Lusk Won’t Be Able to Shoulder Load

Supercross riders won’t have Ezra Lusk to kick around tonight at Edison Field, where promoters expect another sellout crowd of 45,000 for the second race of a 16-race series. Not that they could do it anyway.

Lusk, who won last year’s two events at Edison Field but missed the EA Sports Supercross Series season opener there last Saturday because of a shoulder injury, won’t compete in tonight’s races, which begin at 7, for the same reason.

Lusk, thinking at first that he had a separated shoulder, considered competing tonight.

But he had surgery on Wednesday and is out six to eight weeks with more serious injuries, among them a chipped bone in the shoulder and torn ligaments.

The injury, suffered during the last practice session before last Saturday’s Supercross, involved two other riders, Greg Albertyn and John Dowd, both of whom competed and advanced to the main event, where Albertyn was seventh and Dowd 10th.

Defending series champion Jeremy McGrath scored a come-from-behind victory last Saturday.

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AMA SUPERCROSS

What: Second race of 16-race series

where: Edison International Field, Anaheim

When: Today. Practice 12:30 p.m., opening ceremony 7.

Defending series champion: Jeremy McGrath, Chaparral Yamaha.

Defending Anaheim winner: Ezra Lusk, Honda.

Injury report: Lusk dislocated shoulder, Jeff Emig, two broken wrists. Both out 6-8 weeks.

Tickets: Edison Field box office, Ticketmaster, participating Yamaha dealers.

Prices: Adults, $75, $40 and $25. Children, $10.