Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMA/Chevy Tru c ks N a t ional C h ampio n ship 250cc Motocross S erie s R o u n d 9 : W a s hou gal Mot o cross P a r k them, re s p e cti v e l y . Th ough th e y would n ever a c t ua ll y ex c h a n ge a position , thi s t r io did h a v e se ve r al go o d b a ttl e s - es pe ci a l ly i n th e m ota ' s first h a l f - a n d th ey so o n es t a b l is he d a h ea lth y c u s h i o n o n fourth pl a c e . Som eon e who di d ex pe rie nc e some passing w a s LaR o c c o , but un fortun atel y , it w as m a nda t ed by a mish ap on h is p art o n the seco n d la p . "T he y wate red , and 1 wa she d o ut at the bottom of a dro p -off , " LaR o c co said . " La rry Ward ran o ve r m y head , and 1 e n d ed up drop pi n g way bac k because 1 w as m essed u p a little bit, and m y bars w er e tweaked . I got going an d p robabl y passed fiv e o r six g uys , but w hen he ra n over m y hea d, h e kno ck ed m y goggle strap up, and I go t roost ed an d my goggles fe ll out. So I h ad to pull i n and g et new g og gl es , be ca use the roos t is brutal o ut her e." C arm i c h a e l t o o k t h e w i n o v e r Vuillem in and Reyna rd , w it h T o rt e ll i taking a lo ne ly fo u rt h ah ead of A lb er tyn . Wi n d h am ha d h eld down sixth in t he late going , but h is cha nces at an o verall p o d ium we re fl us hed w hen he took a next-t o -Iast -I ap spil l. "I let t he front end w ash o ut in th e " I wish 1 could ha ve won the first m ot a , but I h a d a l i tt l e m i s h ap , " ri gh t - h an d er afte r the C h uc k S un jump," W indh am sai d. Su ch fall s th i s l a t e in th e g am e aren ' t usually th at big o f a deal , b ut (Above) Se ba st ie n Tortelli lost ground on Cannic hae l, but he has an off week to let his sore an kle h e el before the next round in M innesota. (Bel ow) Vuillemi n, Cannichael and Reynard loving it in the Northw es t. C armich ael sa id . " T h is is a good w ay to red eem myself. Ther e's three rac es left , and it's g etting hotter and h otter , so it' s going to b e to ug h ." " T h e seco n d m ot a w a s a littl e th is one took pla c e in front o f a dog fi ght in cluding Fe rry , LaR o c c o , W ard a nd Huffman. A ll got by W indham , so th e Team Honda rider h ad to se ttle for the f ina l tough er for m e , becau se n ow Ri ck y was going pretty fa st ," Vu illem in sa id . " W e we re b attling back a nd forth 15 spot in the top 10 . m inutes , an d I started to m ake a c o u - Dur in g the week between t he Troy , Oh io, and Washo ugal, Washi ngt on , Nati onal rounds, defending 250cc National Motocross Champion Greg Albertyn revealed that he would be retiring from racing following the 2000 season. Th e news, broken by Transworld Motocross' Garth Milan, came as a bit of a shock, as the likable Team Suzuki rider is a relatively young 27 years old, and - at sixth in the series despite a couple of serious inj uries this year · still a contender. When asked why he was calli ng it quits . the South African repli ed, "Well, I've never, ever, ever raced for mone y, and I've always given racing 11O·percent focus. I feel like 1 don't have the heart to do it anymore. I don' t thi nk it's fair to ju st go and race for a pay check - it' s not fair to Suzuki, and it's not fair to me and my sponsors, because they want to win. And if I don' t have the heart to win, then I believe it' s tim e to move on and find some thing that I can direct that energy to ." Al bertyn says that he's unsure of what his plans for the future are, though he is toying with the thought of starti ng a riding school for top- level riders. "Th ere 's a lot