Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

LAST-CHANCE QUALIFIER Because the event was an East/West Shootout, two Last-chance qualifiers were run: one for the Western Region and one for the Eastern. The top two riders from each LCQ were the lucky recipients of a trip to the main, and no one was luckier than Ramsey. Nine riders lined the West Coast ga te, and as the small pack rounded the first corner, Ramsey was nowhere near the lead bike, which was ridden by Motoworld Yamaha's Greg Schnell. "I got pinched off at the start," said Ramsey. "Then I got real nervous with everyone around me. I was freaking out. I made a lot of mistakes that I shouldn't have made." With Ramsey trying to make up ground, Schnell took off, with teamma te Andy Harrington and Yamaha-mounted Keith Johnson fighting for the valuable second-place spot. The two Yamaha riders went back and forth for five of the six laps, as Ramsey fought to pass the Demarini Sports Hondas of Rusty HoIland and Brad Hagseth. Ramsey moved into fourth and slowly began to gain ground on the Harrington/Johnson scuffle. A second-place finish for Ramsey looked po sible, but not Likely. "I was out there in the last-chance and it was looking not so good," said Ramsey, who was not about to give up but still needed a miracle. "Then, when those two guys crashed in front of me, I thought somebody was looking down on me." Harrington and Johnson slowly got up and went through the motions of finishing a disappointing eighth and ninth, as race winner Schnell and an astonished Ramsey headed for the main event. In the Eastern Region LCQ, Primal Impulse/Bill's Pipes/Suzuki-mounted Jiri Dostal won the drag race to the first turn, followed by Sellards, Povolny and Skaggs. On the third lap, Sellards passed Dostal to take the lead and the eventual win. Dostal held on for second, and PovoLny, Skaggs and the rest of the field headed to the stands to watch the main event. MAIN The start of the main belonged to Wey, with Pingree; Evans and Lytle right on his rear fender. Ramsey was once again bunched up in the middle of the pack. "\ had to start one gate from the last gate (due to his LCQ finish)," said Ramsey. "I knew it was going to be real hard to get a good start, so I just concentrated on getting a good jump off the line. I came out pretty decent, but \ got pushed out a little bit. I went around a few crashes in the first corner. I'm not sure where I was after that - probably about 10th." . Ramsey completed the first lap in 11 th place. Strange as it may sound, Fonseca would love to have been in Ramsey's 1'1 th-place position. The Yamaha of Troy rider was part of a firstturn multi-rider crash that Ramsey avoided. ' "I got ran over in a first-eomer pileup," was about all Fonseca could say about his main event. As the pack began to spread out, Pingree and Wey stuck together, staging a battle for the lead that lasted two laps. "[ led the first couple of laps," said Wey. "Me and Ping (Pingree) started dicing. [ got a little light and he got by me. Then he made a mistake in the whoops and went down, and I got caught in his bike. After that, I dropped back to seventh or eighth or so." It took Pingree a while to get going again after the crash. "[ got up in fifth or sixth," said Pingree. "I kind of had trouble regaining my composure. I had the jitters and went back to eig'hth place. I finally regained my composure and made it back to fifth. It was an okay ride. [ wanted to go out with a win, and I had it in my grasp." On the second lap, while Pingree and Wey were untying themselves from the difficult whoop section, Lytle was in the lead, witl1 second-placed Evans putting on the pressure. At the same time, Ramsey had worked his way up to sixth place and by lap five was in fourth, pressuring third-placed Preston. Tyler Evans rode consistently all night on his newDGY Suzuki to eama runner-up finish to Ramsey_ "Those guys were getting out there on me, and I made some good moves and passed some guys and next thing I know, I was right up there in the top three," explained Ramsey. "When I get there, ['m just, Like, pumped and \ just wanted to go for it." Despite visibly having problems in one of the tricky whoop sections of the track, Ramsey was on Lytle's rear fender at the start of lap eight. Before the lap was over, he was in the lead. "\ got up front and rode a smooth race," said Ramsey. 