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MotorTranscript
00:00Certainly looks like it is going to be a two-rider battle to the end. There's the gate, it drops. Moto number one is underway.
00:07Looks like Jeremy McGrath gets the hole shot, followed by Emick. Those are the two riders we just highlighted for you, but LaRocco squeezes in there.
00:15A nice move by LaRocco, coming in from the outside, Jeremy out in front, and I've said it a lot this season, once he gets off to a good start, he is hard to catch, and he's already put a little bit of space between himself and LaRocco.
00:30You see they watered the track there, and it's really difficult to pick lines. The whole center of the track there is all muddy, and the guys are either going extreme outside or the extreme inside.
00:38And right now, McGrath leading the way. He pulled a tearaway on that big jump there, and just wanted to get a little bit clearer vision. He figures he's not going to need all those tearaways now.
00:47Looks like Kedrowski also got off to a pretty good start. I think I counted him along at about the fifth or the sixth spot.
00:53But up front, Jeremy McGrath up the hill, a nice jump, and look at Jeff Emick, side-by-side, I guess that was with his teammate John Dowd.
01:00Looked like John Dowd, and it looked like John Dowd might have had the better line going into the corner, but Emick still holds on to the spot.
01:06Jeff Emick moving into that third spot. Of course, he's thinking points right now, and Jeremy McGrath is at the point. You don't get many more points than that.
01:14In fact, that's the limit. He could collect 25 points if he comes away with the win here in Moto No. 1.
01:21Jeremy just looks fantastic right now. He's hitting all the lines just right. He's wheeling over the right bumps. He looks relaxed.
01:26He's even put a little style into everything, and he's going to have to ride like that, because No. 1, LaRocco, the defending champion, hasn't won here in front of his hometown crowd.
01:34He battled with Kedrowski last year. They had a little bit of a heated discussion at the end of one of those motos, and you can bet he's going to be a threat here today.
01:41Well, now Emick sweeps along on the inside, tries to carry LaRocco out. He could have easily taken LaRocco out with that move, but he backed it off.
01:50It allowed LaRocco to keep the position.
01:52Well, you know, in the first lap, sometimes a move like that, he could have gone down also in that same little exchange.
01:58So, possibly just trying to let things sort themselves out, not make a stupid move like that.
02:03If he was to go down right here, he'd probably drop 10, 15 spots in this first lap.
02:06Oh, there's that jump. Look at that. They really fly up there, don't they?
02:10There was only a few riders last year that were able to clear all the way up over that.
02:14It's a double jump, but then there's another little rise beyond the top, so they kind of turn it into a triple, and all of them are doing it this year.
02:20Is that simply horsepower or the line and getting the right traction coming off the setup for the jump?
02:26It's pretty much all that. A little bit of nerve and, you know, the right line coming out of the corner, the right drive, and everybody seems to be hooking up good today, and they're getting the speed they need to do it.
02:36Green flag, one lap complete, and a tight 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. And look at that, Damon Bradshaw is also in there among the top five as he's following John down.
02:45Right. He's got the start he needs. Last week, he got involved in a first lap scuffle, and it ruined his bike, and he didn't even finish the first moto.
02:52And, you know, you see Skip Norfolk pumped up and giving his rider a little incentive right there.
02:58He's got the former national champion breathing down his neck now, and I don't think he wants LaRocca to learn anything from Jeremy.
03:05We saw John down there. What a heartbreak for him. He was in position to get the overall at Southwick but had the problem with the shock late in moto number two.
03:13Take a look at the Suzuki field summary for the top ten, who's steady at second. Let's check into his pits.
03:19Steve LaRocca's little slip allowed your guy, Jeff Emick, to get in front, but he's still got a battle on his hands from number one right behind him.
03:26Yeah, Jeremy's in his usual style trying to get out and run away.
03:29I'm kind of hoping that Jeff and LaRocca don't battle too much to where McGrath might get away a little more because, you know, him, you can't really afford to let him do that.
03:38So, I'm hoping Jeff can pull away from LaRocca and maybe slowly reel in Jeremy.
03:43The support race proved that once you get in front here, if you don't make mistakes, it's not that hard to pull away.
03:49Yeah, the track's kind of smooth because they graded a lot of the ruts in, so it seems like they're all going about the same speed right now.
