Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

my Own Race: 250cc f§) Mike laRocco This Amsoil/Dr. Martens/Journeys/Competition Accessories-backed local boy did his usual charge-from-behind thing at Red Bud. "1 made it hard on myself, for sure. The first moto, I caught Nathan (Ramsey), and he blew a berm. He came out and took my front wheel out, and I went down. I was way back." LaRocco completed lap one in 24th, but steadily worked his way forward, getting as high as seventh before hitting a gap that was too big to close. In moto two, laRocco recovered well after tipping over in a rut, passing Ezra Lusk on the final lap for third in the moto and fifth overall. "That was the best I've been since I came out," laRocco said. ~® Kyle Lewis @@ Sean Hamblin Moto XXX/DGY's Lewis was riding in pain after wrenching his back in practice, but he ate 15 Advil and kept his top-five points position intact with a 14-8 ride. "I just tried to ride," Lewis said. "My arms were done from pushing up and down, and 1 had no power in my legs. My team is putting in 110, so I didn't want to quit for them. I think today, if I was healthy, maybe top three." SoBe Suzuki's only active rider crashed in the first moto at Red Bud, a facility at which he had never raced. "I just tried to put my head down and ride," Hamblin said. "I had a few mishaps. I rode a little tight in the flfSt moto, and it gave me a blister. It didn't feel too good, and it popped on the third lap. It's the first week since Mt. Morris where I finished both motos. Everything's going good; I can't expect too much out of myself, but I'm starting to put a lot of pressure on myself. I'm getting impatient." §cB@ Guy Cooper The world's fastest 40-year-old got good starts on his big 540cc Katoom, and he ran inside the top 10 for half the first moto. "He put on the pit board, 'Don't look behind,' and I ended up looking behind on the next straightaway because there was a train of like three really good guys. I go, 'I shouldn't have turned around - he told me. But it didn't matter; I still had a good ride - 13th, and I was happy with that." Cooper accidentally hit Heath Voss in moto two and crashed, bending his clutch lever. With bikes going by, Cooper couldn't tell when his electric starter had fired the bike, and by the time he got going, he couldn't get higher than 21st. ~® NickWey ~ 1] Stephane Roncada 1] ® John Dowd 1] § Timmy Ferry The top-finishing 250cc privateer, Moto XXX/DGY's Wey has been strengthening his 'scoped knee and working on his bike with Pro Circuit's Jim "Bones" Bacon, and it showed in his riding at Red Bud. "I left all the effort I had on the track," said the Michigander, who went I 0-9 for eighth overall on the day. "In the first moto, I got a pretty good start, and it was a little better in moto two. Ferry got me at the end there [two turns before the finish). but I was battling with Kyle Lewis the whole time. I couldn't get by him." Still off-form following a lot of time off for an ankle injury, this Chevy Trucks Kawasaki Frenchman struggled at Red Bud. "The flfst moto, I had a bad pick on the gate, and I was trying to pick it up pretty good when I crashed on one of the hills," Roncada said. "I hit a gnarly bump, and the bike threw me over the bars and slammed me on the ground. I was pretty lucky not to get hurt - it was a bad crash." Roncada remounted and - after having his bike straightened out by his mechanic· finished 35th. Roncada was charging following another poor gate pick in moto two when he hit the wall and had to settle for 15th place and 20th overall. 250cc record of 10 consecutive moto wins, and closed in on Mark Barnett's 1981 14-straight-moto mark (in the 125cc class). John Dowd (16) leads Carmichael (4), Guy Cooper (540) and Kyle Lewis (23) at the start of the first moto. It was a good day for the four-strokes· at least on the starts. "Bob Hannah is one of the guys who got [the sport] to where it is now," Carmichael said. "I'm honored to have my name up there with his." While many have come to assume Carmichael wins, the runner-up finisher was a bit of a sur- moto two, finishing lap one in third and lap 14 in second. "This track had a lot of spots that were to my advantage on the four- prise. Competing in his first-ever stroke," Ramsey said. "I tried to ride 250cc National and coming off smooth. I'd love to beat Ricky, but injuries incurred just prior to the you've got to crawl before you can Glen Helen opener, Carmichael's walk. It's hard to know what to expect teammate Nathan Ramsey took his when you haven't been racing every CRF450R to a 5-2 moto tally for weekend. I just tried to put together a second overall. After completing good [training] program. I knew it lap one of the first moto in ninth, was going to take being in good Ramsey charged forward, overtak- shape." ing four positions in the 14-lap "My hat's off to him," Carmichael race, and he then started better in As tends to be the case when one rides a big-bore KTM four-stroke, Cemics/PC Worldwide's Dowd got a couple of good starts at Red Bud, and he rode near the front all day. "He seemed to hang in there today," said mechanic Ron Bushey. Despite coming up short on laRocco's Leap in moto two, Dowd put in a late charge to fInish fifth, which went with his moto-one fourth for sixth overall. Currently second in the points standings, Team Yamaha's Ferry had a strong runner-up ride in moto one, but then got stuck in a pile-up in moto two, putting him way back in the pack. "I was stuck there, along with a bunch of other people," Ferry said. "We had to walt for them to get up, but they couldn't get to their feet because ali of the bikes were on top of them. So I just sat there and waited and let everyone go around, pretty much. I caught back up to about 25th within a lap, and then I washed the front end out and fell and went back to 35th again. I started working my way up, and got by [Sean] Hamblin for sixth two turns before the finish. I figured if I had any chance of making the podium at all, I had to pass him, but I still didn't make it, which is kind of a bummer for how hard I rode today." 1] ~ David Vuillemin This French Team Yamaha rider was riding with a sore ankle and sub-par fitness following time off for a recovery from injury, and it showed in his results (9-33 for 15th overall). "They disced the start, and it was really deep," Vuillemin said. "On a 250, that's really difficult, compared to a four-stroke, so I started from behind. On the first lap of the second moto, I crashed outside of the banners at the bottom of the hill. The first moto, I rode okay . I came back to ninth, which isn't great. It's a tough track for a comeback." Vuillemin had an ugly blister on his palm after the first moto. said. "He's been off for a long time, c u e ' ... n ... _ s " JULV 17. 2002 9

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