CARMICHAEL OUTLASTS MCGRATH AT SAN DIEGO

Ricky Carmichael proved that it pays to be in top shape even in supercross. He simply outlasted Jeremy McGrath in one of the closest and most hard fought battles in recent supercross history. It was round two of the EA Sports Supercross Series at San Diego’s Qualcom Stadium, and over 60,000 fans saw Carmichael put himself into a tie for the series points lead with McGrath. Right from the start it was clear that the battle was between those two riders. Both won their heats easily. In the main, Kevin Windham bumped bars with the two of them for a couple of laps, but then it turned into a two-way battle. McGrath seemed to have the race under control at first; he was riding smoothly while Carmichael was pushing the limit. Several times, Carmichael would force his way into the lead only to see McGrath take it back in the very next turn. But McGrath could never get away, and Carmichael seemed to get stronger and stronger with every lap. After the halfway point, McGrath bobbled and allowed Carmichael to open a small gap. From there on, McGrath was never able to make another serious challenge for the lead. In the meantime, Ezra Lusk and Mike LaRocco were waging their own war for third. Eventually LaRocco got away and in the final laps of the race, he actually caught and passed McGrath for second. Travis Pastrana had a disappointing night, crashing hard on the first lap of the main and never getting remounted.

At first, the 125 race looked to be more evidence that the YZ250F is more than a match for two-stroke 125s. Ernesto Fonseca won his heat and was looking great in the early laps of the main. Then, in a scene that looked like a flashback from Doug Henry in 1998, he stalled the motor and spent a half lap trying to restart. In the meantime, Justin Buckelew was looking great in front, with Danny Smith and Rodrig Thain battling for second. Eventually, Fonseca caught back up to fourth, only to stall out again. Buckelew went on to win his first main event with Smith in second.

250 Results

1. Ricky Carmichael – Kaw
2. Mike LaRocco – Hon
3. Jeremy McGrath – Yam
4. Ezra Lusk – Hon
5. Kevin Windham – Suz
6. David Vuillemin – Yam
7. Nathan Ramsey – Yam
8. Tim Ferry – Yam
9. Robbie Reynard – Yam
10. Nick Wey – Yam
11. Michael Byrne – Kaw
12. Casey Johnson – Kaw
13. Damon Huffman ?Yam
14. Mike Brown – Kaw
15. Stephane Roncada – Kaw

125 West Results

1. Justin Buckelew – Yam
2. Danny Smith – Suz
3. Rodrig Thain – Suz
4. Shae Bentley – Kaw
5. Jiri Dostal – Hon
6. David Pingree – KTM
7. Tyler Evans – Hon
8. Grant Langston – KTM
9. Casey Lytle – Kaw
10. Ivan Tedesco – Hon

250 Point Standings

1. Jeremy McGrath–45
2. Ricky Carmichael–45
3. Ezra Lusk–40
4. Mike LaRocco — 40
5. David Vuillemin –30
6. Kevin Windham — 29
7. Nathan Ramsey — 24
8. Nick Wey — 23
9. Stephane Roncada — 20
10. Travis Pastrana–17

125 West Point Standings

1. Justin Buckelew — 45
2. Danny Smith –44
3. Rodrig Thain –34
4. David Pingree–34
5. Ernesto Fonseca
6. Shae Bentley — 33
7. Ivan Tedesco–27
8. Tyler Evans–27
9. Jiri Dostal –26
10. Casey Lytle–24