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/127941
250cc race for me. This was a clifferent
scenario. There was so much pressure.
Everyone I talked to said, 'You've gotta
win.' It was definitely a handful to deal
with. I wa trying hard to keep it all
sorted out and keep myself calm."
''I'm very happy for john," Vuillemin
said. "He is a very good rider, and I
think he tried very hard. It is good for
him."
For the second time this year, Team
SplitFire / Pro Circuit/ Ka wasaki's
Nathan Ramsey landed a poclium finish
with a third, wIllie FMF /Honda's Casey
johnson, who was making his first
appearance of the year following an
injury, came home in fourth. Rounding
out the top five and keeping second
place in the series was Vuillemin. Suzuki rider Jiri Dostal finished a career-best
'sixtb, followed by Travis Preston,
Danny Smith, Brian Deegan and Perolio.
HEATS
VuiLJemin, on the FMF Yamaha,
scored a confidence-inspiring win in the
first 12Scc heat race, but he had to pass a
few riders first. .
Kawasaki rider Isaiah Johnson, from
Albuquerque, ew Mexico, pulled a
giant holeshot ahead of F&S
Suzuki/Papa Joe's Tommy Clowers,
C~ey Johnson, Roncada and Vuillemin,
who quickly tarted working on the rider ahead of him. Vuillemin caught up
to Isaiah John on by the third lap,
pulling Roncada along with him.
Vuillemin opened up a lead of a few
second on Roncada, which he held to
the finish. Casey Johnson moved up to
third by the finish, while Isaiah Johnson
finished off his fine ride in fourth, closely followed by Oowers. The rest of the
first nine qualifiers included KTM's Guy
Cooper, FMF/Honda's Danny Smith,
Suzuki Support rider Tyler Evans and
Stiffie/Suzuki's Jeff Willoh.
Dowd gave his confidence a boost as
well, winning the second heat race over
Stiffie/Suzuki's Perolio. Dowd· was in
control for most of the race except for
one brief bobble early on that let Perotio
get close.
"I just made a few mistakes, rode a
little tight," Dowd said.
Dowd, however, settled down and
pulled away for the win, followed by
Perolio, Pingree and Ramsey. Rounding
out the top-nine qualifiers were Brian
Deegan, Kawasaki rider Jeff Baker,
Honda-mounted Ryan Duff and Suzuki's Ryan Huffman.
.
In the last-chance qualifier, where
the top four riders fill the final transfer
positions, it was Motoworld Yamaha's
Greg Schnell who scored a wire-to-wire
win, bu t the race for second through
fourth was a fight 'to the finish. Erick
Vallejo, josh Demuth and Jason Thomas
were, at one point, all in a position to
transfer, but separate crashes would
stop them from making the evening's
show.
Instead, it was FMF/Honda's Jason
McCormick keeping it on two wheels to
finish second, while F&S Suzuki's Travis
Preston and joseph Oehlhof were happy
taking third and fourth.
MAIN
Perotio officially pulled the holeshot
in the 1S-lap feature, but Dowd had control shortly after the first turn. Roncada
also slipped his fIonda by Perolio's
Suzuki, while Dostal pu t his Suzuki into
fourth. In the middle of the pack but
quickly movinl5t.up was Vuillemin.
The French rider wasted little time
passing riders in hopes of catching
Dowd. By the second lap, Vuillemin had
already positioned his Yamaha into
fourth and was looking for a way
around Perotio. The impa rient
Vuillemin, however, launched off a double jump and into a turn, hoping to
squeeze by Perolio. Instead, Vuillemin
jumped in to Perolio ·and both riders
went down, costing them both a number'
of positions.
"I was on the inside and he (Perolio)
jumped from the left side to the right
side, and he caught my swingarm,"
Vuillemin said. "We went down, and I
broke off the front brake line and had to
ride the rest of the race without a front
brake."
.
After that incident, Vuillemin had a
new agenda - to salvage second in the
series, and that meant finishing among
the top five.
'1 knew I had to get fifth to keep second place in the series," Vuillemin said.
Lights, camera,
action...
There was a bit more excitement in the air at this year's Dallas
Supercross, as the event was going to be aired on network television for
the first time in the series' 25-year history. On Sunday, the day after the
Dallas Supercross, the race was, in fact, televised, live-ta-tape, in a onehour special on ABC's Wide World of Sports, following tive coverage of
the NASCAR race from Talladega.
Like hosts preparing for a dinner party, PACE Motorsports made
sure the Texas Stadium and race personnel looked good for the ABC
Sports cameras. New dirt was purchased for this year's race, and aU the
mechanics entering the signal area on the track were required to wear
A"M!A-approved collared shirts or, even better, collared team shirts;
after all, it was projected Saturday afternoon that the Dallas Supercross
race would be piped into approximately 4 million homes.
