Supercross -- Larry Ward Wins Third Title

Larry Ward's new home might be in Florence, S.C., but his heart is in the Kingdome.

The Snohomish County native wrote a sentimental 33rd and final chapter for AMA U.S. Supercross racing at the Kingdome last night, riding his Suzuki to victory in the 20-lap 250cc in front of an event-record crowd of 60,193.

Ward, 28, celebrated 20 years of motorcycle racing (he won a junior-level race at the Kingdome at age 8) by winning the third Supercross race of his pro career right where he won his first Feb. 17, 1990.

He shook off Honda's Kevin Windham in the early going, then sprinted away from Mike LaRocco (Honda) and John Dowd (Yamaha) to dominate the fourth stop on the 16-race AMA U.S. Supercross Series and earn $5,250 of the $55,000 total purse.

"It's a lot of pressure and preparation for this race every year," said Ward, an Everett native who is the only Northwest rider to win a Supercross event at the Kingdome.

"I tend to do well on the soft dirt here."

He benefited from a first-turn pile-up that doomed five-time series champion Jeremy McGrath's chances of winning at the Kingdome for the fifth time in seven years. McGrath roared back to finish fourth after falling to 15th among 20 riders.

"I knew I had to get out there fast," Ward said. "I almost missed the first turn. I knew Kevin and I were running about the fastest of anybody out there, but with seven laps to go I knew Mike and John were coming up on me."

LaRocco, the most consistent rider this season with third-place finishes in each of the three previous races, moved three points ahead of McGrath in the series standings. Honda rider Mickael Pichon is third and teammate Ezra Lusk, a two-time event winner in 1999, is fourth.

NOTES

-- Nathan Ramsey took advantage of leader Casey Johnson's spill three laps from the finish and rode his Kawasaki to a second straight 125cc main-event victory. Johnson, of Lake Elsinore, Calif., won the first two races of the season aboard a Yamaha.

-- Lance Smail, of Federal Way, is sorry to see the Seattle stop on the AMA Supercross Series tour - the only one in the Northwest - in jeopardy. The Kingdome will be demolished next year to make room for the Seattle Seahawks' new stadium.

"It's kind of sad. The Kingdome is cool," said Smail, who's still looking to qualify for his first main event. The 1989 Kentwood High School graduate said he's "a little afraid to ask" if the series will return to Seattle in 2000 at another venue. "I doubt it'll be at the Tacoma Dome. It probably wouldn't pack in enough people, and the floor's a little small."

Connecticut rider Jim Ellis was the winner as Supercross staged the first of 33 races in the Kingdome Feb. 18, 1978. Rick Johnson owns the most victories here with seven.

Northwest 250cc competitors last night included Billy Binckley of Woodinville, Travis Gage of Snohomish, Joe Arnott of Port Angeles, Beau Manley of Longview and Jason McCormick of Vancouver, Wash.

250cc Class

20-lap main event - 1, Larry Ward, Florence, S.C., Suzuki; 2, Mike LaRocco, South Bend, Ind., Honda; 3, John Dowd, Chicopee, Mass., Yamaha; 4, Jeremy McGrath, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha; 5, Greg Albertyn, South Africa, Suzuki; 6, David Vuillemin, Rancho Dominguez, Calif., Yamaha; 7, Jeff Emig, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki; 8, Kevin Windham, Baton Rouge, La., Honda; 9, Timmy Ferry, Largo, Fla., Yamaha; 10, Damon Huffman, Acton, Calif., Kawasaki.

Time of race - 20 minutes, 01.98 seconds. Winner's average lap time -1:00.099. Margin of victory - 2.006 seconds.

Heat 1 qualifiers - 1, Mickael Pichon; 2, LaRocco; 3, Jimmy Button; 4, Damon Huffman. Heat 2 qualifiers - 1, Ezra Lusk; 2, Windham; 3, Robbie Reynard; 4, Steve Lamson. Semi No. 1 qualifiers - 1, Dowd; 2, Ward; 3, Albertyn; 4, Sebastien Tortelli; 5, Ferry. Semi No. 2 qualifiers - 1, McGrath; 2, Emig; 3, Vuillemin; 4, Phil Lawrence; 5, Pedro Gonzalez. Last chance qualifiers - 1, Jean-Sebastien Roy; 2, Heath Voss.

250cc points leaders - 1, LaRocco 82; 2, McGrath 79; 3, Pichon 66; 4, Lusk 65; 5, Dowd 57; 6, Ward 56; 7, Windham 52; 8, Vuillemin 48; 9, Huffman 47; 10, Emig 45.

125cc

15-lap main event - 1, Nathan Ramsey, Corona, Calif., Kawasaki; 2, Casey Johnson, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Yamaha; 3, Michael Brandes, Quail Valley, Calif., Suzuki; 4, Isaiah Johnson, Albuquerque, N.M., Yamaha; 5, Casey Lytle, Santa Clarita, Calif., Yamaha; 6, Ryan Clark, Albuquerque, N.M., Kawasaki; 7, Chris Wheeler, El Cajon, Calif., Yamaha; 8, Travis Preston, Hesperia, Calif., Suzuki; 9, Charlie Bogard, Grand Prairie, Texas, Suzuki; 10, Erick Vallejo, Mexico, Kawasaki.

Time of race - 15 minutes, 27.66 seconds. Winner's average lap time - 1:01.844. Margin of victory - 17.009 seconds.

Heat 1 winner - Bogard. Heat 2 winner - Ramsey. Last chance winner - David Pingree.