Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMA EA Sports Supercross Series Round 9: Daytona International Speedway While running second to Cannichael. an exhausted Travis Pastrana purposefully rode off the track and fell over. The Suzuki rider had just recovered from the flu and became dehydrated. It's kind of hard when you're back there going all over the place. I used a lot of energy to get up to the front. "There at the end, Sebastien [Tortelli] was going as hard as he could," Lusk said. "It was a great race. It's pretty good to get the podium after a little battle like that." behind Ferry and got a little tight. Overall, I felt all right. As soon as I Finishing fifth was McGrath, who backed it down a hair and got relaxed a little bit, I came on a little more at the end. I just lost touch with those put in a steady ride. He got off to a fourth-place start but just couldn't quite hang with the leaders, though he did settle into a solid and consistent pace after dropping back to fifth. He guys right at the beginning. I felt like I rode tight for six, seven, eight laps, maybe. I guess I was catching Tortelli ended up taking the checkered flag some seven seconds behind Lusk. "It wasn't too bad," McGrath said right at the end. "It was a rough track," McGrath of his race. "It seemed like I got there." BRIEFLY••• Team SoBe Suzuki's Travis Pastrana (below) gave everyone another scare when he pulled off the race track dUring the 11 th lap and collapsed. "He wasn't feeling good, so he pulled off the track and laid down," Suzuki team manager Roger DeCoster said. "He laid his bike down and laid himself down next to his bike. He was feeling dizzy and really feeling like he was exhausted. The doctors think that he is still low on electrolytes and all that stuff from being sick and taking antibiotics. He had the flu for two weeks, until a week ago. And this week, he was a lot better. He wasn't a hundred percent, but he thought he was like 80-90 percent." Pastrana was transported to the speedway's infield medical center, where he was administered IVs. Pastrana knew going into the race that he would have a problem with dehydration and experimented with a drinking system that hung around his neck. He first tried it out in practice and decided to wear it in the added. "It was pretty beat up out back 100 percent," he said after the main event. "This is a long race to do that at, but for me, and these guys [Canmichael and LuskJ too, we kind of grew up on tracks like this. I think that's why it favors us, and we always do a little better here. I'm surprised that I stayed as strong as I did. I knew I had the speed, I just didn't know how my endurance would be. I felt strong," Team Honda's Nathan Ramsey also retumed to action after injuring his shoulder at the Minneapolis Supercross. Ramsey rode well at Daytona, but he worked hard to get into the main event. haVing to qualify through a semi. Ramsey won that semi. but not before making several mistakes that forced him to play catch-up a couple of limes. The CRF450R pilot rode well in the main, where he finished sixth. The Shark/Plano Honda team was a no-show at Daytona. Since most of their riders are injured, the team decided to skip the race. They're planning on retuming to action at New Orleans next week. main event. Team Escondido Cycle Center's Michael Brandes will sit out the rest of the supercross series after getting injured at the Atlanta Supercross. According to team manager Mike Craig. Brandes suffered a ripped colon. "In practice, Brandes got run into by Paul Currie, and when it was discovered that he had internal bleeding, they had to cut him open right away." Craig said. "He needed 30 staples to get him fixed up: it was pretty serious. He's hoping to be back for the nationals." Even Mike Craig himself is on the disabled list. "I was hoping to ride today, but I decided to wait until next week," Craig said. Craig broke a bone in his foot at the Phoenix Supercross, but while practicing, Craig rebroke the bone. "I was going over a double, taking off, when the bone broke again, but this time in three places, which was worse than the first break. I guess I should've waited a little longer before riding again. " Team Yamaha's Tim Ferry, who missed the opening round of the series with a knee injury, returned to action at Daytona after bruising his lungs at the Phoenix Supercross back in January. And he has hardly missed a beat. "I feel fine now," Ferry said after practice. "It's just good to be back and really race again, I haven't really raced since the U.S. Open [jn October]; I was just getting through the first two races [of the supercross series] when I bruised my lungs," Ferry said the first few weeks after bruising his lungs was a difficult period. "You just can't breathe," Ferry said. "For a week and a half, I couldn't do anything, I couldn't even get out of bed. You just have to rest." Despite not haVing raced since January, Ferry looked like his old self at Daytona. "I've been riding for three to four weeks right now, trying to come 16 MARCH 20. 