MOTOCROSS
MAZDA TRUCKS/AMA
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
250cc MX SERIES
By Cameron Coatney
Photos by Karl 0Ckert and Kinney Jones
SOUTHWICK, MA,)UNE 14
n a fairy-tale-like day, Team
Yamaha's Doug Henry displayed his mud-riding prowess
to his fellow New Englanders by winning the 250cc class with a commanding 1-1 moto score at the Southwick
AMA ational Motocross. The week
leading up to the event was rain-filled
and race day was no different, but
that didn't hinder the 10,251 fans who
till flocked to Motocross 338 to witness Henry's convincing overall victory.
The sloppy track conditions played
a major role in the day's outcome, as
lapped riders and the long ruts they
occupied became a major concern to
the front-runners, who were also having their own problems with the challenging mud and ruts. While Henry's
second-moto victory saw him take the
holeshot and lead every lap, it took
the Oxford, Connecticut, resident
more than half of the first moto to
wrestle the lead and take the win
away from Team Honda's Ezra Lusk
with the aid of a lap per. The win
marked Henry's first National
Motocross win on the Pete Steinbrecher-tuned YZ400F.
"This feels good," Henry said. "We
had three weeks off and 1 didn't take a
single day off. John (Dowd) and 1 were
working really hard to come out here
O
14
Round 4: Motocross 338
and win, and that was my plan. And
luck was on my side today, that's for
sure.
"After not getting off the ga te real
well in the first moto, 1 really concentrated on my start in the second moto,"
Henry added. "1 wanted to get a good
start because 1 didn't like being all
soaked from the first lap to the last. It all
worked out."
Lusk was flying high after his win at
the previous round in Mount Morris,
Pennsylvania, and came out swinging in
the first moto. After leading for most of
the first moto and earning an eventual
second, Lusk was forced to climb through
(Above) In less than ideal weather
conditions, New Englander Doug Henry
(19) came out swinging and won both
motos at the Southwick National in
Massachusetts.
(Below) Ezra Lusk pulled the holeshot in
the first moto. Here he is chased by Henry
and Mike Craig (13). Lusk went 2-2 on the
day.
.
