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/127982
Round 6: Raymond James Stadium TOYOTA TRUCKSiTHORIPARTS UNLIMITED AMA U.S. SUPERCROSS SERIES II Il! ~ .Ii s: Q §i .• :;:_ N i6 S - 8!. 10 On the 12th lap, McGrath made his move: He cut to the inside of Carmichael and pushed him out wide. in a slick bowl turn. A few turns later, Windham slipped past Carmichael as well. It was now a two-man dogfight, as McGrath and Windham pulled clear of Carmichael and Lusk. Windham, who had reeled in the new leader, seemed to be taking his time and sizing up McGrath. . "I caught him," Windham said, "and I thought, 'Let's just hang out here.' I knew I had time. It's a big confidence to be behind him (McGrath) and stay with him. I carne from probably three or four seconds back, so it was really, really good for me in the mind. I was glad to be behind him, to be able to watch what he was doing." The Honda rider finally made his move on the 16th lap, pulling alongside McGrath's Yamaha through a rhythm section and passing him through the following turn, but McGrath got a better drive down the next straight and took the lead back. On the next lap, Windham tried the pass again in the exact ~e spot, and this time he was success"I didn't really know who was in second until he (Windham) passed me,". McGrath said. "I wasn't looking at my pit board 'cause he was so close. I was surprised, because I thought it was Lusk or Carmichael." Once into to the lead, Windham opened up a small cushion, got through some lapped traffic cleanly and held on for the win. McGrath took second and immediately gave Windham a pat on the back. "It's unbelievable," Windham said of his win. "f mean, I've done bad this year. I've had some bad races. Last year was the same deal, but I came around. Everybody at some point gets that little boost to get them over the top; hopeful- (Above) Back on the track following his injury at the San Diego Supercross, Ricky Carmichael (9) jumped olit to an early lead but couldn't quite maintain the pace for all 20 laps. He finished fourth. Ezra Lusk (4), here passing Carmichael, finished third. (Above right) Jimmy Button finished fifth. (Right· left to right) Lusk, Windham and McGrath celebrate on the Tampa podium. ly this is it for me. Next week I'm going in with the same attitude." . "I'm happy for Kevin," McGrath said. "He's been having some problems, so I'm glad to see him do well. But, for me, I started getting squirrelly in the whoops - that was my downfall. I didn't get tired or anything, but the way the track was, anything could happen so fast. I thought it was best to be safe than sorry. He had nothing to lose, and I had a lot to lose." Elsewhere in the race, Carmichael struggled with his endurance and sore arm to finish fourth, behind Lusk, who rode a strong and smart race. "I was making a few mistakes," Lusk admitted. "With the track being the way it was, I felt I better back it down and finish on the podium. I'm happy with that." Button finished well back in fifth and had a pesky "LaRocco to deal with during the last five laps, but the Yama- ha rider held his ground and fought. back. Tortelli worked his way up to·seventh after crashing, while Dowd, who gated 10th, grabbed eighth, just ahead of Ward. Huffman rounded out the top 10. As mentioned, many riders failed to finish the race, including former SX champ Emig, who found himself stranded on the side of the track with a broken axle. Emig, however, played cheerleader for his teammate Carmichael, who was leading at the time. After suffering his fourth crash of the night while running well back in the pack, Albertyn parked his Suzuki and specta ted for the rest of the race. "Tonight did l'\ot go well, but I'm thankful to be in one piece," he said. Reynard also parked his Suzuki next to Albertyn's a fter crashing hard while dicing with LaRocco in 12th. "I was going into the whoops and I hit his front tire," Reynard said. "I hit my sto~ach so hard, it knocked the wind out of me, and I started throwing up right there on the side of the track." Also posting a DNF was Ferry, who pulled off the .track after injuring his back on the 12th lap. CIII Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida Results: February 12, 1999 (Round 6 of 16) 250 HEAT 1 (8 laps, 1-4 transfer to main): 1. Ezra Lusk (Hon); 2. Robbie Reynard (Suz); 3. Mike laRocco (Bon); 4. Nathan Ramsey (Kaw); 5. Jeff EOlig (Kaw); 6. John Dowd (Yam); 7. Greg Albertyn (Suz); 8. Sebastien TorteJJj (Hon); 9. Ricky Carmichael (Kaw); 10. JeanSebastien Roy (Hen); 11. Pedro Gonzalez (Kaw); 12. Grayson Goodman (Hon); 13. Ryan Terlecki (Suz); 14. Kenny Yoho (Yam); 15. Brandon Cunningham (Kaw)i 16. Chad Anderson (Suz); 17. Doug Stone (Kaw); 18. Ty Wallace (Yam); 19. Ryan Gauld (Yam); 20. Scott Graves (Kaw) .. Time: 8 min., 22.340 sec. 250 HEAT 2 (Slaps, 1-4 transfer to main); 1. Jeremy McGrath (Yam); 2. Jimmy Button (Yam); 3. Kevin Windham (Hon); 4. Tim Ferry ,(Yam); 5. Steve l.amson (Yam); 6. Heath Voss (ticn); 7. Billy Binckley (Ya.m); 8. Brian Stone (Kaw); 9. Larry Ward (Suz); 10. Phil Lawrence (Suz); 11. Rudy Waller (Yam); 12. Charles Duffy ill (Kaw); 13. Jo,n Monk (Kaw); ]4. Brian Smith (Suz); 15. Jason Thome (Hon); 16. Barry Carsten (Sux);