Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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fect 1998 season, in which RC went unbeaten in the 125cc East class (although Carmichael won all eight events and the East/West Shootout, while Stewart can only win seven and the shcotout}, " I'm super pumped, and I didn't think it would happen tonight," Stewart sa id of his championship. "I've been a little sick this week, but I felt good tonight. I got a good start and saw those huge Bubba signs out there. I'm having a good time here, and it feels like home." And now that Stewart has won the title, the big question is, Will we see Stewart on a 250cc any time before the season is over? " I said I was going to st ick to the 125cc class , and that is the plan ," Stewart said . My 188 " I'm looking forward to th e East-West shootout in Vegas and the 125cc outdoors. I'll be on a 250cc at Anaheim, and people better start buying their tickets now." Yamaha of Troy 's Josh Hansen had another good ride for his fourth podium of the season . He started second and was only challenged by Paul Carpenter late in the race. Unfortunately for him , though, his podiums have come on the wrong coast, and he hasn 't earned a single point back East despite his good showings. Hansen, who started out the season as an official West Coast rider, says that he would be second in the points in the East if he was given points by the AMA Some of the other riders, however, view it as OWN RACE: Davi Millsaps 125cc Briefly... AX specialist Tom my Ho fmaster made his SX debut In the 250cc class in St. Louis. "Last year, I rode 125 and 250, and after the year was over, I kind of said to myself that I wish I would 've rode 250 at all of them," he said. " I decided to ride the 250 the whole season pretty much to help with my national number, and I feel like I ride a 250 a little bit better - it's a little easier for me to get over the jumps and stuff." Team Yamaha's David Vuillemin and his trainer David Baileyhave ce ased working together. "Y know, he's been really busy ou lately, and he cannot be 100 percent with me ," Vuilleminsaid. "It's better nothing than a little bit there and a little here. He 's busy with his son and doing some schools , so I think it's too much work for one guy. He cannot do everything ." Suzuki's Sean Hamblin has added a new trai ne r to his regimen. "Roge r [DeCoster) felt that I might be better using both the trainer that I hired this year and the one that they [Team Suzuki) hired, and it can't hurt to have two trainers," he said. "It wo rked out we ll this week. This is the best I've felt at the end of the race as far as fitness goes, but unfortunately I fell." 6th After a stellar performance a week earlier in his home state of Florida at Daytona, Millsaps was disappo inted this week. "I didn't get the greatest of starts and had to work i--~;:;;:;:;;:=;:-;-:"i~=i;:::::~ I up," Millsaps explained, "I didn't ride to my ability, and I just w ant to be on the pod ium." The Team Green Aren acro sser came in to St. Louis a bit overs hadowed by his Arenacro ss Champio n teammate Darcy Lange, but after Lange got hurt and sat out the eve ning show, "NorCa l" was left to pick up the slack. " I got a good start and was cleaned ou t by one of the Blairs in the first tum ," he said after the eve nt. "My goal was to make the main this week. O ne down. Next is a top 10." Suzuki's Tra vis Pa st rana d idn 't bre a k his leg as he speculated on the ESPN2 race broadcast. "I should be good ," he said. "Just a bone bruise , sprained ankle. I'm fine." He said he 'll be racing in Las Vegas, and maybe even at Salt Lake City. 44 There were 61 5 Jeff Northrop Ryan Mills 18t h 5th "It was one of my best starts so far," said the Amsoil/Chaparral Honda CR125R rider. "I cased the triple on the first lap and hurt my wrist, but I rode good . I got screwed by a few lappe rs in there, but I had good lap times all wee kend. I'm going to get X-rays on my w rist to mo rrow." 54 Steve Mertens 2 1st " I was trying to w hee lie through the w hoop section befor e the tr iple whe n a squirre l jumped out and scared me ," Samsung/Radio Shack's Mertens joke d. "I completely got sidew ays in the w hoops and was off in the area betwee n the tw o lanes , and it took me at least two full laps to get it started. " A ll s mi les: Stewa rt taak every award avail· ab le in St, Lou is: t he Butterfinger Ho le sh ot Awa rd, the 12 Scc Ma in win, and the 12Scc Eastern Regio n a l Supercrass Champio nsh ip . 59 Danny Smith Arena cross champion Darcy Lange came into St. Louis as a future prospect for 125cc Supercross. Unfortunately, the Canad ian crash ed in practice both Friday and Saturday and sat out Saturday's show with a bum knee . " I clipped a TuffBlock and went straight over the bars and tore up my knee ," Lange said, "I tore my men iscus or something and will probably need surge ry." 15th Brayton did relatively well in his first ever SX. "I wen t down in the main at about halfway, but I'll move up," said the Amsoil/Chaparral Hon da rider. "This is awesom e and where I want to be. I have a three-race deal, and I have something to prove. I wa nt to stay her e." 60 Broe He ple r 8th With just two ro unds re maining. the roo kie Suzuki sta r holds seco nd in po ints and has some heavy hitte rs behind him. At St. Louis, Hepler won his heat race and needed a fourth or be tter to keep Ste wart from winning the title, but he could only manage an eighth , coming from behind. www.cydenEWs.com lating that Ryan Hughes may ride a 25 0 outdoors. "He was thinking about it, but no ," Red Bull KTM team manager Larry Brooks said. "He' s a little bit heavier right now, but after riding the 125 and talking about it, and his contract's for the 125s, he 's going to stick to it. He got a wild idea about the 250, but once we talked about it, he decided he'd just stay where he was . Bad things seem to happen with 250s for him, so stick to the 125s." Grant Langston will be a fam ily ma n soon. His fiancee Chelsey Roberts is three months pregnant. 7th "Tonight was lackluster, to say the least," Boost MobilelYamahalTroy Racing's youngest Smith said. "I spun off the gate, the n spun again on the plastic, had a real bad sta rt and just wo rked up as best as possible." 614 Justin Brayton the $1000 Butterfinger Ho le shot Aw ard , lapped up to th e 10t h place in the process, and at times had faster lap times th a n t he top 250cc rid e rs o n his Jeremy Albrecht -tu ned KX 125. Only Suzuki 's Broc Hepler had a chance of ke e ping Stewart fro m wrapping it up th is week, and t he rookie could've done it w ith a finish of fourth or better. How eve r, after a poor start, Hepler finished e ighth. Next on t he list for Ste wart is trying to match Ricky Carmichael's per- ru m o rs circu- Samsung/Radio Shack Yamaha's Micha el Blose also sat out Saturday evening's program, as he came down with what he felt was pneumonia after his qualifier. "I qualified easily for the night show, but I felt real weak and like I was getting real sick," Blose said after watching the races . CYCLE NEWS • MARCH 24, 2004 29