CYCLE NEWS Motocross -



.	3/10/01 - EA Sports Supercross Series - Round: 9
.	Pre-Race Notes: Shane Watts has qualified for the 125cc class today in Daytona. He's fresh off a win in the GNCC opener earlier in the week. Grant Langston has qualified for the 250cc class also. Racing begins at 1:00. Weather is intermittent overcast, steady breeze, temp in the 60's. Daytona Beach had some rain on Friday night, not enough to make any mud, but good for keeping the dust to a minimum.
.	125cc Heat #1:
.	... Welcome back to Cycle News Online's Virtual Grandstand! The first 125 heat race includes Mike Brown, Travis Pastrana, Travis Elliott, Kelly Smith, Ben Riddle, Bobby Bonds, Greg Schnell (checking in from the west coast, no points for him today)...Chris Gosselaar... First Heat Race of the day...the 30-second board goes sideways,the gate drops, and today's first holeshot goes to Greg Schnell... Pastrana gates in 4th position...running order is Schnell, Smith, Riddle, Oehlhof, now Pastrana back to 7th...Kelly Smith crashed in the rhythm section...Pastrana jets back up into third... End of lap 1 & Pastrana moves into second, hunting down Schnell to challenge for the lead, Brown has moved to third... Pastrana takes over the lead, passing Schnell around the outside...Riddle is challenging Mike Brown for 3rd... Pastrana and Schnell and opening up a good 4 second gap over Bonds (now in 3rd) and Brown as they begin lap 3.... Running order is Pastrana (now the only 125 jumping the big triple alongside the NASCAR pavement stretch), then Schnell, Bonds, Brown, Riddle, Oehlhof, Gosselaar...end of lap 3 Pastrana running 2 second lead...Bonds crashes at the finish line jump and collected Riddle in that spot...both riders are up and back moving... 5 second lead for Travis Pastrana, looking strong out on the track; Mike Brown has moved up to third...Riddle has gone down again, and once again gets underway... Bonds running back in 5th, Riddle in 7th...white flag comes out for Pastrana, he'll cruise to a solid heat race win...top 9 riders will qualify for the 125 main... As the checkered flag comes out, Travis Pastrana leads the way, doing a "manual" wheelie all the way down the main straightaway, with a can-can over the finish, then followed by Schnell, Brown, Gosselaar, Bonds, Oehlhof, Riddle, Lorusso, Travis Elliott, and Kelly Smith. 1. Travis Pastrana (Suz); 2. Greg Schnell (Yam); 3. Mike Brown (KTM); 4. Chris Gosselaar (Hon); 5. Bobby Bonds (Kaw); 6. Joe Oehlhof (Yam); 7. Ben Riddle (Suz); 8. Tony Lorusso (Suz); 9. Travis Elliott (Hon); 10. Kelly Smith (KTM); 11. Eric Kowalik (Hon); 12. Mark Wundrack (Yam); 13. Michael Campbell (Yam); 14. Davey Yezek (Yam); 15. Steven Onisko (Yam); 16. Karl Scott (Yam); 17. Jon Boruff (Suz); 18. Michael Stevenson (Suz); 19. David Hill (Suz); 20. Antonio Balbi (Yam).
