There's something about Edison Field that brings out the best in Ezra Lusk.

When the AMA Supercross season opened here in January, Lusk won the main event in convincing fashion.

Saturday night, when the series returned for round five, the Honda team leader again won the main event in convincing fashion -- and got a leg up on the $250,000 bonus series promoter PACE Motorsports is offering for winning here, at Houston March 13 and at Indianapolis April 24.

The victory, before a crowd of 44,895 was the third of the season for Lusk, who also won round two at San Diego. But defending series champion Jeremy McGrath (Yamaha) finished second to regain the points lead in the final West Coast race until the season finale at Las Vegas May 2. McGrath has a 1-point lead over Mike LaRocco (Honda), who finished fourth. Lusk is third, 11 points behind.

McGrath and Robbie Reynard (Suzuki) both scored wire-to-wire victories in the eight-lap 250cc heat races, but their races were extremely different.

McGrath managed to get his Yamaha into the first turn ahead of the other 19 riders in the race and simply rode away from a field that included former series champion Jeff Emig, former world champion Greg Albertyn, Kevin Windham, Sebastian Tortelli, Mickael Pichon and McGrath teammate Steve Lamson. Windham took second on a Honda, with Lamson third and Albertyn fourth for Suzuki.

Reynard also had the lead into the left-hand turn. But his task was made much easier when most of those behind him became entangled. Lusk, Damon Huffman, Jimmy Button and Grayson Goodman got the worst of it, and by the time they untangled they occupied the final four spots in the 20-man field. Lusk charged back to get sixth, with Button eighth. Both, however, had to ride in a semifinal, where Button finished first and Lusk second to earn their spots in the main event.

Casey Johnson of Lake Elsinore, who went into the night as the 125cc class points leader, had an even worse night.

Early in his six-lap heat race, Johnson got balked by a slower rider, lost momentum on his Yamaha and landed atop the third mound in a triple jump. Then Rusty Holland, on a Suzuki, landed atop Johnson. Johnson suffered a broken right arm and likely will be sidelined for the balance of the 125 West series.

Nathan Ramsey won that heat race on a Kawasaki after Ryan Clark won the first heat, also on a Kawasaki. Then Ramsey rode away with his third straight main event win.

The 125 West series riders now are idle until the series visits Irving, Texas, Feb. 27.

AMA SUPERCROSS SERIES

at Edison Field, Anaheim

250CC CLASS

First heat (8 laps) -- 1. Jeremy McGrath, Canyon Lake, Yamaha; 2. Kevin Windham, Corona, Honda; 3. Steve Lamson, Murrieta, Yamaha; 4. Greg Albertyn, Riverside, Suzuki; 5. Heath Voss, Prior Lake, Minn., Honda.

Others included -- 6. Sebastien Tortelli, Temecula, Honda; 7. Jeff Emig, Riverside, Kawasaki; 8. Mickael Pichon, Corona, Honda; 15. Espen Blikstad, Perris, Suzuki; 17. Akiha Narita, Canyon Lake, Honda.

Second heat (8 laps) -- 1. Robbie Reynard, Norman, Okla., Suzuki; 2. Mike LaRocco, South Bend, Ind., Honda; 3. John Dowd, Corona, Yamaha; 4. Timmy Ferry, Largo, Fla., Yamaha; 5. David Vuillemin, Rancho Dominguez, Yamaha.

Others included -- 6. Ezra Lusk, Corona, Honda; 7. Pedro Gonzalez, Temecula, Kawasaki; 8. Jimmy Button, Canyon Lake, Yamaha; 9. Phil Lawrence, Menifee, Suzuki; 15. Takateru Atsuta, Menifee, Suzuki; 16. Anthony Amaradio, Temecula, Yamaha; 17. Shinichi Kaga, Corona, Honda.

First semifinal (6 laps) -- 1. Larry Ward, Florence, S.C., Suzuki; 2. Emig; 3. Pichon; 4. Voss; 5. Ryan Terlecki, Salem, Ore., Suzuki.

Others included -- 6. Tortelli; 12. Narita; 16. Blikstad.

Second semifinal (6 laps) -- 1. Button; 2. Lusk; 3. Vuillemin; 4. Damon Huffman, Acton, Kawasaki; 5. Gonzalez.

Others included -- 6. Lawrence; 8. Amaradio; 10. Atsuta; 14. Kaga.

Last-chance qualifier -- 1. Kyle Lewis, Las Vegas, Suzuki; 2. Tortelli; 3. Grayson Goodman, Dallas, Honda; 4. Lawrence; 5. Jean Sebastien Roy, Quebec, Canada, Honda.

Others included -- 10. Kaga; 11. Amaradio; 13. Atsuta; 14. Narita; 16. Blikstad.

Main event (20 laps) -- 1. Lusk; 2. McGrath; 3. Button; 4. LaRocco; 5. Ward.

Others included -- 8. Tortelli; 9. Pichon; 11. Emig; 12. Dowd; 13. Albertyn; 14. Windham; 18. Lamson; 20. Gonzalez.

Point standings (after 5 of 16 races) -- Jeremy McGrath 101; Mike LaRocco 100; Ezra Lusk 90; Mickael Pichon 78; Larry Ward 72; John Dowd 66; David Vuillemin 62; Damon Huffman 62; Kevin Windham 59; Jeff Emig 55.

125CC CLASS

First heat (6 laps) -- 1. Ryan Clark, Albuquerque, N.M., Kawasaki; 2. David Pingree, Menifee, Suzuki; 3. Michael Brandes, Quail Valley, Suzuki; 4. Casey Lytle, Santa Clarita, Yamaha; 5. Greg Schnell, Rancho Cucamonga, Yamaha.

Others included -- 9. Steve Andrich, Perris, Suzuki; 11. Donald Upton, Sun City, Honda; 19. Danny Carlson, Sun City, Yamaha; 20. Jerry Aleman, Moreno Valley, Suzuki.

Second heat (6 laps) -- 1. Nathan Ramsey, Corona, Kawasaki; 2. Charles Bogard, Grand Prairie, Texas, Suzuki; 3. Isiah Johnson, Albuquerque, N.M., Yamaha; 4. Ryan Huffman, Roseburg, Ore., Honda; 5. Chris Wheeler, El Cajon, Yamaha.

Others included -- 13. Doug Parsons, Colton, Suzuki; 15. Arika Narita, Canyon Lake, Honda; 16. Erick Vallejo, Corona, Kawasaki; 17. Hawk White, Quail Valley, Suzuki; 20. Casey Johnson, Lake Elsinore, Yamaha.

Last-chance qualifier (4 laps) -- 1. Erick Vallejo, Corona, Kawasaki; 2. Rodrig Thain, France, Honda; 3. Andy Harrington, El Cajon, Yamaha; 4. Narita; 5. Ryan Duff, Chavies, Ky., Yamaha.

Others included -- 7. Upton; 14. Parsons; 16. White; 20. Carlson; 21. Aleman.

Main event (15 laps) -- 1. Ramsey; 2. Lytle; 3. Johnson; 4. Pingree; 5. Schnell.

Others included -- 9. Brandes; 14. Vallejo; 16. Andrich; 18. Narita.

Point standings (after 5 rounds) -- Casey Lytle 100; Nathan Ramsey 98; Casey Johnson 94; Michael Brandes 88; Isiah Johnson 81; Ryan Clark 64; Travis Preston 50; Tyler Evans 50; David Pingree 48; Charles Bogard 48.

Published 2/7/1999