'The whoops were really tough. Every time I came up to them, I thought, 'Okay, just do the same thing. Don't try anything more or less, just do the same thing.'" Ramsey managed to stay out of trouble through the whoops, which is what he knew he had to do to hold on to the lead, with such a talented field behind him. "Fonseca is definitely one of the guys I was looking out for with the East Coast championship and all," said Ramsey after taking his sixth 125cc win of the . Team Honda·.s Sebastien Tortelli dec'ided' to sit out the final round of the superoross series due to a hand' inj~ry he' ?u~tained while praotioing . prior tq the previous week's Indlanapolis.:;luperoro.ss. Tortelli should be ready.for the opening round of. the outdoor Nationals next week at Glen TeamYamaha's Doug Henry seemed a little indecisive as to whether or Helen. The 1998 25000 Wond Motoo'ross Champion ended up 12th in the 'series' final standings. Tortelli's teammate Kevin Windham. who was in no'! the Las Vegas raoe would aotually be the last superoross raoe of .attendanoe at the Las Vegas Supereross. is also expected to return to his oareer: "II's· kind offunny." raoing at Glen Helen..after suffering a broken oollarbon'e at the MinneapoHenry said after finishing 10th in the lis'Superoross in March. . main. "I don't know. II's like. i never really thought of it (tonightJ. as being the last one. I didn't really foous on. Team Honda's Ezra Lusk did more than just raoe in Las Vegas. On Frilike. "Okay. this is my last superday. a oamera orew from Fox Sports Television NetWork shot some oross rao~.' so it didn't really feel footage of Lusk for an upooming show oalled "Invert." The program like it. Beoause. you know. I'll tell foouses on - what else? - extreme sports: Speaking of television. the ya, I don't know; you ne:ver know. Honda semi was sporting a brand-new 27"inch TV and VCR 1Jnderneath I'm sure I'm going to come baok. its massive awning. Leftover' footage from Honda's recent CR250 oombut I guess this is my last faotory mercial was oompiled and made into a haif-hour promo tape for fans to one. I'll probably come baok and do watch while waiting in line for an autograph from the red riders. a oouple here and there. I don't know. We'lI see. It oould be my last one - Isaved all of my riding gear just in case it is. M Team KawasakI's Jeff E';'ig said a few nice words about the possible retirement of Doug Henry from supereross. "The guy is one of the greatest riders that I've raoed against." Emig said from the podium. "I respect him as muoh as anybody. I wish him good luck the rest of his life. but. heck. Istill have to race him in the motooross ohampionship this year. " Team Honda's Ezra Lusk and SplitFire/Pro Cirouit/Kawasaki's Nick Wey were the recipients of this week's 1-900-PRD-RACE Holeshot Awards. Lusk lXloketed an extra $1000 and Wey, $500. "That's one of the greatest things these guys (PACE Motor Sports) are doing for us," Lusk said upon reoeiving the· cheok. "especially when the privateers get the holeshot. It really helps out a whole bunch. It really means a lot." Once again. Tim Ferry was the benefioiary of the $250 RacerX Gas Card for being the top privateer ftnisher in-the main event. Ferry finish.id eighth in 'the main at Las Vegas and has pocketed well over $2000 from the RaoerX award over the course of the 16-race season. It's not often that you see a number-'two motorcycle raoing the afternoon qualifter. trying to make the nighttime program at a supercross. but that was the case with Team Yamaha's Doug Henry. Beoause he is not listed in the top 20 Qn the points list. Henry had to race' with many of the three-digit number plates to make it to a heat raoe. The' same went for the number '54 of Primal Impulse/Bill's Pipes/SuzukI's three-time Arenacross 'ohampion Buddy Antunez. .who led his prelimioary raoe' before being passed by Henry just before theoheokered flag.oame out.. .Due to heavy rains in Las Vegas, practioe was canceled on Friday, Hiders did not get any traok time until Saturday morning, whioh may explain some of the antics that took plaoe in one of the whoop sections of the track on Saturday night. The partioular seotion was very trioky and oaused more orash~s than any other obstacle in the series this. year. However.

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