Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Since Ricky Carmichael missed last year's Daytona Supercross, this one marked the first time that he has ever raced under the lights at Daytona International Speedway. All of his race wins at Daytona have come in the daytime. Carmichael certainly approved of the night race. "It was great," Carmichael said. "Look at how great the turnout was tonight. This has always been a historic race. I think it is really great for the sport, and if we want to help the sport, that is the way it should be - racing at nighttime." After posting a fourth-place finish at the previous round of the series, the St. Louis Supercross, Joaquim Rodriguez was opti- "I knew he was there," Reed said. "I knew that he just wasn't going to let me ride away and have it easy. So, I just put my head down and tried to find consistent lines and get through the lappers really clean. It was a great race. It felt like I rode my own race and was able to do the things that I am most comfortable doing." Carmichael, meanwhile, appeared to have trouble finding a consistent rhythm. Catching Reed was one thing, but passing was him another. "It was a fun race," Carmichael said. "Me and Chad were both riding good, and it seemed like Chad had some really good sections of the track, where he was gapping me, and same for me, where I was better in some areas. I just got behind him and really didn't make a move, just didn't have enough to get by him. I was good enough to follow him." Carmichael hung with Reed, running no more than 1.5 seconds off the leader's rear tire for four laps before another mistake cost Carmichael another two seconds. This mistake came on lap 14, where Carmichael failed to clear the triple jump at the end of the front straightaway. "I got held up behind some lappers, and then got clear and started to go," Carmichael said. Carmichael trailed 2.9 seconds behind Reed, and he began to eat into that gap again when the big one came on lap 17. "I caught the edge [of the whoops] wrong, and off I went," Carmichael said. "Just a bummer. I wanted it to go clear down to the end, but I messed up." Carmichael had to be extremely careful after restarting, as he was dragging a string of Honda banners in his wake. "I didn't want to get it wrapped up in my rear wheel and suck my leg off the bike," Carmichael said. "I didn't have no brakes after that, but at that point the race was over. I just tried to secure second place." Reed had 29.759 seconds in hand on the last lap, but he never stopped charging, even after the white flag came out. "I didn't even know it was the last lap," Reed said. "In a race with the lap times being 55 or 56 seconds, it was crazy how short it is... I was excited to get it done." In the post race press conference, Reed was like a different person with a much sunnier expression, the stress of the past few races having been Wiped clean. "When you're losing, it's terrible," Reed said. "It sucks to try so hard and have the complete package and just not get the job done. That's how it feels whether you are first loser or second loser. It all feels the same. It definitely feels good to get another win. I really feel like I would have had more wins and been closer on points, but things have not gone the way they were planned to go. That's racing. I have accepted it. Every weekend I give it my all and try to put my best foot forward. That's alii can ask from myself." As for Carmichael, he seemed far from bummed at the prospect of missing out on a record-breaking fifth Daytona 5upercross victory. "I'll be back a couple more years." Carmichael said. "It's a fun race. I know that the competition is going to keep getting tougher, and I have to keep bettering my program. But I'm happy with the way things are going. It's tough to win a lot of races in a row these days. We're all so good and so even. I'm happy with what I have accomplished so far, and I feel like I have some more in me." Nor is Carmichael worried about the return of Team Kawasaki's James "Bubba" Stewart at the next round of the series in Orlando, Florida. "Everybody knows he's a great rider, but me and Chad have visions of where we want to be in Vegas, and I'm not going to change anything just because somebody else is coming," Carmichael said. There were others at Daytona as well, although as usual they finished far behind Reed and Carmichael. Amsoill Chapparal/Faetory Connection Honda's Mike LaRocco put in another iron performance, the 34-year-old Indiana rider being the best of the rest en route to another podium finish at Daytona. LaRocco started third and ran third for the entire 20 laps. He had a slim chance at catching the detuned Carmichael but ultimately finished 5.484 seconds behind him. "Any podium is great these days," LaRocco said. "This was a tough race this year. With it being a little shorter, it was different. The fact that we were racing at night, it felt a little more like supercross. "I got a good start and was right there with Chad and Ricky," LaRocco added. "I was trying to find the pace, trying to find the lines, but they dropped me. It has been kind of the same thing year, but I'm just working away, trying to learn something. Hopefully, before too long, I can figure that out." Team Yamaha's David Vuillemin was fourth. mistic that the bad luck that plagued him at was happy with St. Louis, but that's still not where Iwant to be," Rodriguez said. "But it has gotten my motivation going again. This week Iam looking for a win. I'm going to push hard for the win. I had been riding tight, but race by race, I am getting better. I need to ride like I know how to and finish on top of the podium." the start of the season may be over. "I After finishing second in the I25cc class at the 2004 Daytona Supercross, Davi Millsaps was a pre-race favorite in the pad- dock, something that didn't faze the 16year-old. "They're just saying that because I did get second here last year, but I'm just going to ride my best." Millsaps said that he was sure he would face the usual suspects in the battle for the win. "It'll be Langston, Walker, Hansen... you can't count anybody out," he said. Speaking of Davi Millsaps, the Team Makira Suzuki pilot's class-clown antics in the postrace press conference at St. Louis thrust him further into the spotlight during the past week. "I was just trying to have fun and be funny, but I'm not that funny, but they laugh at it, so it's all good," Millsaps said. Before the race, Grant Langston was hardly joking when he said he was hoping to keep his win streak alive. "I've never had a win streak going in supercross," he said. "I'd definitely like to try Continued on page 27 CYCLE NEWS • MARCH 23, 2005 2S

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