prefer to forget.

On Sunday, however, Robbie Smith got the new week off to such a rousing start that he will probably forget about the last one forever.

With a breathtaking first-place finish during the third moto of the 125B class, Smith sewed up first place overall in the division on a chilly, windswept afternoon at Coney Island.

Just a few days prior to Sunday's remarkable accomplishment, Smith wondered if he would be able to race at all.

His bike was stolen even before he had a chance to ride it, but, luckily, it was found intact by manager Ras Mykkal.

Smith got stronger with each moto, finishing third, second and then first on a day, which was not without incident as two racers were rushed to the hospital resulting in lengthy delays, and in one case some anxious moments.

At the halfway point of the third moto of the 80cc class, riders Jaime Ford and Jason DeSilva collided with such a sickening thud that it left the crowd gasping.

While DeSilva got up immediately, Ford lay prone on the track for several minutes before members of the St. John's Ambulance quickly attended to the 11-year-old. The youngster apparently suffered a lower back injury.

Earlier, Leroy Maxwell was taken to hospital for X-rays when he hurt his left arm during the second moto of the 125C class.

Despite the injuries, the fifth round of the Pepsi Motocross Nationals featured some keen racing.

While most of attention was focussed on the 125B division's hot rivalry between Buddy Joell and Aaron Pace, Smith pushed his way into the spotlight with aggressive riding.

"I went out there with an attitude to win,'' said Smith afterwards, wearing a wide grin. "I knew I had to get out in front and not look back.'' Smith, who raised his arms in jubilation as the checkered flag blew wildly in the wind, carved up the track like a five-star chef slices a turkey.

"The wind was a bit of a factor, but to tell you the truth it kept me cool, and while I was cool I was just going faster.'' Joell came within a whisker of overtaking Pace for the division's overall lead with third, first and fourth-place finishes for second place overall (35 points) on the day. Pace, meanwhile, had loads of trouble after winning the first moto. His back tyre blew after three laps of the second moto, but he returned to the race after the seventh lap.

"I didn't want a no-points finish so I went back out there,'' said Pace, who was later buoyed by a second-place finish in the last moto.

Mykall finished in third place overall in the class with 33 points after a pair of fourth-place finishes and a third-place showing in the final moto.

In the 125C class, Chris Maxwell (45 points) kept his stranglehold on first place with three first-place finishes. He got his stiffest competition from Michael Burgess, who finished second (36 points) in each race. Leroy Maxwell was third after a pair of third-place finishes in the first two motos before he was forced out due to injury.

Kemo Simons kept his lead in the 80cc class with first-place finishes in the first and third motos and wound up the day with 42 points. He was followed closely by arch-rival Jamel Hassell (37 points) who came up with a win in the second moto and a pair of seconds in motos one and three. In third place was Howard Paynter, largely due to a third in the last race.

CLOSE CALL -- Jason DeSilva flies high during Sunday's 80cc action at Coney Island, but was later involved in a collision, which sent Jaime Ford to hospital. Picture: Alan Richardson.