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/128137
Sixth Annual Chaparral U.S. AMA Supercross Invitational (Left) Blimpie Suzuki's Buddy Antunez was on the gas at Glen Helen. He started dead last among the 125s in the Shootou1 and ended up f"1fth after a late-race pass by 25Occ-mounted Wey. (Right) Sean O'Connor (212) grabbed the holeshot in the 125 and 250cc mains, back to back. Here, he leads Michael Blose (482), Erick Vallejo (179), Boniface (36), and the rest of the pack at the start of the 12Scc race. (Right! James Povolny Jr. (48) leads O'Connor (212) and JeanSebastien Roy (41) in the battle for third abou1 halfway through the 250cc main. "Riding it up to the line [for the Shootoutj, I could tell that the transmission was gone," Wey said. "So I got up to the line and I had to see if I could borrow somebody's bike. difficult. The top 10 riders from each of the main events were invited back for the Shootout, and the 125s would get to leave first, with the 250s fol- O'Connor let me borrow his, and I When the 125s got under way, Blose snatched the holeshot, though it was short-lived. Walker went down thank him a lot for that." However, a borrowed machine makes winning at this level extremely lowing soon after. in turn one, though, and it made for a BRIEFLY••• Eyebrows were raised when Buddy Antunez's factory Blimpie Suzuki came to a halt before the finish line in his heat race and refused to start. Even more eyebrows went up as the same thing happened to Shane Bess Biimpie Suzuki. in the same comer, in the second heat. As it turns out. both bikes broke for the same reason - although that reason is still a mystery. After both Blimpie Suzuki riders were relegated to the LCQ via their broken machines. it became clear that they had to finish one-two in the race in order to make the main event. After working through the pack, Antunez took the win. but Yamaha-mounted Gerrit Ordelman held Bess off for second after Bess worked his way up from the middle of the pack, Somehow. Bess was still allowed to ride the main event even though he didn't qualify (and surely Tommy Harrison, who handed Bess third when it seemed he couidn't catch the leading duo and qualify. was upset. since he likely could have worked much harder to hold off Bess if he had known that placing third would put a rider in the main). Chevy Trucks Kawasaki" s Stephane Roncada was looking good in practice for the event. but a fall in the last session left him with a hurt shoulder and he decided to sit out the race. He said he should be fine for Anaheim. though, Mach 1 Motorsports Craig Decker. who was impressive a couple of weeks ago at the Perris Supercross. also packed up after practice. The Glen Helen Supercross was the first race for KTM Red Bull"s Grant Langston since he had both of his shoulders operated on. Obviously. the surgeries were successful. though he did report experiencing some minor arm pump in the first main event. Speaking of KTM Red Bull, Billy Laninovich reportedly injured the ACL in his knee the day before the Glen Helen Supercross and will be out of action indefinitely. For winning both the 125cc main event and the 125/250cc Shootout. Langston pocketed a cool $7500 of the $20,000 purse. Second on the money list was Kelly Smith. who took home $3100 for his two second-place finishes. and Nick Wey got a check for $3000 for his 250cc main win and fourth in the Shootout. Steve Boniface's two thirds netted him $1750. Nick Wey rode a borrowed YZ250 in the 125/250cc Shootout after his transmission went out near the end of the 250cc main. He got one parade lap of practice on Sean O'Connor's faststarting bike before the gate fell. Local "alternative' music radio station X103.9 supplied a new P.A. system and speakers for the announcers at the event when Glen Helen's system gave up the ghost early in the day. 24 JANUARY 16, 2002' cue • e n e _ s bit of a scary situation, as the 250cc guys raced around the blind corner only to be greeted by him and his KX 125 lying in the middle of the track. They all made it around, however, with no further incident, and Zeb Armstrong led the 250cc chasers, with Wey right behind on the borrowed VZ. By the end of lap one, Smith had taken the lead, followed closely by Boniface, Blose and Langston. Povolny moved to the front of the 250s, followed by Wey, and the two began slicing into the 125cc pack by the third lap of 20. Meanwhile, Boniface moved around Smith for the outright lead and began to check out. "I had a bad start," Frenchman Boniface said. "Then I passed Smith and I just ride as better I can to pull away." Langston soon followed suit, passing Smith and setting out after his new teammate. By lap eight, Smith (34) led Boniface (36) early in the Shootout, bu1 Boniface made the pass soon after, only to be chased down by the hard-charging Langston late in the race.