.	125cc Heat #2:
.	... This heat contains Nathan Ramsey, Nick Wey, Brock Sellards, Matt Walker, Tallon Vohland, Paul Currie, Jason Fink, Johnny Marley... Holeshot to Nate Ramsey on the 250F, passed immediately by Tallon Vohland, then Ramsey, Sellards... Voland and Ramsey get to work, moving out just a bit ahead of Sellards to set their battle for the lead... Lap 2 is in the books, and the running order is Vohland, Ramsey, Sellards, Currie, Plotts, Burkhart, Harrington, Wey... Brown has a 2-second lead on Ramsey, not as much as it sounds...Paul Currie crashed on the face of the finish line jump, gets back up...Matt Walker did nearly the same thing... Nate Ramsey tries to pass Vohland over the triples, and crashes in the attempt...how long to restart the 250F?...1-2-3-4-5-6! Six kicks, and Ramsey's back underway... Vohland commands a comfortable lead, now over Sellards now in 2nd...Ramsey running in third... Nick Wey is moving fastest through the pack, he's up to 4th...2 laps to go as Vohland, then Sellards, Ramsey, Wey, Plotts, Harrington, Marley, Hofmeister, Currie are in the transfer positions right now... Tallon Vohland leads by 6 seconds over Sellards as they're shown the white flag...the top group of riders are pretty well stretched out, and the closest raced is between Johnny Marley and Damien Plotts for 6th... Checkered flag comes out, and the order will be Tallon Vohland, Sellards, Ramsey, Wey, Harrington, Marley, Plotts, Currie, Walker. 1. Tallon Vohland (Kaw); 2. Brock Sellards (KTM); 3. Nate Ramsey (Yam); 4. Nick Wey (Yam); 5. Andy Harrington (Yam); 6. Johnny Marley (Hon); 7. Damien Plotts (Hus); 8. Paul Currie (Hon); 9. Matt Walker (Hon); 10. Mark Burkhart (Yam); 11. Tommy Hofmeister (Yam); 12. Keith Johnson (Yam); 13. David Oettel (Yam); 14. Shane Watts (KTM); 15. Thomas Kelly (Suz); 16. Dax Kastrin (Yam); 17. Aaron Stacil (Yam); 18. Paul Perebijnos (Yam); 19. Chris Sweeney (Yam); 20. Jason Fink (Yam).
.	250cc Heat #1:
.	... Some of the riders in this first 250 Heat Race will include Mike LaRocco, Kevin Windham, Sebastien Tortelli, Steve Lamson, Damon Huffman, Grant Langston (riding 250's at Daytona!), Kevin Crine, and Jason Thomas... There are 2 125cc Heat Races today, and 3 250cc Heat Races...the Daytona starting gate is bigger, and they are able to transfer 30 riders to the main events... They're off - holeshot goes to Kevin Windham and Mike LaRocco...Lamson moves into second... Windham, LaRocco, Tortelli lead...Jason Thomas crashes at the end of the whoops section before the finish line jump...Windham alread establishing a big lead, then LaRocco, Tortelli, Lamson, Langston, Povolny... Langston's bike cartwheels off the track as he was trying to hang with Lamson...rode a front-wheelie a ways before he finally augered in like a lawn dart...Langston's back up, but that's the end of his heat race - look for him in the Semi's... Windham leads by approximately 14 seconds, then LaRocco (in 2nd) carries a 6-second lead on Tortelli in 3rd... Kevin Windham continues to extend his lead on the factory Suzuki, while LaRocco, Tortelli, Lamson, Crine, Damon Huffman, Keith Johnson, Marco Dube, Jason Frenette run stretched apart... Three laps remain in this 8-lap heat race...no change in the top running order...Windham riding smooth... White flag is out...running order is still Windham, LaRocco, Tortelli, Lamson, Crine, Huffman, Keith Johnson, and Eddie Ray. and that's the way they finish for the first 250cc Heat Race. 1. Kevin Windham (Suz); 2. Mike LaRocco (Hon); 3. Sebastien Tortelli (Hon); 4. Steve Lamson (Hus); 5. Kevin Crine (Hon); 6. Damon Huffman (Yam); 7. Keith Johnson (Yam); 8. Marco Dube (KTM); 9. Doug DeHaan (Hon); 10. Jason Frenette (Hon); 11. Jeff Baker (Yam); 12. Brian Stone (Kaw); 13. Barry Carsten (Suz); 14. Mike Katin (Yam); 15. Simon Homans (Yam); 16. Eddie Ray (KTM); 17. Brian Mason (Kaw); 18. Chuck Shirley (Yam); 19. Anthony McVeigh (Kaw); 20. Jed Schappert (KTM); 21. Allen Gavlak (Kaw); 22. Bryan McDonald (Yam); 23. Jason McDonald (Suz); 24. Jason Thomas (Hus); 25. Grant Langston (KTM).
