Carmichael turns 90 at Mount Morris motocross

AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Championship
Round 3: Mount Morris, Pennsylvania
May 25, 2003

Carmichael turns 90 at Mount Morris motocross

The 2003 AMA U.S. Motocross & Supercross Championship Media Guide lists
Jeremy McGrath at the top of the "All Time Wins Combined" chart with 89
victories. But as of May 25, 2003, the chart has a new leader. Team Honda's
Ricky Carmichael became the new career win leader at round three of the AMA
U.S. Motocross Championships by winning the overall at Mount Morris,
Pennsylvania's High Point Raceway, and scoring his 90th victory. For some
perspective on how dominant this record is, consider the nearest active
rider to Carmichael on the AMA's all time wins list is fellow Honda rider
Mike LaRocco, with 28 career wins.

"Ninety," repeated Carmichael after the race with some disbelief. "I'm
pumped to be the first name on top of such a prestigious list."

Carmichael's 90th win itself was an exciting race to behold. The 23-year
old finally got the drive out of the starting gate that he'd been looking
for on his CR250R and was the first 250 rider to reach the apex of High
Point Raceway's first-turn in both motos. And each time, Factory
Connection's Kevin Windham was hot on his heels on his CRF450R, setting the
stage for two action-packed motos.

In each outing Carmichael and Windham wasted little time in separating
themselves from the rest of the 40-man field. Rainy weather in the days
prior to the event provided perfect traction, but also left a number of
ruts strewn throughout the track. The lead riders used their rut-riding
experience and ability to put significant time on the other competitors. So
much time, in fact, that Carmichael was able to fall over in a turn during
the first moto and only surrender one position before getting restarted.
The rider to capitalize on the leader's mistake was Windham, of course, and
he had a great run going until Carmichael recaptured the lead four laps
later.

Carmichael and his #4 Honda CR250R went on to win the 15-lap first moto by
2.13 seconds over Windham. "I can't make mistakes like that with a guy like
Windham behind me," realized Carmichael. "Luckily I had the speed today to
go back around him, but we went at it for a while before I was able to get
him back." Third place Chad Reed finished another 14.99 seconds behind
Windham.

The start of the second moto mimicked the first, only this time Carmichael
completed the moto without a mistake and actually opened up a 6.5 second
lead over second place Windham at the checkered flag. The 2-2 moto tally
for Windham finally put the comeback rider on the podium. Although he ran
up front in the first two rounds and even won a moto last weekend in
Sacramento, Windham also suffered a bit of bad luck.  His moto scores were
not low enough for a podium finish, until now.

As Ernesto Fonseca's moto scores continue to get lower, his overall results
are improving. In only his third 250 outdoor race, Fonseca finished a
career high ninth place with eighth and tenth place moto finishes. The
21-year old Team Honda rider is learning quickly and is also getting some
on-the-job training from one of the sport's best.

Amsoil/Chaparral/Factory Connection veteran Mike LaRocco got a poor start
in the opening moto and had to pass several riders before eventually
reaching seventh place. The last rider LaRocco passed was Fonseca and "The
Rock" did it on the 13th of 15 laps. Fonseca held on to finish one spot
behind his elder statesmen. In the second moto, LaRocco turned up the heat,
getting a much better start on his CR250R, which ultimately led to a sixth
place moto finish. He ended up sixth on the day, three spots ahead of young
Fonseca's overall result.

Team Honda's Nathan Ramsey once again improved on his performance since
returning to racing after a major injury. After breaking his femur prior to
the Supercross season, Ramsey resumed racing at round one of the outdoor
series with a lot of work ahead of him. By round two, the CRF450R pilot had
already cracked the top 20 and at High Point, Ramsey beat the odds by
finishing an impressive 14th overall with a 17-13 moto tally.

"Nathan is riding better and better each week," said Honda Motocross Team
Manager Erik Kehoe. "He's still gaining confidence and he hasn't ridden in
ruts in quite a while so this weekend was pretty tricky for him. His leg is
getting stronger every week and I suspect his results will too."

The first 125 moto, Amsoil/Chaparral/Factory Connection Honda CR125R rider
Michael Byrne finished in the top five and then followed it up with a
seventh place finish in the second moto. The Australian's score was good
enough for sixth overall, while teammate Chris Gosselaar went 13-8 for
tenth overall. The youngest member of the team, Ryan Mills, actually beat
Gosselaar in the first moto, finishing 12th. Combined with his 17th place
finish in the second moto, Mills ended up a career high 12th overall on the
day.

After five hard weekends of non-stop Supercross and motocross action, the
Red Riders will get a weekend off before heading to round four in sandy
Southwick, Massachusetts on June 8. The well-deserved break will give
Carmichael time to celebrate his latest in a long-line of records, but
don't expect the celebration to last long. "We have a championship to win
here," says Carmichael, "and with so many good riders out there, this is
going to be a tough one to win."


250 Overall Results:
1. Ricky Carmichael (1,1) - Honda
2. Kevin Windham (2,2) - Honda
3. Tim Ferry (4, 3) - Yamaha
4. Chad Reed (3, 4) - Yamaha
5. David Vuillemin (5, 5) - Yamaha
6. Mike LaRocco (7, 6) - Honda
9. Ernesto Fonseca (8, 10) - Honda
10. Larry Ward (13, 9) - Honda
13. Clark Stiles (15, 14) - Honda
14. Nathan Ramsey (17, 13) - Honda
16. Jason Thomas (16, 16) - Honda
18. Jean Sebastien Roy (19, 15) - Honda

250 AMA Motocross Points Standings:
1. Ricky Carmichael - Honda - 147
2. Chad Reed - Yamaha - 120
3. Tim Ferry - Yamaha - 114
4. Kevin Windham - Honda - 113
5. Mike LaRocco - Honda - 90

125 Overall Results:
1. Mike Brown (2,1) - Kawasaki
2. Ryan Hughes (1,2) - KTM
3. Eric Sorby (3,3) - Kawasaki
4. Grant Langston (4,4) - KTM
5. Ivan Tedesco (7,5) - Yamaha
6. Michael Byrne (5,7) - Honda
10. Chris Gosselaar (13,8) - Honda
12. Ryan Mills (12, 17) - Honda
16. Tim Weigand (18, 15) - Honda

125 AMA Motocross Point Standings:
1. Mike Brown - Kawasaki - 136
2. Ryan Hughes -KTM - 135
3. Eric Sorby - Kawasaki - 116
4. Grant Langston - KTM - 112
5. Ivan Tedesco - Yamaha - 72