Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127572
GMOTOCROSS NMA World Mini Grand Prix m Ricky Carmichael set out to prove a point at the World Mini. and did so by winning the Super Mini class and beating his elder competitOIs. Carmichael also won the 80cc 12-13 Stock class. Carmichael on top of the world in Las Vegas By Tony Alessi LAS VEGAS, NY, APR 1&-18 ho's the fastest 13-year-old motocrosser in the world? Ricky Carmichael answered that question by posting the overall win in the 80cc 12-13 (year-old) Stock class, and then going on to best his elder - and supposedly more experienced - competition in the ultra-competitive Super Mini class at the 22nd running of the National Motorsport Association's World Mini Grand Prix, held near Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas. Traditionally, the event serves as a showcase for top racers of all ability levels to demonstrate their talents and face off against their rivals from across the nation. And this year's race was no different, as the three-day event drew a record 1,238 entries, including over 100 Pee Wee class racers from 38 different states and four countries. Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha all posted substantial contingencies, as well as on-track technical assistance for the W 26 competit~rs. For the third year in a row, Las Vegas International Speedway served as the battleground, and to the delight of the competitors, the track featured many improvements in comparison to last year's course. "We spent a considerable amotlht of money bringing in new dirt," said NMA President Ron Henricksen. "That allowed us to make the track wider and longer, as well as a bit more challenging to race on." The Lance Moorewood-designed course featured a fast layout with numerous jumps, step-ups and a technical rocker section. The first turn was wider and safer than in past years, and most racers agreed that the course was vastly improved. Because of the large turnout in many classes, multiple divisions and preliminary heats were needed to thin the fields down to single runoff motos. Two preliminary heats transferred the top performers into the runoff, in which they would race against the top finishers from their rival divisions. All scores counted, so top finishes in both preliminary races, as well as in the runoff, would be important for a top overall finish. Carmichael, a short, chubby redhead from Tallahasse, Florida, came to Vegas with one mission in mind: to show the world that he was the fastest mini pilot on the planet. "The most important race this weekend for me will be the Super Mini race," explained a determined Carmichael before the start of the weekend's activities. "In the Super Mini class, I'll race against the older division kids, and I want to beat them all to prove that I'm the fastest." Carmichael got off on the right foot by dominating his first Super Mini class preliminary moto with a wire-to-wire win over Jason Partridge and Ohio's Brock Sellards. The second moto looked to be a repeat of the first, but a small bobble near the finish line area left Carmichael on the ground while Partridge slipped into the lead. Carmichael was up quickly and raced back with a vens.eance. Carmichael began to triple through the whoop section and cleared two large jumps in a single bound in his attempt to catch Partridge, and within a few laps the two were nose-in-tail Partridge managed to fend off Carmichael for a narrow win, while Sellards again finished a distant third aboard a slow-looking machine. The runoff moto would combine the top 15 racers from each of the two divisions, and Partridge, Carmichael and Sellards would find themselves head·~ head against the top riders from Division 11, namely Texan Charlie Bogard, who swept both Division II motos. "I beat Ricky in Texas at the Grand National Finals, but everyone said that I