Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMAlEA Sports Supercross Series Round S: Edison International Field of Anaheim come off, and everything was fine," ed the long pass over a step-up Miller said. "There was no obvious jump. "He [McGrath] made that one mis- problem, so we think a rock caused the chain to come off." take and made it a little easier on me, and I capitalized on it," Cannichael said. With Lusk out of the picture, the race became a three-man shootout, "But he got me right back, and then I involving McGrath, Carmichael and didn't waste no time and got back right Windham. back by him, and that was it." And that Carmichael eventually pulled a few was it. bikelengths on Windham and caught Carmichael pulled a slight lead over right up to McGrath, and that's when McGrath during the remaining few laps McGrath bobbled on the triples. to take the impressive win that left the thrilled sell-out crowd dizzy. "It was my mistake," McGrath admitted. "I felt I had a good pace "If there's anyway I wanted to beat going, but towards the end I made a Jeremy, I wanted to come from few mistakes. When he got close I behind to beat him," Carmichael said. McGrath was obviously a bit down jumped up on the tabletop and jumped too far into the face of the in the dumps about how things turned triple, and then I wasn't about to out, ilnd was still trying to sort out in triple because I would've came up his head wh~t had just happened. , short. I knew he was right there; I was "RC was awesome tonight; you can't take anything away from him. kind of clinching up." Lappers got right in Carmichael flew past McGrath, y way a few who came right back and pulled times - it's really hard being the first alongside Carmichael. The two guy going through. One time in the dueled down the next couple of whoops, behind tre starting gate, straights until Carmichael complet- Mike Craig cut right in front of me McGrath opened the 250cc racing with an impressive win in the first eight-lap heat race, where the top-four riders transfer directly to the main. But before McGrath could take the victory, he had to put an aggressive pass on Vuillemin for the lead that left the Frenchman seething. Vuillemin was leading McGrath through the second lap when the two Yamaha riders sailed over a triple nearly side by side. Vuillemin looked over his shoulder and saw McGrath right next to him; they landed and held the throttle wide open to the next tum. Vuillemin had a slight edge going into the bowled tum and took the main line halfway up the berm. McGrath, however, came in hot and ran Vuillemin up high and nearly into the bales. McGrath scooted into the lead, leaving Vuillemin stopped in his tracks and hanging precariously at the top of the berm. Vuillemin managed to save it, but the damage was done and McGrath was gone. "I think we did not understand each other for the lines," VuHlemin said of the pass. "I was on the outside, and he was going to come inside and roll both jumps [that preceded the tum). I was ready to jump inside, and we hit each other in the air. It was pretty scary, but that's all right, though." "He got a little angry with me," McGrath said. "But what happened was that I came on the inside on that triple and I was right in the middle of the track and I went straight. He was trying to charge over to go on the inside, and I was on his inside, so he turned in on me, so I was like, 'Whoa.'" Vuillemin had some more problems later on when he spun out, turning a gO-degree flat tum into a 360-degree tum. He lost a few positions there and would eventually finish fourth behind McGrath, Roncada and LaRocco. Vuillemin hadn't forgotten how McGrath had parked him in the tum and immediately rode up to McGrath afterward to give him a few choice words and rode off. "I said, 'Why did you jump?'" Vuillemin said. "After the race he got a little mad at me," McGrath said. "He said, 'Don't do that again.' And I said, 'I was caught off guard,' because I didn't do anything. He jumped right into me. It was no big deal, I talked to him afterward, he's like, 'Ah sorry dude.' For him right now, he's got a lot of pressure on him, he was expected to do really well [this season), and I think he's being a little hard on himself. I definitely didn't mean to do that." C8nn1chael (4), Lusk (11) and Vo. . (26) battle In the second heat. 8 FEBRAURY 14, 2001 • cue • e n e _ s Nick Wey (23) had a good race, running as high as third before finishing out the race in eighth. Finishing one position out of a transfer was Ferry, who was riding with a sore neck that he had injured the previous week at the Phoenix Supercross. Ferry was holding down fourth but lost it to Vuillemin through a rhythm section. Failing to make the cut were such notables as Tortelli, and TheEdgeSports.com Kawasaki's Casey Johnson and Michael Byrne, who had actually pulled the holeshot only to fall shortly thereafter. The second heat race was all Carmichael's. The Kawasaki rider jumped into the early lead ahead of Lusk and Planet Honda's Mike Craig, while Kevin Windham, wh9 had gotten a good jump, was left behind after sliding out in the first tum (but he would catch up quickly). Lusk stayed with Carmichael for a little while, but made a couple of s!ball mistakes that let the leader get away. By the halfway point, Carmichael had motored away, while Lusk seemed content riding all alone in second, but things were very crowded from third place on back. Craig held that position for a while until Robbie Reynard got him, then Heath Voss, Nick Weyand Windham. After falling in the first tum, Windham was on the gas and determined to get into the tOP four, but he did better than that. Windham picked off one rider after another until he had control of third place. Finishing right behind Windham in the final transfer spot was Wey, followed by Voss, Nathan Ramsey and Reynard. Steve Lamson didn't make the cut and neither did Kyle Lewis, Isaiah Johnson or Craig, who crashed out of the race. Byrne started the semis off with an early lead, while Tortelli and Casey Johnson, among others, where left behind after going down in the first turn. Byme led the way for a couple of laps until Ferry rode his YZ426F thumper around Byrne's KX250. Ferry picked up where Byrne left off, but he too would go down quickly, giving the lead back to Byrne and second place to Tortelli, who had no problems moving up through the pack. Tortelli closed in on Byme, but time ran out, with the Australian taking the close win over Tortelli. Ferry fmished a distant third, followed by Blackfoot Motorsports Honda Canada team riders James Povolny Jr. and Jean-Sebastien Roy, who both squeaked into the main. Finishing one spot out of a transfer in sixth was Team Fast By Ferraci Husqvama's Jason Thomas. Lamson put his Husqvama into the early lead in the second semi, but before the first lap was over, Lamson had the front end of his Husky wash out in a tum and was suddenly mired way back in the pack. (Lamson would crash again in a whoop section, eliminating any chance he had of transferring through the semis.) Great Lakes Aviation's Heath Voss inherited the lead ahead of Team Mota XXX/DGY Atomic 22's Kyle Lewis, Craig, Reynard and Isaiah Johnson. Reynard went to work and picked off Craig, then Lewis, and was soon on Voss' rear fender. On the last lap, Reynard made his move and successfully passed Voss for the lead and win. Craig held on to finish third, ahead of Lewis and Johnson. who made the main for the fIfth-straight time. Lamson again put his Husqvarna out in front of the Last Chance QualifIer, but this time he would keep it there, winning easily. His teammate, Thomas, ran second for a while until Ramsey got him on the third lap, and then Casey Johnson. Ramsey managed to keep a safe distance ahead of Johnson to take the final transfer of the evening. McGrath won heat one.

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