Carmichael Gets Win Number 5 In Atlanta!
AMA Supercross Series 250cc/125cc East Round 8: Atlanta, GA February 22, 2003 Ricky Carmichael's Havana, Florida home lies 275 miles east of Atlanta, Georgia, but the 63,749 fans who attended round eight of the AMA Supercross Series made Carmichael feel right at home inside the Georgia Dome. "They definitely made me feel welcome," said Carmichael about the Southern crowd. "It's nice to come to Atlanta. The crowd is so loud and it gives me a good feeling." Winning gives Carmichael a good feeling too, which is why he took the lead on lap two and dominated the rest of the 20-lap race. Carmichael's victory marked his fifth since the series began. Of the eight rounds run thus far, Carmichael has finished in the top five at every event and currently holds a 17-point advantage over second place. Unfortunately, Carmichael's Honda teammate, Ernesto Fonseca, has not been as lucky. "He's had a couple of weeks with some bad luck," said Honda Team Manager Erik Kehoe about Fonseca's recent crashes. "However, this week Fonseca was not about to let his nagging thumb injury keep him from running near the front." Fonseca made clear his intent early in the evening when Carmichael and Fonseca raced to first and third place finishes, respectively, in their heat race. The strong Honda showing was just a foreshadowing of things to come. Representing the Red Riders in the other 250 Heat was Team Amsoil/Chaparral/Factory Connection's Mike LaRocco and Travis Preston. The Atlanta event marked the first race for LaRocco since injuring his shoulder at round five in Anaheim, California. Still hampered by his injury, LaRocco finished an impressive third and transferred to the Main. For Preston, Atlanta marked the first time the 125 Western Region standout would compete on a Honda CRF450R and it proved to be a valuable learning experience. Preston was forced to qualify for the Main by way of the 250 LCQ, but each time he took to the track aboard the powerful four-stroke, his results improved. He would ultimately finish 13th in the Main. "Each time Preston went out on the track, he rode better," commented Kehoe about the strong performance. "He just needs some more time on the bike." In the Main, Larry Ward grabbed the holeshot on his Honda CRF450R, with the Honda CR250Rs of Fonseca and Carmichael hot on his heels. Just before the completion of the first lap, Carmichael squeezed into second place past Fonseca, and passed Ward on lap three. From there, Carmichael simply vanished, finishing a comfortable 6.227 seconds ahead of runner-up Chad Reed and lapping all the way to 8th position. "I felt real good all night," said Carmichael of his performance. "My bike was excellent, especially through the big whoops. I'd still like to get the holeshot. It makes life a lot easier." As Carmichael stretched his lead, Fonseca and LaRocco were turning in their own valiant performances. Pushing through the pain of their injuries, Fonseca and LaRocco posted fourth and eighth place finishes, respectively. Just missing the podium, Fonseca garnered his best performance since the series began. "It was a great finish for Ernesto and it will build up his confidence," said a proud Kehoe. "He really needed this." In 125cc action, Team Amsoil/Chaparral/Factory Connection Red Rider Michael Byrne's quest for a 125 Eastern Region race win was postponed again. For the second time in as many weeks, Byrne suffered another first-lap crash and was forced to work his way up through the pack, ultimately finishing fifth. Despite being caught in traffic, Byrne's lap times were as fast as those of the race leader, and The Burner had no problem winning his heat race earlier in the evening. With five rounds remaining in the 125 East series, Byrne trails the points leader by only 11 points. Meanwhile, Byrne's young teammate Ryan Mills fought to a tenth-place finish, one spot better than the previous week. In addition, a young privateer named Shane Lusk?yes, Ezra Lusk's younger brother?piloted his Honda CR125R to a commendable 14th place. With the series halfway complete, round nine heads for Indianapolis, Indiana, where Mike LaRocco will enjoy a hometown crowd. On March 1, The Rock hopes his tender shoulder is completely healed so he can corral a win in front of his fellow Hoosiers inside the RCA Dome. 250 Main Event Results: 1. Ricky Carmichael ? Honda 2. Chad Reed - Yamaha 3. David Vuillemin - Yamaha 4. Ernesto Fonseca - Honda 5. Tim Ferry - Yamaha 8. Mike LaRocco - Honda 13. Travis Preston - Honda 16. Larry Ward - Honda 17. Clark Stiles - Honda 20. Damon Huffman - Honda 250 AMA Supercross Point Standings: 1. Ricky Carmichael ? Honda - 185 2. Chad Reed ? Yamaha - 168 3. David Vuillemin ? Yamaha - 147 4. Tim Ferry ? Yamaha - 130 5. Ezra Lusk ? Kawasaki - 122 7. Ernesto Fonseca ? Honda - 77 10. Mike LaRocco ? Honda - 73 14. Larry Ward ? Honda - 58 15. Damon Huffman ? Honda - 43 19. Paul Carpenter ? Honda - 22 125 East Main Event Results: 1. Brock Sellards - Yamaha 2. Mike Brown - Kawasaki 3. Branden Jesseman - Suzuki 4. Erick Vallejo - Yamaha 5. Michael Byrne ? Honda 10. Ryan Mills - Honda 14. Shane Lusk - Honda 125 Easter Region Supercross Point Standings: 1. Brock Sellards ? Yamaha - 47 2. Branden Jesseman ? Suzuki - 45 3. Mike Brown ? Kawasaki - 40 4. Michael Byrne ? Honda - 36 5. Kelly Smith ? Yamaha - 29 9. Ryan Mills ? Honda - 21 16. Shane Lusk ? Honda - 7