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/128006
" I had a good time and it w as fu n and all, but it' s hard not to ride under racin g conditi on s and then jump right ยท o u t here," said M cGrath after hi s first AMA race since earl y May. " I did feel like I wa s as fast as those g uys, but it's going to take a littl e tim e and a fe w more m otos before I'm really riding like I can." As fa r as the title p icture is co ncerned , the n inth ro u nd of the 12-race series d id littl e to a lte r it. A lber ty n's lead di pped fro m 30 points over Factory Connection /Jack in the Box Honda rider Mike LaRocco, to 26 ove r Wi ndham. laRocco had an off day at Washo ugal, struggling with bad starts bo th ti mes out. He finis hed seventh overall via 7-7 scores. Albertyn was not exactly pleased abo ut dropping four points on the day. "Not happy , not ha ppy at all," summarized Albertyn of his d ay. "I had a terrible start in the first moto, crashed in the second turn, then had a great ride to fou rth , but that's still no excuse. The secon d moto I had a be tter start but rode like an absolu te ama teur. I s talled the bike, w hich was how Kevin pa ssed me, and 1 cou ld n' t ge t ou t of my own way, really. I'm going to spend th e next two weeks working m y butt off, because I ca n' t rid e aro u nd like this and be th e champion ." As far as the title chase is concerned, Windham says he's jus t going to go for it. " We' re d efin it el y going to let it all hang out from here," Windham said . 'T m not eve n going to keep tra ck of the po ints but just go out in every moto and keep hitting away at it:' "I just could no t get out of th e gate and that is so important righ t now. I moved up a little each time, but it wa s reall y hard to pass out there, especially behind those four-strokes," said LaRocco, referrin g to the number-one YZ400 of Henry, which he found to be a road block for much of th e second mo to. "I rode as hard as I cou ld, but I was having tro uble in the slip pery st uff, and Henry wou ld roll around o n th e inside and the n just power up those hills." H enry was happy wit h his so lid ride fol lowing his win the previou s weekend at Troy. "I guess my injuries are fina lly sta rting to disappear, and I've been able to train a little more," said Henry of his late-season charge. As for h is fi rst-moto wi n, Henry laughed, " I did one to win a moto for Jon Rosenthiel (Henry's tu ne r), because he didn't get to see me win a moto las t week, and I wanted to do it for him. You know, once you win a race again after a long time, you kind of feel like, 'Hey, t ha t's what 1 can d o : because yo u always have doub ts in your mind if yo u're in good enough shape, or you're even fas t enough. But when yo u do wi n, you' re like, 'H ey, I am fast enough: Last week gave m e th e m omentum for th is week:' Falling out of the cha m pions hip picture is Lusk, who sco red zero points in a di sa strous 31-21 da y. Lusk w as running third in the fir st moto when he highsided on a fast sw eeper and injured his shou lder. In the second moto, he made it on ly 100 or so feet from the star ting gate before suffering another crash . He would la ter cra sh big one more time before it was all ov er . Lusk's Hond a teammate Sebas tien Tortelli, the former series points leader, had to sit out an other race, as he heals from the dislocated wrist he suffered at the Unadilla round of the series. I il ! . '" '" '" 23