Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

~ M OTOCROSS AM! NationalChampionship125/25OccMXSeries: Rounds 6/Final ~ ;~ Guy Cooper stopped to change goggles early in the first 125cc moto. Jeff Emig managed to stay dean in the second 125cc moto; he led from start to finish. Jean-Mich~l 8 Bayle prepares to pass Jeff Ward, who finished fourth overall. while Larry Ward, who started the began to spread out on the now onemoto. in 14th, finished fifth, proving line track, making the final finishing that persistence pays off. Ward, like order Bayle, Stanton, Kiedrowski, MatiEmig, took advantage of many riders asevich and Ward Rounding out the top' ahead of, him crashing in the mud. 10 were Rad 'N' Bad's Fred Andrews, They included Team Peak's Buddy Palmer, Noleen Yamaha's Larry Brooks, . Antunez, who later got hopelessly privateer Kawasaki rider John Dowd and stuck in a bog, Suzuki's Denny SteSurratt, in that order. phenson, Kawasaki Team Green's "I was just faster than Jeff (Stanton) Tim Ferry and Downers Grove Yamatoday," Bayle said. "We passed each other ha's Jimmy Button. a couple of times; I passed him and he Button wound up sixth, just ahead of passed me back. Once I got around him DGY teammate Chad Pederson, who at for the second time, I just had to work one time was running as high as fourth. a little harder to stay ahead." Rounding out the top 10 were StephenOn the victory podium, Bayle said he son, Ferry and Montgomeryville Suzukiwas "surprised" that Stanton passed him backed Barry Carsten. bade When asked to respond to Bayle's Emig outgated everyone in the second comment by the track announcer, moto, which was also shortened and Stanton jokingly replied, "Who's got the ended up taking 10 minutes less to number-one plate?" Both riders laughed complete then the first moto. Emig had Later Stanton said: ''I'm a little built up an IS-second lead over Button disgusted with myself, I just wasn't after the first lap. Button, however, soon riding good today. He (Bayle) was simply surrendered second place to Cooper faster than me. I wanted to win today." befC?re craShing and dropping back. Matiasevich seemed a little surprised Taking full advantage of the clear that he finished as well as he did ''I'm track ahead of him, Emig stretched out not a mud rider. I'm from California and a 35-second lead on Cooper by the end we don't have much mud there. I felt of the second lap. Cooper was being like a fish out of water today." closely pursued by LaRocco and he Close racing was also lacking in the managed to hold him off for another two 125cc class, as LaRocco roosted away laps before giving way. from the pack in the first 125cc moto. But LaRocco had no chance of By the halfway point, the Kawasaki rider catching the high flying Emig, who held was 30 seconds clear of Cooper, who a one-minute advantage at the halfway started the moto in third and survived point LaRocco, however, did manage a spectacular near-endo early in th~ to knock four seconds off Emig's lead, moto. but that was all, as the Yarnaha pilot "On the third lap, I tried clearing the easily scored the second-mota win and double in the back section, but my rear the overall·victory. wheel hit a rut and kicked up," 'Cooper LaRocco finished 25 seconds ahead of said. "I must've looked like Superman Cooper, whose teammate Steve Lamson because my legs were flying behind me. was a distant fourth. Lamson had I didn't want to land on my bike, so crashed in the first moto and had I landed on the side of it and ran difficulty getting his motorcycle started . alongside. It was actually kind of fun." because of dogged carburetor vent tubes. Later that lap, Cooper stopped in the Larry Ward, once again, finished fifth, pits to change goggles and re-entered just while North County Yamaha's Tyson ahead of Emig who was running in third. Vohland grabbed sixth. Behind Vohland Emig, after getting the holeshot, had came Stephenson in seventh, while dropped to lOth on the first straightaway Button nipped Ryan Hughes and Ferry but worked his way back up. across the line for eighth. "I tried keeping Emig behind me by ''I'm really happy to win my second jumping a triple, but I cased it and race," said Emig. "Getting a good start crashed," said Cooper. was all-important and I knew that's what "Man, I worked my way back after I had to do. It makes it a lot easier when the start," said Emig. "Luckily, a lot of you can get away from everyone and just guys ahead of me crashed." _ ride Y0ur own' race." . Emig inherited second when Cooper "I didn't get off to a good start," said bailed and he then pulled away from the LaRocco. "On the first lap, a guy ahead Suzuki rider. Cooper lost sight of Emig of me got crossed up in a rut and I had and ended up having to settle for a distant thw, . to jump off and run alongside my bike, then I crashed again and dropped to fifth. Erik Kehoe, riding an On The Line But-I got right back up to third, and Racing-backed Honda, made full use when I finally gO,t around Cooper for of a top-five start and finished fourth,

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