03:56Yeah, that's what it looks like. The track isn't really that rough. It'll get rougher in the second moto in some of these tight sections.
04:01Those ruts right there will get real choppy coming out, so choosing the right one will be important.
04:04But, for the most part, the track is pretty wide open.
04:07And what that means, basically, is if there was a privateer, let's say, that's not capable of running the pace these guys see on a track like Southwick,
04:14he could run this pace for a while. Then mistakes eventually would get the better of him because these guys don't make many.
04:19Oh, there's a mistake right there. Jeff Emick got a little too close to the tree, touched it with the handlebar, and just like that, LaRocca moves around into second place.
04:28I hope I didn't jinx him. Gosh, right when I said it. That's a tough section right there because the berm, early in practice, when it's kind of muddy,
04:34the riders don't want to drift off into that off-camber, so they go real close to the tree, and that's where the berm ends up.
04:39So you brush your shoulder through there just about every lap. I know I've brushed mine there a few times.
04:44See, he hit his shoulder on the tree, and luckily he had his fingers on the clutch. All the riders these days ride with their finger on the clutch all the way around the racetrack.
04:51They never take their finger off it, and right there, it paid off.
04:54Well, LaRocca has gotten around, and now we look a little bit further back. That's John Dowd who's being pursued by Greg Albertine.
05:01This should be a battle for the fifth spot. Albee riding along in sixth, Dowd in fifth, trying to get in the way, but Dowd gets on the gas just a little bit sooner.
05:10Up over the jump. Oh, man, what great camel work. This is just amazing. I love it.
05:17Take a look at the top ten. Find your favorite rider on Greg Albertine.
05:21Oh, look at that airtime. That's the most airtime I've seen in a long time on a motocross track.
05:27That looks like the kind of stuff we go out and find in our weeks off in the sand dunes in Glamis or something.
05:32Oh, man, that is just... I could sit there and watch nothing but clips of that all day long. That is just beautiful to watch.
05:38Well, from the rider's standpoint, it's fun, too, because that jump is pretty forgiving.
05:41If you were to land a little short, it's not like you're going to really probably crash or anything.
05:46There's not a big jump they have to clear over. It's just actually faster to carry that much more speed up the hill. It looks pretty neat.
05:52Speaking of speed, it looks like Albee might be a little bit faster. Is Dowd holding him up, do you think?
05:56I think so. I think if Albertine can get around, he'll pull away, and I think Dowd knows that, too.
06:01He's just trying to do all that he can to hold him back there, and maybe...
06:05There we go. There's the power by Albertine to the inside. A daring move.
06:10Gets alongside Dowd. Just a drag race through the corner.
06:14Albee taking the inside line, gets around, and takes over that fifth spot.
06:18Well, that's a pretty aggressive move. I can tell you there wasn't a whole lot of room between Dowd and that fence post going into that corner.
06:23Here, you're going to see it. Right here, when they're side by side, a stack of tires is close, right there.
06:29Albertine just able to get into that berm, and now we'll have to see if Dowd can respond,
06:34and hopefully maybe learn something from Albertine, like I said before, and possibly stay in contact with these leaders.
06:40Back up front, Jeremy McGrath continues to lead, then it's Michael Rocco, followed by Jeff Immick.
06:45McGrath, last year, didn't have a very good time here. He finished 12th overall, and who do we got here?
06:50It looks like a couple of KT... Yeah, Anthony Amaradio, and...
06:54That's Jeff DeMint, too, at Amarad... Oh, right hand!
06:58There goes Jeff Curry, by... Oh, this is not good for the two teammates for KTM.
07:04No, this isn't good at all. Look at the way the bikes wound up. I'm sure they threw them...
07:09I wonder whose bike is on top. That guy's going to win, maybe.
07:12Oh, and throws him down. It's Amaradio on top.
07:16You know, it looks... And there's the AMA official. Boy, this isn't the good...
07:20It didn't happen in the woods where nobody saw, so...
07:23It looked like Amaradio, I was just going to say, number 33, that's DeMint picking his bike up.
07:27He just looks like he wants to get back to the action, so I'm going to assume,
07:31from Amaradio's actions towards the end of that scuffle,
07:36that he was irritated with something that DeMint may have done to him, so...
