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/128610
"I did not jump the triple before the finish-line jump," Vuillemin said, "so he [McGrath! passed me there on the inside. From that point, I told myself, 'follow Jeremy maybe four laps,' and just look at his line and how he rode, but he made a mistake and [got the lead] right back." "I jumped up too far on a tabletop and almost put my front wheel over the backside," McGrath said of his bobble that allowed Vuillemin to pass him. "I was right on the edge; rather than take a chance and jump off, I figured I'd hit the brakes and case into it [the next mound] and make sure I stayed up." After that brief exchange, Vuillemin seemed to only get stronger as he ever so slightly began to pull away from McGrath. "At this point, I just tried to put a little bit more [effort into the race]," Vuillemin said. "I wasn't so tight, so I could be fast and it worked; I took little bit of a gap." Towards the end of the race, Vuillemin and McGrath encountered heavy lapped traffic, and McGrath was noticeably held back at one point. "I think towards the end I was kind of close to him [Vuillemin], then he got by Jason Thomas," McGrath said. "Then Jason races with me and kind of spread the gap a little bit." Vuillemin officially took the win 5.003 seconds ahead of McGrath, which was the widest margin between them the whole race. "In the beginning," Vuillemin said of the race, "I wanted to pull away with Jeremy. I knew I could not pull away from him in the beginning, so my strategy was to just pull away and ride with just two guys. I got a little bit tired when we were riding with the lappers around midrace and did that one mistake." "I was telling myself, 'okay, charge, charge, take some breaths,'" McGrath said, '''cause I know it was getting late in the race, then try to put on a little bit of a charge and pressure Vuillemin (934) and McGrath (1) spent much of the race this close. McGrath. Windham, who won here two years ago but did not race here last year because of an injury, took the checkered flag approXimately ] 1 seconds behind McGrath and comfortably ahead of Ricky Carmichael, who was running third early on before running off the track. Far behind Carmichael was Mike LaRocco, who ran fifth the whole way and was unable to mount his traditional laterace LaRocco charge. Another 20 seconds back in sixth place finished John Dowd, and then came Damon Huffman, the last rider not to get lapped by Vuillemin. Sebastien Tortelli, a battered and bruised Larry Ward (he suffered a get-off the previous day while practicing), and privateer Jason Thomas, on the Lineman Cycles/Pro Action privateer Yamaha, rounded out the top ]0. The win was an important one for Vuillemin in that it makes it possible for him to prevent Mazda/Chaparral Yamaha's McGrath from clinching the title at the next race - the second-tolast round - at Joliet, Illinois, in two weeks. But he again has to beat McGrath in Illinois if he wants to keep the series alive going into the grand finale in Las Vegas. Currently Vuillemin is 25 points behind McGrath, 322-297, while LaRocco has all but locked up third place with 262. Windham is fourth with 238 but only four points ahead of Carmichael. McGrath got a promising jump off the gate at the start of the final. He led going into the first turn, went wide, and then was delayed by Planet Honda's Jason McCormick, who barreled into McGrath from the side. The contact nearly put McGrath to the ground, and it slowed him down just enough to let Vuillemin get by on the inside. "I had a good start," McGrath said. "Then 1 got slammed pretty good by Jason." Immediately following the race, McCormick came over to the Chaparral pits and personally apologized to McGrath for bumping him. "I was on the gas, sliding, and I didn't mean to go into you," McCormick said to McGrath. "I wasn't even watching the track; I was watching you go off the whoops Uust after the first turn where they connected]. Sorry." McGrath accepted the apology with class, "No big deal, no worries," he said to him. "I pulled out of it no problem." But not before Vuillemin got the lead. The former GP rider quickly established that he was going to be the rider to beat on this night, as Vuillemin successfully tried to break away from the field as soon as he could. McGrath was the only person who could stay with him. Carmichael had put his factorybacked Kawasaki into third early on before suddenly shooting off the track and losing one position to Honda's Windham. "I was going inside there and jumping onto that tabletop," he said. "The dirt here is 'marbly,' and I kind of went sideways and went flying off the track. I'm surprised I didn't crash; I thought it was going to be ugly." Carmichael would stay in fourth the rest of the race, as Windham would do in third. Their positions were never challenged by anyone for the rest of the race. Meanwhile, Vuillemin continued to lead the way. while McGrath stayed right with him but was finding it difficult to make up any time on the leader. It was obvious that McGrath had his fast sections on the track, but so did Vuillemin. "I think David was getting me in the corner [a flat, left-hand sweeping turn] after the whoops," McGrath said. "He was smoking that corner, and 1 was floundering right there. 1 think I had a pretty good line after the finish-line jump, and I'd gain a little back on him." By the halfway point, McGrath seemed to close up on Vuillemin, who suddenly made a mistake, which cost him the lead - but for only a brief moment. Less than a lap later, McGrath mistimed a rhythm section and Vuillemin rode right back into the lead. Damon Huffman (20), Ricky Cannichael (4) and Kevin Windham (14) all 90t 900d starts but let Vuillemin and McGrath get away. cue I e n e _ S • APRIL 26, 2000 9