Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

THQ World Supercross GP SeriesiAMA Supercross Series Round 917: Hubert H, Humphrey Metrodome finished second in the THQ World tonight; guys were crashing a lot, Supercross GP season-opener in These tracks are a lot more technical. Geneva, Switzerland - and has a It shows a lot of the skills a little bit worst finish of sixth, Ferry had to more." work to get there, He crashed on the Hubert H. Humphrey MelnldDme Minneapolis, Minnesota Results; February 15, 2003 (RDund 9171 fourth lap while in fourth, dropping back to seventh, HEAT I (8 laps. 1-4 transfer): 1. Chad Reed (Yam); 2. David Vuillemin (Yam); 3. Andrew Short (Suz); 4. Nicholas Wey (Yam); 5. Heath Voss (Yam); 6. Demon Huffmlln (Hon); 7. Keith Johnson (Yam); 8. Brilln Mason (Yam); 9. M.arco Dube (Han); 10. Scott Davis (Suz); 11. Kris Papworth (Kaw); 12. Jamie Brockman (Yam); 13. Cory Young (Yam); 14. Brandon Hoff (Hon); 15. Karsten Butler (Suz); 16. Dave Castillo (Yam): 17. Michael Kllnn (Yam); 18. Merk Wundrack (Yam); 19. Kyle Garro (Yam); 20. Zeb Armstrong (Hon). Race Time: 6 min., 50.944 sec. Margin of Victory: 21.974 sec. HEAT 2 (8 laps. 1·4 transfer): I. Ricky Cllrmicheel (Han); 2. Timmy Ferry (Yam); 3. Lerry Ward (Hon); 4. Ryan Clark (Yam); 5. Jason Thomas "When I fell I must have smashed the radiator," Ferry said. "I think I caught my brake lever, and that's the reason I fell in the hay bales, I didn't have much front brake. It didn't really affect me too, too bad, I've been laying on the ground a lot. Lot of crashes and a lot of bad starts." For Ferry, Minnesota was only (Hon); 6. Greg Schnell (Vam); 7, Ezra Lusk (Kaw); 8. James PovoJny Jr. (Hon); 9. Joseph Oehlhof halfway home to Florida, but it felt closer. (Yam); 10. Jimmy Wilson (Yam); 11. Thomes Kelley (Suz): 12. Jerrad Fisher (Yam); 13. Brandon Butler (Suz); 14. Clark Stiles (Han); 15. Emesto Fonseca (Hon); 16. Mike LeRocco (Hon); 17. Charlie Degner "I like the East tracks a lot better," Ferry said. eN "I grew up racing on these (Vam); 18. Chase Reed (KTM); 19. Eddie Roy (Hon); 20. Bryan White (Vam). Race TIme: 6 min., 52.762 sec. Margin of Victory: 13.709 sec. tracks, being from the East Coast. I'm used to the ruts. You can see it (Hon); 2. Joseph Oehlhof (Vam); 3, Thomas Kelley (Suz); 4. Jomie Brockmen (Suz): 5. Jimmy Wilson (Yem); 6. Kris Papworth (Kaw): 7. Deve Castillo (Yom): 8. Scott Davis (Suz): 9. Kersten Butler (Suz); 10, Bryan White (Vam); 11. Cory Voung (Vam); 12. Kyle Gllrro (Yam); 13. Mark Wundreck (Yem); 14. MichlleJ Kenn (Yam); 15. Brllndon Hoff (Hon); 16. Charlie Dagner (Yllm); 17. Jerrad Fisher (Yllm); 18. Brendon Butler (Suz); 19. Eddie Ray (Suz). Race Time: 5 min., 28.857 sec. MAIN (20 laps); I. Ricky Carmichael (Hon): 2. Ezre Lusk (Kew); 3. Tim Ferry (Vem); 4. Devld Vu1l1emln (Vam); 5. Nicholas Wey (Vam); 6. Chad Reed (Yam); 7. Damon Huffmen (Hon); 8. Keith Johnson (Yam); 9. lllrry Ward (Hon); 10. Emesto Boost Mobile/YamahalTroy Racing's Brock Sellards had a question for Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki's Ezra Lusk after the race. Sellards, who finished second in the opening round of the Eastem Regional 125cc Supercross Championship. hung around the press conference room long enough to ask Lusk how difficult it was for him to raise a child and race at the same time. - First off, it starts off with the wife [Jennifer! - she's got to be the backbone of me and my racing, period," said the 27-year-old from Bainbridge, Georgia, -If you didn't have that, it would be a lot tougher. I'm fortunate to have her. She really takes care of all the things that would be a distraction to me. That's how we handle it. Right now I feel like I have a perfect life. When I come here to race. everything seems easy. I think I have a lot less distractions now than I've ever had in my career." Without directly pinpointing the problem, American Honda's Ricky Carmichael addressed the absence of his mechanic Chad Watts, a week after Honda racing boss Chuck Miller denied Watts had a problem with alcohol. "I love Chad [Wattsl to death," Carmichael said. "He's a great mechanic. We won a lot of races. He has a problem, and he's