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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1542341
opposite reaction about the start. "l didn't really want to go for the holeshot." Stewart said. "Last week I went for it and I slid across the white line." Carmichael and Stewart came out of the |8o-degree flat first turn l-2, resPec- tively, and the two quickly pulled away from the rest of the pack, with Stewart matching Carmichael's every move, lap after l+, after lap, "l rode my buft off; I rode as hard as I could," Carmichael said. "The track was a little slick tonight, and I rqde in control. James was behind me the whole time, and l'm sure he was back there checking it out and looking for a mistake, and I iust rode my race," Carmichael added that he stuck to his original lines, no matter how close BY Kn Paurr:n PHo'ros aY Srwr Bnuxx Stewart was on him. "l rode the race lwanted to ride," Carmichael said. 'A couple of times I was kind of waiting lor sqmethinS to come uP the inside of me, a little nudge here, but that's iust the game. I've 8ot to Sive it to him for a real clean race." And pass- "l iust wanted to make a pass where I felt like it was going to stick," Stewart said of his strategy, "and if I made it early, there was a good chance he was going to get back by me. He had good sections and I had good sections too." So Stewart waited. His plan, however, almost got thrown out the windo\M when KYle Lewis, who was about to be lapped, momentarily held him up. About the halfway point, Lewis inadvertentty crossed in front of Ttrc second heat race v/.rs red-nagSed aft.er P{i- \rate€r lam€. Harshall, from Dickinson, Te)(3s. craihed oo tfie first hp. Marshall's front wheel dropped in betw€en tM/o iump6 and was pitclEd over the handleban, and 6en Tearn Honda's Emesto Fonseca, who had no time to rEact, landed on him. The Asterisk medical crew attended *le downed rider who was transpon_ ed to Sharp Memorial Ho6pital in San DieSo with a spinal iniury (See ln Ttle Wind) t(eflin Wndham says he! healinS w€ll from hb broken ani art hopea to be on his tlike again in about a wee& and e half "ln aboirt another w€ek I should be ba* to ridinS d leqst " Windham sid. 'l m still hopin8 for Orlando, thad s rny tar- get and afuer w-atchirE dle klnd of racinS ),ou had tonigfn, )r'ou Sotta b€ 20 [aps] stronS, so I've sot to sperd thb tirc EyirE to tet ready. These tuys have a lot of racea uP on rne, so it's Sdnt to be torr8h to corne back. I iust wfft to corne ba.k and do $e best I can ahd I 8ot to Eet olt tlEre 6 soon as possible. The aIm is fe€liB tood, there's no pain at all, but, of course, I haven't been ridinS yeti hn I v€ b€en doin8 some seric s workin8 out, so thints are $ing wdl." AN Spealant ofvo6s, wilo is an avid pilot, he recert_ h/ got th€ .hance to hltdr e ride and Eke dle convols of a F- I 6 fighter iet, and the pilot who tave vo6s the nde came otlt to Qualcomm Stadi_ um to watdr him ride. "We had a gt-eat time," the Fiht said. "h didn t take him bng to Pick it up. We pulled a lot ofg's, went hst, took ofr - pure venical - doinS an afterbumer climb and fle\,v for abou! an hour and a hall and wish we could've done h some more. He's a natural." h didnl take lory for Teern llo.lda's leremy Mcfuh to Sive Kaw_rsakj's lames Stenrart a litde peybaEk for hlm takinS Hccrafi out tlte previ s we€k d Araheim lll. ln dte firs SuPer- cro6s-clas6 hed race. M.Grad fouM hinEdf on &e inside ol Stewfi throqh *le firn tum and dve him a litde nudge that sent Stewart off *E t.a.k end to ttle baak of the Fak. 'WhEt ttaPPei was ttEt Jarnes had the start, and I carne under- neath him and iust 8a'/e him a litde lc ,/e taP, kind of what he gave me l6t week," Mccralh said. "You can\ get away with it wi$ rto rnedi€ine back. I didnt know the opportunity would corne so quick - one w€ek later and there it b. At l€il it ,a/asn't the rnain €vent like he did to me, I'm sure he's up,6et with rne, I iust €n't let a/erlone do d|at to me, That's all - nothing personal." Stee/an carn€ back to win the race and, along the way, did a litde retaliation of his own, unfor_ tunatey ro the wronS g.ry. Stewan thoqgk thar Chad Reed had punted him off fE track and atutred dte \6rnalE rider hard in a tum and looked over at him. "He lstewanl didn t know it Conrinued on poge 2l I Briefly... 1t -i-;= I I I I I a + - t I 1 I ( \ o: .C fhe reries now heods eoil wilh Cormichoel holding on lo on t l-Point leqd over Slewoit. rE D CYCLE NEWS FEBRUARY 22,2006 19 "l gave it my all the whole time," Carmichael said. 'Anytime I thought I could lay down a fast lap, I would, but obviously I couldn't pull away, and he got by me. You know, he was better than me tonight.'' Even though he didn't win, Carmichael had a couple of positives that came out of the weekend: one, he leaves California with the points lead and, two, he finally got a holeshot, which, for him, has been hard to come b),/ lateb/. "l'm superpumped about the holeshot," Carmichael said. "lt's been a long time and I was a little embarrassed that it had been so long since I'd gotten a holeshot." (Carmichael Pocketed the $1500 Progressive Direct Holeshot Award.) Stewart. on the other hand, had the Team Yamaha's Heath Yo55 ran into some nrorc bad luck at San Diego. Last week Vods retumed to action after *rainint his neck, back ard drcst while practkirE last month, and lle was forEed to sit out again afte.r having a run-in with another ride. durirE San Diego's aftemoon ql-Eliliers. "l 8ot ttle holeshot and out of the first tum, I wert double, double ard sorne 8uy tried to triple efid he landed on rny arm wfien I was taking off for 6e double, ao I f,ew of the last double with rny arm danding. I thoqht he had brEken my arm and 6en I bnd6d on dle front wheel and !1/€rt over the bars. l'4y wllole arm and rny My b *inned, lu&iy, I had it [dI€ afm] X-6yed and iCs not broken. l'm having a tough time right now. l've b6€n takinE stepc backwards" hoperult one of these daF I'll go fonyard again." \ ) 'i |!3r,/ -z I I ) rq_- \l I \