Carmichael Dominates on CRF450R

AMA Chevrolet Motocross Championship
Round 1: Sacramento, California
May 16, 2004


Because Team Honda's Ricky Carmichael sat out the entire Supercross season
while his surgically-repaired knee healed, about a jillion people had two
questions in mind when RC returned to racing at the AMA Chevrolet Motocross
Championship outdoor series opener: How's the knee, and how well is the
Honda CRF450R working for you? Carmichael answered all such questions once
and for all by not only winning his third-straight Hangtown Classic, but by
also leading every lap of the two-moto event. Meanwhile, Amsoil/Chaparral
Honda's Kevin Windham took second place in moto one and fourth place in
moto two to enter a three-way tie for second place in the points standings.
Team Honda's Nathan Ramsey took sixth place in the 125 class aboard his
CRF250R by placing 13th in moto one and fifth in moto two.

Before the 2004 season began, Carmichael had decided to switch to Honda's
stellar CRF450R, and his first race aboard the big four-stroke clearly
demonstrated the wisdom of his choice. The Red Rider dominated his comeback
race by quickly taking the lead in the first moto, and then leading every
lap as he stretched out a sizeable cushion. At various points during the
race, his lead over second place spanned more then nine seconds. The battle
for second place heated up as David Vuillemin failed to keep pace with RC,
while Kevin Windham dialed up his pace to close the gap. On lap eight of
the 16-lap contest, KW made the pass on Vuillemin and then cruised away to
claim the runner-up spot with ease.

"It was a good day for me, and it's nice to be back at the outdoors," said
Carmichael. "I really missed racing; it's good to be back with all these
guys. It felt so good just to be out here. The win is awesome, but racing
with these guys was great and it was nice to give something back to my fans
and to the team."

As the riders began lining up for the second moto, the fans knew that RC
was not only back in top shape, but that they were also witnessing the
first stages of what might very well be Carmichael's fifth run at an AMA
national motocross championship. As the starting gate fell, Carmichael
immediately pulled ahead, followed by David Vuillemin who was challenging
once again. However, RC settled into the lead and never looked back,
winning the moto by more then 4.8 seconds. The battle for third and fourth
delivered plenty of hot action the entire race as Chad Reed and K-Dub
dueled for the final podium spot. This time, it was Reed who got the better
of Windham, who was relegated to fourth in the moto.

In 125 action, Honda-mounted Josh Grant grabbed the holeshot and displayed
amazing speed and talent at the start of the first moto. Riding a CRF250R
as a replacement rider on the injury-plagued Amsoil/Chaparral squad, the
rookie made the most of his opportunities by leading the pack for nearly
three laps before low-siding his bike in a corner. Unable to restart
quickly, Grant found himself relegated to the back of the pack.

Meanwhile, Team Honda's Nate Ramsey kicked off his 2004 motocross season
mired in the middle of the field at the start, but he made the most of
things by salvaging a 13th-place finish. In the second moto, Nate Dog
piloted his CRF250R to a solid fifth-place finish, good for sixth place in
the points chase. Amsoil/Chaparral Honda's Chris Gosselaar ended his day
seventh overall with a pair of ninth-pace showings, and his teammate Ryan
Mills left Hangtown in 12th place.

The Red Riders have the next weekend off before heading cross-country to
Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania for round two of the AMA Chevrolet Motorcross
Championship. Last year, the race at Mt. Morris was a one-two event for
Honda as Carmichael won both motos and Windham took second. Stay tuned to
see if history repeats itself in 2004.


250 Overall Results:
1. Ricky Carmichael (1,1) - Honda
2. David Vuillemin (4,2) - Yamaha
3. Chad Reed (3,3) - Yamaha
4. Kevin Windham (2,4) - Honda
5. Sean Hamblin (5,6) - Suzuki
6. Jean-Sebastien Roy (6,7) - Honda
8. Damon Huffman (13,5) - Honda
11. Pierrick Paget (11,10) - Honda
12. Clark Stiles (7,16) - Honda
14. Craig Anderson (14,14) - Honda
15. Rusty Holland (10,19) - Honda
16. Jason Thomas (17,13) - Honda
18. James Povolny (16,30) - Honda
19. Kyle Lewis (38,17) - Honda

AMA 250 Points
1. Ricky Carmichael - Honda - 50
2. David Vuillemin - Yamaha - 40
3. Chad Reed - Yamaha - 40
4. Kevin Windham - Honda - 40
5. Sean Hamblin - Suzuki - 31
6. Jean-Sebastien Roy - Honda - 29
8. Damon Huffman - Honda - 24
11. Pierrick Paget - Honda - 21
12. Clark Stiles - Honda - 19
14. Craig Anderson - Honda - 14
15. Rusty Holland - Honda - 13
16. Jason Thomas - Honda - 12
18. James Povolny - Honda - 5
19. Kyle Lewis - Honda - 4

125 Overall Results
1. James Stewart (1,1) - Kawasaki
2. Stephane Roncada (2,2) - Kawasaki
3. Michael Brown (4,4) - Yamaha
4. Broc Hepler (10,3) - Suzuki
5. Ryan Hughes (3,11) - KTM
6. Nathan Ramsey (13,5) - Honda
7. Chris Gosselaar (9,9) - Honda
9. Ryan Morais (18,7) - Honda
12. Ryan Mills (21,6) - Honda
13. Sean Collier (15,12) - Honda
16. Steve Lamson (7,29) - Honda

AMA 125 Points
1. James Stewart - Kawasaki - 50
2. Stephane Roncada - Kawasaki - 44
3. Michael Brown - Yamaha - 36
4. Broc Hepler - Suzuki - 31
5. Ryan Hughes - KTM - 30
6. Nathan Ramsey - Honda - 24
7. Chris Gosselaar - Honda - 24
9. Ryan Morais - Honda - 17
12. Ryan Mills - Honda - 15
13. Sean Collier - Honda - 15
16. Steve Lamson - Honda - 14