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/128366
OU might say that Team Makita Suzuki's Ricky Carmichael is in the zone. This weekend at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis for round six of the THQ AMA Supercross Series and round eight of the THQ World Supercross Grand Prix Series, the seemingly unstoppable RC recorded a remarkable fifth straight victory and, perhaps even more remarkably, did it again in convincing fashion. In front of 52,838 vocal fans, Carmichael took the checkered nag a safe 5.812 seconds ahead of Team Yamaha's Chad Reed and 25.398 seconds ahead of Amsoil/ChaparrallHonda's Kevin Windham. For Carmichael, the win was his third at the RCA Dome, his last coming in 2003 while he was in the midst of another five-race winning streak, looking for his second 250cc Supercross title. In the first six rounds this year, the 24-year-old Florida native has won every round since the second race in Phoenix and has pulled out a comfortable 32-point gap over defending champ Reed, 145-1 13. It's a gap so big that many are wondering if it can be bridged before the 16-race series is history. "I just try to go and put in 20 solid laps, and if I get beat, I get beat:' Carmichael said. "I just want to do the best that I can do and put myself in the best situation, and take each lap, lap by lap, and just try to be smooth. If you're lying on the ground, you're not giving yourself a fair opportunity to do your best." This weekend, Carmichael definitely gave himself a fair opportunity. He didn't get the holeshot; it went instead to Team Star RacinglYamaha's Erick Vallejo, but RC did move into the lead shortly after the second turn, with Reed moving into second not long after. '" just rode a solid race," Carmichael said. "I had some Y 14 FEBRUARY 23,2005 • CYCLE NEWS good lines. I was good through the whoops. I tried jumping through them and, I think on the second lap, made a big mistake and Chad pulled up on me there, [but] I was able to just kind of stretch it out after that and do the best that I can do." While Reed was able to close up on Carmichael slightly, it just wasn't enough for the defending champion to capitalize on. For most of the race, the gap between Carmichael and Reed remained a steady five seconds. After the race, however, Reed knew what he needed to work on. "I just tried to put some good laps in and tried to with Ricky," Reed said. "Just his turns - he's really got turns down, and I just feel like he is eating me up there. I've just got to work on that a linle. I think he's just ridi good races, puning good laps down. I've just got to hit marks a Iinle bener than I have. Once I start doing that, I will be a linle easier for me." Until Reed begins hitting his marks, though, Carmich will likely continue to pull away both in the points and the track. But if you ask Reed, he still feels there is hop "I believe I can win:' Reed said. "I wouldn't be here