Carmichael Heads Back East With Points Lead
AMA Supercross Series 250cc/125cc West
Round 6: San Diego, CA
February 8, 2003
"I'm leaving California with the points lead," stated relieved Honda
Red Rider, Ricky Carmichael after a tough weekend in San Diego. The
defending Supercross champ turned in a valiant third-place effort at
the sixth round of the series?the fifth event in California since the
series began. The statement is more than Carmichael could have said
last year, when the series headed east and RC found himself outside
of the points lead. However, from that point onward Carmichael
proceeded to dominate the remainder of the series?a scenario he plans
to duplicate this year. The defending 125 Western Region Supercross
Champion, Travis Preston duplicated his impressive second place
showing from the previous round in Anaheim. Preston maintains his
runner-up status in the series point standings.
Getting to the main event appeared to be a breeze for the Red Riders.
White Brothers Honda pilot Paul Carpenter launched his CRF450R to the
holeshot in the first heat race with Factory Honda CR250R pilot
Ernesto Fonseca not far behind. Carpenter led briefly, ultimately
finishing third, while Fonseca finished a spot ahead in second.
Carmichael and holeshot specialist Michael Byrne battled for
supremacy in the second heat. The CR250R-mounted duo got the
67,000-plus crowd in attendance pumped as they battled back and forth
for the lead in the opening laps of their heat. With a nine-second
advantage over second place, Carmichael went on to win the heat,
while Team Amsoil/Chaparral/Factory Connection Red Rider Byrne
finished third.
With Team Amsoil/Chaparral/Factory Connection Red Rider Mike LaRocco
sitting out to heal a shoulder injury he sustained at the previous
round, it was up to Carmichael, Fonseca and Byrne to put the Honda
CR250R on the podium. Byrne continued to rake in the holeshot prize
money as the friendly Australian led the 250 main event charge into
the first turn with David Vuillemin, Chad Reed and Carmichael in tow.
As the field of 20 got sorted out through a challenging whoop section
that lay just beyond the first turn, Byrne and Carmichael took hold
of third and fourth place. Meanwhile, Fonseca and Carpenter just
missed a first-turn fiasco to complete the first lap in eighth and
12th positions, respectively.
By the fourth lap Carmichael put his factory Honda into second place
with the leader in sight. However, on the next lap a mistake in the
whoops resulted in a crash. The 23-year-old Florida native resumed
racing in traffic, just outside the top five. While Carmichael
rebuilt his momentum in the section of the track following the tricky
whoops, his teammate Fonseca went down next to him. The #24 Honda
remounted, but he ended up finishing the 20-lap main event in 16th
place. Meanwhile, Carpenter avoided trouble and continued picking
through the running order, ultimately finishing ninth.
Badly shaken from his get-off and struggling with a bent clutch
lever, Carmichael advanced from seventh place to fourth place by lap
11, then motoed his way past Byrne. With time running out, the two
Red Riders were unable to advance any further than a hard-earned
third and fourth place, ending Carmichael's current win streak at
three. The only rider to finish in the top five in all six rounds
thus far, Carmichael now holds a four-point advantage over second
place.
"I normally go into those whoops in second gear, but on that lap I
was going too fast," explained Carmichael of his unfortunate crash.
"I came into them in third gear and just made a mistake and crashed.
It was quite embarrassing and frustrating, to tell you the truth, but
this week I get to go home to Florida and regroup and be ready for
Minneapolis and start a new win streak."
In 125 action, Team Amsoil/Chaparral/Factory Connection Red Rider
Travis Preston gated well in his heat race and went on to win by a
sizable margin. In the 125 main, he gated in sixth and moved through
the pack one position per lap, ending his climb in the runner-up
position at the mid-way point of the 15-lap main. Preston now trails
the points leader by 31 and enjoys a 24-point cushion over third
place. Preston's teammate, Chris Gosselaar sat out San Diego with a
broken bone in his foot due to a crash suffered at round five in
Anaheim. Gosselaar is set to return for the final West coast round in
Salt Lake City, UT.
As the series heads east to Minneapolis on February 15, the Western
Region 125 racers take a whole two months off before competition
resumes on April 12. Preston, however, is CRF450-bound. The
six-foot-three, 24-year-old will skip Minneapolis, but plans to
contest the 250-class at round eight in Atlanta. Preston couldn't be
more excited about riding a Honda CRF450R in the premier class. "I
can't wait to get out there," says Preston of his much-anticipated
250-class debut. "I'm going to ride the 450 for the next two weeks
and be ready for Atlanta."
As Preston switches to the 250 class for the East coast events, Byrne
sets his sights on a title he is favored to win?the 125 Eastern
Region Championship?a series that Byrne describes as his, "main
focus." All eyes will definitely be focused on the Red Riders next
week in Minneapolis as LaRocco returns to action and plans to join
his Honda teammates on the podium.
250 Main Event Results:
1. Chad Reed - Yamaha
2. David Vuillemin - Yamaha
3. Ricky Carmichael - Honda
4. Michael Byrne - Honda
5. Nick Wey - Yamaha
9. Paul Carpenter - Honda
11. Larry Ward - Honda
12. Damon Huffman - Honda
16. Ernesto Fonseca - Honda
19. Clark Stiles - Honda
20. Bobby Bonds - Honda
250 AMA Supercross Point Standings:
1. Ricky Carmichael - Honda - 135
2. Chad Reed - Yamaha - 131
3. David Vuillemin - Yamaha - 109
4. Ezra Lusk - Kawasaki - 98
5. Tim Ferry - Yamaha - 94
6. Michael Byrne - Honda - 75
9. Mike LaRocco - Honda - 60
11. Ernesto Fonseca - Honda - 48
13. Larry Ward - Honda - 41
18. Damon Huffman - Honda - 28
125 West Main Event Results:
1. James Stewart - Kawasaki
2. Travis Preston - Honda
3. Danny Smith - Suzuki
4. Andrew Short - Suzuki
5. Matt Walker - Kawasaki
125 Western Region Supercross Point Standings:
1. James Stewart - Kawasaki - 147
2. Travis Preston - Honda - 116
3. Andrew Short - Suzuki - 92
4. Billy Lanninovich - KTM - 91
5. Matt Walker - Kawasaki - 90
8. Chris Gosselaar - Honda - 65
For complete results please visit www.honda.com.
