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/128380
started dropping back, very un-Stewart-Iike. By the sixth lap, he had lost sight of Reed and, on the seventh lap, pulled off the track and headed straight for the pits. Kawasaki's john Ewert spoke for Stewart at the after-race press conference. "He felt lightheaded and was a little bit dizzy," Ebbert said. "He felt it was a better option to pull off rather than risk any unfortunate circumstances that were to also occur. He obviously rode real hard in the first moto, crashed twice, came back from 21 st, way up into the top 10. He exerted quite a bit of energy in the first moto; he was just a little lightheaded and a little dizzy. He's had a lot going on: He worked really, really hard in the first moto; and in this kind of heat, not to say that he couldn't take it or not... he just pulled off." Stewart's departure gave Reed some breathing room in third. Reed, still bothered by his earlier crash in practice, eventually just let Windham go, while enjoying a big lead over fourth-placed Vuillemin. "This morning I crashed and hit my head, and it was just survival for the rest of the day for me," Reed said. "That was the first time I've really ever hit my head, so I was kind of freaked out by that. It was really hard for me to push and focus, so I just salvaged a 3-3 and was happy to be on the podium. I was trying to shake it off. I took a big nap [during the day]. I felt bad because I didn't spend much time with the fans today; I didn't sign autographs. I just had to regroup and think about the afternoon. It was tough, and Ricky rode great. I just feel dazed. I've never had a concussion before; it kind of scared me more than anything. I'll be fine." Despite the crash and not riding up to par, Reed feels confident about the 2005 outdoor series. "I've been feeling really good," Reed said. "They made a lot of improvements to the bike, yesterday. I felt great, and this morning I was getting ready to put some laps down, but it didn't really work out. I feel I'm where I need to be, and I think it's going to be a long summer. All I can do is go home and regroup for next week." Vuillemin's second-moto fourth was good enough to get him on the podium, and he was quite happy with that. "I was pumped," Vuillemin said. "It's good to get on the podium after two tough motos." Preston put in another good ride, finishing out the day fifth for fourth overall. "It was an okay day; 1 didn't think I'd get fourth, that's for sure," Preston said. "I felt slow all weekend long. I haven't ridden outdoors in awhile, so it was kind of new. I'm not used to riding ruts like that and didn't really know where I belonged, just the fitness and everything. Seemed like I was just trying to survive. I didn't feel like I rode that fast, and ended up doing okay. I think once I get in better shape ... It feels good. I just can't believe I got fourth. I got decent starts in both motos and kept it on two wheels and got lucky." Back at the Suzuki pits, Carmichael seemed very pleased to be back on top of the podium again. "It was a good day," Carmichael said. "It's too bad that Chad hurt himself; I was looking forward to the challenge from him. I guess we'll have to wait for next weekend, and hopefully we'll both be I 00 percent. "It was good to see how the new RM-Z was going to be in a race situation for me and the outdoors," Carmichael said. "This weekend went better for me than it did a year ago for me. I felt a lot more comfortable and obViously because I've been racing all season. Eldon Baker and I have been working hard as far as cardio goes. We're ready. And I think we're going to keep getting better. I think the other guys have a lot of time on their bikes, especially Chad. That bike has been the same for a long time, and Honda has a lot of experience with their aluminum chassis, so I think we're going to keep getting better and better. We have some better ideas where we need to be better from the weekend. I'm just thankful that I adapt to the outdoors better than I do supercross, because it would've been a handful today. "I had great starts and stayed out of harm's way," Carmichael added. "I didn't have any pressure today. I had a great feeling and knew something great was going to happen." eN PRAIRIE CITY OHV PARK SACRAMENTO, CAUFORNIA RESULTS: MAy 22, 2005 (ROUND 1 OF 12) MOTO I: I. Ricky Carmkhael (Suz); 2. David Vuillemin (Yarn); 3. Chad Reed (Yam); -4. Travis Preston (Hon); 5. Jussl.aansoo (Hon): 6. James Stewart (Kaw); 7. Tim Feny (Yam); B. John Dow