Stadium Aces Have New Challenger : Damon Bradshaw, 16, to Test Johnson, Ward at Anaheim

During the last 4 years, the American Motorcyclist Assn.’s Supercross series has become a showcase for Rick Johnson and Jeff Ward.

Johnson, the reigning champion from El Cajon, and Ward, the former world minibike king from Mission Viejo, have each won 2 of the last 4 stadium championships. In the last 2 years, one or the other has won 20 of 24 races.

“What motocross needs is a new name,” was the lament of promoters last year, when Johnson won 9 of 12 races and Ward won 1 and finished second 7 times in 10 starts.

The sport may have one this year in Damon Bradshaw, a 16-year-old cycling phenom from Charlotte, N.C., who will be riding for the Yamaha team tonight at Anaheim Stadium when the Coors Extra Gold Challenge kicks off the Camel Supercross series. A crowd of 65,000 is expected for the 7:30 start.

Bradshaw burst onto the international motocross scene last Nov. 13, when he defeated Johnson at Osaka, Japan. It was the first time Johnson had lost the prestigious Japanese championship moto since 1981.

It was also the first time Bradshaw had ridden a 250cc motorcycle in a Supercross.

“He reminds me of myself when I was his age,” the 24-year-old Johnson told Nate Rauba of Cycle News. “He doesn’t back down to anybody when someone challenges him, and he’s confident but not arrogant. It wasn’t a fluke that he won. He rode a smarter race than I did, so he deserved to win.”

Yamaha team manager Ken Clark said he was confident that Bradshaw could be a threat for the series championship in his first season.

“Damon has been in our farm system for years,” Clark said. “There was never any doubt that he was going to be a winner. The surprise is how quickly he has developed.

“When Johnson got close to him in Japan, he held his own. The pressure didn’t get to him. I don’t think pressure bothers him. I’ve been predicting success for Damon Bradshaw since he was riding mini-cycles.”

Ward, one of the old men of motocross at 27, downplays Bradshaw’s Japan win, however.

“I had food poisoning over there so I wasn’t a factor, but I saw what was going on and Osaka was a 1-line track where it was impossible to pass,” Ward said. “Rick (Johnson) tried three times to pass him and ran out of room each time.

“Damon’s a strong kid, though. I know he’s a lot better than I was at 16. But I question if he has the strength and stamina to stay at his peak for the full 20 minutes at Anaheim. I’ve been racing against him in the Golden State Nationals, and each time he’s got the lead he seemed to tire and couldn’t hold it.”

Bradshaw is a 6-foot, 155-pound blue-eyed blond who started out racing 80cc minibikes when he was little more than a toddler. He entered his first pro national race just after turning 16 last July in Millville, Minn., and finished fourth, even though he fell on the first turn of the first lap and dropped back to nearly last.

“I knew when I first started racing that I wanted to become a factory superstar and win as many championships as possible,” Bradshaw said. “I feel real comfortable with the Yamaha and as far as racing goes, everybody can be beat, and I don’t give anybody anything on the track.

“The win in Japan was a real boost to my confidence, but that was only one race. I’m anxious to see how well I’ll do against the established riders for a full season.”

Bradshaw also won the opening round of the Florida Winter AMA series Jan. 1 at Gainesville, beating a field that included 3-time Supercross champion Bob (Hurricane) Hannah.

“It looked like Damon was riding a different race than the rest of us,” Hannah said at the time. “He looks like the next champ.”

Johnson, the defending Anaheim champion, may not be in his best physical condition tonight. He tore ligaments in his right knee while horsing around on 100cc minibikes with road racing champion Bubba Shobert on New Year’s Day at Kenny Roberts’ ranch in Northern California. Johnson missed 2 weeks of training, but insists he’ll be ready for tonight’s opener.

Broc Glover, an El Cajon neighbor of Johnson who won the season-ending Coliseum Supercross last year, is campaigning in Europe and will not be racing in this year’s national series.