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/128309
S hog un Yamaha's Josh Demuth has absolutely dominated Arenacross for the past few years, and it was no different this year. However. the champ is done for the season. suffer ing a broken leg in the final race of the weekend in Baltimore. Demuth was working his way through the pack in Saturday's 2S0cc main event when he clipped a Tuff Block that sent him over the Catapult (the track's biggest. most spectacular jump) sideways. and he had to throw the bike away. He landed on the downside of the landing feet first. breaking his lower left leg (tibia/fibula) and possibly his right ankle. The champ , in incredible pain, gave the thumbs up as he exited the track and assured people, including his wife, Holly, that he would be okay. Demuth's injury swung the door w ide open for riders like Darcy Lange and Tommy Hofmaster in what may be a season-long championship battle. Hofmaster trails Lange by only I 3 points going into Hampton. Virginia. next weekend. 24 FEBRUARY 4, 2004 • FRIDAY John Dowd rolled into town for the 12Scc main event, and he grabbed the holeshot just in front of Ryan Huffman and Hofmaster. Dowd's ride up front was brief. as Huffman made a move around him and once again found himself leading a main event. While Huffman continued to lead Hofmaster, Lange and Dowd, De mut h was way behind . "I jumped the big double, and I clipped Hagseth going up the face." he said. "I cased the jump real hard , and my carburetor felloff," Demuth said of the mishap that had him watching the race from the sidelines and posting a DNF. Huffman lost the front end in the corner after the whoops and handed the lead to Hofmaster. Lange and Dowd also made it by the fallen Huffman, and from there on out , it was a three-man lead battle. Lange made a charge on Hofmaster early, but then he seemed to fade and eventually even dropped second place to the charging Dowd. Lange's bike seemed CYCLE N EWS to be having problems as he struggled to maintain race pace and stop the backward slide. "I was right on Tommy, and I guess I blew a chu nk of the ex haust off on the header pipe. so I had to back of the pace ." Lange said. Lange was ab le to nurse his bike along and stay ahead of Justin Brayton to remain on the podium . Hofmaste r cruised to his second main event win of the season, and Dowd wound up taking second. " I got a good start, and I was a little tight the first couple laps," Dowd said. "but the things smoothed out for me . I like the track a lot more than past weeks'." Huffman grabbed the ho leshot in the 2S0cc main and led the pack into the first turn. Demuth and Lange followed . but Lange lost the front end before entering the whoops and had to re mount quickly in order to stay with the pack. Lange made it back up in time to salvage 40th Anniversary third, and Dowd and Hofmaster followed. quickly se parating the mselves from the pack. " I was rea lly struggling tonight , even in the heat races and the dash," De muth said. ''''fter the 12Ss. I felt like nothing co uld go right. I said a few prayers ." Things were looking up for Demuth, though , as he passed Huffman and began to pull away. Huffman continued a backward slide and soon succumbed to Lange and Dowd in consecutive laps. Demuth pulled away for the win and felt a little bit redeemed for the earlier mishap and DNF in the 12Scc class. When asked if he was just trying to make it interesting, Demuth said. "I'd like not to , but it seems to be that way w ith John Dowd getting faster every weekend _ and Darcy and Tommy are stronger every