Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

my Own Injury'------_ Feny (15) battled back from the first" tum mishap to take seventh from Heath Voss (28), but an elTOr later on cos1 him the position again. Voss got seventh, Feny eighth. The injuries are mounting at such" rate just past the halfway point in the series that we decided to list as many of the injured riders we could remember right here, Some of the riders here are riding injured. while others are not, and some are old news, while others are new, but there are a lot of known riders in pain and/or recovery right now. 5 6 103 18 21 1I1 23 25 199 48 52 32 60 76 90 203 968 BRIEFLY••• After spending such a long stint on the West Coast. it seems unusual to see the ground covered in snow at a supercross. Indianapolis was white with snow. and light snow even fell the moming of the race. Inside the RCA Dome. however. it was nice and cozy (albeit loud). There were 54,720 screaming fans present inside the RCA Dome this year. Last year's attendance was slightly higher at 57.BB3. Jace Owen won the KTM Jr. Supercross Challenge. while Jake Fowler finished second. and Judson Wisdom finished third. Princeton. W,scons,n's Kyle Garro won the $250 Asterisk Medic Card after flOishlOg fifth in the 125cc LCO. and Joe Oehlhof received the $750 Racer X Gas Card after finishing third in the 250cc LCO CRF450R-mounted TravIs Preston grabbed the $1500 SXGP.com 250cc Holeshot Award. and YZ250F rider Kelly Smith took the $1 000 SXGP.com 125cc Holeshot Award. The long start at Indy seemed to favor four-strokes. as 450s grabbed the holeshots ,n both 250cc heats. both semis and the main event. There were a couple of falls during the opening cere· monies In Indy. First. Honda's Ernesto Fonseca fell while trying to ride up and through the THO podium in opening ceremonies. and then Yamaha's David Vuillemin fell while doing an impressive extended stoppie as he rode out onto the floor - Vuillemin's looked intentional, though. as it seemed like he could've let off the front brake and rode it out if he'd wanted to. "I wanted to do like Windham, - VuillemlO said. "I wanted to stay a long time stopped, but it came over on me. Ricky Carmichael and Timmy Feny seem to be feuding a bit at the moment. as a nun-in in their heat race suggested. "I was clearly in front of him, and he just kind of went in there on me, and I guess that's the way it is, you know?" Carmichael said after the heat race. "I passed him pretty fair, and, you know. that's the way it goes. I'm not going to nde his race. I did the best I can, and you guys keep making noise. man, it was great." So what's going on between him and Ferry? "Timmy doesn't talk to me anymore," Carmichael elaborated later on. "I don't know what I did... You know. him and Chad are buddies. and me coming along and winning a lot and haVing success. Timmy's had a hard time with that. and so that's not my fault. I put 110 percent 10. and he's had every opportunity that I have. He's on a good team also, and it just sucks that I always have to look behind my back when I'm racing - which I can do. and it doesn't bother me - but It kind of makes people look bad... It doesn't bother me when people ride like that if they can back it up. but if they can't back it up and go the full 20 laps. or eight laps at that. you don't have a right to be doing it." Carmichael also had some good observations concerning hiS rise in 250cc supercross. Was it talent or hard work? "I definitely think that what has pushed me over the top in supercross is my work ethic, - he said. "I think I work hard. and I was brought up to do it right or don't do it at all. I'm definitely no Kevin Windham that can do something perfect 10 times in a row, that's for sure. I mean, everyone here who's been around for long knows I've been a bit shaky in supercross until the last couple years, and even now I've had my moments. That's why I think outdoors is my forte and I've had a lot of success there because outdoors comes down to sheer determination and how tough you are. and supercross is a little more talented - now you have to be in shape also. I think that I'd definitely like to be a little more talented, have a lit· tie more of Windham's traits and stuff like that. but this is what I was stuck with, and I wouldn't change it for anything. Everything Mike laRocco Steve Lamson Sebastien Tortelli Brock Sellards Stephane Roncada Grant Langston Kyle Lewis Nathan Ramsey Travis Pastrana Justin Buckelew Ivan Tedesco Michael Byrne Travis Elliott Ted Campbell Marco Dube Bobby Kiniry Shane Lusk happens for a reason. If I had all the talent in the world. maybe I wouldn't work so hard, and then maybe I wouldn't get the results I'm getting if everything was easy [for mel." Red Bull KTM 250cc rider Joaquim Rodrigues was back in action at Indy after breaking his scapula in Phoenix. but though he looked fast, he spent too much time on the ground to qualify for the main event. Josh Woods' second race on the quarter-liter KTM saw him miss the main again. though he was riding quite qUickly. He crashed out of his semi when he went over the bars spectacularly in the whoops - it looked like a near carbon-copy of his crash in the 125cc main at Anaheim III. There were no KTMs in the 250cc main. White Bros.lShifl Honda's Paul Car· penter made his return to Supercross at Indy, this time aboard his production CRF450R. rather than the works UOit he was loaned at the beginning of the season. He finished 15th, though he didn't get lapped until lap 1B. (shoulder) (leg) (knee) (shoulder, arm) (Jeg) (wrist, knee) (wrist) (leg) (knee, shoulder) (knee) (concussion) (hand) (ankle) (collarbone) (ankle) (foot) (wrist) good for Suzuki." he said. "It's good for bike sales. and it's good for publicity once again like last year - coming out of the woodwork and doing really well. I want to show everybody that no matter who's out there and no matter who's hurt, I'm here, and no matter what. I'm going to be a top-five threat. So I'm trying to silence all these people who say that the only reason I do good is because so-and-so IS hurt or so-and-so did this or so-and-so did that. I'm here no matter what." Hamblin's also got a bit of a complicated wager going for the Daytona Supercross. "It's kind of with Roger, and it's with James . It'S with a few people." he said. "Davi Millsaps even got in on it. Davi's betting James, Branden Jesseman's mechanic. 