Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

silenced a few critics today. The bike is excellent. KeICarruthers did an awesome job. He's been working his ass off, trying to get some more horsepower out of it. I think in the next few weeks we're going to have an even better combination than we do now." Damaged finger and all, Team Honda veteran Steve Lamson toiled on to point-salvaging 6-3 moto placings for a valiant fourth-overall finish. After an injury-ravaged 1997 campaign in the division, the former AMA 125cc National Champion is keen to reclaim his title, and Team Honda has circled the wagons and mobilized their substantial resources in order to make hi9 wish come to true. '1t actually went pretty well, considering the circumstances," Lamson said. "Wednesday I didn't even think I would be rid ing because my finger was in such bad shape, so swollen and so sore. But I've been working with this guy who does orthopedic medicine, who gives me injections for the joint. It worked out pretty good. "The second moto was good," he continued. "I got a decent start, and I could ride pretty hard, but the finger really started hurting pretty bad at the halfway mark. The finger is jus't so tender that if I move it in any way, it really hurts. Realistically, I was a second or two a lap off the pace. It's hard being injured. Mentally, I'm strong, and I know I can ride good, but it's really hard for me now, especially on a rough track like this. I was surprised with everyone's speed. I knew they were going to be fast, but when I get totally healthy, I'll be right in there. I want to win the championship back this year that's my main goal. I wish I could have started off better today, but it could have been a lot worse." Fifth on the day was Team FMF / Honda/Thor /DeMarini/ Cytomax/ Quicksilver fashion plate David Pingree. Bedecked in "old school" 1970s-era FMF yellow-and-red race clothing (see Briefly...) - which was a huge hit with the Glen Helen throng - Pingree led his similarly attired teammates to the finish in both motos, thus garnering a solid, eason-opening 35-point haul. "I felt really good," Pingree said. "I almost had a chance there to end up on the podium with my first-moto finish, but I diqn't get the start I needed in the . second moto. I rode my best and ended up with a fifth overall, so that's a pretty good way to start the year off. It's the best I've ever started the season, and I feel really good and the bikes are great. I want to keep trying my best and give it everything I've got in every race." And what of the red-and-yellow fashion statement he and his comrades made at Glen Helen? "It was cool," he said. "It's just a one-time deal for this race, but being the anniversary of the (Honda) Elsinore and all that, it was real cool. It was fun, and the gear was fun to wear. I remember seeing the gear in pictures when I was a kid, so it was pretty fun to be wearing it." After the marketing manager of Mazda Trucks - the series sponsor - gave the command for the riders to "start (their) engines" and after the dropping of the gate, it was Team Yamaha's John Dowd who enjoyed the best jump off the concrete Glen Helen starting pad. Dowd led the hornets' nest of buzzing 125s through the first turn and up the first of many ominous, power-robbing uphills that lined the Glen Helen circuit. Stalked by Team FMF's David Pingree, Carmichael, Team Primal Impulse/ Suzuki/Bill's Pipes' rider Jiri Dostal, and TMR/Lemonds Yamaha rider Rob- (Right) Team Yamaha's John Dowd was the only rider to give Carmichael at least a little bit of concern. Dowd went 2-2 for second overall. (Below) Chaparral Yamaha's Jimmy Button, once again, showed the speed but crashes - one of them pretty hard - hurt his efforts. He still finished third overall. bie Skaggs, Dowd had his Yamaha YZ125 pinned in an attempt to put daylight between himself and the field. N ear the close of the