MOTOCROSS AT ANAHEIM : Bradshaw Has a Tough Ride, Easy Victory

Damon Bradshaw called it the toughest track he has ridden this year, but it didn’t keep the North Carolina teen-ager from riding his Yamaha to a one-sided victory before a near-record crowd of 63,266 Saturday night in the Coors Light Challenge at Anaheim Stadium.

It was the second consecutive victory for Bradshaw, 19, in the Camel Supercross season. He won last week in the Houston Astrodome.

Defending Supercross champion Jean-Michel Bayle mounted a mild challenge halfway through the 20-lap main event, but after Bradshaw looked back and saw what was happening, he tweaked up his throttle and pulled away.

“I rode the way I wanted to tonight,” Bradshaw said. “My strategy was to get to the front early and get a clear track. It worked just the way I’d planned.”

Bayle, a French rider who lives in Redondo Beach, finished second, followed by fellow Honda rider Jeff Stanton, Guy Cooper on a Suzuki and Mike Kiedrowski on a Kawasaki.

Eric Kehoe jumped off the starting line in front and led for the first lap and a half before Bradshaw took control.

Seven-time national champion Jeff Ward, making his farewell appearance in Anaheim Stadium, had to earn his way into the main event by running in the semifinal. The most enthusiastic roar of the night from the crowd came when Ward, a local favorite from San Juan Capistrano, took the lead in the six-lap semi. Ward, 30, went on to win easily.

Ward, in his 14th consecutive season with Kawasaki, took a ceremonial victory lap to a standing ovation after winning the semifinal.

“Seems like I’ve had to ride the semi several times lately, but if I can get a good start in the final like I did in the semi, I think I can be there in the end,” Ward said. “This is really a great night, riding my last time in front of such a great crowd.”

Ward finished seventh in the main event.

Stanton and Bradshaw were easy heat winners, Bradshaw being the fastest by covering eight laps over the man-made obstacle course in 7 minutes 43 seconds, which was 11 seconds faster than Stanton.

Jeremy McGrath, defending West Coast 125cc champion from Murrieta, was a runaway winner on a Honda in the 15-lap 125cc support race. Buddy Antunez of Ontario finished second.

“I really got lucky with two holeshots tonight,” McGrath said of his jackrabbit starts in the heat race and main event. “That’s really unusual in Supercross. Last year things didn’t go this good for me this early in the season. I’m really happy at the way things went.”