Windham wins at the HHH Metrodome
AMA Supercross Series 250cc/125cc East Round 8: Minneapolis, MN 21 February 2004 Windham wins at the HHH Metrodome With temperatures in the low teens, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodrome was the hot spot to be in Minneapolis, MN. Round eight of the THQ AMA Supercross Series kicked off with Kevin Windham aboard his CRF450R taking his third win of the year. Amsoil/Chaparral Honda's Windham took command in the Metrodome from the moment he hit the track, winning his heat race by a comfortable margin with blazingly fast lap times. Unfortunately, fellow Red Rider Nate Ramsey didn't fare as well. Despite a good jump off the line, Ramsey tangled with another rider in the first turn and ended heat #1 in 10th place, forcing him to ride the semi. Windham's teammate, Mike LaRocco, followed Kevin's example in heat #2, beating Chad Reed to the finish line to post a win in heat #2 and ensure a good gate pick for the main. In semi #1, MotoXXX Honda CRF450R rider Damon Huffman finished second, just ahead of Travis Preston. Ramsey had more bad luck with a poor start and ended the semi in sixth, out of a transfer spot, which forced him to quality for the main in the LCQ. This time Ramsey got a clean start and won the race, which qualified him for the main but with a pretty poor gate pick. When the gate dropped for the main event, Windham was gone. In front of a full house, the 28 year-old from Centerville, Mississippi, built up an early race lead of eight seconds, and never looked back as he lead the field of 20 riders to capture his third Supercross victory of the season. "I wanted to get in the lead early and check out," said Windham. "I knew what I had to do tonight to win and I did. I knew where Chad (Reed) was the whole time. I am really enjoying racing now that I am back." Travis Preston did not disappoint in his first 250 main of the season. Riding a four-stroke CRF450R, Preston joined the hunt at the front of the pack, ultimately holding off fellow CRF450R rider Huffman to finish fourth. LaRocco, unfortunately, went down in the first turn and started dead last, but in typical LaRocco fashion he clawed his way through the pack in a gritty ride that ultimately saw him finish an impressive fifth. Ramsey's night didn't get any better in the main. The poor gate pick robbed him of a good start, and Nate's climb through the pack ended in 10th place. Said his mechanic John Mitchell, "Nate actually had real fast lap times all night. He was fast enough to finish on the podium, but he just had bad breaks all night." In 125 action, Motorsport Outlet Honda's Tiger Lacey started the night with a second place finish on his CRF250R in heat one. Steve Lamson likewise took second on his CRF250R in his heat, with Amsoil/Chaparrel rider Ryan Mills finishing sixth in heat two. All three riders would finish in the top 10, with Lamson in fifth, Mills in sixth and Lacey in 10th. Windham's third win of the 2004 Series puts him only 23 points out of the championship lead. With eight rounds completed and eight to go, Windham's Metrodome win moves him within striking distance of the championship. The Red Riders can be seen next visiting the Peach state of Georgia for round nine of the THQ AMA Supercross on February 28, 2004 at the Atlanta Georgia Dome. 250 Main Event Results 1. Kevin Windham-Honda 2. Chad Reed-Yamaha 3. David Vuillemin-Yamaha 4. Travis Preston-Honda 5. David Huffman-Honda 6. Mike LaRocco-Honda 10. Nathan Ramsey-Honda 16. Joe Oehlhof-Honda 18. Jason Thomas-Honda 19. James Povolny-Honda 250 THQ AMA Supercross Point Standings 1. Chad Reed-Yamaha-191 2. Kevin Windham-Honda-168 3. David Vuillemin-Yamaha-152 4. Mike LaRocco-Honda-147 5. Damon Huffman-Honda-109 19. Ernesto Fonseco-Honda-28 20. Joe Oehlhof-Honda-26 21. Nathan Ramsey-Honda-25 22. Travis Preston-Honda-18 125 East Main Event Results 1. James Stewart-Kawasaki 2. Josh Hansen-Yamaha 3. Kelly Smith-Yamaha 4. Steve Boniface-Suzuki 5. Steve Lamson-Honda 6. Ryan Mills-Honda 10. Tiger Lacey-Honda 125 East THQ AMA Supercross Point Standings 1. James Stewart-Kawasaki-50 2. Broc Hepler-Suzuki-35 3. Steve Lamson-Honda-34 4. Kelly Smith-Yamaha-31 5. Eric Sorby-Kawasaki-30 6. Ryan Clark- Yamaha-28 7. Ryan Mills-Honda-27 8. Brett Metcalfe-Honda-19 9. DannySmith-Yamaha-17 11. Billy Laninovich-Honda-10