07:39Looking to settle the score with his fists.
07:42Well, Michael Rocco is trying to settle down and chase down Jeremy McGrath.
07:47He is riding along in the second spot right now.
07:51Time now for this week's Suzuki flashback.
07:54We flashback to July 3rd, 1994, on the eve of Independence Day.
08:00Some fireworks out on the track.
08:02That was the final lap. Kedrowski had been leading the whole way.
08:05La Rocco right there, winning. Doesn't realize anything's wrong.
08:08Well, Kedrowski's a little bit upset with that move by La Rocco.
08:11La Rocco launches his bike into him.
08:13And a hand gesture. Now La Rocco's dad comes over to get between him,
08:17so it doesn't get too ugly.
08:19Well, that was actually a carryover from Southwood.
08:21Right. Well, Kedrowski felt like he'd been riding safe and polite against his teammate,
08:27and when La Rocco made that move on the final lap, he got upset and things got heated up.
08:31And they heated up again early in the second moto, as La Rocco takes Kedrowski down again,
08:36but Kedrowski rallied for the win in moto two to take the overall.
08:40Once again, this is a battle for second place. Jeff Emick is in third.
08:44He has his sights set on La Rocco.
08:47And while these two are battling, they've obviously picked up the pace, or Jeremy's slowed one,
08:51because Jeremy's down in the corner right there.
08:53He had a pretty big lead early in the race, and apparently it checked out.
08:57But right now, these guys are close.
08:59Well, you've got to think they've either picked up the pace.
09:01Here we go with a little air time for Jeff Emick.
09:04And either they've picked up the pace, or maybe Jeremy has slowed down a bit
09:08just to save himself for the second half of this moto.
09:11We are just past the halfway point.
09:13Take a look at the top ten on our Suzuki field.
09:16You've been waiting for, and the financing to get it.
09:20Back at Redbud track control, Buchanan, Michigan.
09:23That battle for second place is still the best battle on the track.
09:27Jeff Emick going for it right now to the outside.
09:29Does he have the drive coming out of that rut? No.
09:32La Rocco holds him off for the time being.
09:34Emick, David, is trying everything he can to get around it
09:37simply because of the way the points are stacking up.
09:39Right. I'm really impressed with Emick's effort.
09:41Down the inside right here, through all the mud, cuts across the line.
09:45He just had to slow up too much, didn't he?
09:47Well, he just went a little bit wide.
09:48He tried to guess where La Rocco was going to come out of that corner.
09:51And as he started to point out in terms of the points,
09:54you know, like we've pointed out before,
09:56La Rocco doesn't figure into the championship title because of the races that he missed.
10:00So he is affecting the outcome of what's going on in the battle between Emick and McGrath.
10:05And if he was to finish where he is,
10:06Emick's going to drop five points rather than just three if Emick were to pass La Rocco.
10:11You know, I think Steve Butler will go over to Mike Sr.
10:13and say, how about putting a sign board out and asking La Rocco to let us get by?
10:17No, I don't think so.
10:18And I don't think La Rocco's dad would do it.
10:20He's already dubbed Emick as an idiot.
10:22He said that last week, so we could quote him on it.
10:24So he's nervous, probably biting his fingernails,
10:26hoping that Emick doesn't do something weird and take out his son.
10:29Isn't that the way it is?
10:30Somebody on your team or your side says something about another rider one week to next week.
10:34You two are battling it out again side by side.
10:37Well, it's competition, you know.
10:39That's why they've got this big crowd to see this kind of war,
10:42and right now they're getting it.
10:44There's Mike Sr. with the stopwatch, checking times,
10:47watching his son Mike Jr. try to hold off Jeff Emick.
10:52I thought Emick might have had a little bit of a problem there.
10:55That's why I paused.
10:56That's the same spot that he had the problem earlier.
10:58He lost a little bit of time, and it's going to cost him right there.
11:02I mean, these guys are all going fast,
11:04and I'm impressed to see that Emick has made this jump to the 250s
11:08and is really in a position to win this title and is a challenge for these guys.
11:12La Rocco, we've already said plenty of times,
11:15is a lot of times one of the fastest riders on the racetrack, if not all the time,
11:19right here catching Jeremy, and Emick is pressuring him.
