Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMA/Chevy Trucks 2BOcc National Championship Motocross Beries Round 2: Hangtown Classic head-turner Sean Hamblin, who has been riding great since helping SoBe Suzuki with testing. The top 10 were rounded out by Moto XXX's Kyle Lewis, White Brothers Honda's Paul Team Yamaha traded second- and third-place finishes in the two 250cc motos, with David Vuillemin (12) getting the edge over Timmy Ferry (15) based on his better moto-two perfonnance. Carpenter and Planet Honda's Robbie Of course, such riding means that Reynard. With Carmichael's Hangtown win, Carmichael's list of unattained goals he holds down a perfect 100 points in is getting shorter, and it might the standings, already 18 better than become even more truncated in the second-place Ferry. "Me and Bubba are in a battle to near future. There remains only one see who can do better at each race," on a 250 - High Point Raceway, the Carmichael said in reference to the 125cc points leader. "We both did next stop on the National circuit. pretty good today, and I'm happy to stop living out of a suitcase," build up a good cushion." Carmichael said. track where the champ has yet to win "I'm ready to get back east and eN m Own Race: 250cc ] (5John Dowd Ricky Carmichael and Stephane Roncada had a slamming contest in the early part of the first 250cc moto. Carmichael was leading early on the first lap when Roncada got by. Cannichael appeared to ram Roncada in a corner soon after, and although he failed to get by, he slammed him again in the first corner after the finish line and looked back after making the pass. Roncada then went after Carmichael, going for a slam in another corner before reaching down and holding his lower leg, which he apparently tweaked in one of the incidents. After pulling off the track, Roncada puUed back on for several laps, and then sat out the rest of the race. "I left the door open, and he came in pretty hot and scared me," Carmichael said. "Then coming through the mechanics' tum, he was on the outside and I was on the inside, and he made a mistake. Then he started stopping and looking at me and yelling at me. He just tried to demolish me. At that point, I was upset because then he was playing a game. I'm out there to race. "Why would I want to put my moto in jeopardy? We all know he's got a reputation as a rough rider." Although Roncada left the venue before the second moto was finished (after leading briefly, he had a problem with his throttle sticking open and dropped out), he had the following to say in his e-mail race report: "Coming into the mechanics' section before the finish-line jump, I messed up in the deep rut and lost speed. The rut was cutting back to the inside, but as I was getting on the gas, RC just fiat-out T-Boned me and we almost both crashed. He hit me so hard that he broke off my front-brake lever. I tried to block him in the next tum, but he managed to cut back undemeath me. "The worst happened after that. I was still in the lead jumping the finish-line jump, and I got on the gas trying to get in the next left tum first. RC totally lost another screw and came in so fast from the inside that he hit me again while I was trying to tum, pushing both of us toward the wall of hay bales on the far outside of the tum. Since I didn't have any more front brake, I was having a hard time slowing down, and I hit the hay bales really hard, but the worst is that RC hit me again at the same time, crushing my left leg between his bike and mine. "I thought it was broken! In the next uphm, I was so mad I thought I was going to take him out for good. RC was a complete idiot doing something like that; this was pure dirty riding, and if he thinks he's going to scare me off pulling stuff like that, he's wrong. If it's war that he wants, he will get it." 24 MAY 29, 2002' c Y .. • e n __ s The Cemic's/PC Worldwide KTM vet was somewhat erratic in his first moto, eventuaUy finishing in ninth, but he looked more at home in the muddy second outing, i)"1 which he was sixth. "I screwed up on the start, and I couldn't see out there," Dowd said. "I got a lot of stuff in my eyes. I've still got a lot of stuff in my eyes." 9l9lsean Hamblin The SoBe Suzuki test rider had a phenomenal ride at Hangtown, going 6-9 for seventh overall. Hamblin really turned heads in the first moto, running a strong second behind Carmichael for several laps before eventuaUy tiring and succumbing to several riders. "I'm happy with finishing inside the top 10 in both motos," Hamblin said. "I figure if I can go good on that stuff (stock suspension), I'll be at least as good if I get the factory stuff." ] ] Ezra Lusk Though a fifth-overall finish is nothing to sneeze at, Chevy Trucks Kawasaki's Lusk appeared to have an even better finish in-hand until late in the second moto. After finishing seventh in the first outing, Lusk ran third for almost the entire second outing, only to shoot off the track on the penultimate lap and get stuck in a banner. "I just couldn't see," said Lusk, who kept his goggles on for most of the moto. 9l ] ,2Dary) Hurley This Australia Suzuki-backed Kiwi had a good showing in his first U.S. National, posting a pair of 10th-place finishes. "It was different, hey?" Hurley said. "A lot more intense than back home. The speeds are so fast. I crashed in the first tum of the second moto, but after that it was all good until I took my goggles off. My eyes got hammered." ] 3Sebastien Tortelli After a runner-up shOWing at the first round, the Team Honda Frenchman had a day he'd rather forget up north, though he still salvaged a 4-5 fourth overall. "I had a pretty good day," said Tortelli, who struggled with his suspension settings for much of the weekend. "I couldn't get going in the first moto, and I had no speed. My front brake went out after two turns in the second moto, and I piled up with some othe, guys in a comer. I was slow after that, with no front brake. I couldn't pass."

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