This is the 2002 125cc West Main Event from the Astrodome in Houston, TX.

In 2002, Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Matt Walker #68 was having another troublesome year... this time under the Pro Circuit Kawasaki tent. Walker, a native of McDonough, GA, lucked into the last spot for Pro Circuit Kawasaki when 16-year-old rookie, James Stewart, Jr. #259 signed with Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki instead. Walker was picked to ride the 125cc West with 125cc sophomore, Bobby Bonds #43, but Bonds dropped out early due to injury, and Walker had only qualified for 3 of the first 5 races of the season. Matt's best finish of the season was a 5th at Anaheim 2; however, he had missed the main event in the previous 2 events at Phoenix and Anaheim 3.

Mitch Payton's 125cc East riders weren't having much luck either. #104 Shae Bentley, the 2000 125cc West champ, was already knocked out with a leg injury, and the recently-crowned 2001 125cc Motocross champ, #3 Mike Brown wasn't filling in the blanks out East either. All Brown could show were finishes of 4th or better, but no wins. All the wins on the East were going to Yamaha of Troy's Chad Reed #103. As a result, Pro Circuit Kawasaki had yet to reach the winner's circle in 2002.

In the main, all that changed. With Bonds and Bentley out for Supercross with injuries, Team Yamaha's David Vuillemin #12 played Santa Claus and called an old friend in France named Eric Sorby to come to America and race for Pro Circuit Kawasaki for the rest of the year. Sorby came over riding a #917 KX125 and pulled the holeshot. He led for several laps before being overtaken by Matt Walker, who had won the LCQ (for 19th gate pick). Walker went unchallenged for the rest of the race and won his first ever 125cc Supercross race. In the meantime, points leader, James Stewart, Jr. had another sour race with a crash in the 2nd turn with several other riders. He would come back to finish 10th, while his title rival, AMSOIL Honda's Travis Preston #29 took a 2nd place finish. Holeshooter, Sorby, hung on for 3rd.

In the end, Stewart's 10th place finish to Preston's 2nd shaved James' points lead from 22 to 10. At the next round at Dallas, things went from bad to worse as Stewart would fall 4 times (including 3 times on lap 14) and finish in 16th. Preston would win the race and turn a 10-point-deficit into a 10-point-lead going into Salt Lake City; Houston winner, Walker, finished in 4th, and Eric Sorby (who went out East for a 2nd and 3rd) finished 5th. Stewart would win the final round at Salt Lake City (his 3rd of the season) while Preston rode to a solid 2nd to ice the crown.

Matt Walker would stay at Pro Circuit Kawasaki until the end of the 2005 season. Walker managed to get some podiums, but injuries and bad luck prevented him from moving up to the series premier class. Walker's last Supercross podium came at the 2005 Atlanta Supercross with a 3rd place finish. Unfortunately, the 2002 Houston Supercross would be the site of Matt's only Supercross win ever. After riding for Yamaha of Troy in 2006 (and having little to no success), Walker quietly retired after 8 years in the 125cc/SX Lites class.

Enjoy.

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