AMAlEA Sports National Championship Supercross Series
Round B: Georgia Dome
(Above) Three down, 20 to
go: Ricky Carmichael gained
three points on David
Vuillemln In the series
standings after taking his
second win In a row.
"It's tough out there," Carmichael
said. "These guys are riding good.
For me, I'm stuck between a rock and
a hard place. I have to win. I have to
do everything that I can, and when
you're doing that, unfortunately the
way that I ride, I'm going to have my
moments."
At the halfway point in the 16-race
season, Vuillemin has a 20-point
edge on Carmichael, 179 to 159. The
injured Mike LaRocco is third with
120, soon to be overtaken by Team
Chevy Trucks Kawasaki's Stephane
Roncada, fifth tonight.
The night won't be remembered
for the quality of the racing so much
as the tumult surrounding it. Almost
everyone had a story, and they didn't
all end on the track. The team with
the worst luck was So Be Suzuki. A
week after making a return from a
concussion, Kevin Windham broke
his right femur when he crashed in
the rhythm section in an afternoon
practice session.
By HENNY RAY ABRAMS
PHOTOS BY STEVE BRUHN
AnANTA, GA, FEB 23
C was in the house and the crowd
lJ..lloved it. In a season where he
often hasn't been warmly received,
Atlanta's Georgia Dome was the perfect tonic for American Honda's Ricky
Carmichael. And the defending
Supercross Champion showed his
appreciation, getting the holeshot and
leading aU 20 laps before a crowd of
69, 471, the second-largest in the 28year history of the sport. Carmichael's
win, his fourth of the year, wasn't
flawless: A few bouts of over-aggressiveness meant that the crowd had to
hold its breath more than once. But
the Floridian was never seriously
challenged and ended the night by
stealing three more points back from
AMAlEA Sports Supercross Series
leader David Vuillemin, the Yamaha
rider who finished second and maintained a perfect record on podium
finishes. Bud Light Yamaha's Jeremy
McGrath was third, by far his best finish of the year, despite suffering with
the flu earlier in the week.
n
a
I'.A .... ""..... L...I
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~nn~..
_
••
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David Vuillemln minimized the damage
of a Carmichael win by getting yet
another podium finish. He also
engaged In a bit of fisticuffs.
_
