.Round 11: Trans World Dome
TOYOTA TRUCKSITHOR/PARTS UNLIMITED AMA U.S. SUPERCROSS SERIES
(Left, left to
right)
Dostal,
Fonseca
and Jim
Neese
proudly
display
their
winnings.
Neese took
runner-up
honors.
fourth, with Kawasaki of Missouri's
Brian Stone fiiUl.
The top four·from the last-chance
qualifier would make the main. The riders were decided on the first lap, the
spots not until much later.
Excel Motorsports' Jason Thomas
took the lead early on the third lap and
got away from the lead quintet to take
the win.
. He'd pass.ed Robbie Skaggs, who
held on to second, with Planet Honda's
Jason McCormick third and Wey fourth.
MAIN
Crashing in the first corner of a
supercross, especially on a tight track
like this one, is usually a death sentence.
Fonseca went down with four others,
remounting five riders from the end of
the 22-rider field and crossing the line in
15th at the end of the first lap. Oearly,
this was the rider to watch. Even if he
didn't win, and that was certainly a long
shot, he was the fastest, smoothest rider
on the track, and had been all night.
Taking on the track as if he were on a
Brieflv~ ... "
Yamaha of Woy's ·Stepha"'; Roncada sat out the St. louis
race ~fter crashing on' his practice .track a w~ek eariier. Roncada
came up short on a triple jump. was thmwn over the bars and
sprained his wrist. according to Yamaha of. Tloy. teart) manager
. Erik Kehoe.. X·rays turned up 'negative and Roncada Is expected
.. back for the next East~rn Regional' event. in the Pontiac Silv'erdome on' April 10. Roncada entered: the race ·in 'second place to
teammate Ernesto Fonseca .in th~ Eastem Regipnal Supercross
point standings. bul drppped to fourth .at tre end of the night.
....12
250, Fonseca compressed the obstacles
and made time in the process.
The numbers don't do it justice, but
his progress went like this: 10th on the
third lap, seventh on the fourth, then
quickly to fifth on the sixth through
ninth. The 10th lap listed him in third, a
certain podium, but not enough. He was
in second on the 13th and closing, about
three seconds back. A lap later and the
lead Smith held was down to five bike
lengths. Then came the final lap.
Fonseca was well within striking distance. He was the only 125cc rider who
consistently made the triple jump, and
the maneuver had served him well. this
time Smith was in his way and when he
came down, they clashed, with Smith
getting the worst of it.
From then on, Fonseca rode solemnly
to the finish while track personnel
blocked Smith's body with a hay bale,
forcing the rest of the pack to make a
ntidtrack detour. Smith would soon get
up, irate, and confront Fonseca, and then
others. Nothing would change the result.
With Fonseca's charge, the runner-up
positions were going unnoticed. Neese
had moved into second on the 10th lap,
dropping Evans, who eventually landed
in 18th place.
He wasn't dosing on Smith, but neither was he threatened by Dostal, who
was behind Fonseca at this point. Neese
gave up his spot to Fonseca on the 13th
lap.
Wey, Oehlof and Hor~on ran in that
order for the last three laps, none of
them making a forward move.
_
Trans World Dome
51. Louis, Missouri
Resuhs: March 27, 1999 (Round 4 of 8)
125 HEAT 1 (6 laps, 1-9 transfer to main); 1. Brock
SeUards (Hon); 2. Kelly Smith (KTM); 3. Danny Smith
.
(Hon); 4. Matt Shue (Suz); 5. Tyler Evans CSuz); 6. Doug
Pa's,ms (Suz); 7. Joseph Dehlo! (KTM); 8. Davey Yezek
Jr. (5uz); 9. Kenny Bartram (KTM); 10. Josh Demuth
(Yam); 11. Bradley Strunk (5uz); 12. Robbie Skaggs
(5uz); 13. Jason McCormick (Hon); 14. Clark Stiles
(Kaw); 15. Jeffrey Baker Jr. (Kaw); 16. Chad Sanner
(Yam); 17. Mike Katin Jr. (Suz); Ernn Ezerins (Suz); 19.
Warren Edwards (Yam); 20. Shaun Perolio (Kaw).
Time: 5 min.• 20.220 sec.
125 HEAT 2 (6 laps, 1-9 transfer to mai.o): L
Ernesto Fonseca (Yam); 2. Jim
eese (Yam); 3. lin
Dostal (5uz); 4. Jacob Martin (Suz); 5. Brian Stone (Kaw);
6. Mark Burkhart (Yam); 7. Man:o Dube (Suz); 8. Robbie
Horton (Yam); 9. James Evans (Kaw); to. Nicholas Wey
(!(aw); 11. Jason Thomas (Yarn); 12. Mati Walk... (Yam);
13. Ronnie Renner (Yam); 14. Jimmy Wilson .in my left knee. and I' tore a heels. both ankles and the ball of his left foot on the last lap of the
final practICe for the Houston Supercross. Emig said he's receivbfg muscle in my back. kind of tore it in half in Dallas on race day."