.	250cc Heat #2:
.	... Lineup for this one will include Jeremy McGrath, Ezra Lusk, Tim Ferry, Mike Craig, Kyle Lewis, Jean Sebastien Roy, Scott Metz, Ryan Clark, Jamie Brockman, James Povolny, Clark Stiles, Steve Andrich... Holeshot goes to Tim Ferry on the YZ426F followed by Mike Craig, Lewis, and McGrath in 4th... As the pack work its way around, Ferry has a 7-second lead, Kyle Lewis passes Craig, and so does McGrath...Yamahas run in the top 3 spots...Craig's in 4th, and now McGrath passes Lewis for 2nd after the finish line jump... McGrath is on the gas, going after Ferry to start cutting into that 9-second lead...Ferry gets a good look at McGrath as they go by each other on the opposing sections of the course... Lusk is up to 4th, passing Craig to move up...Povolny is running 6th... Running order on the 4th lap is Ferry, McGrath, Lewis, Lusk, Craig, Povolny, Ryan Clark, Roy, Stiles... Ferry's lead is down to 9 seconds, seems to be doing a good job of maintaining that cushion...McGrath is alone in 2nd, Ezra Lusk has come up to within 4 seconds behind MC, riding hard to make it a race with the champ... Lusk is within a couple seconds of McGrath now, and all eyes are focused on that battle shaping up... Running order is Ferry, McGrath, Lusk, Lewis, Craig, Clark... Tim Ferry crashes out while leading - doesn't get up right away, and McGrath inherits the lead! Ferry remounts, and gets the bike restarted, gets back underway in the final transfer spot... White flag is out, and we have a race for the lead, and Lusk seems to be re-energized with the change of events...Lusk is riding hard and taking chances... With a half lap left, it's going to be close...Ezra makes the challenge, and Jeremy keeps it together...to take the checkered flag...it's McGrath, Lusk, Lewis, Craig, Ferry, Craig, Ryan Clark, Roy, Povolny. On the interview, McGrath says "Somebody needs to stop RC, and I think I'm the one to do it." 1. Jeremy McGrath (Yam); 2. Ezra Lusk (Hon); 3. Kyle Lewis (Yam); 4. Tim Ferry (Yam); 5. Mike Craig (Hon); 6. Ryan Clark (Yam); 7. Jean Sebastien Roy (Hon); 8. James Povolny (Hon); 9. Clark Stiles (KTM); 10. Dustin Nelson (Yam); 11. Jimmy Wilson (Yam); 12. Jamie Brockman (Hon); 13. Michael Kann (Yam); 14. Steve Andrich (Hon); 15. Scott Metz (Yam); 16. Lee Rostien (Yam); 17. Jeremias Israel (Hon); 18. Dennis Stapleton (Hon); 19. Billy Nuzzo (Yam); 20. Mike Wilcox (Hon); 21. Kevin Studley (Suz); 22. Nick Walsh (Kaw); 23. Gary Robertson (Suz); 24. Chris Gavlak (Kaw); 25. Kris Papworth (Kaw).
.	250cc Heat #3:
.	... Lineup includes Ricky Carmichael, David Vuillemin, Stephane Roncada, Robbie Reynard, Michael Byrne, Casey Johnson, Heath Voss, Ted Campbell... The holeshot goes to...Vuillemin!...followed by Carmichael, Reynard, Byrne, Casey Johnson...Byrne goes off the track collecting the flag stand... Carmichael snatched the lead away as the pack enters the long triple-whoop-double-whoop section...Vuillemin crashes on the way into the back section & hands 2nd to Reynard...Roncada moves to 3rd Vuillemin remounts in 5th...Carmichael pins it out to 4-second lead, followed by Reynard, Roncada, Vuillemin, Casey Johnson, Voss, Ted Campbell... Carmichael's lead is now 7 seconds...the next time around will bring out the crossed halfway flags for him... Ricky Carmichael still leads at the halfway point, while Reynard's putting in a solid ride, about 3-4 seconds over Carmichael's Kawasaki teammate Stephane Roncada...Vuillemin is next... Vuillemin pushes the pace with Roncada, and they both now move past Reynard - that makes the running order now Carmichael, Roncada & Vuillemin...Reynard faded after that pass like a set of drapes in $20 motel room... Carmichael sees the white flag, and will put a lock on this heat race win... The checkered flag comes out, and Ricky Carmichael checks out as the first one across...the following spots go to David Vuillemin, Roncada (who seems to have fallen a ways back from Vuillemin in the final lap), Reynard, Casey Johnson, Voss. 1. Ricky Carmichael (Kaw); 2. David Vuillemin (Yam); 3. Stephane Roncada (Kaw); 4. Robbie Reynard (Yam); 5. Casey Johnson (Kaw); 6. Heath Voss (Hon); 7. Michael Byrne (Kaw); 8. Ted Campbell (Suz); 9. Scott Graves (Yam); 10. Jered Black (Yam); 11. Forrest Butler (Hon); 12. Daniel Pepoon (Suz); 13. Ben Graves (Hon); 14. Ross Johnston (Yam); 15. Hans Neel (Hon); 16. Brian Smith (KTM); 17. Robert McWhorter (KTM); 18. Matt Gronowicz (Suz); 19. Ryan McHale (Suz); 20. Jake Davis (Hon); 21. Buddy Brooks (Suz); 22. Ben Asaff (Kaw); 23. Travis Crowell (Kaw); 24. Chris Brown (Hon); 25. Joe Pepicello (Kaw).
