Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128306
The first of the two 250cc heat races was pretty much a preview of the main event. Chad Reed basically dominated w hat was the first 250cc race of the year, but he didn't get off to such a grea t start. Reed got mired back in the pack but quickly th readed his way to the front until he was breath ing down the back of the leader, Emesto Fonseca, who put up a strong fight for a coup le of stra ightaways before Reed got him for good . From then on out it was all Reed. In the remaining six laps. Reed pulled 12 seconds on Fonseca to take the win. . Robb ie Reynard . on the No Fear/Reynard Modifications/Planet Honda CR250 R. bought his way int o the final w ith an impressive third-place finish. edging out D avid Vuillem in. who had troubles off the start and spen t much of the race o ut of a transfer pos ition. But the Yamaha ride r eventually found his rhythm. worked his way int o fourt h and was threatening Reynard when the checkered flag came out, squeaking into the evening's final. Yamahaof Troy's Mike Bro w n missed a transfer by one posit ion, finishing fift h. O ne of th e other big names that didn't make the cut was Mike laRocco, w ho cras hed o ut early in th e race. All eyes were on Kevin Wi ndham in the second semi, as it was his first superc ross race since he broke his femu r in Atlanta in 2002, but th e long absence did n't seem to bother him one bit. W indham scored an impressive start-to-finish win , tak ing the checkered flag about 10 seconds ahead of N ick Wey. Grant Langston ended up thi rd after a couple of int eresting encounters with Tyler Evans. Early in the race . Langston and Evans go t toge ther. w ith Langston getting booted off the track . The KTM pilo t got revenge later on w hen he caught back up to Evansand returned th e favor. knock ing Evans fro m fourth to sixt h, where he w ould finish. Langston also got around Lusk - but w ith no paint swapping - on th e last lap to take th ird . "I mean. I carne up o n [Evans]. and I wanted to get by him," Langston said. "Wh e n I t ried to pass him , he kind of st opped and loo ked at me , and I kind of gave way and contin ued around the outside, and he just rammed me into the haybales and took me out ," Langston said . " So I was pissed off. and I w ant ed to catch him and r eturn the favor. I caught up to him, and I got my o pportunity for payback." But Evans lives by the sword, and he expects to die by it every now and the n. " I've always r ode aggressive," Evans said. " It 's definitely nothing personal; it's just that I'm an aggressive per son, and that 's how it is. Some times it gets me in trouble. like t onight w ith Langston. but I'm definite ly one of those guys th at can dish it out and can take it as w ell." Som e of those failing t o make the cut we re Sean Hamblin in fift h, Michael Byrn e in seventh to find different lines and ride a little better, and at one point I was ab le to pass [Ferry]," Vuillem in said. "Maybe he got t ired - I got t ired too - and I passed him through the really big whoops. Ezra crashed in front of me. so I kind of got scared a little bit. and I just t ried to stay in the second spot because that was the best I could do to night ." But there was a reason the stadium looked half-empty by the finish , as Reed was so far out front it looked like he was on a different track altogether. ''All of those blue bikes are ide ntical , and I think this weekend it definitely showed that we have the number-one bike," Reed said. "I was watching the race behind me, and it was Ezra an d then th ese two guys, and we had an advantage. Over in th is section over here, the Yamaha g uys could just go down a straightaway, while e veryone e lse had to go through the whoops. "It's weird that I was the strongest guy in the w hoops thi s week, because I just got over shoulder surgery and I can't lift my arm up or anything like that - having Jeff [Spenc e r] tape me like a mummy and everything like that, so I really want to thank him ." CN Conside red too easy by some riders, th e tr a ck that Dirt Wurx p ut together fo r th e series opene r made passing d ifficult, as everyone was o n a sim ilar pace except fo r Reed, of course. The whoops, however, were killer. 