Motocross : Riders Are Upset With the New Point System

Something is rotten within the sport of motocross racing.

It’s not the actual sport. That’s thriving, as indicated by the 70,208 fans who braved Saturday night’s chilly weather to watch El Cajon’s Broc Glover win the Miller High Life Supercross at Anaheim Stadium. It marked the seventh straight year that the event has sold out at Anaheim.

It is many of the riders who are not happy. A new racing format, which was introduced last week in San Diego, has alienated several of the top competitors on the circuit.

Under the old format, riders competed in a heat race, one of two semifinals, and then the top finishers advanced to a 20-lap, main event. This year, they compete in a heat race, one of two semifinals, and then the top finishers compete in two, 12-lap main events.

The winner is determined not by which rider takes the checkered flag in the main event, but, rather, by a point system.

Last weekend, Glover, a Yamaha factory rider, won the first main event and Yamaha’s Ricky Johnson won the second. But Honda’s O’Mara was declared the winner by virtue of his two second-place finishes.

Glover had finished third in the second main, which gave him four points--one for a win and three for third--while O’Mara also accumulated four points--two each for second place. O’Mara won because the highest finisher in the second moto breaks the tie.

Not only were Glover and Johnson upset, many fans in San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium left their seats wondering who had won.

“The main thing we’ve got to get resolved is the points system,” Glover said. “I think the promoters made the change because they wanted more television coverage, but why mess with a good thing? We’re attracting capacity crowds and they decide to change the format. You tell me if that’s right.”

The complaints weren’t limited to point distribution. Mission Viejo’s Ward, who finished fourth in the San Diego race, is having trouble adjusting to the two shorter finals.

“Two main events is nice for the spectators, but it’s hard for the rider to get pumped up,” he said. “I’d like to see us go back to the original format. Nobody had any complaints with that.”

Added O’Mara: “Even though I won last week, I think the new format is too confusing. The 12-lap main is awfully quick--it seems as if you just get going and the race is over.”

Three riders, Glover, David Bailey and Bob Hannah approached promoter Mike Goodwin this week to propose that they go back to the old format for next weekend’s Supercross in Seattle. But Goodwin said he’s sticking with the present system.

“We work for the spectators, and we’re going to do what’s best for them,” Goodwin said. “It always seemed like one rider would get hot each night and run away with the show, so we thought this would be a good way to balance it out. We have two heats and take the average to determine the winner.”

O’Mara advanced to the main events Saturday night by finishing third in his 250 cc heat race (the top three advance). Ron Lechien, Mark Barnett, Ward and Rick Johnson were the heat race winners.

The most exciting preliminary race was the second semifinal, in which the lead changed hands twice between Jim Holley and Bob Hannah.