second lap, Carmichael put a slick move on Pingree to move into second and immediately set off after Dowd. A few turns later, Carmkhael moved right in on the Yamaha rider and began chewing on his blue rear fender before making his move in one of the many bowl turns that lined the infield section. From that point forward, it was full speed ahead as R.c. set full sail and disappeared, pulling, at times, upward of two to three seconds per lap on Dowd. "In practice, I was kind of unsure of what to do with the bike," admitted Dowd in regard to Carmichael's vanishing act. "We were playing with gearing back and forth, and it's kind of something you do with a 125 a lot more than a 250. It's kind of new to me, going up and down these hills and shifting up and down, just constantly shifting. I went with a combination I thought was going to be the best and just went with it, and it seemed pretty good. Hopefully I can get this kind of stuff figured out in the weeks to corne and we can keep Ricky in sight:' Meanwhile, former 250cc Grand Prix campaigner Mike Brow.n of Team Honda of Troy, Jimmy Button and Steve Lamson were desp.erately trying to make up for poor starts as they rampaged through the field in an effort to find daylight at the front. On lap four, the running order was Carmichael, Dowd (who was five seconds adrift), Pingree, Team FMF's Jason McCormick, Team SplitFire/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Casey Johnson, and Button, who had blitzed by Brown on the incredibly steep and intimidating Glen Helen downhill. At the 22-minute mark of the 30-minuteplus-two-Iap moto, Button moved by Johnson, while Lamson, back in eighth, con tinued to charge toward the fron t. Meanwhile, McCormick's Team FMF Honda ground to a halt in the infield after the coil wire had shaken loose. As the race moved into laps 10, 11 and 12, the front third of the field ran in procession as Carmichael, who was clicking off methodical 2:52 lap times, held the point with a comfortable 12second lead. In his wake was Dowd, who in turn had 30 seconds on Pingree, Button, Johnson and Brown. On the white-flag lap, Lamson placed a spirited move on Brown to take over sixth place. As the checkered flag waved, Carmichael rolled his Kawasaki over the finish line for the win, followed by Dowd, Pingree, Button, Johnson and Lamson. At approximately 3:30 p.m., the 125cc class began to stage for the second moto. By this time the sky had gone completely gray and the wind had kicked up, pu tting a pronounced chill in the San Bernardino air. Carmichael, through an excellent jump out of the concrete launching pad, ripped off a clean-cut holeshot, and by the end of the first lap he held a commanding .seven-second lead on Team Primal Impulse/Suzuki teammates Ryan Huffman and Buddy Antunez, and Casey Johnson and John Dowd. On lap two, Dowd shrieked by Antunez and desperately attempted to set his sights on Carmichael, who by this time was nothing mOTe than a blip in the distance. As the race moved toward the 15minute mark, Button, Lamson and Casey John on grouped together into a flying wedge that rolled past Antunez, thus starting a fight for third. On lap 11 of the 14-lap race, Lamson came around in third, with Button, who had experienced the aforementioned miscue, approximately 15 seconds behind in fourth. When the white flag flew, it was Carmichael way out in front and cruising some 15 seconds clear of Dowd. Nineteen seconds further adrift was Lamson, hanging tough in third with a severely tweaked finger; Johnson held down fourth; Pingree fifth; Team Honda of Troy pilot Stephane Roncada sixth; and teammate Casey Lytle seventh. Fast-starter Antunez had been relegated to eighth. They would ultimately hold their positions and finish off the second moto of the 1998 season in that order. "1 didn't think it was going to be so cool here," Carmichael said. "It was a little bit too easy here today, with