10 bucks that I can top-five Daytona, and of course I feel that I'm going to top-five Daytona. James. if he wins and I don't top·five, I have to wash hiS truck - I have to detail it. And if I win. he has to run around the Suzuki supercross track for 30 minutes over every single Jump. With Roger, I don't know what I've got to get him to do if I do top-five. If I don't, I think I've got to wash his car, too. or detail It or something I'll just pay someone to do that one. I'm thinking that James is going to have to go buy some new nunnlng shoes this week. " In the post-race press conference. much was being said about Chad Reed's belOg a rookie and" the only guy to challenge Carmichael" right after David Vuillemin challenged the champ for 20-straight laps. Never one to bite his lip, Vuillemin's response came right as they turned the mic over to him... First of all, I want to remind somebody that I had a rookie season. too, and I think I was pretty good." he said. "I won four races; I beat McGrath in Phoenix starting 1Oth. and I haven't seen anybody beating Ricky like that... I think every year you find somebody like, 'Hey, this is the guy that's coming up.' Jeremy won in his first year· a rookie. you know?" Carmichael responded with. "I thought his first comment was awesome about his rookie season. He gave Jeremy a hell of a nun. I actually kind of screwed it up for him at Chicago - I felt kind of like crap because I was Just another guy out there in the way. and I sqUIrreled out on the start and messed him up, but, yeah, he was phenomenal that year. You know, Jeremy is still the greatest rider ever in the sport. M When asked about the differences between fans throughout the country. Vuillemin said that in California, it "depends who you take out. If Travis takes somebody out, everybody's happy. I guess. If Ricky does something, they're going to boo. It seems like you get judged for the same thing different. But, you know, I'm French. and I'm not from this country, so I'm used to it." Carmichael ended up liking his treatment by the Indy fans, especially after his booing incident after a nun-in with Travis Pastrana at the race last year. "They had a little mixed emotions there when me and Ezra got together," he said. "Anybody that races knows I could've beelined it and tried to kill him, but I cnuised right around there, and I lost my front end. and we barely bumped. It was good, clean racing ... But the fans were really good after I won the main event. I got up there and went to do my interview, and it made me feel really good." SoBe Suzuki's Roger DeCoster isn't flatly denying that Sean Hamblin may ride a 250 outdoors anymore. "I'll see that when we get there. There's still time," he said. "We're hoping that all our 250 guys will be back by the first national. I hope by the first national they'll be okay." And about Pastrana being back by Pontiac in a month? "I think they're dreaming.Hamblin thinks he should be on a 250. "Well, if I keep putting in these results, they're going to have to keep me out here because putting these Suzukis in the top five is good. and that's C U Speaking of wagers, Ernesto Fonseca vowed that he wouldn't cut his hair until he got a podium. but with his recent stnng of bad luck. he decided a change was in order before Atlanta - he cut hiS hair. "I had to do something at one point; I mean my luck had to change." he said. "It seems like it's working so far. - He's gotten two fourth-place finishes in a row SInce trimming his locks. Putting two and two together, would Honda be having large (for a 125) Travis Preston ride the works CRF450R so that he would more easily adapt to the CRF250R in the Nationals? "No. I haven't heard anything." he said. -I'll be the last to know." Amsoil/Chaparral Honda Manager JC Waterhouse filled us in on Mike LaRocco's injury. "The doctors may go in and have arthroscopic surgery to check his shoulder out," he said. "He's waiting for one more bit of information about it from some baseball guys. SInce it's a rotator cuff injury - which is common among pitchers," LaRocco expanded on his shoulder; "I need to get surgery next week, but I don't know what the final verdict is. There's a couple of options once he gets in there - he can clean it up, and that's the route I'd like. but if he needs to repair it. then it's going to take a lot more time." Waterhouse also said Michael Byme. who's sporting external handware on his recently broken hand. will be out at least another three or four weeks. Waterhouse filled us in on Preston's new four-stroke as well. "It's the works one," he said. "He's kind of digging it. Every time on the track he's a lillie bit better. It's a handful compared to hiS 125, so... He's so used to holding it wide open most of the time, and now he's got to be real throttle-sensitive, and he hasn't had to do that very much. But he likes it, plus I asked him, 'Is it fast?' He says. 'Oh yeah.' I said. 'Does it scare ya?' And he says 'Oh yeah.' So it's good - that's what it's supposed to do. " Boost MobilelYamaha/Troy Racing's Brock Sellards missed Friday's practice. Todd Brown, Sellards' mechanic, said, "He crashed Tuesday or Wednesday at Ricky Carmichael's house and hurt his right shoulder and tricep. so there was no way he could hold on yesterday riding. Today, he's much better. Jeff Spencer's worked with him a little bit to ease the pain. and he's got it taped up pretty good out there in practice. He's a little sore. but I think everything is going to be fine. - Brown was Sellards' mechanic during his 2000 season with FMF Honda, where he also led much of the 125cc East points chase. Ryan Clark was biting his tongue after his crash in his semi. "I think I made a sarcastic comment about hitting the bridge earlier. and then in the semi I hit the bridge. so I was a lillie bit bummed about that. and I tacoed my front wheel. but I'm just happy I walked away from it and stuff, and I'm just really looking forward to getting back out there next week. " ICI e n eVIl's MARCH 12, 2003 11

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