Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

aforementioned Anaheim mudder of one year ago. "l don't know - ever since Anaheim I last year, every time it rains, everybody is looking at me and thinking that lam pumped about it," Ramsey said. "l did do some ridinS in the mud growing up, and last year it rained a lot before the season, and if you wanted to ride, you had to ride the mud. I don't know if I am good in the mud or just good at dog-walking my bike on the track." While Ramsey may be both, it didn't hurt that two riders who were clearly Soing just as fast or faster than he was on the SBC track both crashed while lead- ing. ProSressive Direct Holeshot Award $1000 winner Ryan Villopoto looked strong early, on his l'lonster Energy Kawasaki as he stormed - no pun intend- ed - into an early lead. But the aggressive Washington teenager made the mistake of going for it over the finish-line double iump. and he came up shorl, crashing into rhe chasm between the takeoff and the landinS at the end of lap one. Villopoto eventually finished ninth. "l would have made it if I had been straight, but I was a little sideways, and the mud got me when I landed," Villopoto said. "l should have never jumped. You know thats racing. lf it wouldn't have for me jumpinS - well, crashing - lthink lcould have won it. I'll just be a little smarter next time-" The other apparent SBC muck master was l'letcalfe. who blazed to the fastest heat win in heat one, when the track still somewhat resembled a Supercross track. After Villopoto fell in the main, the Australian l4ercalfe took over and led lap two, only to get out of shape and crash in the whoops on lap three. That allowed Ramsey to take the lead, and the KTM man built up a cushion of 5.591 seconds by the halfiMa), point in the race, Ramsey also cut the fastest lap of the race on lap four, turning a one-minute, 14.155-sec- ond paddle session. But Metcalfe never backed off, and he managed to run Ramsey down on the last lap. Hetcalfe railed the final turn while Ramsey went to the inside, and Ramsey iust barely beat Metcalfe over the finish-line jump. "Last year at Anaheim l, 'Nate Dog' fRamsey] lapped me, and I was miles behind,' Mercalfe said. "Before Anaheim Ithis year, we had a lot of rain in California. and I was determined to not let a mud race faze me again, and I went out there on the practice track, and it was pouring rain, and I rode for an hour. I was iust ready for this race, whether it was muddy or dusty, and it just paid off. On the last lap I didn't even know I was gaining on him, and on that last straight I saw'25.'ln the last corner, I was coming down the inside, and he heard me and covered up. He was smart." Ramsey sard thar he knew it was going to be close. "l knew Brett was there,' he said, "but I knew he was far enough back that I didn't have to do anything risky. When I made that last left-hander to go into the rhythm section, I iust kind of hung up over to the left of the track. I knew if he was following me, he was gonna be com- in8 down the right side. so I was trying to make my way over to the right. I heard him, and [] know he saw me going for that inside rut, trying to protect my line, I could hear him pin it to the outside, and there was a lapped rider right in that rut, so I just kind of pinned it to the inside. lt was close. lt seems like every race that I have a decent lead, I kind of let it tighten up there at the end." Red Bull KTM's l'like Alessi finished third, 21.498 seconds behind Ramsey, but the San Francisco race marked the youn8 star of the future's first career AMA Supercross podium. Despite still battling bronchitis and crashing several times in the mud during the nighr, Alessi rode steadily to land on the box in the main, "This week I got a good start, and I was just riding a consistent, smooth race,'' Alessi said. l actually fell twice, but I still came back and kept my head together and Eot a third. A third is like a win for me now, the way the seaion rs going." Alessi credited his European experi- ence with helping him in the muddy San Francisco conditions. "Yeah, definitely," he said. Any mud expe.ience helps out in the long run, and tonight it was muddy, and lcouldn't believe that srart. Going into Lhe firsr turn, all I could see was just splashes of water coming at me.'' Alessi said that he is takinS a "baby steps" approach to his Supercross career. ''Even if it was dry this week. my goal was to get top five," Alessi said. "This was just a bonus to get third.'' Ramsey may have scored the biggest bonus of the night, however, as the race represented a l9-pornt swrng for him Contineed frc.', pdge 2l kind ot iacfted nr)€elf up and lo6t my rhythm and crasH there, got tourth, and had a terri- ble tde pi(* for th6 main]. I iun nev€r put m,,self in good positiorri to make lt happen tonidn. That! the most dis3ppoirtint thint - ro know tlEt )lou can get in thei€ ard bade with th6e gq6 - $at's r|ot d|e problem - its how I get dler€ diat b dre problem. h's allabout nrak- irE ,orrr own lu& and puttirE yousef in Sood po6idon, and that's n* what I did this vreekend." Socal Radng/Md Wo*s l.k6 lrlaEr

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