trying to get better. He's doing his thing right now, and when he feels that he's ready to come back, he will. I like Mike [Gosselaar - Carmichael's current mechanicJ. He's doing a great job. I'm sure [former Honda rider! Ezra [Luskl could vouch for that. The guy is eager, It's been a while since he's raced, since he worked with Ezra. He's really eager to get out there. There's no complaining or whining when you want to change something. It's nice to have a mechanic like that as well as to do whatever the rider likes to do. " Team Sobe Suzuki's Branden Jesseman said that, during his time off waiting for the Eastern Regional 125cc Series to start up, he watched a lot of footage of other riders. His choice rider? James Stewart. -I've been watching a lot of him lately," said Jesseman of his rival. "I focus on his ability in the comers and the way his bike's set up, which I try to duplicate with my own style. Not copying him, but just picking things out which may benefit me around the track - where he struggles as compared to where he excels." Jesseman said he also watches footage of RC, Reed and laRocco. Carmichael said that, with the retirement of Jeremy McGrath, Ezra Lusk was the only rider he felt comfortable riding with - an indirect swipe at Yamaha's Chad Reed. "He's [Luskl probably the only dude I can really trust on the track, other Ihan Jeremy [McGrath! when I was racing him," Carmichael said. -Everyone plays the dirty game sometimes, and I learned a lot from Jeremy and from racing with Yogi [Luskl, the close races that we had. that you can get the job done by racing hard and racing clean e (Hon); 16. Chase Reed (KTM). Race Time: 5 min.• 12.985 sec. Margin of Victory: 10.127 sec. LCQ (6 laps. 1-2 transfer): 1. Jemes Povolny Jr. GPSracing.com's Thomas Kelley earned the $750 Racer X Gas Card by finishing third in the 250cc LCQ, the first rider not to make the main event. The Suzuki-mounted Ohioan also contested the 125cc class. finishing 19th ,n hIS heat and 20th in the 125cc LCQ. Honda of Houston's Shane Lusk, Ezra Lusk's younger brother. won the $250 Asterisk Medic Card for finishing fifth in the 125cc LCQ, the first rider not to qualify for the 125cc main. -I know one thing; He's probably the smartest kid out there, - Ezra said in the post-race press conference. "It's his life; it's hIS deal. I don't real· Iy try to focus on that too much. He's 17 years old, and he enjoys it. I guess that's all that matters at this point. When I got to that age, I was racing a lot and kind of moving out of the house. - I Race TIme: 5 min .. 17.606 sec. Margin of Victory: 0.545 sec. SEMI 2 (6 laps. 1-5 transfer): I. Ezra Lusk (KllW); 2. Ernesto Fonseca (Hon); 3. Clark Stiles (Hon); 4. Greg Schnell (Yam); 5. Jason Thomas (Hon): 6. Joseph Oehlhof (Yam); 7. James Povolny Jr. (Hon); 8. Jimmy Wilson (Yam); 9. Thomes Kelley (Suz); 10. Charlie Degner (Yam); 11. Bryen White (Yom); 12. Eddie Roy (Hon); 13. Jerrod Fisher (Yom): 14. Brendon Butler (Suz); IS. Mike LeRocco AmsoiJlChaparral Honda's Michael Byrne earned the $1000 SXGP.com Holeshot Award then hit the ground. The Australian was caught up in a first·tum pileup that dropped him to 16th in the 22-rider field. Byrne, who began the season racing the 250cc class and stood sixth in the AMA 250cc points standings coming into Minneapolis, recovered to finish third. ·'1 just had to make the most of it," he said. Team SoBe Suzuki 125cc riders Sean Hamblin and Danny Smith were rained out of their 250cc class debut in Minneapolis. The pair was to make their debut at the Metrodome, but rain in Southern California cut into their 250cc practice time. - Danny [Smithl and Sean IHamblin! want to have a chance for them to ride, and they got rained out, - DeCoster said. "It rained all week in Califomia." DeCoster said the duo would be aboard RM250s at the following round in the Georgia Dome on February 22. cue Annstrong (Hon). The only rider to consistently clear a six-jump section as a pair of triples was Carmichael. It worked all night and gained him time, but it wouldn't help in the maIn. The face of the first jump was reshaped and made steeper before the final. negating any chance Carmichael