Superbowl of Motocross : Johnson Gets First Coliseum Win

Ricky Johnson demonstrated to 50,335 spectators Saturday night at the Coors Superbowl of Motocross in the Coliseum why he has become the nonpareil of American motocross riders this year.

The 21-year-old rider from El Cajon, already a winner of the Nippondenso Supercross and national 250cc championships, added his first Coliseum victory on his factory-backed Honda.

Ron Lechien, another El Cajon resident, came off the starting line in front, closely followed by 1985 national champion Jeff Ward of Mission Viejo and Rodil International Cup champion Jim Holley of Northridge.

Johnson was fifth off the line as they bounced and jumped through the first lap around the Coliseum field, but as he crossed the line to start the fourth lap, Johnson took the lead for keeps. Showing a disdain for a series of frightening jumps along the south side of the circuit, Johnson passed both Lechien and Ward while flying through the air.

Once he found the lead, there was no catching him.

The win was Johnson’s sixth in 12 stadium races this year and his 11th overall. He has won four national 250cc motos and also an invitational event at the Rose Bowl last month.

Johnson’s $10,000 bonus for winning Saturday night’s race increased his season earnings to $500,000.

Johnny O’Mara, Johnson’s Honda teammate, finished second, with Ward third.

Veteran Bob (Hurricane) Hannah, showing the effects of a long layoff due to a broken collarbone and advanced age--he’s 29--failed to qualify for the main event.

The winningest rider in U.S. motocross history, Hannah was riding his first stadium race of 1986 after being injured while testing at Carlsbad early in the season. He finished sixth in his heat, with only four advancing to the finals, and then fell on the last lap in the consolation semifinal.

Eric Eaton, a 500cc rider from Tacoma, Wash., pressured Hannah for seven laps in the eight-lap consolation for the last qualifying berth and finally passed him midway through the final lap. Hannah, in a desperate attempt to re-pass Eaton, fell while trying to make up ground over a series of fast jumps.

Defending champion David Bailey withdrew at the last minute when he came down with a case of the chicken pox.

This was promoter Mike Goodwin’s 15th Super Bowl of Motocross since the sport’s stadium debut in 1972, and the track was his most technical and spectacular. There were six jumps that seemed to keep the riders in the air as much as they were on the track.

One dangerous triple jump often found one rider taking one jump at a time while another rider flew over his head in a daring flight of 90 feet over all three jumps.

“This isn’t a race track,” Hannah said. “It’s a jumping contest.”

Willie Surratt, on a Honda, won the 125cc support class main event, but Donny Schmidt clinched the series championship with a third-place finish in the 12-lap race.

Mike (Too Tall) Bell, winner of the 1982 Superbowl of Motocross, has retired from motorized competition to ride mountain bicycles. He demonstrated his versatility by winning a one-lap race over the difficult course.