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THQ AMA l2Sc c E a s t e r n R egional Su per cross S e ri es Stewa rt (259) and Josh Hansen (6 8) bo"led ove r the lead fo r a couple o f tu rn s. Hansen hung on fo r his first-ever " podium, YoT's first this year. " I saw [Smith] back there and was glad," Hansen said. "We ride together, and I know how he rides. I wasn't worried about him taking me out or anything, and I just focused and rode well." After being out of action for some time, one wondered what got into " U'I Hanny." " I just have to thank the Lord, my family, and everyone at Yamaha," he said. "I've been out for four weeks with a broken hand, and I only rode twice this week. I'm rea lly happy right now." Because Hansen is considered a 125cc West Coast rider, he received no points toward the 125cc Eastem regional championship. Rounding out the podium was Kelly Smith, who grabbed the $ 1000 Butt er-finger Holeshot Award. Smith was up front the entire race , and after finishi ng 10th a week earlie r in Housto n, the Michigan resident was much happier with his perform- After starting second behind Yamaha of Troy teammates Josh Hansen and Kelly Smith, Stewart made quick work of the duo and moved into the lead before the end of the second lap, executing a beautiful outside -in pass on Hansen that made the Yamaha rider look almost stationary. Stewart then settled into his groove and never looked back as he pulled away to a seven-second victory at the checkers. "Other than a lot of lappers out there, it was a good race," Stewart said. After the race , Stewart broke out his new cele bration dance, "The Sprinkler," and gave away his he lmet (although not his tru e race helmet, as he said on the podium) to a lucky fan in the crowd. Hansen finished second for his first-ever podium finish . The Colorado native signed up for the West region but broke his hand early in the series and elected to give the East a shot, since he is not inside the top 10 in points. O nce Stewart got by on lap two , Hansen rode unchallenged - although he was kept honest by his teammate Kelly Smith, who held down third for most of the race . ance. "I was real glad to get the start tonight and tum things around for myself and my team ," he said. "Last week, I couldn't buy a start , and I really struggled , and it's good to get back up here on the podium and collect the check." With his solid ride , Smith moved into fourth in the points standings. Perhaps the biggest attention-grabber of the night was Team Suzuki's newest star Another West-Coost rider like Honsen, Steve Boniface finished fou rth fo r no points. 24 MARCH 3 2004 • CYCLE NEWS 4 0 t h Anniversaru