Carmichael clinches third consecutive Supercross title in Las Vegas
Carmichael clinches third consecutive Supercross title in Las Vegas AMA Supercross Series 250cc/125cc Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Shootout Round 16: Las Vegas, Nevada May 3, 2003 "The goal is to win the championship and I feel that I have what it takes to do that. I also know that anything can happen, so I have to stay out of harms way and ride my own race and do the best that I can do. I'm just going to go out there and have fun," commented Ricky Carmichael before the final round of the 2003 AMA Supercross Series in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event marked only the first time since 1997 that the 250 Supercross Championship would be decided in the final round, and despite that fact, Carmichael came to Sam Boyd Stadium calm, collected and ready to race against his nearest points competitor, Chad Reed. With a ten point lead going in to round 16, Carmichael had to finish fifth or better should Reed pull off a win. Considering that Carmichael finished no worse than fourth since the series began in January, a third consecutive Supercross title seemed almost inevitable. But, over the course of the week Carmichael himself continued to remind his fans and the media that anything can happen. On the opening laps of the 125 Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Shootout, fans were reminded of Carmichael's words after 125 Western Region Champion, James Stewart got the holeshot. The race appeared to be a Stewart runaway until a crash ended Stewart's night and sent first-time winner Andrew Short to the top of the podium. In the same 125 contest Amsoil/Chaparral/Factory Connection Red Rider Michael Byrne was making a return to racing after a wrist injury sidelined his quest for the 125 Eastern Region Championship back in February. After a slow start in Las Vegas, Byrne and his Honda CR125R began to make things happen in the later stages of the race, finishing an impressive third. His Factory Connection teammates Chris Gosselaar, riding with a nagging ankle injury and Ryan Mills finished fifth and 16th. Although he watched the 125 Main Event unravel, Carmichael did not need to be reminded of his own words. When the gate dropped for the 250 Main Event, Reed got the holeshot tailed by Yoshimura/MotoXXX Honda CRF450R-mounted Larry Ward, Heath Voss and Carmichael. Instead of risking a mistake, Carmichael patiently waited out the chaos of first lap before moving into the runner-up position by completion of the second lap. It was then that the eight-time AMA champion, looking for his ninth this evening, concentrated on the task at hand: racing the track to a second place finish. "I had to ride a mature race tonight," said a relieved Carmichael, who handily won his Heat earlier in the program. "It would have been nice to have won this evening, but I did what I had to do. I won a lot of races in the beginning of the year. That was my plan, to get a big points lead as quickly as possible and just carry it from there." As Carmichael counted down the laps to yet another championship, Team Honda's Ernesto Fonseca worked his way into the now familiar position of third place. Since finishing a disappointing 11th at round ten in Daytona, Fonseca turned his season around, finishing third in the last five races. His aggressive performance in Las Vegas etched a sixth consecutive visit to the podium and made third place in the series point standings official. "I'm happy to be third in the championship and I'm glad the championship is staying in the red tent," said an elated Fonseca about the success of Team Honda. "My hat's off to Chad. He rode really well this year and he's a great competitor," said Carmichael from the podium with the #1 plate in his hand. "I also have to thank Honda for having the best bike out there and having the best technical support and guidance." Carmichael and Fonseca plan to take full advantage of the Honda technical support and guidance next weekend at round one of the AMA/Chevy Truck U.S. Motocross Championship at Glen Helen Raceway Park in San Bernardino, California on May 11. Since coming on the National Motocross scene Carmichael has never lost an outdoor championship. Last year, his most dominant, Carmichael and the #4 Honda CR250R recorded a perfect motocross season, winning 24 motos. "It's a whole new ball game," said an anxious Carmichael about next weekend's opening round. "Those who have been around me know that motocross is easier for me than Supercross so I can't wait to get out there." 250 Main Event Results: 1. Chad Reed - Yamaha 2. Ricky Carmichael - Honda 3. Ernesto Fonseca - Honda 4. Tim Ferry - Yamaha 5. Nick Wey - Yamaha 7. Larry Ward - Honda 10. Clark Stiles - Honda 11. Jason Thomas - Honda 14. James Povolny - Honda 15. Joe Oehlhof - Honda 17. Kyle Lewis - Honda 250 AMA Supercross Point Standings: 1. Ricky Carmichael - Honda - 367 2. Chad Reed - Yamaha - 360 3. Ernesto Fonseca - Honda - 225 4. Nick Wey - Yamaha - 203 5. Tim Ferry - Yamaha - 195 8. Larry Ward - Honda - 163 13. Michael Byrne - Honda - 75 14. Mike LaRocco - Honda - 73 20. Damon Huffman - Honda - 55 125 East West Shootout Main Event Results: 1. Andrew Short - Suzuki 2. Ivan Tedesco - Yamaha 3. Michael Byrne - Honda 4. Josh Hansen - Yamaha 5. Chris Gosselaar - Honda 16. Ryan Mills - Honda 125 Western Region Point Standings: 1. James Stewart - Kawasaki - 197 2. Travis Preston - Honda - 138 3. Andrew Short - Suzuki - 128 4. Billy Laninoivich - KTM - 123 5. Matt Walker - Kawasaki - 110 7. (Tie) Chris Gosselaar - Honda - 95