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/127945
MOTOCROSS MAZDA TRUCK/AliA 250cc NAnONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MOTOCROSS SERIES Round 3: High Point Raceway By Davey Coombs Photos by Karl Ockert MOUNT MORRIS, FA, MAY 24 n a perfect afternoon for the traditional kickoff to the summer National Motocross season, Team Honda's Ezra Lusk used a steady 2-1 tally to win the 22nd annual High Point Nationals in Mount Morris. The Georgia-born Lusk followed fellow southerner Kevin Windham across the finish line in the first moto and then held off a late charge by Windham's Yamaha teammate Doug Henry to win the second moto and the overall in front of a record crowd of more than 20,000 motocross fans. "I'm finally healthy and I'm ready to go," said Lusk of his first 250cc Outdoor National win as a member of Team Honda. Th.e Dunlop / Fox / Scott-supported Lusk was tapped as an early favorite to win the 250cc National MX title but two poor sho~ings jll the first two rounds of the 12-race series had his title hopes in doubt. "1 was stilI"a little banged up and my shoulder has been a little sore, plus I had a little bit of a cold to deal with," Lusk said. "At the poin t these guys are at now, you have to be in tip-top shape and right on the money to win these races. It finally all came together today." Adding to the day's story line was the re-emergence of Team Kawasakj's Jeff Emig as a contender. Emig put in his best performance since the Daytona Supercross back in early March to finish second overall behind Lusk. The defending two-time AMA 250cc ational Champion has always been a crowd favorite in Mount Morris. This time around the slumping superstar seemed tq use their support as a launching pad for his planned ummer comeback. "It's been a long time since I felt this good and 1 figured this was the place to get back up front," said Emig, who finished fifth in the first moto after a late crash dropped him from third. He thell overcame a bad start in the second h at to finish third. Suzuki's Greg Albertyn made t.he podium for the second week in a rOW after a miserable supercross season. The South African managed 3-5 finishes in two extremely competitive 250cc motos. "The class has become so competitive that you have to fight every lap f(H every position," said Albertyn, who finished second a week earlier at the Hangtown National in California. A case in point about how competitive the 250cc class has become was the fact that Emig's 5-3 was good for second overall while Suzuki rider Mickael Pichon's 6-7 was only good for eighth overall. "There are 0 many fast guys out there right now that you get guys winning one moto and finishing 10th the next," said Emig, obviously referring to Windham's inconsistent effort (1-10 fOT fourth overall). "You have to get a goof! start and you have to be able to ride hard the entire time. I know Kevin's been hurt, and so have a few other guys. It's going to be tough like this in every race." Lusk's win on the Mike Gosselaarprepped Honda CR250 allowed him fo jump from 10th in the point standings to seventh, though he still has 26 points to Team Honda's Ezra Lusk posted his first National win of the three-race-old 250cc series. Lusk went 2-1 at the High Point National at Mount Morris, Pennsylvania.•