line to secure fourth and go directly to the main. Bradshaw finished fifth, Kalas sixth, Antunez seventh, Jones eighth, Team F&S SuzuId/Barr's Competitionbacked Palmer ninth and Washougal MX/Tom Morgan Racing's Ryan Huffman 10th. Damon Huffman grabbed the holeshot in the first semi with Hedden, Craig, Kalas, Swink, LaRocco and Yamaha of Japan/Holley Racing's Takeshi Koikeda in a heated chase to the front. Huffman and Craig waged a heavy battle for the lead, swapping positions for the first three laps with block passes and alternate lines through the whoops. Huffman opened up a comfortable gap and held on for the win as Craig settled in for second place at the finish. Swink held on to a comfortable third, while Hedden and LaRocco battled over fourth. LaRocco made his way past Hedden on the fifth-lap, but Hedden easily maintained his fifth-place position to take the final transfer to the main. FMF /BMCfOne Industries' Terrance Malan finished sixth, Goodman seventh, James Eickel eighth, Koikeda ninth, and Ancae Heating/Scott Kawasaki's Travis Hodges 10th. Bradshaw appeared to have the edge coming into the first turn of semi number two, but it was Jones who emerged from the corner with the lead, followed by Antunez, Ryan Huffman, and Xtreme/Srnith's Ty Birdwell. Jones went down, handing the lead to Antunez as he swooped by Bradshaw for the lead. Antunez and Bradshaw diced for a lap before Bradshaw made a pass stick in the whoops to take the lead and the win. Antunez easily held on to the second spot at the finish. Meanwhile, Brothers Honda-Yamaha/UFO's Jason McCormick moved up on Ryan Huffman, and the two Northwesterners from Oregon and Washington fought over third. Huffman countered the attacks of McCormick, and the two finished third and fourth, re.spectively. Dick's Suzuki/FMF's Jimmy Lamastus had possession of the last transfer to the main in fifth but was rill1 down by Jones a few laps from the finish. UFO/Smith's Brad Hagseth finished in seventh with Noleen Pro-Flex's Anthony Amaradio, Birdwell and Pro Circuit/Applied Racing's Erik Anderson finishing in eighth through 10th, respectively. The battle for the final two positions l'on the main-event starting gate went 0\ down to the last chance qualifier. 0\ ...... Hagseth snared the holeshot, followed by Amaradio, Lamastus and Eickel and Husaberg/UFO's Guy Cooper. Amaradio and Kalas went down immediately on the first lap, dashing any chances of a trip to the main. The race came down to three riders: Eickel, Hodges and Lamastus. Lamastus