Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

da almost made the pass on Windham for third, but the CRF pilot held him off. By the end of lap five, Carmichael was within a half a second of the YZ450F rider as the top two began to distance themselves slightly from Windham and Roncada, while the Frenchman kept the pressure on Windham. Carmichael really started to make a push for Ferry on lap six, even drawing alongside his fellow Floridian over a downhill jump and over-jumping a tabletop trying to get around Ferry. But through it all, Ferry held strong and kept Carmichael at bay. It all came to a head on lap 11, as Carmichael reapplied the pressure, this time trying to force Ferry into a mistake. "I was staying behind Timmy, and he was riding really, really good, and I had enough to stay behind him, but I don't think I had enough to pass him," Carmichael said. "I tried to force a mistake, and he started to get a little sloppy there and made a mistake, and I did the same thing right behind him there, except I went down, and Kevin almost got by me. "There's a slick off-camber turn back there, and he kind of grabbed a handful and got in the mud, and he got like high-centered, and I saw he was making a mistake, and I tried to gas it, and I got in the mud and just slipped down." Carmichael got up 10 seconds behind Ferry and just in front of my Own Race: 250cc 1] @ David Vuillemin 5th (6-5) "I think it could've been a podium day for me," Vuillemin said. "' feel like I rode good even though I didn't start really good. The first mota was the same; I had to catch up all day. I feel good, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season. I'm just starting to feel in a groove again, you know? I feel good." @'fl Nick Wey Wey was battling for third with Reed when his bike quit. "I guess I broke a case, and all the oil went out, and the clutch wouldn't engage," the Mach I Yamaha YZ250 rider said. "I got the start I needed, and I was going to put in 30 plus two· I was '!,,~!~~ going to show how hard I've ,. been working; I just need to get my bike situated. I'm just disappointed. It's no one's fault My Yamaha was running awesome, and I can't thank Mach One and Yamaha and Bridgestone enough. I've got it figured out, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series." @® week I'mLewis a little bit stronger," said the Kyle 16th (19-13) "Every just getting still·recovering MotoXXX boss. "My finger was a big setback, because I can't really hang on, and my hand wasn't strong to begin with. I've just been trying to get stronger and put in 30· minute matos, and hopefully the last part of the season I'll be up there battling with those guys." cB® Josh Demuth 18th (23-12) "Coming here, I just wanted to get a top·20, and the first mota I went down when I was in about 12th and caught my way up to about 20-something I think," said the Shogun Yamaha AX champ. "So that was kind of bad, but the second one I started like 16th and moved up to 12th, and I had a great race. I was pumped.• cBcB Keith S. Johnson 19th (15-19) "' think seventh back to 14th or whatever I got in the first mota was a big train, and , think' just unfortunately ended up at the back of the train," said the Cemic's KTM 450 SX rider. "The second mota, I was in like 10th and feU way back into the 30s somewhere, and I think I ended up like 18th or 19th. It was just a little bit hard to pass out there with the way the track's set up." 11 ® John Dowd "i didn't do too good in the first 9th (13-7) race," said the Cemic's KTM~ 250 SX tour senior. "' feel like I rode okay, but the track was really weird today. It turned·....,.~ . out to be reaily one· lined" because of the mud, and they had to push things off. It just ended up kind of weird. I didn't get a good start at first, and I kind of wheelied off the gate. I had like eight guys in front ofme the whole race, and I couldn't do anything with them. I was trying different lines, and I'd Jose time. The second one went a little better though. It was a Ilttle too hard·packed and off-cambered for me. I need a few berms here and there to be happy." @@ Nathan Ramsey 8th (14-6) "Once you get up there, it's a lot easier to set the pace," the factory Honda thumper pilot said after his best performance of the year so far. "This track's really, really tough to pass on, especially after the rain, so to get a good start is half the battle. Each time I get up there, I get a little more comfort· able with the pace and a little more confident. I feel like I belong up there. I didn't want to get passed - I didn't want to fall all the waythat's the way it • ~~ii~~;~~ but back to sixth, goes. I've got to'·_-crawl before I can! walk, and I'm Just going to keep plugging away and working hard." 11 @@ Joaquim Rodrigues "I got a pretty good start finally. I just have aU those guys behind me, and I tried.t.l"'~~lf.. to keep them behind me is ail," said the happy Par· '~:;;;i,~. tuguese rider. "I was sixth ~~~~!'2 or seventh the whole race, and the last two laps I messed up behind a lapper . and lost some spots and got 10th. I was real pissed, but oh well. I got top 10, so~.J~~~ • that's what I wanted to do." @@ Chad Reed 11 11 Ezra Lusk 4th (5-3) "We had new frames this weekend, and I guess the new frame broke in, and one of the engine mounts came loose, and I was right up front with those guys, and the bike started vibrating real· Iy bad," Reed said of the first mota. "It kind of freaked me out a little bit; it was like - you know, I've ridden around with some vibration before, but this felt like something was going to blow up, so I kind of got scared and just rode out the rest of the race. But the second race I didn't get the best of starts, but I made some progress. The bike was a little better this weekend. I'm PrettY happy. I got a push at the end there, and the two weeks off is definitely going to help me, so I'm looking forward to it Uke I said, we made some progress this weekend, and hopefully in three weeks' time we can get up on the podium and at least be close to Ricky and the other guys." 10th (12-9) "Just the first tum, in the pileup, I think Damien Plotts' bike ended up on top of my back, and the pipe was burning me real good, and he got it off as quick as he could, but it wasn't in time enough to not get me burnt," said the Chevy Trucks Kawasaki fan favorite of the second-mota first-turn crash. "My jersey was burned into my skin and I had to come in and get it picked off. It was a • J .. great weekend as far as me trying to get back into the groove; just the first mota I didn't ride very good, but once again I had two crashes in both matos, so I can't expect to be up there if I ,s;::...:c. don't stay off the ground." cue I e n e _ S • JUNE 25, 2003 9

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