Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Stanton. "You can't expect to win championships when you crash." Stanton remounted in fourth, well ahead of Jones and DeHoop, who had both begun to fight for the fifth position. Shortly after the midway point of the moto, Bayle began to clear a double jump that no one else was attempting, and that allowed him to close the gap on Kiedrowski. At about the same time, DeHoop got around Jones for fifth, but was still well behind the leading foursome. While Bayle would close on Kiedrowski in some sections of the track, the Kawasaki rider was able to pull it back in other sections. This went on until the final lap, when Bayle closed up to the rear wheel of Kiedrowski. As both riders approached the finish, Bayle squared off an off-camber turn and tried to squeeze by Kiedrowski on the following straight, but Kiedrowski held on to win by a bike length for the win. Ward crossed the line in third, well ahead of Stanton. "I was right up there, but I just 'didn't have the right lines," said Ward. "Bayle was doing that double, and nobody else was trying it." DeHoop won out in the battle with Jones, finishing fifth in the moto. Bayle again pulled the holeshot in the 12-lap second moto, but Jones was close behind and passed for the lead only a few turns into the race. Ward gated third, and a cheer went up from the crowd when he passed Bayle for second on the inside of a tum on the first lap. Stanton ran fourth, while Kiedrowski gated seventh but worked his way up to a distant fifth by the completion of lap one. "I just got a bad jump, and it's hard to catch up when you do that," Kiedrowski said after the moto. DeHoop was in ninth, also suffering . from a bad start. Ward immediately moved up on Jones, squaring a tum at the bottom of a hill and blasting into the lead on the ascent. The top five riders were all - clearing the big double that only Bayle had tried earlier, and se:veral riders back in the pack also started jumping it. Jones soon faded back to fifth, while DeHoop began to fight through the pack. Bayle didn't appear to be as fast as in the first moto, and Stanton and Kiedrowski both passed him for second and third on lap four. . By the sixth lap, the top five read: Ward, Stanton, Kiedrowski, Bayle and. Jones, as the gaps between the riders slowly began to grow. The top positions stayed tht; same for the remainder of the race, but the crowd's enthusiasm for Ward's ride made up for the lack of close racing. On the final circuit, Ward slowed and pumped his fist into the air, saluting the fans in one large spectator area. He crossed the finish line with a comfortable lead for the moLO and the overall win. "I just got in front and rode well," said Ward. "This is my only win so far this season, but it feels good." Stanton crossed the line a good distance back in second, securing third overall. "I just couldn't catch Ward," said Stanton. "He was just hauling ass today. I guess if you win four races here (like Ward), you pretty much have the track dialed. Anything's possible after the Coliseum, though, so I haven't given up yet." Though Kiedrowski finished behind Stanton in third, his first-moto win earned him second overall, but more importantly, helped him to put five ; ~~:; >:' ~ CN ~ ~ ~ ... t~ Q.) ,.0 0 ~ U 0 Mike LaRocco trudges back to the pits after his bike broke in moto one. more valuable points on the Honda rider. "I feel confident going into next week," Kiedrowski said. "I've always liked Budds Creek and I think I'll do good." . Bayle finished a distant fourth, well ahead of Jones, who was the top privateer in fifth overall. "Bayle was having a little trouble with the track, but he was riding hard today," said Honda Team Manager Dave Arnold. "I don't know why, but he really was trying." DeHoop provided some entertainment for the fans, working up to a sixth-place finish by moto's end to earn the same position overall. 125cc National Ryan Rughes blasted out of the gate first to begin an exciting first moto. Doug Henry was hot on his heels in second before moving into the top spot during the second lap of the 12-lap race. Larry Ward got a rare good start and was running in third ahead of Team Peak/Pro Circuit/Honda's Jeremy McGrath. While Henry set the pace at the front of the pack, several battles raged on behind him. "I didn't get-nervous out in front," said Henry. "I just concentrated on staying smooth." Emig was on the move, and he quickly passed his way into third place behind Henry and Hughes. LaRocco had gotten a bad start and was running in seventh position at the end of the opening lap, a good distance behind Healey. LaRocco was riding hard in an attempt to get through the pack before the leaders had a chance to pull away, and he passed his way up to fifth place by the third lap. Meanwhile, Emig and Ward were banging bars in the fight for second spot. The two traded positions a couple times before Ward secured the spot and began to pressure Henry for the lead. At the halfway point in the moto, McGrath's crankshaft seized and he pulled off the track, allowing LaRocco to take over fourth. At the same time, several riders suddenly came to life and began to make late charges. Emig again passed Ward, and the two closed in on the leading Henry. The leading trio of riders all speeded up slightly, circling the track in a tight bundle, but Ward suddenly went down in a tum, allowing LaRocco to move into third. Winner Jeff Emig gained 47 points on 125cc series leader Mike LaRocco. With just one round remaining, Emig trails LaRocco by only a single point. Mike Kiedrowski (3), Mike JODes (38) and Jeff StantoD battled in the first 500cc moto. "I was kind of waiting, because I knew I was stronger than Henry and I wanted to see what Ernig could do," said Ward. "I was running mud tires and the track was hard because the tractors had pushed all the mud out of the way. I gassed it coming out of a turn and the bike just slid out." With two laps remaining, Emig snuck by Henry and into the lead. Immediately afterwards, LaRocco pulled off· the track and out of the moto,. having stripped all the splines on the inner hub of his clutch basket. A despondent LaRocco revved his engine and stomped on the shift lever in an attempt to make the bike go, but the malfunctioning clutch wouldn't allow the transfer of any power to the rear wheel. Emig and Henry diced to the finish, with Emig scoring the close win and Henry finishing second. "I was able to do everything those guys were doing," said Henry. "Ernig picked it up with a couple of laps to 7

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