of pros out there, but there' s few o f th em t h at are ma king money," Albertyn said. "I will cater to the g uys who want to m ak e so me ser io us money." Alb er tyn also m ent io ns getting his hel ic o pt er lice nse and bui lding a new house as goals for his post -raci ng life. . It ' s a li tt le-k nown fact th at Albertyn hyper-extended his knee when he put out a leg to prevent a fall in the second round of the outdoor series, whic h was also j ust his second race back after an amazingly quick recovery from a broken femu r. "That took some of the win d from my sail ," adm itted A lb ertyn . "I wo rked so hard to come back from my fem ur break, and then the next week to not even crash, and tear my A CL, was j ust hard." A lbert yn' s resum e incl udes the 1992 12 5cc World Ch amp ion ship, t he 1993 and 199 4 250cc Wo rld Cham pi on ship , and the 1999 250cc U.S. National Cham pionship. 16 AU G U S T 9 . 2000 • cue I pie m istakes . I was not so smart w ith lapped r ide rs , also . Ricky g ot about f iv e se c o n d s ahead , so I co u l d n ' t catch him." eN Washougal MolDcross Parle Washougal. WashinglDn Results: July 3D, 2000 [Round 9 of 121 250 MOTO 1 (30 mi nute s. plus two laps): I . David Vuillemin ( Yam ); 2. Ricky Carmichael (Kaw); 3. Kevin Windham (Hon) ; 4. Mike laRocco (Han); 5. Greg Albertyn (SU1); 6. Sebastien Tortelli (Han); 7. Robbie Reynard (SU1) ; 8 . John Dowd ( Kaw ) ; 9 . T imm y Ferry ( Yam): 10 . Larr y Ward ( Ka w) ; 11. Damon Huffman (SU1); 12. Shayne King (KTM) ; 13 . Heeth Voss (Hen} ; 14. Ohka wede Kohji (Yam); 15. Kyle Lewis (Suz); 16. Akira Narita (Hon); 17. Takeshi Koikeda (Yam); 18. Isaiah Johnson (Yam ): 19 . Keith Johnson (Can); 20. Damien Plotts (Suz). 250 MOTO 2 (3 0 minutes. plus two laps) : I. Ricky Carmichael (Kaw); 2. David Vuillemin (Yam) ; 3. Robbie Reynard (Suz); 4 . Sebastien Tortelli (Hon); 5. Greg Albertyn (Suz) ; 6. Timm y Ferry (Yam ); 7. Mike Lekocco (Hon); 8. Larry Ward (Kaw); 9. Damon Huffman (Suz); 10. Kevin Windham (Hon); 11. Kyle Lewis (Suz); 12. Heath Voss (Hon); 13. Shayne King (KTM ); 14 . Akira N ertt e (Hon); 15 . Ohkawada Kohji (Y am ) ; 16 . T ake shi Koike da ( Yam) ; 17 . Isaiah Johnson (Hon); 18. Damien Plotts (Suz) ; 19 . Ryan Terlecki (KTM) : 20. Ted Campbell (Suz). e n e vv s 250 O/ A: I. Ricky Carmichael (Kaw); 2. David Vuill em in ( Yam) : 3 . Ro bbie Re ynard ( S Ul ); 4 . Sebastien T ortelli (Han); 5 . Greg Albertyn (S uz) ; 6. Mike LaRocco ( Hen) ; 7. Kevin Windham (Han) ; B. T imm y F err y ( Yam ) ; 9 . La rry Wa rd ( Kaw ) ; 10 . Dam on Huffman (Suz) ; 11. Heath Voss (Han); 12. Sh ay ne Kin g ( KT M ); 13 . Kyle Lewis ( Suz); 14 . Ohkawada Kohji (Yam); 15. John Dowd (Kaw) : 16. Akira Ne rtte (Hon): 17. Tak eshi Koikeda (Yam) ; 18. Isaiah Johnson (Yam) : 19. Damien Plotts (SU1); 20. Ryan Terlecki (KTM) ; 2 1. Keith Johnson (Can); 22. Ted Cam pbell (Suz). AM A/CHEVY T RUCKS 250« NA TIO NAL C'S HIP MX SERIES POINTS STA NDIN GS (A fter 9 of t 2 ro und s) : 1. Ric ky C arm icha el ( 3 88/ 6 wins) ; 2. Sebastien Tortelli (366/1 win); 3 . Kevin Windham (3 4 0) ; 4 . Da vid Vuill em in (296 /2 wins); 5 . Mike laRocco (263 ): 6. Greg Alberty n (25 9) : 7. Robbie Reynard (2 5 1): 8. Timmy Ferry (22 1): 9. John Dowd (220) ; 10. Larry Ward (2 15) : I I. Dam on Huffman (152 ): 12. Kyle Lewis (134 ): 13. Shayne King ( 122 ): 14. Ezra Lusk ( 114) : IS. Heath Voss (97) : 16. Akira Narita (90); 17. James Povolny Jr. (69) ; 18. Jason T hom as (52); 19 . Ty ler Eva ns (42); 20 . Dam ien Plott s (4 1). Upcoming Rounds: Round 10 - Millville, Minnesota, August 13 Round 11 - Binghamton, New York, August 27

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