Anaheim Motocross : Rick Johnson Crashes in Main Event; Ward Wins Before 70,351

Only a year ago, Kawasaki factory rider Jeff Ward saw his chances of repeating as the stadium motocross champion all but wiped out when a $5 throttle cable broke in the Supercross series-opening race at Anaheim Stadium as Ward failed to score a point.

On Saturday night, Ward watched Rick Johnson, the rider who replaced him as the series champion, crash on the second lap of the main event in the Coors Supercross Kickoff as the series jinx continued to plague its champions.

Johnson, a Honda factory rider from El Cajon, failed to negotiate a triple jump and landed hard on the man-made track.

Johnson was carried off the track on a stretcher and taken to UC Irvine Medical Center for observation. The 20-lap race was restarted and Ward easily defeated Kawasaki teammate Ron Lechien in the main event in front of 70,351 fans.

The race was the first of 13 scheduled races across the nation. Johnson, 22, now faces an uphill battle in his attempt to become the first rider since Bob Hannah to win consecutive Supercross titles. Hannah won three straight titles in 1977-79.

Johnson gave an early indication that he was going to be the rider to beat at Anaheim when he easily won his heat race, lapping all but two riders in the 15-man field. Johnson entertained the fans by flying an estimated 22 feet over two series of triple jumps with ease, showing no effects from a recent crash at Carlsbad where he separated two ribs.

But in the main event, Johnson’s front wheel hit the third of three jumps near the center field fence and he lay motionless on the track for nearly two minutes while the crowd stood in silence and the rest of the riders dangerously rode past ambulance attendants.

Finally, promoter Mike Goodwin wisely ordered a restart with Ward enjoying a comfortable lead. Undaunted, Ward repeated excellent riding in the restart and built an eight-second lead over second-place Broc Glover after only four laps.

Ward built the lead to 17 seconds midway through the race and by then, the only suspense was who was going to win the duel for second between Glover and Lechien. Afterward, Ward said he never questioned the restart.

“I didn’t know who it was at first, but anytime you see somebody on the ground like that, you think of safety first,” Ward said. “The triple jump was pretty dangerous, but that’s the chances we have to take.

“The promoters want to put on a good show for the fans and the riders want the tracks as safe as possible. Winning tonight was a good way to start the season. All the hard work and training during the off-season paid off.”

Johnson wasn’t the only rider who had problems Saturday night. Johnny O’Mara, 1984 Supercross champion, dropped out of his opening heat race after only one lap and did not return for the remainder of program with a twisted knee suffered earlier in the week in a training session.

It was a disappointing debut for O’Mara on a Suzuki after a successful career riding as a Honda factory rider. O’Mara had trained hard for the race and even crashed riding a bicycle in Simi Valley two weeks ago, requiring plastic surgery for his face.

The best race was a duel between Tyson Vohland and Guy Cooper that opened the show. Vohland, a Kawasaki factory rider, led for seven laps but lost control on the last lap and collided with Cooper.

Vohland picked up his bike and momentarily took the lead, only to see Cooper pass him for the checkered flag. Vohland had to be content with third as Rick Ryan finished second.

The hard-luck rider of the night was George Holland of Kerman, Calif. Holland battled with Brian Manley for eight laps in a semifinal heat race with the lead exchanging four times. Holland looked like a sure winner when he took the lead on the last lap, but the Suzuki rider fell only 500 feet from the finish line. Both advanced to the main event.

There was another serious accident in a support 125cc heat race. Scott Underwood of Las Vegas crashed hard on the first lap of the six-lap race and was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center with a possible concussion.