.	125cc Last Chance:
.	... Tommy Hofmeister jumps out into the lead in the 125 LCQ... The lead group settles out to be Hofmeister, David Hill, Keith Johnson, Eric Kowalik...KTM's Kelly Smith running mid-pack, trying to fight his way up to the transfer spots... Keith Johnson has moved into second, puts Hill back into third... The win goes to Hofmeister, then Johnson, and Hill, the Thomas Kelley and David Oettel. Kelly Smith doesn't make the transfer, neither does off-road ace Shane Watts... 1. Tommy Hofmeister (Yam); 2. Keith Johnson (Yam); 3. David Hill (Suz); 4. Thomas Kelley (Suz); 5. David Oettel (Yam); 6. Dax Kastrin (Yam); 7. Steven Onisko (Yam); 8. Shane Watts (KTM); 9. Kelly Smith (KTM); 10. Michael Stevenson (Suz).
.	250cc Semi #1:
.	... Holeshot to Damon Huffman, passed by Ryan Clark around the second corner...Huffman makes a bid back for the lead, and the battle all around the first lap...Huffman gets the lead, and attempts to get some distance... Running order is Damon Huffman, Ryan Clark, Keith Johnson, Jason Thomas, and Grant Langston... Langston moves up to 4th, Thomas 5th, then Doug DeHaan in 6th... Damon Huffman maintains a 5-second lead over Clark, and Grant Langston is all over Keith Johnson, and makes the pass for third right at the finish line jump...halfway flag is out... Grant Langston moves into second, passing Ryan Clark...at this pace, the 125cc World Champion is going to catch Damon Huffman... Huffman only has 2 seconds on Langston as the KTM rider wicks it around the sandy back section of the course...he's within striking distance... As they cross the fiishi line jump, the white flag comes out for the leaders...this is Langston's first 250cc race in the US...Huffman's doing all he can to keep ahead... Last opportunity as Langston makes his bid on Huffman - close - but not close enough, and Damon Huffman wins the semi, followed by Langston, then Ryan Clark, James Povolny, Doug DeHaan, Jason Thomas, and Marco Dube. 1. Damon Huffman (Yam); 2. Grant Langston (KTM); 3. Ryan Clark (Yam); 4. James Povolny (Hon); 5. Doug DeHaan (Hon); 6. Jason Thomas (Hus); 7. Marco Dube (KTM); 8. Brian Stone (Kaw); 9. Barry Carsten (Suz); 10. Keith Johnson (Yam).
.	250cc Semi #2:
.	... Some of the riders lined up for this heat race include Heath Voss, Michael Byrne, Jean Sebastien Roy, Ted Campbell, Scott Graves, Scott Stiles, Jered Black, Forrest Butler, Jimmy Wilson, and Daniel Pepoon Jr... Holeshot will go to Clark Stiles, followed by Voss, and Hans Neil... Heath Voss moves to the front, and leads by 5 seconds at the end of the first lap...Stiles holds down 2nd, followed by Byrne, Campbell, and Hans Neel... Neel passes Campbell to move to 4th... Byrne spectacularly tossed the bike away, looping it in the air just before the finish line jump...seems to be his favorite patch of real estate today for some reason - he'll have another chance in the LCQ... Halfway flag is shown to Voss, followed by Roy, Stiles, Campbell, Wilson, Byrne... Clark Stiles hits the ground, gives up third to Campbell, gets back up and underway... Heath Voss sees the white flag, followed by Roy, Campbell, Byrne, Wilson, and Stiles... The hard charge is happening with Ted Campbell and Michael Byrne, both of them on the gas to ensure a last lap transfer spot... The semi win goes to Heath Voss, 2nd to Jean Sebastien Roy, Byrne 3rd and holding off Campbell who finishes 4th. 1. Heath Voss (Hon); 2. Jean Sebastien Roy (Hon); 3. Michael Byrne (Kaw); 4. Ted Campbell (Suz); 5. Jimmy Wilson (Yam); 6. Clark Stiles (KTM); 7. Michael Kann (Yam); 8. Scott Metz (Yam); 9. Hans Neel (Hon); 10. Scott Graves (Yam).
