Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMAIChevy Trucks 250cc U.S. Motocross Championship Round B: Washougal MX Park "In the second moto, obviously I got a bad start," Carmichael said. "I was catching up. I saw that [Windhamj had checked out. I knew my chances of catching him were slim to none. 1 figured at least I could salvage a second place. 1 caught up to Reed and got behind him and couldn't make a move. I don't know how long 1 was stuck behind him - too long, I know that. He was riding real good. Once I got by him, I kind of pulled out a little bit. Obviously, 1 didn't catch Kevin. I was catching him a little bit, but he had such a big lead, he was cruising. ........'" each weekend, and my fi t'&.off to my tea this week," ReeCl said. "I spent my Own Race: the whole week in California and real- IYllot my bike working really good." 250cc Carmichael worked on Reed for more than five laps before finally milking his way past with an aggressive mo e in the woods, and even David Vuillemin once Caunichael got b Reed didn't just et him go. ,Reed kept him honest for awhile before finally losing touch with the outdoor specialist. LaRocco again found himself working his way through the pack, but this time fourth was as far as he could get. However, his 3-4 score was good for his first podium overall "The bottom line is, I got up there," LaRocco said. "It has been a long time. That part of the day went well. 1 still really didn't see those guys - their pace is really fast. I just did what I could and finally got up there on the podium." MotoXXX/Yoshimura Honda's ~® Lewis held snug onto fifth place, thwarting the late-race advances of Yamaha's David Vuillemin for the final five laps to keep the spot. "He kept me honest," Lewis said of the flying Frenchman. "He was on ® me. He'd get next to me, and then my Nick Wey Q(O)oo ~l£) uphill. My arm was hurting a little bit, and I was like, 'You know what? No way! I'm not going to work this hard all moto. I'm not going to let him go by.' And I blocked him a little bit and 1 don't like riding that way - but lJ @ oh well, you know? I got fifth!" "Kyle rode a great race, and he held me back," Vuillemin said. "He Larry Ward 5th (5-9) ones some tricks in scoring his best finish of the season. "In the second moto, I didn't get as good of a start, and then I totally passed Nick Wey clean, and he cut straight across the track and cleaned me out about the fifth lap," said the MotoXXX veteran and Washington native. "I was tired when I got back up. , caught back up to him, but I started cramping up toward the end. I crashed at Unadilla, so I didn't get to" ride very much during the week. The 450 felt extra heavy today." to get a good start to get a good pace right away." Vuillemin was followed in by John Dowd, who made a late-race pass on Wey for seventh. Wey hung on for eighth ahead of Ward and Fonseca. Reed's 6-3 was good for fourth overall, and Ward got a bit lucky that his 5-9 was worthy of a top-five finish - his first of the year. I 17th (26-14) This old dog showed the younger did a good job. I'm improving, and the bike's working great. I just need cue Steve Lamson e n e _ s 12th (13-8) Paul Carpenter 15th (7-32) Carpenter was impressive on his White Bros./Shift Honda CRF, running up front in the first 250cc moto until his last meal started acting up, and he faded to seventh - still an admirable result. He dropped out of moto two with illness and crash-induced bike problems. 0cB Jason Thomas ~® Kyle Lewis ~lJ Stephane Roncada lJ ® John Dowd 20th (39-18) "The first moto, I was around 11 th, and then my bike broke," said the Subway CRF pilot. "The second moto, I started on the very outside and ended up holding it wide open all the way around the outside and came out around 10th or so, so that was awesome. I was trying to stay ahead of Tim Ferry when he was coming back through the pack, and I was running 13th, and I was battling with Stiles and Fonseca, and then my bike just went south again. , got a few points, so I salvaged something. It wasn't a total waste of a weekend, anyway." 10th (9-11) Lamson made his 2003 250cc debut at Washougal. "Considering it was the first time on it - we didn't test - it was pretty good," Lamson said. "We didn't get the bike up here 'til Friday, and I haven't ridden a 250 since last year. I got it dialed in - we worked on it all weekend - and we got it pretty good, so it's a start. The first moto, I got a crappy start, but the second moto we got going pretty good. It was a little challenging the first weekend on the bike. The first moto I wasn't too comfortable, but the second mota I started feeling much better." bike would just yank him on the AUGUST 6, 2003' Heath Voss "I come out of that first tum [in moto two), and I thought I had the holeshot, and Lewis got just to the inside of me on the second turn, and they watered the track big-time - I don't know what fo!; even in the shade, in the trees." said the Mach I Yamaha YZ450F pilot. "I almost ate it sliding - it's like ice out there - and I went from second to eighth on the first lap. But this weekend was a great weekend for me, and I think I ended up 10th overall. I'm looking forward to going home next race at Millville." next three weeks but continue to work hard. Ricky knows you can never say never, and that is not what 1 am doing. You don't bet the farm on continuing a moto streak like tliis." With the win, Windham grabbed six points back from Carmichael in the championship chase, but Carmichael still holds a firm 47-point lead with just four rounds yet to run. CIII This Michigander ran up front the whole second moto. "The first mota, I just gave it everything I had," said the Mach I Yamaha two-stroke rider. "I got a decent start, around 12th, and I got held back a few spots. I made a bunch of changes to my bike between motos, and I got a good start the second moto. Obviously, I got passed by a few guys, but I gave it everything I had. Eighth was alii could get, I guess." ""'0::0..............::; of the year. 32 7th (12-6) Vuillemin's first moto could've been better. "I got a terrible jump, and I fell in a firstlap pileup with everybody on the downhill, so I got stuck there," said the Yamaha star. "It was tough. When you're back in traffic, everybody is hard to pass. I caught up to 12th, but it wasn't great. The second moto, I rode much better. The start wasn't there again, but I worked my way up. I would've liked to get fourth, because I think LaRocco and Lewis, maybe if I'd have ridden a little bit smarter, I could've passed them, but I didn't." ~{] "Who knows how long I can keep the four-moto streak going?" Windham said. "With the competitors that I have, 1 would not think very long. I am going to be working the same way that I have been from the start of the season. 1 am riding a wave and happy to get this under my belt before the break. 1 will savor the moment in the 6th (10-5) "The first moto, I was running like sixth and fell down like the third lap back to 15th, then I moved myself back to 10th," said the MotoXXX boss. "And when the second moto started, I got the holeshot, and everything worked good. The tires were working good, and Yoshimura built me a great bike - it yanked the start. Everything worked good. I've been working hard. It looks like it's tuming around a little bit." 9th (4-15) SoBe Suzuki's Roncada was in position for third overall or better when his stomach cramped up. "The first moto, I had a pretty good start and put some good laps together," said the video game freak. "' was still a little bit off the pace, but I put some good laps together. It was a good moto. During the first moto, my stomach was really cramping up, and during the second moto I got up there to second place, but I started to feel like shit, and I kind of hit the wall. Plus, my hands are really sore because I have blisters all over the place, so It was hard to hang on. I was really pissed because I got a good start and I could've been on the podium, but I threw it away in the second moto." 11th (14-7) Junkyard Dowd hung with the leaders in moto two. "I just got a better start in the second moto," said the Cemic's KTM 250 SX rider. "In the first moto, I got moved up by the guy on my inside, then some guys on the outside pinched me off. A couple guys tangled, and I couldn't get around them. I was like 35th the first lap, so the second mote I went to the outside, and I think that worked better, and I came out about 15th or so. My pace is good, it's just my starts are lacking a little right now."

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