Honda 1-2 in Anaheim

Anaheim. The name was the same, but the track was entirely different for
the reprise event at Edison field, the third race of the AMA Supercross
season. Slick track conditions placed a heavy emphasis on the importance of
a good start, and Team Honda's Ricky Carmichael responded magnificently,
grabbing the lead out of the first turn. From there, RC was never
challenged, as he took both the race win and series point lead. In the 125
West event, the Red Riders of Team Amsoil/Chaparral/Factory Connection had
a real tussle on their hands as Chris Gosselaar finished fourth and Travis
Preston worked his way past some bizarre on-track incidents to collect
sixth-place points.


Many people commented on the state of the track following the practice

sessions. Honda Motocross Team Manager Erik Kehoe said, The lack of

traction will definitely make a difference for this race. These conditions

make it really hard to get around the track and take different lines.



Team Amsoil/Chaparral/Factory Connection CR125R rider Chris Gosselaar said,

Yeah, it's a little bit slippery out there, but the layout of the track is

really easy; everyone can go fast; there's nothing to it. All of this made

for a simple race plan during the final event: Get the holeshot, then put

your head down and check out.



As the gate fell for the 250 main, that's exactly what the Honda Red Riders

did. Ricky Carmichael grabbed a ferocious start and was right at the head

of the pack. Meanwhile, Team Amsoil/Chaparral/Factory Connection's Mike

LaRocco did not get out so cleanly, but The Rock made a beeline for the

inside of the first turn, slipped past about a dozen riders, and charged

into sixth place by turn two. LaRocco quickly moved into fourth place, then

the entire field seemed to settle into a rhythm, with very few position

changes for a full 10 laps. Evidently, the track design had introduced an

element of parity that let everyone run at a set speed.



But that didn't mean the mind games and hard racing were over for the

night. As Carmichael explained after the race, I knew I wanted to grab the

lead early, so that's what I did. Then I just got into a comfortable pace.

I kept a close watch on my mechanic's board and I kept an eye on the times

of the guys behind me. I just wanted to keep a good margin ahead of the

other guys. Kehoe added, Ricky knew he was the strongest guy out there, so

he just kept himself in a good position. With a four to five second lead,

he knew right where the other guys were.



The field held steady through the half-way point, then a palpable shift

took place as Mike LaRocco started his charge from fourth place. As Kehoe

explained after the race, Mike is really strong; that's just the way he is.

You don't want to have Mike closing in on you during the last 10 laps of a

race because you know he's only going to get stronger towards the end of

the race.



LaRocco's game-plan was simple. I was feeling really good, and I knew that

fourth place wasn't going to cut it; I wanted to get on the podium, he said

following the race. I wasn't really worried about where I was going to

pass; I just wanted to get close enough to pressure them and make something

happen. When I did, I just let them make mistakes.



Mike had some terrific dices with former Red Riders Ezra Lusk and Sebastien

Tortelli as the three riders battled for the second place spot behind RC.

You had to be careful, LaRocco explained. The track was a little slippery,

and I didn't want to get too aggressive and make a mistake and go down or

get hit, so I just worked up close enough to make a move. I knew I had

enough time to do it. On lap 18 Mike made the passes stick, and he followed

Carmichael to the checkered flag for a brilliant Honda 1-2 finish.



Carmichael, looking as fresh as he did before the race said, Boy, it's

great to get this first win of the season. I had some bad luck during the

first two events, but that's just part of racing. So tonight I just jumped

out and kept the lead.



After showing some good speed, on lap 15 Team Honda's Ernesto Fonseca

clipped the top of a jump and went down hard. He was taken to a nearby

hospital for X-rays to check out his back and neck, but he walked out of

the hospital later that night with only a black eye and a bruised hip to

show for the frightful experience. Team Amsoil/Chaparral/Factory

Connection's Michael Byrne piloted his CR250R to a strong seventh-place

finish.



In the 125 West event, both CR125R pilots from the Amsoil/Chaparral/Factory

Connection team managed only mid-pack starts. By the end of the first lap,

2002 Champion Travis Preston had worked up to eighth place, and teammate

Chris Gosselaar had advanced to 11th. Preston quickly moved up to fifth,

and on lap seven he made a bid for fourth place, but encountered

difficulties with another rider that would plague him throughout the race.



I don't know what the deal was, a frustrated Preston said after the race.

The first time he blocked me and took out my front wheel, that's racing no

big deal. But then after I had gone down and I caught up to him, obviously

he going backwards and not doing too good. So why would he block me and

hold me up like that, over and over?



I was afraid he was going to take me out again, and that makes it hard

because now you're not racing. He was holding me up so bad Goose [Chris

Gosselaar] jumped past both of us.



Indeed, Gosselaar had come from behind the fracas to nab fifth place on lap

12, and he made another pass on the next lap to take fourth place, where he

finished the race. I was in about 15th place at the start, Chris later

recounted. I managed to make my passes in the whoops, and I passed a few

people in corners. I only wish there had been more laps and more time for

me to move up.



Preston got the last word on the evening. Even though I missed practice

because of the flu, tonight I was feeling good. The track was slippery and

one-line, but I got a good start and was working my way through, staying

focused. l felt like I was riding well. Then all that stuff happened. A

track's a track; everyone has to ride the same thing, so that wasn't really

a factor to me. But regarding this other stuff, this better be the end of

it.



250 Main Event Results:

1. Ricky Carmichael - Honda
2. Mike LaRocco - Honda
3. Sebastien Tortelli - Suzuki
4. Ezra Lusk - Kawasaki
5. Tim Ferry - Yamaha
7. Michael Byrne - Honda


250 AMA Supercross Point Standings:

1. Ricky Carmichael - Honda - 65
2. Chad Reed - Yamaha - 62
3. Ezra Lusk - Kawasaki - 58
4. Tim Ferry - Yamaha - 56
5. Sebastien Tortelli - Suzuki - 51
7. Mike LaRocco - Honda -40
8. Ernesto Fonseca - Honda - 30


125 West Main Event Results:

1. James Stewart - Kawasaki
2. Andrew Short - Suzuki
3. Billy Laninovich - KTM
4. Chris Gosselaar - Honda
5. Josh Woods - KTM
6. Travis Preston - Honda


125 Western Region Supercross Point Standings:

1. James Stewart - Kawasaki - 72
2. Travis Preston - Honda - 62
3. Andrew Short - Suzuki - 54
4. Danny Smith - Suzuki - 50
5. Billy Laninovich - KTM - 46
6. Chris Gosselaar - Honda - 45