Show Will Go On for Johnson : Motocross Rider Keeps Racing Despite the Sport’s Hazards

Last year in Anaheim Stadium, motocross riders David Bailey and Rick Johnson dueled for 15 laps, exchanging the lead eight times. Bailey ultimately won the race when an exhausted Johnson tired on the final two laps.

Johnson, of El Cajon, had earlier entertained the crowd by making a triple jump of 75 feet from the first to third peaks, catapulting an estimated 22 feet into the air and then successfully making a radical right turn upon landing.

It was a great show, but Johnson says such a race won’t be repeated Saturday night when Supercross returns to Anaheim Stadium.

“I don’t think a race like the one in Anaheim last year will ever be duplicated,” Johnson said. “David and I were both at peak performance. We were feeling good, riding hard and got away from the pack early.

“I got caught behind (lapped rider) Scott Burnworth, which allowed David to catch up to me. From then on, it was one of the best races I’ve ever been involved in. David and I never really talked a lot about the Anaheim race the rest of the season, but I think we both realized we were part of something very special that night.”

Bailey, a two-time national 500cc champion, is paralyzed from the chest down from an accident incurred during a tuneup race near Fresno on Jan. 11.

Bailey, 25, failed to negotiate a double jump and flipped over the handlebars, damaging his fourth and fifth vertebrae. “It was a very unfortunate accident,” said Johnson, who spoke by telephone to Bailey in Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.

“It wasn’t a big jump. It was just one of those things that can happen in this business.

“David’s spirits were high. He won’t quit, and he told me not to quit. He told me, ‘Don’t hold back,’ and I won’t. You have to realize when you go into a sport like this that there are certain chances you’re taking, and you have to accept whatever might happen.”

When Johnson was 15, Bobby Sullivan, one of his best friends, was paralyzed after a crash in a Continental Motorsports Club 125cc race. Sullivan is wheelchair-bound.

“I grew up with Bobby Sullivan and we started riding together,” Johnson said. “When he got hurt, I went to see him almost every day in the hospital. He was in one of those rotating beds, and it was really sad to see someone so young hurt like that.

“But that didn’t stop me from riding as hard as I can, and David’s injury won’t, either. I’ll be going as fast as I can at Anaheim.”

Which means Johnson will have to jump over two sets of triples that has been added to the man-made course.

Last year, he sized up the triple jump during a practice session, cautiously going a little farther each time over the first two hills until he felt he had enough speed to attempt the triple.

“I could feel the speed and knew that the drive (r.p.m.) was right,” Johnson said. “Once I decided I was going fast enough, I gave it a try in my heat race. Then, some other guys tried it.”

Johnson said the jump was one of the tallest obstacles he ever has cleared.

Though Johnson finished second in Anaheim last year, he went on to win his first Supercross title. He began training for his title defense three weeks ago after arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips in his left ankle. He recently won a CMC Golden State series race at Carlsbad.

“I collided with Micky Dymond at the start of the race at Carlsbad, and a couple of guys ran me over,” Johnson said. “I separated a couple of ribs, but I still won the race. I’m going into the season with the same attitude I had last year.

“I relaxed after winning the 250cc national title in 1984 and got beat real bad in 1985. I won’t let that happen again. It’s hard getting to be No. 1, but it’s even harder staying No. 1.”

Supercross Notes

Johnny O’Mara, the 1984 Supercross champion, has left Honda and will make his debut on a Suzuki at Anaheim. O’Mara recently crashed his bicycle in Simi Valley when he hit a hole at 20 m.p.h. and required facial plastic surgery. . . . Jeff Ward of Mission Viejo begins his 10th season with Kawasaki and said the 1986 bikes are faster than previous models. Ward was the 1985 Supercross champion, but had trouble repeating when he failed to score a point at Anaheim after a throttle cable broke. . . . Yamaha factory rider Broc Glover says he has recovered from a broken wrist that hurt his 1985 season. He served as an adviser for the upcoming feature film, “Winners Take All” and recently won the Rosarito-to-Ensenada bicycle race that had 14,000 entries. . . . Promoter Mike Goodin of Laguna Beach is predicting a sellout for the Anaheim race today, marking the first time it has sold out in advance. The event has been a sellout for eight straight years. . . . Gary Cox of Anaheim has been hired as a course designer after developing the popular “Ghastly Gorge” last year for the Superbowl of Motocross. . . . Stuntman Jeff Weinke, 24, from St. Paul, Minn., will drive a motorcycle at 60 m.p.h. into a parked car at halftime. . . . Gates open at 6 p.m., but early entry passes, available at Toyota dealerships, will allow fans to enter the stadium at 4.