.	250cc Last Chance:
.	... Eddie Ray rails his KTM into the lead...Brian Stone takes it away...only the top 3 will see action in the main event... Brian Stone leads as the last group of 250cc hopefuls complete the first lap...Marco Dube is 2nd, followed by Stiles, Carsten, and Aussie Jamie Brockman... Second lap of this 4-lap 250LCQ, and Brian Stone works to ensure his spot on the main gate...he has a 3-second lead over Dube, followed by Brockman... Dube gains to within a second of Stone through the whoops section along the pavement, Stone is about to have a battle on his hands...Stiles is doing well alone in third... White flag is out - Stone has this one down cold, as he's extended his lead over Dube, and takes the win...Brockman crashed in the final set of whoops, and the third place transfer spot goes to Keith Johnson. 1. Brian Stone (Kaw); 2. Marco Dube (KTM); 3. Keith Johnson (Yam); 4. Barry Carsten (Suz); 5. Jamie Brockman (Hon); 6. Jason Frenette (Hon); 7. Jeffrey Baker (Yam); 8. Dennis Stapleton (Hon); 9. Scott Metz (Yam); 10. Eddie Ray (KTM).
.	125cc Main Event:
.	... Fifteen laps are ahead of those lucky enough to have made the Daytona 125 main...Deep grooves are worn in now coming out of the starting gate, and the riders are doing their housekeeping to prepare their lines for the launch. Reports are of rain down at the beach and moving this way...the breeze at the track is blowing from that direction, and the clouds are coming in. We'll see if the pleasant conditions hold out - Riders are gridding into their starting positions...everyone's in place, and the 30-second board is up...elbows up... The board goes sideways, the gate falls, and the 125 holeshot goes to...Nick Wey...Ramsey, Brown, Gosselaar... The Yamaha of Troy teammates of Ramsey and Wey lead early, but now Brown comes up to split 'em for second place...Pastrana is moving up, and displaces Wey to take over 3rd... Ramsey leads on the YZ250F, but Mike Brown is taking the Pro Circuit Kawasaki alongside as they pound their way around to start the second lap... Brown moves alongside, and Pastrana comes up too! Travis Pastrana passes Mike Brown for second, and tries a move on Ramsey...will he make it - ?...yes...no...Ramsey uses the HP advantage to holdhim off... Ramsey drops the 4-stroke to lose the lead to Pastrana!...The Suzuki ace has about 10 bike lengths on Mike Brown, followed by his Pro Circuit Kawasaki teammates of Vohland and Bonds... Running order at the start of the 4th lap is Pastrana, Brown, Vohland, Bonds, Wey, Sellards, Schnell, Currie, Ramsey... Pastrana has already extended a big lead of 6 seconds while Vohland and Mike Brown dice for 2nd... Ramsey is on the gas, riding hard to get back up closer to the podium group...he's the only rider in this race besides Pastrana to be doing the triples along the pavement straight section... We're on lap number 7 of 15, Brown is still pressing Vohland for 2nd, Pastrana's some 13 seconds ahead of those two...then it's another long way back to Wey who's beginning to get some pressure from his YoT teammate Ramsey... Best race near the front is between the Pro Circuit Kawasaki teammates Vohland and Brown, then another teammate battle happening between Yamaha of Troy riders Nick Wey and Nate Ramsey...no position changes, but fun to watch... Travis Pastrana is cutting through lapped riders like Hannibal Lechter through...well, never mind...he's putting another one in the books. Ramsey does the triple to roll up on his teammate and get into that 4th place passing position... Ramsey and Wey make contact, still no change in position with these guys - they aren't taking each other out, but they're not giving each other an inch either...Vohland and Brown have the same situation happening in their race for second... It's 18 seconds now from Travis Pastrana up front, back to Tallon