18 JANUARY 14, 2004 • CYCLE NEWS and Tim Ferry, wh o fell a few times en route to an I Ith-place finish. One of the most enthusiastic cheers fr om the 45.050 spectators all night came in th e first semi whe n laRocco passed Subway/ Honda's Clark Stiles for the lead in the first semi. After another bad start. laRocco worked his way up th rough the pack to ta ke the w in. Star Racing/Bobby f s Yamaha's Keith R. Johnson en ded up second , followed by Mach I Yamaha's Heath Voss. Stiles and Ryan Clark, all of w hom transferred to the main event. Byrn e easily won th e second semi. w ell ahead of T im Ferry, Ham blin . D amon Huffman and Evans. Some of those bare ly hanging on by a t hread going int o the LeQ, where the final two trans- fers are decided, included Brow n, Craig Anderso n, Daryl Hurley, Jason Thomas and KellySmith but none of them w ould wi n. Instead, that honor w ould go to Yamaharider Isaiah Johnson, w ho passed Brow n for the lead, moments before Bro wn slid out , ending his night . Th e batt le for second and the final tran sfer was fierc e until T homas bro ke away fro m Boo st Mob ileJY amahafTroy Racing's Smith and Star Racing/Bob by f s Erick Valle jo to take the final transfer of the night . H EAT I (8 laps, I.... transfe r ): 1. Chad Reed (Y m); a 2. Em es to Fo nseca (Hen); 3. Robbie Reynard (He n); -4. David Vuillemin (Yam S. Mike Brown (Ya ); m); 6. Rya n elm (Yam); 7. Kelly Smith (Yam); B. Da')'l Hurley (Su, ); 9. Heath Voss (Yam); 10. Keith R. Joh mon (Yam); I I. Joe Oehlhof (Hon) ; 12. James Povolny (Hon ); 13. Jeremy Chaussee (Suz) ; 11. Akira Narita (Ho n); IS. Rene Te rcero Reyes (KTM); 16. Billy Binckle y (Y ); 17. am Stiles am (Hon) ; 18. Scott Davis (Suz); 19. Hans Neel (Ho n); 20. Mike laRocco (Hon) . Rac e Time : 8 min.• 10. 140 sec . Margin of Victory: 12.H 3 sec . HEAT 2 (8 laps. 1-4 transfer) : I. Kevin W indham (Hon); 2. Nick Wey (Suz); 3. Grant Langston (KTM); -4 . Ezra Lusk (Yam); 5. Sean Hamb lin (Suz ); 6. Tyler Evans (Suz); 7. Michael Byrne (Kaw); 8 . Isaiah Jo hnson (Y am); 9. Craig Anderson (Ho n); 10. Jason Tho mas (Hon ); I I. Timm y Ferry (Ya m); 12. Dam on Huffman (Hon); 13. Mike Corder (Ho n); 1-4. Jimmy Wilson (Hon); 15. Man Shue (Hon); 16. Ted Campbell (Hon): 17. Jesse Casillas (Yam); 18. D anny Smith (Yam) ; 19. Er ick Vallejo (Yam); 20. Daniel Blair (Y am). Race Time: 8 min., 18.9-40 sec. Ma rg; n of Victory: 9.631 sec. SEMI I (6 laps, 1· 5 transfer): I . Mik e laRocco (Hon ); 2. Keith R. Johnson (Yam); 3. Heath Voss (Yam); 4. Clarlc Stil es (Ha n); S. Ryan Clark (Yam 6. Kelly Smith ); (Yam 7. M ike Brown (Yam 8. Ak il"3 N anta (Han); 9. ); ): James Povol ny (Han); 10. Jeremy Chaussee (Suz): I I . Hans Nee l (He n); 12. Billy Binckley (Yam); 13. Scott Davis (Suz); 14. Joe Oehlho( (Ho n); IS. Da')'l Hu rley (Su,): 16. Rene Tercero Reyes (KTM) . Rue Time: 6 min., 29 .560 sec . M argin of Victory: 2,40 9 sec. SEMI 2 (6 laps, 1· 5 transfer) : I. Michael Byrne (!<.aw ); 2. T immy Ferry (Yam); 3. Sean Hamb lin (Suz); 4. Damon Huffman (Ho n); S. Tyler Evans (Suz); 6. I""'" Johnson (Yam); 7. Craig Anders on (Han); 8. Jason Thomas (Han); 9. Erick Vallejo (Yam); 10. Ted Campbell (Han); I I. Mike Cor der (Han); 12. Matt Shue (Han); 13. Jimmy Wi lson (Han); 14. Jesse Casillas (Yam): 15. D anny Smmt (Yam); 16. Daniel Blair (Yam). fbce Time: 6 min .• 15.230 sec. Margin of Victo ry: 5,457 sec . LCQ (4 lap s. 1·2 transfer ): I. Isaiah Johnsen (Yam) ; 2. Jason Thomas (Han); 3. Kelly Smith (Yam); 4 . Erick Vallejo (Yam); 5: Daryl Hurl ey (Suz); 6. JoeOehlh ef (He n): 7. Jimmy Wilsen (Han): 8. James Povelny (H en); 9. Matt Shue (Hon); 10. Mira Narita (Han); I I . Jer emy Chaussee (Sua): 12. Ted Campbell (Hen): 13. Mik e Cerder (H en); 1-1 . Billy Binckley (Yam) ; IS. Mike Brown (Yam); 16. Craig Ande rson (Hen): 17. Hans Nee l (H en): 18 . Seen Davis (Suzj : 19. Jesse Casillas (Yam): 20. Danny Smith (Yam): 2 1. Daniel Blair (Yam): 22. Rene Tercero Reyes (KTM). fbce Time: 6 min.• 21.280 sec . Margin of V tctory: 1.367 sec.