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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127999
Round 4: Motocross 338 second place on lap number three and quickly pulling out to a comfortable margin. In moto two, Sellards backed up his strong first-moto ride with a solid third-place finish, behind Carmichael and Team FMF/Honda teammate and championship contender VohJand. Sellards' outstanding ride at Southwick cat· apulted the 21-year-old rider from New Philadelphia, Ohio, from sixth to third in the series' point standings. Sellards was visibly stoked about what is quickly turning into a breakthrough year for the young rider. "I'm extremely happy," said Sellards shortly after the second mota. "Until this year, my best finish ever was an eighth. That's been my worst finish this year. I got second here today and now I'm third in points. Things are just working out really good this season. I'm up there, I'm getting good starts and my bike is running good. My team has come a long, long way. That really helps when you're out there." (Above) Ricky Carmichael looks over in moto one, sizing up his monster lead over the rest of the field. Carmichael pUlled the same trick in the second outing to claim the overall win, his fourth in as many rounds. (Below) Continuing to shine outdoors, Brock Sellards got great starts in both motos and rode strong all the way to the finish, claiming a' career-best second overall. By Jerry Athey Photos by Karl Ockert SOUTHWICK, MA, JUNE 13 i\ i\ ith four overall wins in four tries in the 1999 outdoor season, Team SplitFire/ Pro Circuit/1-800-COLLECT/Kawasaki's Ricky Carmichael has dominated the 125cc National Series from the word go. And dominate is just what the two-time and defending National MX Champion did in front of a record-setting crowd of 16,122 cheering fans at Southwick. "I felt great out there," said Carmichael shortly after his second mota win of the day. "I got decent starts and pretty much checked out. I grew up on this kind of track, so it's good. 1 like it." 10 In each of the 30-minute-plus-twolap motos, Carmichael simply buried the field, eventually pulling out to leads of more than 30 seconds over his' closest competitors - in this case, the Team FMF/Honda duo of Brock Sellards in moto one and Tallon Vohland in mota two. After jumping out to an early lead and taking the commanding wire-towire win in the first moto, Carmichael was forced to work for his second moto victory of the day after starting in fifth. It didn't take long, though· less than one lap, to be exact· for Carmicllael to move past his would-be challengers and, once again, into a huge lead. "T didn't quite get the start I wanted in the second mota," explained Carmichael. "I got by those guys pretty quick, though, and was able to check out there in the beginning. That's all it took." Finishing second overall to Carmichael was Sellards with a careerbest 2-3 performance. Sellards battled with Team Moto Planet's Matt Walker early in moto one before charging into Filling out the 125cc podium at Southwick was VohJand. A veteran of the European Grand Prix circuit, Vohland has been the thorn in Carmichael's side since the second round at Hangtown, where he split mota wins with the defending champion. While Vohland's first-mota performance at Southwick was a roller-coaster ride of crashes and come·from-behind charge, his second mota went much better, resulting in a solid second-place finish to Carmichael. The 27-year-old from Citrus Heights, California, took the day in stride and, in true racer fashion, was already looking toward the next round at Budds Creek. "I feel really good," said Vohland at the awards ceremony. "I know my speed is as good as Ricky's. He just seems to have a little finer edge than me, as far as getting the good results. I'm working really hard. I actually thought tha t this week was going to be the week - I came here last week and did a lot of training to get used to the heat and environment. I make no excuses. At the last race (Mount Morris), I was sick, and that was an excuse - I was sick - bu t this week there were no excuses. I rode hard, I thought I was going to win, and maybe I put a little bit too much pressure on myself. Every race, I'm going to keep ,trying and trying to win the championship. I'm not that far out of it. If Ricky makes a mistake, I'm right there and I'll be all over it. I'll just keep working hard and, the next thing you know, it could be mine." Fourth overall went to Team SplitFire/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's ick Wey, who finished 11-4. Wey was the victim of a first-turn crash in moto one, and he charged to 11 th before running out of time in the moto. Wey came back strong in the second mota to finish fourth and, in doing so, was able to salvage his day and maintain his confidence level going into the next round in Maryland. "Yeah, it wasn't too bad," said the 18· year-old from DeWitt, Michigan. "My goal was top three, so I fini hed just outside of that. In the first moto, I ran into someone who crashed in the first turn. There wasn't much I could've done. I needed to get a little bit better of a start. In the second mota, I got off the fine pretty badly also, but I was right on SeII-