Carmichael Hot In Millville

AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Championship
Round 9: Millville, MN
August 17, 2003

Carmichael Hot In Millville

Sitting on the starting line at round nine of the AMA U.S. Motocross
Championships in Millville, Minnesota, there was a lot for Ricky Carmichael
to think about. The series had just come off a three-week hiatus, and
before that Carmichael had finished runner-up to fellow Honda rider, Kevin
Windham, at the previous two rounds. Then there was the fact that another
win at Millville's Spring Creek Motocross Park would make Carmichael the
only four-time 250 class winner at the historic race track. Spring Creek,
one of Carmichael's personal favorites, had also recently undergone a
facelift in the whoop department; the whoop section had been doubled in
count, size and severity, and were sure to make the day more challenging
for the 5-foot-six champion. And then there was the weather; blazing hot
with uncomfortably high humidity.

In the end, none of it mattered. Carmichael went out and conquered the
weather, the whoops, the track record and the competition, finishing the
first moto 51 seconds ahead of second place Chad Reed, and the second moto
he finished 17 seconds ahead of Windham. It marked Carmichael's 35th AMA
250 Motocross win, enabling him to once again stand atop the Spring Creek
podium with some peace of mind.

"I'm more exhausted than I may look," said Carmichael after the event. "The
fact that I'm back in form and winning again is hiding my fatigue. I
guarantee I'll sleep well tonight."

Carmichael put the competition to bed early in Millville. Of the 32 laps,
the #4 Honda CR250R led 31. The only lap Carmichael did not lead was the
opening of the first moto, led by Reed, who recently switched his own race
bike in an effort to compete with the ultra fast Hondas of Carmichael and
Windham. Reed's switch paid off for only a lap as Carmichael took control
of the moto on the second lap. In Carmichael's wake an uncharacteristic
slow start by the Honda CRF450R of Windham left the series runner-up just
outside the top five. Meanwhile the #24 Honda of Ernesto Fonseca got a
strong start and was enjoying a third place run behind Reed. Like
Carmichael, Factory Connection's Windham is unsatisfied with anything but a
victory and when he tried to out-jump Fonseca on the fifth lap to take over
third place, he paid dearly. The giant up-hill triple got the best of
Windham sending him to the ground and back to ninth place, a position that
he wouldn't advance from any further. The most rapidly advancing Red Rider,
Mike LaRocco started outside the top ten and worked his way to sixth,
nearly catching Fonseca, who finished the tough moto an impressive fifth.

Carmichael's commanding moto one performance left some wondering if the
defending champ had left any energy for his second outing, and by the time
the final moto was a lap old, the naysayers were humbled. Carmichael not
only grabbed the lead on the opening lap, he got the coveted holeshot,
although this time Windham was hot on the rear fender of his friendly
rival, hoping to make a race of it. Before Windham could challenge
Carmichael however, he had to shake third place Reed, a chore that actually
turned into a battle for second place instead. Reed assumed second place
from Windham on the second lap, a position that the Factory Connection Red
Rider wouldn't win back until the seventh of 16 laps, when it was already
too late. At that point, Carmichael had already created a ten second
advantage, which grew even greater as the laps wore down. Windham's 9-2
moto score netted the exhausted Cajun fourth place in the overall results.

Amsoil/Chaparral/Factory Connection's Mike LaRocco had a near identical
race in both motos. Once again, LaRocco started outside the top ten and
once again he had to weave his way through dehydrated riders to finish
fifth, one spot better than his first moto performance. The Indianan,
himself a three-time Spring Creek victor in the 125 class, finished sixth
on the day and maintained his fifth place in the series point standings.
Further down the Millville results and the leader board, Fonseca completed
the grueling second moto in seventh after starting there and holding off
several attacks by other competitors. The Costa Rican born Red Rider, who
now lives in the dry heat of southern California, was credited with seventh
overall via his 5-7 moto finishes.

Another Honda Red Rider, who at one time lived in the humidity before
relocating to California, is southerner Nathan Ramsey. The factory Honda
CRF450R pilot severely injured his wrist before round five and has left him
on the mend since the middle of June. His return to racing was this week on
Spring Creek's notoriously rough circuit and despite the still tender
wrist, Ramsey soldiered on to 18th and 15th place moto finishes to claim
19th overall.

All three of the Amsoil/Chaparral/Factory Connection Honda CR125R riders
cracked into the top ten in 125 competition at Spring Creek. Michael Byrne
turned in an impressive sixth place showing in the first moto, but his
performance in the second moto was hampered by a first turn pile-up that
only allowed the Australian a 14th place finish, good for tenth overall.
His younger teammates, Chris Gosselaar and Ryan Mills stayed out of harm's
way going 10-8 and 9-9 to finish seventh and eighth overall.

With three rounds remaining in the series, Carmichael can actually sit out
a round and still retain his 250 class championship, but what fun would
that be, especially with Binghamton, New York's Broome-Tioga Sports Center,
being the next stop on the series calendar? Scheduled for August 24,
Broome-Tioga is yet another venue at which Carmichael has enjoyed
considerable success. In the last three years Carmichael has conquered the
250 class in Binghamton and before his reign it was Windham who took the
1999 overall aboard a CR250R. Other Honda-mounted Broome-Tioga 250 class
winners include motocross legends Bob Hannah, Johnny O'Mara, Jeremy McGrath
and Doug Henry.

250 Overall Results:
1. Ricky Carmichael (1, 1) - Honda
2. Tim Ferry (3, 3) - Yamaha
3. Chad Reed (2, 4) - Yamaha
4. Kevin Windham (9, 2) - Honda
5. Ezra Lusk (4, 6) - Kawasaki
6. Mike LaRocco (6, 5) - Honda
7. Ernesto Fonseca (5, 7) - Honda
10. Kyle Lewis (10, 13) - Honda
15. Jason Thomas (13, 17) - Honda
17. Larry Ward (22, 11) - Honda
18. Clark Stiles (34, 12) - Honda
19. Nathan Ramsey (18, 15) - Honda

250 AMA Motocross Points Standings:
1. Ricky Carmichael - Honda - 432
2. Kevin Windham - Honda - 369
3. Chad Reed - Yamaha - 330
4. Tim Ferry - Yamaha - 300
5. Mike LaRocco - Honda - 267
9. Ernesto Fonseca - Honda - 189
10. Larry Ward - Honda - 169
12. Kyle Lewis - Honda - 121
13. Clark Stiles - Honda - 101
15. Nathan Ramsey - Honda - 83
18. Jason Thomas - Honda - 59

125 Overall Results
1. James Stewart (1, 1) - Kawasaki
2. Ryan Hughes (2, 2) - KTM
3. Brock Sellards (3, 3) - Yamaha
4. Joaquim Rodrigues (5, 4) - KTM
5. Grant Langston (4, 7) - KTM
7. Chris Gosselaar (10, 8) - Honda
8. Ryan Mills (9, 9) - Honda
10. Michael Byrne (6, 14) - Honda

125 AMA Motocross Point Standings:
1. Grant Langston - KTM - 314
2. Ryan Hughes - KTM - 298
3. Mike Brown - Kawasaki - 271
4. James Stewart - Kawasaki - 250
5. Brock Sellards - Yamaha - 223
6. Michael Bryne - Honda - 205
12. Chris Gosselaar - Honda - 134
18. Ryan Mills - Honda - 94