2002' cue •• Daytona International Speedway requires random drug testing of the competitors, so dUring the rlders' meeting, numbers were picked from a bag, and the chosen few were thus tested. Two of the riders selected were "two-digit" riders, Kyle Lewis and Keith S. Johnson. Both riders passed. According to Suzuki team manager Roger DeCoster, Kevin Windham is recovering well from his broken femur that he suffered at the Atlanta Supercross. "The femur is coming along good, but he is experiencing a little pain in his knee," DeCoster said. "He didn't really know he had hurt his knee, so we'll see what comes out of that. But the really good news is that his attitude is better than I had anticipated. I was worried he'd be really, really down, but he has a good attitude and wants to tum things around." As far as when Windham might race again, DeCoster said, "It's still a little too early to say." neVlls (Left to right) Southern boys Lusk, Cannlchael and Ferry dominated In the Florida sun" Team Honda's Nathan Ramsey finished six seconds behind McGrath in sixth, while Fonseca finished a distant seventh. Mota XXX/DGY's Nick Wey, Motoworl d Ra c i ng. com /Suz uki' s Damon Huffman and Blackfoot Honda's Jean-Sebastien Roy rounded out the top ] O. eN Ricky Canmichael's fifth win of the season at Daytona ties him with Jeff Ward for fourth on the overall all-time win list. Canmichael now has 62 overall (MX and SXl wins, with 19 supercross wins. After posting a few very promising rides over the past few weeks, Team Chevy Trucks/Kawasaki's Stephane Roncada finished a disappointing 12th at Daytona. According to a source close to Roncada, the Frenchman "suffered anm pump and hit the wall. " As always, the Daytona Supercross had a large turnout of riders. Seventy-one riders turned out for the 125cc class, and 82 for the 250cc class. Daytona's larger facility allows for 30 riders, instead of the usual 20, to qualify for the 250cc main. Also, three heat races are held instead of two. The fonmat for the 125cc class stays the same as nonmal. For Ezra Lusk, this year's Daytona Supercross was another good one, as he now has three podium finishes here. "' was telling everyone that I was having fun and the track was great." Lusk said. "But I think everybody here would agree that this is the most demanding and maybe not-so-well-prepped track that we race all year. It's a little sketchy, Other than it being a little dangerous, it's tough on us guys. You see a lot of guys get hurt here and nobody at all likes to see that. I've always been able to do good here, I guess it's because I think a lot and try to find good lines and not try to hang it out here too much. My thind podium is good, but. of course. I would like to win here one day, and hopefully I have a few more years to give it a shot." Lusk added that he's not too frustrated at how his season has been going. "I don't really think it's been the most frustrating [seasonl." Lusk said. "Frustrating is when you're leading and you give it away like I did a few years ago. I started off slow. and I've had a tendency the last couple of years of coming out with a bang and turning it loose and winding up on my head. I've just been trying to build some blocks out here and improve and build my strength all through the year, the bike and everything else. All it can do is get better. " In keeping with tradition. this year's Daytona track was as rough and challenging as ever, if not a little more so. "With the track this rough. you have to be on your p's and q's the whole time: Canmichael said. "The track wasn't prepped as good as it was last year. The jumps were real rutted, but everyone has to ride the same track. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of the best years, The track [was] rough, and it [tookJ up your undivided attention for the full 20 laps. " Ricky Canmichael ended up having the fastest lap time of the day. His best time during the 250cc main was 1:28.535. Remarkably, the 125cc main-event winner, Chad Reed, on the Boost Mobile/Yamaha/Troy Racing YZ250F, set the second-fastest time. The Australian's best time was 1:28.800.

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