MOTOCROSS COLISEUM : Bayle Punctuates a Championship Season

Jean-Michel Bayle wanted to go out a winner and he did.

The slender Honda factory motorcycle rider from France, who moved to Redondo Beach two years ago to campaign for the Camel Supercross championship, climaxed his winning season Saturday night by running away with the Coors Light Challenge, the year’s final race.

The victory, before 37,472 in the Coliseum, was Bayle’s eighth in the 18-race series, more than any rider has won in one season.

Bayle, who won world 125cc and 250cc outdoor championships before coming to the United States, won $100,000 for his stadium victories.

“When I started the season, I had three goals,” Bayle said. “I wanted to win the championship, I wanted to win more races than anyone before me and I wanted to win the most important Supercross race in the world in the Coliseum. I accomplished them all tonight.”

After trading the lead with Jeff Matiasevich several times during the first 11 laps, Bayle took charge over the second half of the 20-lap main event to win handily. Former champion Jeff Stanton passed a tiring Matiasevich five laps from the end for second place.

Even though Bayle accomplished his goals, he has set more for the remainder of the year. He will campaign in the American Motorcyclist Assn.’s 250cc and 500cc outdoor championships.

“No one has ever won a triple crown in one season,” he said. “I would like to be the first. I’ve already got the first leg.”

Matiasevich, a Kawasaki rider from Anaheim, was a big financial winner earlier when he won the $25,000 Silver Bullet Showdown by less than a second over Bayle.

The prize went to the rider who set the fastest time in heat races at the most events.Matiasevich tied with Damon Bradshaw with five each and won the tiebreaker for winning the most heats overall. Matiasevich had eight victories, Bradshaw six.

Bayle had four fastest times.

Matiasevich won his Saturday heat wire-to-wire in 7 minutes 29.50 seconds. Bayle, forced to come from behind to pass Mike Kiedrowski, won his in 7:30.52.

“I got a good start and went eight laps full out,” Matiasevich said. “This has been a disappointing year, but winning the Showdown makes the year a little easier.”

Despite Matiasevich’s success in winning heat races, he did not win a main event all season.

Jeff Emig of Grand Terrace, Calif., riding a Yamaha, won twice in the 125cc support class.

First he won the West Coast championship when he passed Honda rider Steve Lamson of Pollock Pines, Calif., on the final lap of the season’s final race, and then Emig came back to win the 125 Shootout that matched East Coast and West Coast point leaders. The victory paid $10,000.

It was Emig’s second consecutive Shootout victory, although he had to fight off a fast-closing Brian Swink, the Eastern champion from Fenton, Mich., in the 15-lap race.

Emig had to win the West Coast final to overcome the points lead of injured Jeremy McGrath of Sun City, who missed the race. Emig’s margin was 176-173 over McGrath.