Monday, July 22

RC and Bubba do it Again

By B.J. Smith
MotoWorld.com

NEW BERLIN, NY, (July 21, 2002) - Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart put the hurt on their respective fields once again. For Carmichael, it was another day at the office of the record books. The Honda rider broke Mark Barnett's record of 14 consecutive national moto victories and tied Bob Hannah's record of eight consecutive overall national wins. As for James Stewart in the 125cc class, well, he's on his way toward the same records.

RC now has 16 moto victories in a row and eight overalls.

The fastest times of the day - by far - were put in by Honda's Ricky Carmichael as he continued to carve his name in the AMA record books every time he throws a leg over a dirt bike. At Unadilla, "RC" tied a 23-year old record with another overall 250cc class motocross win - his eighth straight in eight races this season. His 1-1 finish in the two moto format also extended his moto win streak to 16-straight. And joining Carmichael on the podium at Unadilla were Yamaha's Tim Ferry in second and Factory Connection Honda's Mike LaRocco in third.

"Things are going real well," said Carmichael. "I can honestly say that I'm not getting caught up in all these records, or the streak. My CR 250's running great and my goal, as it has been from the beginning, is to win the overall title."

The best racing on the day came in the 125 class as rookie phenom James Stewart (Kawasaki) overcame some mid-race charges by Australian Chad Reed (Yamaha) in the first moto and Branden Jesseman (Suzuki) in the second moto to capture the overall title and put a 65-point cushion between he and Reed in the overall 125 title chase.

Stewart, experiencing his first race ever at the legendary grounds of Unadilla, was smiling through out the entire weekend, especially after holding off charges by Reed and Jesseman to take the 125 overall. "I think we gave the fans some great racing today," said Stewart. "And I couldn't help but think of all the legendary racers that have battled here over the years. I definitely enjoyed my experience here this weekend at Unadilla."

Rounding out the podium in the 125 class were Jesseman in second and Reed in third.

The Unadilla round of the AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Championships enjoyed another massive crowd on Sunday in New Berlin, NY. And the riders of the greatest motorcycle racing series on the planet did not disappoint the 22,686 in attendance as the racing was fast and furious and a number of records were set or tied on the afternoon.

"This was third largest crowd of all time," said NPG member Greg Robinson, who's family promotes the Unadilla Outdoor National. (Note: The largest Unadilla crowd was in 1984 when more than 24,000 were in attendance.) "We made a number of improvements to the facility this year, including not allowing amateurs to run on the pro track prior to Sunday's event. Because of that I think our track was the best condition it's been in some time. I heard a lot of favorable comments from a number of the riders."

The Outdoor Nationals make its next stop on Sunday, July 28st, at Washougal MX Park in Washougal, Wash.

250cc National:

1. Ricky Carmichael - Honda
2. Tim Ferry - Yamaha
3. Mike LaRocco - Honda
4. Sebastien Tortelli - Honda
5. Ezra Lusk - Kawasaki
6. Josh Coppins - Honda
7. Robbie Reynard - Honda
8. Kyle Lewis - Honda
9. Nathan Ramsey - Honda
10. Heath Voss - Honda
11. Damien Plotts - Honda
12. Steve Lamson - Husqvarna
13. Guy Cooper - KTM
14. Jean Sebastian Roy - Honda
15. Ryan Clark - Yamaha
16. Nicholas Wey - Yamaha
17. Stephane Roncada - Kawasaki
18. John Dowd - KTM
19. Keith S. Johnson - KTM
20. Ty Wallace - Yamaha

Point standings (after eight of 12 rounds):

1. Ricky Carmichael - 400
2. Tim Ferry - 307
3. Ezra Lusk - 285
4. Sebastien Tortelli - 276
5. Kyle Lewis - 219

125cc National:

1. James Stewart, Jr. - Kawasaki
2. Branden Jesseman - Suzuki
3. Chad Reed - Yamaha
4. Matt Walker - Kawasaki
5. Danny Smith - Suzuki
6. Ernesto Fonseca - Honda
7. Michael Byrne - Honda
8. Travis Preston - Honda
9. Buddy Antunez - Suzuki
10. Ben Townley - KTM
11. Damon Huffman - Suzuki
12. David Pingree - KTM
13. Andrew Short - Husqvarna
14. Eric Sorby - Kawasaki
15. Christopher Gosselaar - Honda
16. Justin Buckelew - Suzuki
17. Josh Demuth - Yamaha
18. Larry Ward - Yamaha
19. Paul Currie - Suzuki
20. Casey Johnson - Honda

Point standings (after eight of 12 rounds):

1. James Stewart - 337
2. Chad Reed - 272
3. Branden Jesseman - 254
4. Ernesto Fonseca - 242
5. Danny Smith - 227