RICKY’S BACK WHERE HE BELONGS–MAY 16

Hangtown, CA
Round 1 of 12
(The Journey Begins)

The Nationals picked up where they left off last year with Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart winning once again. Yet things certainly have changed in the seven-month break from the Nationals.

RC (1-1)
Ricky Carmichael destroyed his knee just before the supercross opener in January, leaving him out of race action for the entire supercross series. Skeptics were quick to point out that his time off, coupled with his decision to switch bike manufacturers for next season, would hinder his performance. How wrong the naysayers were, because RC locked down 1-1 moto performances at Hangtown.

BUBBA (1-1)
As for James Stewart, everyone was expecting him to win hands down and finish off with 1-1 moto scores. He did have the perfect day, but it wasn?t as easy as the results show. Stewart had to fend off Stephane Roncada in both motos (more so the second moto), and didn?t wax the competition like he had all 18 motos of last summer. The reasons? The biggest disadvantage that we saw was in the power department. Four-strokes are starting to leave their mark in the 125 class, and Stewart was the lone two-stroke up front at Hangtown. While Bubba decided pre-season to stay on his tried and true KX125, perhaps we?ll see him switch to the potent KX250F by Southwick.

K-DUB SEES BLUE
With Carmichael winning the 250 class, you?d think that Kevin Windham would have been runner-up. Windham proved several times last season that he could oust RC, but at Hangtown the best he could finish was fourth overall. After a strong first moto (where he finished second), K-Dub had his hands full with Chad Reed the second moto. What?s truly ironic is that Windham told us towards the end of the supercross season that he didn?t expect Reed to challenge himself or Carmichael, yet on Sunday Chad Reed got the best of him. Maybe it was an eye-opener for Kevin Windham to see blue in front of him, and it will be interesting to see how he adjusts his riding style for Mt. Morris.

NO MORE IN-N-OUT?
Stephane Roncada, where have you been all year? The likeable Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider had been cruising all supercross season in the wake left by teammate Ivan Tedesco, but RonRon has suddenly come alive. Perhaps Roncada gave James Stewart forewarning in Las Vegas when he gave Bubba a run for his money, because Stephane came out swinging at Hangtown and gave Stewart fits. It was great to see someone actually challenging Bubba for the lead in both motos. What?s best is that Roncada didn?t roll over and die the second moto due to poor conditioning. Who knows, RonRon might have put his In-N-Out Burger fetish on hold.

JOSH WHO?
Remember a month or so ago when we told you that amateur rider Josh Grant was going to be a force to be reckoned with on the professional level sometime soon? Well, Grant scored a ride with the Factory Connection/Honda team and showed up at Hangtown for his first National ever. How did he do? Josh holeshot the opening moto in the 125 class and had upwards of a 10-second lead after only two-and-a-half laps. Unfortunately, he tipped his four-stroke over in a turn and couldn?t fire the bike back up immediately. It might not have been the break Grant was looking for in his first pro race, but expect more from this kid as the season rolls on.

The series continues on Memorial Day weekend (May 30) for round two at Mt. Morris.

MOTO ONE: 125 CLASS
1. James Stewart ………. Kaw
2. Stephane Roncada ………. Kaw
3. Ryan Hughes ………. KTM
4. Mike Brown ………. Yam
5. Eric Sorby ………. Kaw
6. Ivan Tedesco ………. Kaw
7. Steve Lamson ………. Hon
8. Danny Smith ………. Yam
9. Chris Gosselaar ………. Hon
10. Broc Hepler ………. Suz

MOTO TWO: 125 CLASS
1. James Stewart ………. Kaw
2. Stephane Roncada ………. Kaw
3. Broc Hepler ………. Suz
4. Mike Brown ………. Yam
5. Nate Ramsey ………. Hon
6. Ryan Mills ………. Hon
7. Ryan Morais ………. Hon
8. Kelly Smith ………. Yam
9. Chris Gosselaar ………. Hon
10. Brock Sellards ………. Yam

HANGTOWN NATIONAL 125 OVERALL:
1. James Stewart ………. Kaw
2. Stephane Roncada ………. Kaw
3. Mike Brown ………. Yam
4. Broc Hepler ………. Suz
5. Ryan Hughes ………. KTM
6. Nate Ramsey ………. Hon
7. Chris Gosselaar ………. Hon
8. Danny Smith ………. Yam
9. Kelly Smith ………. Yam
10. Eric Sorby ………. Kaw
11. Ryan Mills ………. Hon
12. Sean Collier ………. Hon
13. Ivan Tedesco ………. Kaw
14. Daryl Hurley ………. Suz
15. Steve Lamson ………. Hon
16. Brock Sellards ………. Yam
17. Troy Adams ………. Kaw
18. Paul Carpenter ………. Kaw
19. Brett Metcalfe ………. KTM
20. Levi Reid ………. Suz

MOTO ONE: 250 CLASS
1. Ricky Carmichael ………. Hon
2. Kevin Windham ………. Hon
3. Chad Reed ………. Yam
4. David Vuillemin ………. Yam
5. Sean Hamblin ………. Suz
6. Jean Sebastien Roy ………. Hon
7. Clark Stiles ………. Hon
8. Heath Voss ………. Yam
9. Nick Wey ………. Suz
10. Rusty Holland ………. Hon

MOTO TWO: 250 CLASS
1. Ricky Carmichael ………. Hon
2. David Vuillemin ………. Yam
3. Chad Reed ………. Yam
4. Kevin Windham ………. Hon
5. Damon Huffman ………. Hon
6. Sean Hamblin ………. Suz
7. Jean Sebastien Roy ………. Hon
8. Heath Voss ………. Yam
9. Michael Byrne ………. Kaw
10. Pierre Paget ………. Hon

HANGTOWN NATIONAL 250 OVERALL:
1. Ricky Carmichael ………. Hon
2. David Vuillemin ………. Yam
3. Chad Reed ………. Yam
4. Kevin Windham ………. Hon
5. Sean Hamblin ………. Suz
6. Jean Sebastien Roy ………. Hon
7. Heath Voss ………. Yam
8. Damon Huffman ………. Hon
9. Nick Wey ………. Suz
10. Michael Byrne ………. Kaw
11. Pierre Paget ………. Hon
12. Clark Stiles ………. Hon
13. Ryan Clark ………. Yam
14. Craig Anderson ………. Hon
15. Rusty Holland ………. Hon
16. Jason Thomas ………. Hon
17. Doug DeHaan ………. Yam
18. James Povolny ………. Yam
19. Kyle Lewis ………. Hon
20. Tony Amaradio ………. Hon