OU might say that the re was a lot to talk about at this year's running of the
Steel City Na tional, the I I th and seco nd-to-last round of the 2004 AMA
Chevrolet Motocross Series: The re was the retu rn of seven-time Supercross
and former National MX Cham pion Jeremy McGrath , Ricky Carm ichael' s
impending fifth 2S0cc title and his cont inuing bid for another pe rfect season,
and the "second coming" of Mike Alessi. As a result, a large crowd converged on the
Steel City facilityfor what promised to be an interesting day at the races .
As far as the 2004 250cc title was concerned, very little suspense was on the line.
Pretty much all that Carmichael had to do was to just finish in the top I I in the first moto,
and a record-setting 13th AMAtitle wo uld be his. So muc h for dramatics, but Carmichael
didn't seem to mind one bit, nor did he mind the hype over McGrath 's return. At Steel
City, Carmichael just went out and did what he's been do ing all seaso n - winning both
motos. With just one round left at Glen Helen , Carm ichael is just two mo tos away from
his second pe rfect season.
''I'm just enjoying racing, and I love what I do ," Carmich ael said after receiving his
number-one plate . "It feels so good, I just can't believe it . I just th ink about watching
supercrosses on the couch [as a kid]. Y just can't take it [winning] for granted, beca use
ou
you neve r know when you're going to win again."
Carm ichael's day began with a second-place start, behind Team Moto XXX's Kyle
Lewis, and they both avoided a massive pileup that knocked KTM rider Joaquim
Rodrigues, among others, out of the race. Team Y
amaha's Chad Reed also fell victim to
the carnage and was forced to make an inspired charge to the front , eventually finishing
17th.
Another victim of the pileup was Alessi. Fresh off his first pro fessional race three
weeks ago at the Spring Creek National, wh ere he finished a disappo inting 31st overall,
Alessi was looking to improve on that placing, and he did just that. In the first rnoto , Alessi
climbed his way up through the pack to finish fifth.
"Joaquim [Rodrigues) came outside and clipped [Chad) Reed," Alessi said of the first-
Y
22 SEPTEMBER 15,2004 • CYCLE NEWS
