Reed Takes First Night Win At Open
| October 9, 2004
The first evening of racing finished up tonight at the Maxxis U.S. Open in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Going into the race there were a lot of unanswered questions. Namely, just how fast would Ricky Carmichael be on his shiny new factory Suzuki RM250; and would Yamaha’s Chad Reed return to his winning ways in Supercross. Once the gate dropped, those questions were answered in a hurry.
The start of the 250cc class main event saw Carmichael jump out to the early lead with Reed in third but closing fast. By the fourth lap Reed got around Carmichael, the Suzuki rider seemingly letting him by. Then Reed started to pull away, though not by much. Throughout the entire race, Carmichael kept Reed honest but couldn’t quite close the gap. Reed took the win followed by Carmichael and Amsoil/Chaparral/Honda-backed Mike LaRocco, the “Rock” putting in an inspired ride that saw him come from as far back as sixth.
The outcome of the 125cc class was definitely the surprise of the night. When the gate dropped for the main event, Amsoil/Chaparral/Honda rider Greg Schnell grabbed the holeshot with Suzuki’s Davi Millsaps and Thomas Hahn in close pursuit. After four laps, Millsaps moved past Schnell and into the lead, but it didn’t last long. Millsaps bobbled a few laps later, allowing Schnell to get by. Then Millsaps tipped over and effectively ended his chances of winning. At the finish it was Schnell a comfortable distance ahead of his teammate Hahn. Kawasaki rider Troy Adams rounded out the top three.
Racing resumes tomorrow night with the combined total of both nights determining the overall winner in each class.
Results:
250 MAIN: 1. Chad Reed (Yam); 2. Ricky Carmichael (Suz); 3. Mike LaRocco (Hon); 4. Heath Voss (Yam); 5. Nick Wey (Hon); 6. Ernesto Fonseca (Hon); 7. Kyle Lewis (Hon); 8. Jason Thomas (Hon); 9. Damon Huffman (Hon); 10. Sebastian Tortelli (Suz); 11. Josh Hansen (KTM); 12. Keith Johnson (Yam).
125 MAIN: 1. Greg Schnell (Hon); 2. Thomas Hahn (Hon); 3. Troy Adams (Kaw); 4. Brett Metcalfe (Yam); 5. Josh Summey (Yam); 6. Josh Demuth (Yam); 7. Michael Blose (Yam); 8. Cole Seibler (Suz); 9. Davi Millsaps (Suz); 10. Josh Grant (Hon); 11. Tiger Lacey (Hon); 12. Branden Jessemen (Hon).
