SUPERCROSS
THORIPARTS UNLIMITED AlIA
SUPERCROSS SERIES
(Right) Jeff Emig (1)
pulled a huge holeshot In
the 250cc main. He led
for seven laps and
eventually finished
second.
(Below) Jeremy McGrath
and his tuner Randy
Lawrence celebrate their
fifth win of the series. It
was also McGrath's 50th
career supercross
victory, his second win at
Daytona, and Yamaha's
first success at Daytona
since 1980, when Rex
Staten won.
By Kit Palmer
Photos by Kinney Jones
DAYrO A BEACH,FL,MAR 7
eremy McGrath reached yet another
milestone when the four-time
Supercross Champion reached his
50th career supercross victory, at the
Daytona Supercross by Honda. And he
made it look relatively easy on what is
traditionally the toughest track on the
16-race AMA Supercross Series circuit.
McGrath, on his Randy Lawrencetuned Chaparral/Yamaha YZ250,
tracked down early-race leader Jeff
Emig on the eighth lap, passed the
defending champ, and opened up about
a four-to-seven second lead that, for the
most part, he held to the finish. The win
also marked McGrath's second win at
the famed facility and his fifth of the '98
.supercross season.
"Do you know what I'm stoked on?"
McGrath said afterward. "It's a Honda
race and a Yamaha won. It also feels
good that all the people from Yamaha the engineers, Mr. lio - they're all here,
and that makes it.special."
This was also Yamaha's first victory
at the Daytona Supercross since 1980.
Perhaps even more happy than
McGrath was second~place finisher
Emig, who showed signs of breaking
ou t of his terrible slump. This was
Emig's first top-three finish since the
second round of the series seven races
ago. The Team Kawasaki rider looked
strong and confident all day long and
rode well in the 20-lap feature, leading
the first seven laps before dropping
back one position and staying there the
rest of the race.
Physically, however, Emig wasn't
feeling as good as he looked.
