Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMAlEA Sports Supercross Series Presented by Speedstick Round 5: Edison Internationel Field By CHRIS JONNUM PHOTOS BY STEVE BRUHN ANAHEIM, CA, FEB. 2 fter so many years of supercross runaways - both in the EA Sports Supercross Series and in the individual races of which it is comprised race fans have become unused to seeing tactics play much of a role in their sport. After all, how much strategy is required when one rider - for years Jeremy McGrath, and more recently Ricky Carmichael - jumps out to an early lead and then leaves his competition behind? Races were all but finished after the first few laps, and series were as good as over within the first few rounds. What a treat it is, then, nearly onethird of the way into the 2002 season, to find ourselves witnessing what has the makings to possibly be one of the most calculated and contested battles in supercross history, with each move on the track bearing import and each AMA point meted out carrying consequence. It's too early to say for sure 8 FEBRUARY 13, 2002' cue I e how this thriller will end, or even if it will manage to keep us on seat's edge, but the story line certainly appears to be shaping up for a potentially gripping climax. At first blush, it may seem odd to make this declaration upon Carmichael scoring his second-straight win. After all, the Team Honda rider was impressive at Anaheim III (starting around sixth and systematically advancing until taking the lead at the midway point, then never looking back), and he now claims to be not only completely happy with his bike setup, but "100 percent physically, 98 percent mentally." But his recent momentum notwithstanding, Carmichael's roundone DNF means he's still got substantial ground to make up in the title chase. He's just third in the standings and 25 points behind series-leader David Vuillemin. In other words, that Frenchman could actually afford to DNF a race himself - a turn of events that doesn't seem likely considering the fact that Vuillemin remains the only rider to have made every podin __ s um thus far (the Team Yamaha rider was third again this weekend despite bruised ribs, a sore knee and a horrendous start). Yes, Carmichael has made up 10 poillts on Vuillemin in the past two weeks, but even if he can maintain that pace (and he should be feeling more at home with the series now heading east), it won't be until New Orleans in mid-March that the two will pull even. "All the races are different," Vuillemin said. "I don't look at the championship .. .! feel like I'm riding better now than when I was winning." "Now I have to put my head down," Carmichael said. "David's riding exceptionally great; I just have to win and not worry about him." Meanwhile, in between them sits Mike laRocco, who was fourth again at Anaheim III and doesn't seem to have any intention of leaving the fight to the other two. The Amsoil/Dr. Martens Honda rider is tasting blood after his recent drought-ending Anaheim II win, and he's racing even stronger and more consistently than ever. After a slow start to the season, RIcky Cannichael Is now picking up speed. He won his second-straight round with a strong, calculated ride at Anaheim III, but he's sUIi got his wort< cut out If he wants to retain his tiUe. A three-way fight would be drama enough, but there are several other riders anxious to shake up the points with a periodic high finish, as Stephane Roncada showed at Anaheim Ill. Looking like he did on a 125 two years ago, the Frenchman finally seems comfortable in the premier division, and he took his Chevy Trucks Kawasaki to a careerhigh runner-up finish here at round five. The race also had McGrath looking the best he has this year, as the Bud Light Yamaha rider led for the first half of the race before once again succumbing to his arm-pump woes and fading back to sixth. If SoBe Suzuki's Travis Pastrana can ever figure out a way to stay consistently upright (he crashed again at Anaheim III and finished seventh),

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