Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

THQ World Supercross GP SeriesiAMA Supercross Series Round 10/B: Georgia Dome Carmichael feels right at home en route to fifth win Ward got the jump on the field on his MotoXXX Honda. Ward had been through a tiring night; an engine problem in his semi forced him to transfer out of the LCQ (see Briefly ... ). Ward said he couldn't remember the last time he'd led a 250cc Supercross main, and his lead here was short-lived, though he was able to pull away quickly during his brief time at the front. "I did the turn before the mechanics' area [after the finish jump]," Carmichael said, "and he was already clear across the start straight." First, Carmichael had to get past By HENNY RAY ABRAMS PHOTOS BY STEVE BRUHN AnANTA, GA, FEB 22 hat's important to remember from Ricky Carmichael's previous two AMA Supercross Championships is that he gets stronger as the season wears on - especially after he leaves the West Coast. This year looks no different. The American Honda rider took a second after crashing in San Diego two weeks ago. Since then, he's been more patient, taking consecutive and commanding AMA Supercross wins in Minneapolis and tonight before a vocally partisan crowd of 63,749 inside Atlanta's Georgia Dome. "The fans definitely made me feel welcome, for sure," Carmichael, who calls the Atlanta SX his home race, said. "I look forward to coming to the East Coast. There are a lot of races coming up that I really enjoy - Indy being one and of course Daytona. That is one of my favorites. It's nice to come to Atlanta. It's just like David Vuillemin racing Bercy. It is so loud, and it's a good feeling." The win, his fifth of the season, came at the halfway point in the AMA Supercross Championship. With eight rounds to go, he leads Yamaha's Chad Reed, second tonight after a horrid start, 185 to 168. Yamaha's Vuillemin, third tonight while continuing to improve his fitness, is third with 147 points. American Honda's Ernesto Fonseca, still aching from last week's heatrace crash in Minneapolis and suffering from the flu, was a season-best fourth, one spot in front of Yamaha's Tim Ferry. Then came Mach 1 Yamaha's Nick Weyand Team SoBe Suzuki's Sean Hamblin in his first ride in the 250cc class. Hamblin and teammate Danny Smith, 10th in Atlanta, were filling in for the injured SoBe Suzuki 250cc regulars, Travis Pastrana, Sebastien Tortelli and Stephane Roncada. Amsoil/Chaparral Honda's Mike LaRocco said he could ride but not race. "I was done on the parade lap," LaRocco, who's still rehabilitating his injured right shoulder, said after finishing eighth. MotoworldRacing.com Suzuki's Andrew Short was ninth. The 250cc main started with a veteran on a Honda out front, but it wasn't Carmichael. Instead, Larry W 8 MARCH 5, 2003' cue I e neVIl'S teammate Fonseca, which he did on the first lap. "I was coming from behind Ernesto [Fonseca], and I stuffed him in the turn before the finish, which wasn't right· I didn't feel like getting stuck behind him," Carmichael said. Later he added: "I probably will just tell him I was trying to get out front. I didn't clean him out, but we did touch, but what the hell? If everyone is going to ride like that, I guess I will too. I like clean racing. It is fun to race like that. You don't have to look over your shoulder." In his heat race, which was the fastest of the night, Carmichael was visibly the fastest through a rough whoop section on the west perimeter of the track. He continued to exploit the advantage in the main. There was a second, smaller section of whoops which Carmichael had a little trouble with, but he eventually made the adjustment. It was there, on the run up to the final corner before the finish jump, that Carmichael passed Ward on the third lap. From then on, it was a mostly trouble-free night. "Obviously, the goal is to get out front as quick as you can, and I tried to reel out some good laps," Carmichael said. "I was confident in my speed all night. I felt that even with a mediocre start, I had what it took to win. It always is nice to get out front real quick. As you can see with Larry Ward, the guy was gone." It was the smaller set of whoops that provided Carmichael's only hesitation. "I struggled a couple of times through the baby whoops and got a little sideways there and made an adjustment," he said. "I figured out what I was doing wrong. I just felt strong all night. The big whoops were my strong point tonight. I have been practicing on them a little bit." It showed, and it paid off with a 6.227second margin of victory. Reed hurt his chances at the start. Away sixth on the first lap, it took Reed until the ninth lap before he could get past his teammate, Vuillemin, for second. Carmichael was long gone, and they were already in traffic on a track that continued to develop ruts as the race progressed. "Last week, I had my speed back, and during the week I worked on turning that speed into good laps," Reed said. "I didn't really focus on my starts last week. I guess it showed in the main. This week I have to go back and practice my starts." Reed said he "definitely was trying to catch Ricky [Carmichael). There is no harm in trying. That is what I was doing; I was just trying to put my laps together. 1 wasn't looking at how far ahead he was. There were parts of the track where I could see him. I was just trying to keep the bike on two wheels and pass the lappers. It seemed like everyone wanted to race me. [Mike) LaRocco, in the last couple of laps [after being lapped], definitely wanted to. I think he was wanti-

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