the cool wea ther and all. The track was also good; it was rough and choppy, but I liked it. I had fun today and I rode good and smart, so I'm happy:' Fourth-place finisher Jinuny Button was happy to have scored the points after nearly throwing it all away on the Glen Helen downhill. "The track was good - way better than last year," Button said. "They did a way better job preparing it. I think last year they kind of threw it together a little bit and it deteriorated a little' bit. But the track held up good. It was definitely a motocross track today -1 mean, it had everything on it. It almost claimed me:' fN Glen Helen Raceway Park san ~ardino, California Results: May 10, 1998 (Round 1 of 12) 125 MOTO 1, 1. lUcky CarnUchaei (!(aw); 2. john Dowd (yam); 3. David Pingree (Yam); 4. jimmy Button (Yam); 5. Casey Johnson (Kaw); 6. Steve Lamson (Hon); 7. Mike Brown (Hon); 8. Robbie Reynard (Suu; 9. Nick Wey (Kaw); 10. Stephane Roncada (Hon); 11. Jm Dostal (Suz); 12. Travis Preston (Suz); 13. Robbie Horton (KTM); 14. Casey Lytle (Hon); 15. Brian Deegan (!(aw); 16. Buddy Antunez (Suz); 17. 'Brock Sellards (Hon); 18. Nathan Ramsey (Knw); 19. Jeff Willoh (Suz); 20. Tim Ferry (Yam); 21. Barry Carsten (Suz); 22. Scott Sheak (Hon); 23. Rusty Holland (Hon); 24.. Greg Schnell (Yam); 25. Robbie Skaggs (yam); 26. Charlie Bogard (Suz); 27. Dustin Nelson (Yam); 28. Grayson Goodman (Kaw); 29. Robert Naughton (KTM); 30. Dennis Owens (Yam); 31. Doug Parsons (Yam); 32. Jimmy Lamastus (KTM); 33. Danny Smith (Hon); 34. Akira Narita (Hon); 35. Jason McCormick (Hon); 36. Ryan Clark (Kaw); 37. Shae Bentley (Kaw); 38. Steve Andrich (Yam); 39. Erick Vallejo (Kaw); 40. Rynn Huffman (Suz). Time: 37 min., 14.100 sec. 125 MOTO 2: t. Ricky Carmichael (Kaw); 2. John Dowd (Yam); 3. Steve Lamson (Hon); 4. Jihuny Button (Yam); 5. Casey Johnson (Kaw); 6. David Pingree (Hon); 7. Stephane Roncada (Hon); 8. Casey Lytle (Hon); 9. Buddy Antunez (Suz); 10. athan Ramsey (Kaw); "II. Brock Sellards (Hon); 12. Nick Wey (Kaw); 13. Brian Deegan (Kaw); 14. Robbie Skaggs (Yam); 15. jeff Willoh (Suz); 16. Scott Sheak (Hon); 17. Travis Preston (Suz); 18. Jiri Dostal (Suz); 19. Akira Narita (Hon); 20. Robbie Horton (KTM); 21. Danny Smith (Hon); 22. Barry Carsten (Suz); 23. Ryan Huffman (Suz); 24. Dustin Nelson (Yam); 25. Ryan Clnrk (Kaw); 26. Rusty Holland (Hon); 27. Greg Schnell (Yam); 28. Charlie Bogard (Suz); 29. Grayson Goodman (Kaw); 30. Robert Naughton (KTM); 31. Steve Andrich (Yam); 32. Jimmy Lamastus (KTM); 33. Tim Ferry (Yam); 34. Jason McCormick (Hon); 35. Mike Brown (Hon); 36. Robbie Reynard (Suz); 37. Dennis Owens (Yam); 38. Shae Bentley (Kaw); 39. Erick Vallejo (Kaw); 40. Doug ParsonslYam>. Time: /A. 125 O/A: 1. Ricky CarmichaeLCKaw); 2. John Dowd (Yam); 3. Jimmy Butt n (Yam); 4. Steve Lamson (Hon); 5. David Pingree (Hon); 6. Casey Johnson (Kaw); 7. Stephane Roncada (Hon); 8. Nick Wey ()(aw); 9. C'lSeY . Lytle (Hon); 10. Buddy Antunez (Suz); 11. Nathan Ramsey (Kaw); 12. Brock Sellards (Hon); 13. Brian Deegan (Kaw); 14. Mike Brown (Hon); 15. Travis Preston (Suz); 16. Jin Dostal (Suz); "17. Robbie Reynard (Suz); 18. Robbie Horton (KTM): 19. Jeff Willoh (Suz); 20. Robbie Skaggs (Yam); 21. Scott Sheak (Hon); 22Akira Narita (Hon); 23. Tim Ferry (Yam). 125" TOYOTA TRUCKS AMA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MX SERIES POINT STANDINGS (After 1 of U rounds): 1. Ricky Carmichael (SO/l win); 2. John Dowd (44); 3. Jimmy Bulton (26); 4. (TIE) Steve Lamson/David Pingree (35); 6. Casey Johnson (32); 7. Stephane Roncada (25); 8. Nkk Wey (21); 9. Casey Lytle (20); 10. Buddy Antunez (17); 11. (TIE)Nathan Ramsey/Brock Sellards/Brian Deegan/Mike Brown (14); 15. (TIE) Travis Preston/Jiri Dostal/Robbie Reynard (13); 18. Robbie Horton (9); 19. jeff Willoh (8); 20. Robbie Skaggs (n; 21. Scott Sheak (5); 22. Akira Narita (2); 23. Tim Ferry (1).

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