Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128170
Nobody else but Carmichael and Lusk cleared the massive downhill triple, which was estimated to be considerably further than 100 feet in length. Also proving a point was LaRocco. Coming back from a serious wrist injury suffered during the supercross season, LaRocco put up one of his best performances of the year with a 2-2 moto score. "I finally put two motos together," he said. "I know Ricky's still winning, but it wasn't a bad day. I'll take it." And the wrist? "Right now, it's sore," LaRocco said. "This was a tough track. But for the most part, it's good; my concern about my wrist is pretty low." Which brings us to Honda's Nathan Ramsey: On the podium for the first moto and easily in a position for a top-three spot overall, Ramsey got involved in a second-moto wreck that kept him away from a deserved position among the top three overall. "I was just a little late off the gate, set myself up in a bad position and kind of spun, wound up midpack," he said. "I then tried to make it up on the first lap, made a bad choice, crossrutted and fell and wound up last. It's frustrating because I've been set up to get a podium for two, three weeks here and I haven't pulled it off. I need to really concentrate on my second moto and be a little smarter about things, I think." Rounding out the top 10 were some familiar faces. Along with the aforementioned riders, Blackfoot Honda's Jean-Sebastien Roy - fresh (Left! Hamblin (99) fights off Ezra Lusk en route to his finst-ever podium finish. (Above) LaRocco rode hard all day, taking second in botll motos for second overall. SoBe Suzuki's Sean Hamblin (4-4). This was Hamblin's first trip to any AMA podium. "I am so stoked right now, I can hardly talk," said Hamblin following the second moto. "This is truly a dream come true, and I'm just glad to be here." Hamblin was drawn into a couple great battles in the second moto. The first being with Chevy Trucks/Kawaski's Ezra Lusk, whom Hamblin eventually had to let go, and the second with KTM's John Dowd, whom Hamblin held off to help ensure his position on the podium. Lusk, who had podium speed all day, suffered a north/south/east/west crash in the first moto when battling with Honda's Nathan Ramsey. Lusk, unscathed in the wreck, gathered up his bent bike and more or less salvaged an eighth-place finish. In the second moto, he blazed back, even launching the aptly named "Ricky Carmichael Triple" several times enroute to a third-place finish. "That kind of jump is a supercross jump, and that's my specialty," Lusk said. "I knew if anybody out here besides Ricky could do it, I could do it. So it was just kind of a point for me to prove myself." (Left) Saturday rains gave way to sunshine for Sunday's National at Broome-Tioga, and over 19,000 fans came ou1 to watch. a U c I • n • _ 50 • SEPTEMBER 4, 2002 9