Factory Connection/Jack in the Box/Honda's Mike LaRocco
ing injection therapy. similar to what he received when he injured
Bullon said. "Silling on the couch for a couple of weeks doesn't
his back last year. The next race in which he's likely to see action
earned a rare 1·900·PRO·RACE award in ihe 250cc main. 'That's
do much good for your race pace. It came back pretty good all
probably the last thing I thought I'd get is the holeshot." laRocco
week. - Yamaha team manager ~eith McCarty said. "I think he's a will be the New Orleans round in three weeks.
said after accepting the $1000 Award. "First holeshot in a while.
lillie surprised that he's not as healed as he wanted to be, but tbe
Hey, I'll take it. Unfortunately. I let Jeremy by. but that was a good
Team Pro Circuit's Nate Ramsey was still ecstatic a week after
more he rides. the better he feels." McCarty also said that there
ode and I'm just happY about this... KTM's Kelly Smith took the
clinching the Western Regional 12500 title in Minneapolis. "It
was nothing new on John Dowd's condibon. Dowd, who broke his
hasn't totally sunk in yet. but I get a good feeling all ove, when I $500 check for nabbing the 125c'c holeshot.
arm at the Daytona Supercross.. won't be back until tlie first outthink about it." Ramsey will face off again.st the top Eastern
door National at Glen Helen. "If he.·s on the bike before then. itJI
Regional riders such as Yamaha of Troy's Ernesto Fonseca and
How dominant is McGrath? The St. louis will was McGrath's
be a bonus," McCarty said. "It's a six-to eight·week injury. It's not
fourth in a row. sixth this season. and t~e 58th of his career. The
Stephane Roncada at the Supercross finale in Las Vegas on May
something to mess around with.: McCarty said that his condition
1. ~ I'll tell you right now, if I come out of the start in 15th place
number is more than the combined wins of second-placed Rick
would be re·evaluated after the April 3rd Easter weekend.
(like he did in Minneapolis). there's no way I'll win." Ramsey said.
Johnson. 28, and Bob Hannah ..27. Among active riders. Factory
Conneciion/Jack 'in the Box/Honda' s Mike laRocco has the sec·
Ramsey made one of his occasiomil starts in- the 250cc class
Englishman Warren Edl"'ards fulfilled a lifelong wish when' he
ond most wins; eight. whic~ ties him for 12th Qvera(l with Jimmy
flew to St. lours 10 take part .in his first American supercross ·tonight. After finishing. 12th. he said: "I can't wait until I can come
.
.
back and r<,lce them again, Maybe Indianapolis. We're going to do ·Ellis.
race.· "It's ·s-omething I always dr<;amed of," the SoCal Decal·
sponsored Yamaha rider, from Wro\ham .. Kimt, said. 'Tile raced. a bunch of NatiOnal outdoor testing on the 125. They Want me to
stay out there in Califcimia and qo that. sci I'm going to concen-.
like his Mazda/Chaparra!lYarnaha .teammate Jeremy McGrath,
the European version of supercross ~nd it's nothing like this.
Steve·Lamson admilled. to a case of nerves in St. louis. "I
trate on that so I can have a good outdoor series. too." Ramsey
(American) supercross is wicke·d. Abs.olulely ·awesome. Just
rode tight," Lamson said_ "The track was kind of weird. I don't
had a horrid first· lap.. ending ~9th out of 20 riders, and then made
watching the ~50 faotory guys pr,!ctice was. unreal." ~s a regular
a few mistakes on his march through the pack and had to deal
know why. I just didn't feel comfortable aU night. Gouldn't flow".
on the· World Championship circuit. Edwards' best finish was a
with Honda's Sebastien Tortelli. "And I was figl)ting. fighting .. · Just struggling all night:". lamson finished sixth in his heat. then
fifth ",verall in.the 1992 500cc GP at Glen Helen. His goal? "I'd
love tO'make the. main. - It didn't happen. He finished second to
fighting." Ramsey said. "I was in front of him for a while and then
took fourth in the first semi to make the main. Because of that. h~
he ended up in front of me. And I was going to try him and get to
had a bad pick on the· starting line 'and finished the first lap in 16th.
last in the ·first Eastern Regional 125cc heat. shaking his han.ds as
he came off the track. In the lCQ. he' finished 15th..
the frorlt of the pack. Then I ran out of laps. I feel like I rode pretty
He ended up 11th.
Craig's nam'e is intriguing. Craig is 'currently unde'r contract to