had of clearing the first three mounds as a triple. "That jump was easy all day yesterday and all day today and after the practice. After my hot lap, I tned to do that little thing; they messed it up, the track builder. And It was really steep, and I knew that I wasn't going to be able to do It at that point. They screwed it all up when they did that. I didn't want to do what my teammate did." Carmichael added, -It was a bummer, because that thing was really easy; no one else was doing it. It was SImple. All that stuff didn't really matter, because the track was messed up, and I couldn't do it in the main. I had to go back to standard line like everyone else was doing. " Teammate Emesto Fonseca crashed in the section in his heat race then came back and took 10th in the main. And then there were none. Team SoBe Suzuki's Stephane Roncada (pictured) joined 250cc teammates Travis Pastrana and Sebastien Tortelli on the injured list after breakin9 the tibIa and fibula Just above the ankle in his left leg after landing on the face of a Jump In a crash in practice on Saturday. "He's not sure how it happened, - team manager Roger DeCoster said of the fall. which happened as Roncada was attempting a triple. -He's not sure if the bike hesitated or if it spun. It spun on takeoff. It spun him SIdeways. He was doing [the section! double, triple. It happened on the triple. - DeCoster said Roncada was trying to get a flight back to the West Coast on Saturday evening and had an operation scheduled for Monday in San Diego. DeCoster estimated that the Frenchman would be out for six weeks. Up until his crash, Roncada was the fastest rider on the track with a lap lime of 50.790 seconds. FEBRUARY 26, 2003' Castillo (Yam): 15. Mark Wundrack (Yam): 16. Zeb instead of taking a risk and taking both of us out. - The answer came in response to a question about Reed's close pass on Carmichael in the 250cc main, BRIEFLY. •• 12 SEMI 1 (6 laps, 1·5 transfer): I. Heath Voss (Yam): 2. Damon Huffman (Hon): 3. Keith Johnson (Yam); 4. Brian Mason (Vern); 5. Mltrco Oube (Hon); 6. Kris Papworth (Kaw): 7. Kyle Carro (Yam); 8. Jamie Brockman (SOl); 9. Karsten Butler (Suz); 10. Cory Young (Yam); 1 I. Michael Kann (Yam); 12. Brandon Hoff (Hon); 13. Scott Davis (Suz): 14. Dave n e The Boost Mobile/Yamaha/Troy Racing team has enlisled the help of Johnny O'Mara as a - go to" guy of sorts for its race program. "It's good to be back, - said O'Mara of his appointment to the program by Troy Racing skipper Phil Alderton. It's also great for supercross fans as well. as OMara joins the ever·grow- _ s Fonseca (Han); II. Jason Thomas (Han); 12. Heath Voss (Yam); 13. Ryan Clerk (Yam); 14. Clark Stiles (Hon); 15. Greg Schnell (Yam): 16. Joseph Oehlhof (Yam); 17. Andrew Short (Suz); 18. James Povolny Jr. (Hon); 19. Marco Dube (Hon); 20 Brian Mllson (Vam). Race Time: 17 min., 51.821 sec. Margin of Victory: 7.999 sec. AMA SUPERCROSS SERIES POINTS STANDINGS (After 7 of 16 rounds): 1. Ricky Carmichael (160/4 wins); 2. Chad Reed (146/2 wins); 3 David Vuillemin (127); 4. Ezra Lusk (120/1 wIn); 5. TIm Ferry (114); 6. Michael Byrne (75); 7. Stephane Roncada (70); 8. Nicholas Wey (68); g. Heath Voss (66); 10. Sebastien Tortelli (63); II. M;ke laRocco (60); 12. Ernesto Fonseca (59); 13. Larry Ward (53); 14. Keith Johnson (49) 15. Damon Huffman (42); 16. Ryan Clark (37); 17. Ivan Tedesco (36); 18. Brock Sellards (32); 19. Pllul Cerpenter (22); 20. Michael Brown (19). THQ WORLD SUPERCROSS GP POINTS STANDINGS (Arter 9 of 17 rounds): 1. Chad Reed (204); 2. David Vuillemin (191); 3. Timmy Ferry (180); 4. Sebastien Tortelli (121); 5. M;ke laRocco (118); 6. Heath Voss (111); 7. Keith Johnson (106); 8. (TIE) Damon Huffman/Ryan Clark (98); 10. Grant Langston (76); 11. Eric VlIllejo (53); 12. Andrew Short (32); 13. Jeremy McGrath (29); 14. Steve Boniface (26); 15. Joe Oehlhof (19): 16. James Povolny Jr. (18); 17. Ted Compbell (15); 18. Joaqulm Rodriguez (14); Pllget/Manuel Rivas (12). 19. (TIE) Pierrick Upcoming Rounds: Round 10/8 - Atlanta, Georgia, February 22 Round 11/9 - Indianapolis, Indiana, March 1 ing list of past greats

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