LaRocco grabs second at San Diego's EA Sports Supercross
16 January 2001
2001 EA Sports Supercross Championship, Round 2: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA, January 13, 2001 Honda supported Mike LaRocco was the man of the evening for Round 2 of the EA Sports Supercross on Saturday at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium. Riding his CR250R sponsored by Amzoil, Dr. Martens, Journey's and Competition Accessories, LaRocco started the 20-lap 250cc main event in 5th place and rode with the leaders all night. On lap 19, LaRocco's momentum carried him past 2000 Supercross Champion Jeremy McGrath and he set his sights on leader Ricky Carmichael. The gap closed quickly but Carmichael would eventually cross the finish line first. "I had a really good line by the finish line jump and made my move on McGrath. He knew that I had complete control so he let me go by. I tried to catch Carmichael but just ran out of laps. I know I can win one of these," said LaRocco. Honda Racing's Ezra Lusk finished the night in 4th place after a hard fought battle with Kevin Windham. "The race started out good, I wasted a little too much time trying to get around Windham, and after I made the pass I just tried to race my own race and play it cool. I was making a few mistakes out there and didn't want to throw it away. I saw McGrath fading and tried to make a pass on him but just couldn't seem to close on his rear tire", said Lusk. Honda Racing's Sebastien Tortelli was still nursing a bruised left shoulder that he injured at Round 1 in Anaheim. The young Frenchman rode practice, but decided not to race the night program for fear of damaging the shoulder even more. "My doctor from France will be flying over this week to help me get ready for Round 3 in Anaheim", said Tortelli. Anaheim Rd. 1 Supercross 250-class Results, Top 5 Finishers 1. Ricky Carmichael - KAW 2. Mike LaRocco - HON 3. Jeremy McGrath - YAM 4. Ezra Lusk - HON 5. Kevin Windham - SUZ EA Sports 2001 Supercross 250-class Point Standings, Top Riders 1. TIE: J. McGrath, R. Carmichael - 45 3. TIE: E. Lusk, M. LaRocco - 40 5. David Vuillemin - 30 6. Kevin Windham - 29 Upcoming rounds Round 3 - Edison International Field, Anaheim, CA January 20 Round 4 - Bank-One-Ball Park, Phoenix, AZ January 27
