Rose Bowl Supercross Final : Ward Takes a Fall and Then the Title

Saturday night’s Miller Supercross Final at the Rose Bowl was so important to Jeff Ward that he decided to leave his bike behind in the weeks leading up to the race and spend time running and working out at the Rose Bowl itself.

Apparently, it didn’t matter that the supercross track had yet to be built. Ward just wanted to be around the site where his final showdown with Broc Glover for the overall Supercross title would take place.

Even if it provided only a physiological advantage, Ward will take it. Going into the final race tied with Glover at 211 points apiece, Ward held off Glover as the pair ran 2-3 in the second 250cc heat to win the series title with 233 points. Glover finished with 231.

Although Ward won the 11-race point competition, it was Johnny O’Mara who was the top competitor Saturday night before a crowd of 41,316. O’Mara finished third in the first heat, then won the second to successfully defend the title he won last year.

The series win for Ward, who races for Kawasaki, was the first in his career and the first time since 1981 that a rider from Honda had not won it. As expected, the title didn’t come easy for Ward. In the early going, in fact, it looked as if it wasn’t going to be his night. Midway through his qualifying race, he fell at the start of the triple jump. By the time Ward recovered, he was 16th in the field of 20.

With less than half the qualifying race left, Ward simply concentrated on finishing in the top 13 and advancing to the semifinals, which he did with a ninth-place finish. Glover was impressive in that same qualifying heat, easily outdistancing the field, and thus automatically qualifying for the finals.

Ward’s fall did not affect the point standings. And judging by the way he came back to win the title, it wasn’t too much of a problem for him to compete in an extra race while Glover, who was riding with a broken right wrist, rested.

In the first final, Glover finished fifth to edge Ward, who finished sixth. So, all Glover had to do in the second main event was beat Ward.