Carmichael and Windham 1 & 2 at High Point
AMA Chevrolet Motocross Championship Round 2: Mt. Morris, PA May 31, 2004 Carmichael and Windham 1 & 2 at High Point The lush green rolling hills along the Mason Dixon line were the setting for what would become a picture-perfect day for round two of the AMA Motocross Championship at High Point Raceway. Ricky Carmichael did what he has done since his return; dominate completely on the CRF450R with back-to-back moto victories to win the High Point national for the third consecutive year, followed in second overall by Kevin Windham. RC's teammate Ernesto Fonseca posted fifth overall, while Nathan Ramsey finished sixth in the 125 class. "I love this place," said Carmichael. "It's like my home track, and the fans are great." This weekend was also the first race back for the talented Costa Rican, Ernesto Fonseca, who suffered a torn ACL at the San Diego Supercross. Fonseca was rejuvenated and feeling strong going into the weekend. The front man for Honda's 125 efforts, Nathan Ramsey, was focused and looking at making a charge on his CRF250R. In the pursuit of another perfect season, Carmichael did not disappoint his fans. Taking the hole-shot in the first moto, he was a man on a mission as he opened up a few second lead over Australian, Chad Reed. But that would be short lived. On lap two RC crashed, surrendering the lead to Reed. "I went into the turn too hard," stated Carmichael. "My back end got in a rut and I fell down, so I had to work for it." In a matter of seconds RC had his CRF450R back on the charge to reclaim what he wanted: The win. It didn't take long: On lap three, RC made an inside pass on Reed and immediately stretched out a comfortable lead. The battle for second heated up between Reed and Amsoil/Chaparral Honda's Kevin Windham, but on lap seven Windham would take over second and never look back. Carmichael went on to win moto one by more than 20 seconds. His teammate Fonseca would take an impressive seventh in his first outing of the season. The start of moto two had a different flavor; Windham took the hole-shot on his CRF450R, leading for three laps before the #4 CRF450R of Carmichael grabbed the lead. "I told my mechanic I hope Kevin gets the hole-shot, so we can race each other," said the smiling Carmichael. "We were elbow to elbow going up the start and he edged me out. It was good." As the race action heated up, K-Dub kept his Honda in the hunt. "He got away from me in the middle of the race," explained Windham. "I kept him honest and just wanted to finish strong." RC's perfect weekend was underscored by Windham's second overall, and Fonseca's fifth in the second moto for fifth overall. In the first 125 moto, Ramsey took his CRF250R to eighth and then followed up with a fifth place finish in the second moto. Amsoil/Chaparral youngsters fared well, but suffered problems. Honda's Ryan Mills went 10/14 for the day, followed by rookie Josh Grant, who had problems in the first moto, but finished an impressive seventh place in moto two. The Red Riders will get a weekend off before heading to round three in sandy Southwick, Massachusetts on June 13. "I'm just having a blast riding that CRF450R," said Carmichael. "I love riding it at home and racing it. I've just got to try to win a Championship on that thing." 250 Overall Results: 1. Ricky Carmichael (1,1)-Honda 2. Kevin Windham (2,2)-Honda 3. Chad Reed (3,3)-Yamaha 4. David Vuillemin (4,4)-Yamaha 5. Ernesto Fonseca (7,5)-Honda 10. Keith Johnson (10,11)-Honda 13. Craig Anderson (13,12)-Honda 14. Jason Thomas (16,13)-Honda 15. Kyle Lewis (14,15)- Honda 19. Craig Stiles (36,17)-Honda 20. James Povolny (18,38)-Honda 23. Joseph Oehlhof (23,21)-Honda 250 Overall Points: 1. Ricky Carmichael-Honda-100 2. Kevin Windham-Honda-84 3. Chad Reed-Yamaha-80 4. David Vuillemin-Yamaha-76 5. Sean Hamblin-Suzuki-59 9. Craig Anderson-Honda-31 10. Ernesto Fonseca-Honda-30 14. Jason Thomas-Honda-25 15. Damon Huffman-Honda-24 16. Clark Stiles-Honda-23 17. Keith Johnson-Honda-21 21. Kyle Lewis-Honda-17 23. Joseph Povolny-Honda-8 125 Overall Results: 1. James Stewart (1,1)-Kawasaki 2. Broc Hepler (2,2)-Suzuki 3. Michael Brown (4,3)-Yamaha 4. Matt Walker (3,4)-Kawasaki 5. Eric Sorby (6,6)-Kawasaki 6. Nathan Ramsey (8,5)-Honda 7. Steve Lamson (11,9)-Honda 10. Ryan Mills (10,14)-Honda 13. Josh Grant (25,7)-Honda 19. Sean Collier (16,20)-Honda 22. Tim Weigand (19,19)- Honda 29. Chris Gosselaar (36,23)-Honda 125 Overall Points: 1.James Stewart-Kawasaki-100 2. Broc Hepler-Suzuki-75 3. Michael Brown-Yamaha-74 4. Stephane Roncada-Kawasaki-55 5. Nathan Ramsey-Honda-53 8. Matt Walker-Honda-38 9. Steve Lamson-Honda-36 11. Ryan Mills-Honda-33 15. Chris Gosselaar-Honda-24 16. Sean Collier-Honda-21 20. Josh Grant-Honda-14