11:22Once again, you saw Jeremy going into that turn.
11:25La Rocco just a few seconds behind.
11:27At one point, I think it was over five seconds as far as the lead for McGrath,
11:31but they've cut into that substantially.
11:33Once again, a lot of air time, hang time.
11:35I've got to name that the Michael Jordan triple.
11:38It has so much air time.
11:40Yes.
11:42That would be a good name, I guess.
11:44You didn't like that, did you?
11:45No.
11:46I get the feeling you didn't.
11:48La Rocco is in second place.
11:50Look at the dust starting to kick up from where it's dried out,
11:54and that's got to play a little funky things with your vision.
11:57Well, the further back you drop from the rider in front of you,
12:00the more that dust plays a role.
12:02This looks like the white flag, yep.
12:04Last lap.
12:05McGrath is in front now.
12:07Jeff Emick trying to pick up two valuable points.
12:10I don't think he's got a chance at winning the moto,
12:12but he certainly has a shot at La Rocco to move into the second spot.
12:15Well, in this battle, these two have definitely closed the gap even more on Jeremy.
12:19So now Jeremy, you can bet, is glancing over his shoulder.
12:23Well, La Rocco trying to hold off Jeff Emick here on the final lap.
12:27Art Eckman is with Mike's father.
12:30The best part of this race is between Mike La Rocco and Jeff Emick.
12:34What a dicing job.
12:35Yeah, it is.
12:37Jeff's pushing him really hard, and Mike's going to have to smooth out a little bit.
12:41He's making a lot of mistakes.
12:42Gives Jeff an opportunity to get up there, and Jeff's trying to take it.
12:46Let's hope he don't get it.
12:47And, of course, this point in the race, he's got lappers to deal with, too.
12:50Yeah, they all got lappers to deal with.
12:52It's good and bad both ways.
12:55Well, I think for La Rocco and for Emick, it can work either way right there.
12:59Doc Boyce doing a good job of getting out of the way, number 44.
13:02I think the lappers play more of a role for McGrath
13:05because he's the first rider to catch up to him
13:08and possibly hold him up a little bit until they realize, oh, he's the leader,
13:11and then they get out of the way for everybody else.
13:13These guys may have an advantage on Jeremy at this last lap.
13:16Well, that advantage I don't think is going to help them catch.
13:18You see Jeremy McGrath just going out of the turn that they're entering.
13:21Jeremy, I think unless he falls or makes a really dumb mistake,
13:25is going to win this moto.
13:26And if he can win it, that will make five moto victories in 11 motos this season,
13:31almost 50%.
13:32But this is a great battle for second place.
13:34Looks like Emick may be holding back, trying to get one last charge.
13:38He's very careful going around the tree, taking that inside line.
13:41You notice La Rocco went to the outside of that turn.
13:44But, Emick, does he have enough time? Can he catch him?
13:47He's got enough time, but I just don't think he's close enough right now.
13:51Well, they are. They're closing in. La Rocco is closing in on McGrath,
13:54at least it looks like from that angle.
13:56Well, they are all close. They definitely closed in on Jeremy.
13:59That's pretty surprising.
14:01Jeremy probably thought, well, I can take it a little easy in these last couple laps,
14:04and all of a sudden he's going, uh-oh, they've got to get with it.
14:06And you can bet that when he crossed the finish line,
14:08he's going to glance back and pray that La Rocco finishes that number two spot
14:11and give him some more points.
14:14Right now, the point differential for moto number one between McGrath and Emick
14:18would be five.
14:20If Emick can get around La Rocco in these last several hundred feet,
14:24then it would only be three points that McGrath would gain on him.
14:28And Emick came in trailing by 11 points.
14:31Well, Bradshaw is still circulating in fourth that we know of, and nowhere in sight.
14:36These guys are obviously riding in a league all by themselves.
14:39They're very, very fast. They'll come around.
14:42Jeremy McGrath looks like he's going to do it.
14:44I think he's going to hold on there.
14:46He's trying to root on Jeff Emick.
14:48Checkered flag is out. Here comes Jeremy McGrath through the line.
14:51I think it was a green bike, yes.
14:53La Rocco is second, and Jeff Emick finishes third.
14:56Who would have thought?
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