To cover all the racing action, 17 cameras were used, including a
swinging boom camera (located near the first turn), a roof camera and
two helmet cameras. Also used was a helicopter that hovered over the
stadium aiul filmed during the 250cc main event through the large
opening in the stadium's roof.
(Above) Team SplitFirelPro
Circuit/Kawasaki's Nathan
Ramsey (35) found his way
onto the podium. Here,
Ramsey dices with sixthand fourth-place finishers
Jiri Dostal (146) and Casey
Johnson (20), who was
back on the track for the
first time this year,
(Right) It came down to a
winner-take-all final in the
West Coast Series
between Dowd and
Frenchman David
Vuillemin. Obviously,
Dowd won.
"I caught up and did that, so I'm
happy."
Dowd said he was at first unaware
that Vuillemin had gone down. '1t was
just as well that I clidn't know," he said,
"because that was what I was trying not
to do; think about him - just race the
track I thought that was going to be my
best way to do it out there."
By the 10th lap, the title was Dowd's
to lose, ~s he held a commanding lead
over Roncada, and a little way back in
third followed Ramsey, who was keeping plenty of distance between himself
and fourth-placed Dostal.
Dostal, however, had his hands full
with Casey Johnson, who eventually got
by him late in the race, as clid Vuillemin,
making the top-five finishing order
Dowd, Roncada, Ramsey, Casey Johnson and Vuillemin.
On the last lap, the usually straightand-level Dowd performed a couple of
aerial tricks, including a heel-clicker, in
celebration.
'1t's been two years in the making." said PACE Motor-sports's Gary
Becker of getting supercross on network television. "We've had a lot of
support from the manufacturers, the sponsors, and with a little Jilck,
TaUadega will go as planned, and we'U ride on for an hour show.
"Between me, Charlie (Mancuso) and Roy Janson, we've been discussing how to get on the network for about two years. Working with
Lou Seals and the production company, we approached ESPN2 and
said, 'Hey guys, we want to go to your sister station, ABC, and try this
thing out. It's taken u about two years and dose to half a million
bucks, and here we are. And we're ready for it.'
"The industry deserves it," Becker added. 'The industry has supported it, and I think the riders are jazzed about it. We brought in new
dirt for Dallas, which is a pretty substantial cost; we've got a great day,
and we think it will be a great day for the sport."
As for the future, Becker said, "If we get the numbers, PACE is
going to step up to the plate and get two or three of these things a year.
You never know, hopefully in five years this could be a network program and we're running every Sunday afternoon. That's our goal. So
we're setting our goals pretty high; you can't reach your goals unless
you set them high. We're after it.
"With the support we got out of the OEMs, Toyota, and other sponsors, we're going to look for that support in the future. I think we have
a product we can sell and to get some exposure for all of us, for everybody involved - the aftermarket companies, all the riders, all the OEMs,
PACE. It's a big step for us, and I'm glad we're here."
"It's actually a 'horseshoe:" Dowd
said of his modified heel-clicker move.
"It's a heel-clicker for over-30 guys. I'm
not as flexible anymore, I can't quite get
my legs together, so it comes off being
like a horseshoe."
l~
Texas Stadium
Irving, Te.xas
Results; April 25, 1998 (Round 7 ot 7)
125 HEAT 1 (6 laps, 1·9 transfcrs to main); 1. David
Vuillemin (Yam); 2. StcphaneRoncada (Hon); 3. Casey
Johnson (Kaw); 4. Isaiah Johnson (Kaw); 5. Tom
Clowers (Hon); 6. Guy Cooper (KTM); 7. Danny Smith
(Hon); 8. Tyler Evans (Suz); 9. Jeff Willoh (5uz); '10,
Erick Vallejo (Kaw); 11. Josh Demuth (Suz); 12. Kenny
B.:mrum (Suz); 13. Creg Schnell (Yam); 14. Brian Stone
(Kaw); 15. jeff Hedden (Yam); 16. Charley Bogard (Suz);
17. Dax Kastrin (Suz); lB. Jason Hyde (Yam); 19. George
Hammel (Yam); 20. Tommy Harrison (Yam).
125 HEAT 2: (6 laps, 1-9 transfers to main): 1. John
Dowd (Yam); 2. Shaun PeroUo (Suz); 3. David Pingree
(Hon); 4. Nathan Ramsey (Kaw); 5. Jiri Dostal (5uz); 6.
Brian Deegan (Kaw); 7. Jeff Baker (!