Windham second, LaRocco third under Daytona lights

AMA Supercross Series 250cc/125cc East
Round 10: Daytona, FL
05 March 2004

Windham second, LaRocco third under Daytona lights

It was a historical night on several levels as round 10 of the AMA
Supercross got underway in Daytona, Florida.  First, it was the first-ever
running of the event at night under the glow of the Speedway's lights. And
second, the Daytona round would mark Red Rider Mike LaRocco's 200th
Supercross race, a milestone no other rider has ever matched. There's a
reason they call him the "The Rock", and his Cal Ripken-like longevity is
one of the biggest reasons.

The evening got off to an auspicious start as all three Honda riders easily
transferred to the main from their heat races, with Kevin Windham and
Nathan Ramsey scoring a second and fourth, respectively, in the first
qualifier, and LaRocco bagging a fourth in heat two.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as smoothly for the Red Riders once the
main event's gates dropped. Poor starts quickly dropped LaRocco, Windham
and Ramsey back to 7th, 9th and 10th, respectively, after the first lap.
But as SX fans know, anything can happen in a 20-lap main, and K-Dub was
not about to let the win get away without a fight. So the Amsoil/Chaparral
Honda ace and his CRF450R quickly set to reeling in the pack, charging his
way up to second by the 11th lap. This was as close as Windham would get.

"I was happy with the way I rode," said Windham afterward, "other than the
start. The ninth-place start was horrible. That was my downfall."

LaRocco, meantime, recovered in his usual style and made one of his
now-patented charges aboard his CR250R to third position, where he'd
finish, scoring his sixth podium of the season. The CRF450R-mounted Ramsey
was able to work his way as high as seventh before fading back to finish in
ninth position.

Amsoil/Chaparral Honda rider Travis Preston was the victim of a crash in
practice and suffered a knee injury as a result. The full extent of his
injury is not known at this time.

125
Steve Lamson on the Hangtownmx.com Honda CRF250R had a magnificent heat
race, easily grabbing the holeshot and leading every lap right to the
finish. In the main, Lamson got a good start and was running in sixth, when
on lap two he got off hard and was unable to continue. James Stewart went
on to win the 125 main, while Ryan Mills, on his Amsoil Chaparral Honda
CR125R, finished fifth.

With round 10 wrapped up and six to go, the championship points battle now
stands at Reed 241-Windham 212, as the AMA Supercross series heads to St.
Louis on March 13.


AMA 250 Supercross Results
1. C. Reed - Yamaha YZ250
2. K. Windham - Honda CRF450R
3. M. Larocco - Honda CR250R
4. D. Vuillemin - Yamaha YZ250
5. N. Wey - Suzuki RM250
9. N. Ramsey - Honda CRF450R
13. J. Thomas - Honda CRF450R
14. C. Anderson - Honda CR250R
15. J. Oehlhof - Honda CRF450R
17. T. Campbell - Honda CRF450R
18. J. Povolny - Honda CR250R
19. S. Metz - Honda CR250R
20. K. Johnson - Honda CRF450R


AMA 250 Supercross Points Standings (after 10 rounds)
1. C. Reed - Yamaha - 241
2. K. Windham - Honda - 212
3. D. Vuillemin - Yamaha - 188
4. M. LaRocco - Honda - 187
5. M. Byrne - Kawasaki - 136
7. D. Huffman - Honda - 111
17. N. Ramsey - Honda - 44
19. J. Oehlof - Honda - 37
20. J. Thomas - Honda - 35
21. T. Preston - Honda - 34
22. R. Reynard - Honda - 34
24. E. Fonseca - Honda - 28
25. C. Anderson - Honda - 21


AMA 125 East Supercross Results
1. J. Stewart - Kawasaki KX125
2. D. Millsaps - Suzuki RM125
3. J. Hansen - Yamaha YZ250F
4. M. Blose - Yamaha YZ250F
5. R. Mills - Honda CR125R
13. T. Reif - Honda CRF250R
15. T. Lacey - Honda CRF250R
16. D. DeHaan - Honda CRF250R
22. S. Lamson - Honda CRF250R

AMA 125 East Supercross Points Standings (after 4 rounds)
1. J. Stewart - Kawasaki - 100
2. E. Sorby - Kawasaki - 59
3. B. Hepler - Suzuki - 57
4. S. Lamson - Honda - 46
5. D. Smith - Yamaha - 46
7. R. Mills - Honda - 43
12. T. Lacey - Honda - 28
15. T. Reif - Honda - 20
17. B. Laninovich - Honda - 10
19. D. DeHaan - Honda - 8