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/128384
halk up last week's molD less as a gift from Team Maklta Suzuki's Ricky Carmichael to his competition, because this week was business as usual for the 25-year-old rider. This weekend at the fourth round of the AHA 2SOcc National Motocross Series at Budds Creek Motocross Park, in Budds Creek, Maryland, Carmichael was back to his usual self. He pulled the holeshot in both motos and promptly checked out on his way to his fourth ConsecutM! over.JIl victory of the season. It was also his sixth straight 2SOcc victory at Budds Creek, and, when you include two l25cc wins, it was his eighth total victory at the YMUe. For Suzuki, it was its fll"5t win at the track. Now, going into the fifth round of the series at Red Bud Track 'N' Trail in Michigan. the Floridian holds a hefty 37-point lead over Team Yamaha's Chad Reed in the championship chase. leading up to the Budds Creek round, and after his moto loss at Southwick, Cannichael knew that his competition would be tough. "We rode hard this week," Cannichael said, "and really tried to focus on our speed, because I knew that this track is really hard to make up time on lM!f"YOne goes fast here. Chad [Reed] almost beat me here last year, and he rode really good here last year. I knew the weather was going to be pretty cool - pretty smooth. So I knew there was going to be a lot of guys up there." Cannichael was correct. While he did get the hoIeshot in each moto and led every lap, both Reed and learn Kawasaki's james Stewart kept him honest tIvoughout the coune of the day. The two chaIIeIps ~ within a few seconds of the eight-time the opening portion of each C AFTER SEEING HIS MOTO WIN STREAK END LAST WEEK, RICKY CARMICHAEL BOUNCES BACK IN DOMINATING FASHION AT BUDDS CREEK . .NiIrt did • inN·..,... w_ WIse In iIIcDnd. WhM the pICk bIaslIId off the Ine farthe nIng of the bltlOCO, 0lrmichaeI in omedIaboIy COII.,aid of the race. with Stewart and Reed d.... pIrw into place rtaht: behind. Cannichael kept a dose, watchful • on the speedy young Stewart. but Stewart suddenly dropped back. "The fnt mota was good," Carmichael said. "I got up there and Bubba (Stewart] was right behind me. and he was making me work for sure. I slowly inched away, slowly, and 1 don't know what happened. I heard a panic rev over there by the mechanic's tum there. It seemed like maybe he made a mistake and allowed me to get a big gap." After that, Carmichael said his race was "pretty much just ~." After all. he had.-ty a 15second lead just past the halfway point in the moto. UlllMlfltful, on the other hand, could not be b1her from the truth for Stewart and Reed. Reed. In third, began to close in and make a race of it. As the race wore on, Stewart, who was in second, began to slow down. allowing Reed to close the sizable gap. WIth the crowd cheering frantically, Reed came within a bicelength of the Kawasaki pilenom at the finish. "I was up there with Ricky, and I about went over the bars three or four times the first couple of laps." Stewart said. "I didn't feel like ~ and I kind of backed it down. I was just kind of back a Iitde far from Ricky, and I was kind of staying there. Then Chad started coming up, but I nE!\IeI" really kind of let off." For Reed, though, it was too little too late. If he had just one more lap. he might have made a ITlCM! for second, but it was not meant to be. His third,