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jetting into the lead at the start of both races. Windham's performance was no surprise, however, as almost everyone knew that it would just be a matter of time before the SoBe/Samsung Mobile/Honda rider was back at the front, dicing for a podium finish. Windham was visibly happy with his performance, especially after making a hard charge up to third in the first moto after a getting a poor start. "This has typically been a track where you could pass wherever you wanted," Windham said. "But they had to do a considerable amount of track work [after a hard rain on Saturday] and there were large piles of mud coming out of the corners. I think we really couldn't utilize more than five or six feet of the track, which made it hard to pass, so I had my work cut out for me. But I was able to pass Reed and keep him behind me. It was tough, because I was getting a lot of dirt in my throat." Windham gated in about 12th in the first moto and quickly moved up to fifth by the end of the first lap, where he worked on Team Kawasaki's Michael Byrne for a lap before making the pass and going after Reed. On lap five, Windham went under Reed heading into a tight, off-camber corner to take over third, a position he would hold to the finish. The Mississippian got off the line much better in the second moto. "I have been having a tough time get- ting the starts I needed," Windham said. "So it was so much easier [moving to the front] in the second moto, after getting a decent start. We have been trying a lot of things to try and get me off the gate. I think a lot of it was a slump, but then we made some gearing changes." Windham got off in third place, behind Millsaps and Carmichael, in the second race, and after Carmichael passed Millsaps on lap two, Windham sized up the younger Honda rider before making a pass of his own, one lap later. From there, Windham ran solo in second for the remainder of the race, finishing some 13 seconds behind Carmichael. Millsap's third overall marked the 450-rookie's third podium finish of the year, and it was made that much easier by his two vaulting starts. "Last year, I got the holeshot here, too," Millsaps said. "This is a good track for holeshots for me. It's downhill and it's not groomed, so I think it is an equal advantage for everyone." During the first moto, after he was C Y C L E N E W S • JULY 26, 2006 23 Kawasaki's James Stewart suffered yet another disappointment at Unadilla, and once again he had to sit one out with injuries. According to Stewart's manager, David Evans, Stewart went down hard in Sunday morning's second practice session and was later complaining of a sore shoul- der and a stiff neck. Team Kawasaki officials were also worried about a possible concussion, which could not be confirmed. It was decided, in light of the fact that Stewart is no longer in the running for the championship, that it would be wise for him to sit out the Unadilla race. Evans said that Stewart's situation would be evaluated over the next few days and that a decision would be made about the Colorado round. Chad Reed also went down in practice and injured his knee. His decision to ride Unadilla was not made until just minutes before the first moto. "It was really wet this morning, but it was just nothing; it was crazy," Reed said of his crash. "It wasn't like I had a big crash to be proud of. It was just a small crash, and I just kind of lost my front a little bit and my ankle caught, and it just twisted my knee right around. I felt a big pop on the inside of my knee. I decided I wasn't going to ride, and then Jimmy [Yamaha's team manager Jim Perry] said, 'Hey, man, remember Daytona'. So I just went out and tried my best. I was sur- prised at the pace I was able to ride and the pace that second and third was at." The big news coming into the race was a new injury suffered by embattled Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Ben Townley. A torn ACL knocked the former MX2 World Champion out for six months; then he returned at Red Bud, only to injure his shoulder practicing at his Florida home. Townley is expected to miss six weeks of action, which would only make him eligible for the final rounds of the season. Meanwhile, Pro Circuit team manager Mitch Pay- ton said Grant Langston is expected to return at the Millville round of the season. Langston is suffering from a nagging wrist injury suffered at the Las Vegas Supercross. Michael Byrne returned to action at Unadilla after spending the past two months recovering from an injured thumb. The Team Kawasaki rider tore three ten- dons in his thumb at the Las Vegas round of the Supercross Series in May. "It's coming along," Byrne said. "It's maybe 70 percent right now, as far as strength goes. It's just good to be back." Byrne went 9-28 for 14th overall. Clark Stiles was also back in action at Unadilla after missing the Red Bud round to be present when his wife, Amy, gave birth to the couple's first child, Morgan. "We had our baby the week before Red Bud, and everything was so new that I bailed out on riding," Stiles said. "It was a little girl, and she weighed eight pounds and six ounces. It kind of puts things in perspective, and everybody said it would. So it is not all just going out and racing and having fun, but it's knowing that you have to provide for them." Team Unbound Energy/Moto XXX has been making waves in the 450 class lately. Team mem- Briefly... Continued on page 25 Kevin Windham looked like his old self at Unadilla, going 3-2 for second overall. In his rookie year in the big-bore class, Millsaps has already been on the podium three times, including Unadilla.