Last gasp Preston takes season opener.

Anaheim provided a sparkling opening round to the 125 West series, with Travis Preston snatching a hard-fought victory on the very last lap of the final.

Despite the presence of New Zealand's Josh Coppins in the field, it was Americans Preston, James Stewart and Chris Gosselaar who provided much of the action up front, with Preston notching his second career success.

"I was just riding smart and everything came together at the end of the race," he later told www.supercross.com.

It was never easy for the Factory Connection Honda rider, however, particularly when David Pingree (Red Bull KTM) got the holeshot and held sway from the Yamaha of Rodrig Thain and Preston's Factory Connection team-mate Gosselaar. Pingree's team-mate Brock Sellards was also in the thick of the action, and would take his turn out front, although both KTM riders would later slip out of the top three.

Preston and Stewart both started back in the pack, but climbed swiftly thereafter, taking fastest laps as well as the scalps of those ahead of them. Stewart made it as far as second, and was poised to shoot for the lead, when he fell and remounted, while Preston also benefited from a tangle between Gosselaar and Thain to move in front.

Stewart's charge back towards the leader eventually resulted in second overall, but Gosselaar was unable to get back on terms after clipping Thain's back wheel in the 'whoops' section, bringing both riders to the ground. The Honda man would eventually go on to take the final podium slot.

[picture courtesy of supercross.com]