Vohland in 2nd place, Vohland is still doing a good job of maintaining the runner-up spot with a small gap on his teammate Mike Brown. The best race on the track is between Wey and Ramsey, much of the debate about the parity of the 250F vs. the 125's is in evidence right now as Ramsey cannot seem to reel in Wey. Both bikes seem to have their spots on the track, but Wey's not giving anything up... Running order as the white flag comes out, is Pastrana, Vohland, Brown, Wey, Ramsey, Sellards, Schnell, Currie... Not much suspense with Pastrana, but Brown finally makes the pass on teammate Vohland right after the big finish line jump to move into second...don't expect Vohland to let that stand... Pastrana pulls a huge Starboyz-style "manual" wheelie all the way down the bumpy final straight, rips a heel-clicker off the last big whoop, and whips a huge nac-nac over the finish...at the finish it's Brown holding off Vohland for second, then Wey and Ramsey in 4th and 5th...after that it's Sellards, Schnell, Currie, Bonds, and Ben Riddle. 1. Travis Pastrana (Suz); 2. Mike Brown (Kaw); 3. Tallon Vohland (Kaw); 4. Nick Wey (Yam); 5. Nate Ramsey (Yam); 6. Brock Sellards (KTM); 7. Greg Schnell (Yam); 8. Paul Currie (Hon); 9. Bobby Bonds (Kaw); 10. Ben Riddle (Suz); 11. Travis Elliott (Hon); 12. Chris Gosselaar (Hus); 13. Matt Walker (Hon); 14. Keith Johnson (Yam); 15. Joseph Oehlhof (Yam); 16. Damien Plotts (Hus); 17. Tony Lorusso (Suz); 18. Andy Harrington (Yam); 19. Thomas Hofmaster (Yam); 20. Johnny Marley (Hon); 21. Thomas Kelley (Suz); 22. David Hill (Suz). Margin of Victory: 11.70 seconds 125cc Eastern Point Standings: 1. Nathan Ramsey (83); 2. Travis Pastrana (82/3 wins); 3. Mike Brown (82); 4. Nick Wey (74); 5. Brock Sellards (66); 6. Tallon Vohland (50); 7. Travis Elliott (49); 8. Matt Walker (42); 9. Kelly Smith (38); 10. Ben Riddle (37).
.	250cc Main Event:
.	... The 250cc aces are finishing up their parade lap...parts of the rough Daytona Supercross course have developed deep ruts and grooves, and the riders are taking their time to see where the lines have changed since their last time out...no rain yet, and it looks like we'll get this one away without any mud worries... The 30-second board is sideways, the gate is down, and the holeshot goes to...Ricky Carmichael!...followed by Tortelli, Ferry... Vuillemin, Lusk, Roncada, Windham pursue, McGrath came through the first few turns' melee in 12th... Roncada crashed HARD over the first set of triples, that'll see the replay footage on ESPN2... Running order as we start lap 2 will be Carmichael, Ferry, Tortelli, Lusk, Vuillemin, Windham, LaRocco, McGrath, Langston, Lewis...Roncada's still down, may have some damage after that crash... Carmichael's already trying to check out with a 6-second lead & riding on a tear...Ferry still riding strong in second - two Florida natives riding at the front... Tortelli holds down third, Lusk 4h, then Vuillemin, Windham, LaRocco, and McGrath...MC nearly crashed trying to get by LaRocco, but recovered... Lusk passes Honda teammate Tortelli to move up to third, Vuillemin also passes the red Frenchman to get into 4th...that puts Tortelli back to 5th in short order... McGrath is still back in 8th, pushing hard to improve his position...Carmichael's carrying an extending points lead off into the sunset... Carmichael leads, blowing by lappers now, Ferry's holding down 2nd, Lusk's a couple seconds back in 3rd, then Vuillemin's solid in 4th, and then Larocco, Windham, and McGrath are running 5-6-7 close together... A 13-second lead is Ricky Carmichael's advantage, now the battle for second is heating up as Ezra Lusk comes alongside and passes Tim Ferry for second - and Ferry takes it back!... Ferry feeds Lusk a big roost off the backsides of the jumps trying to deny him from second - Lusk goes by anyway and appears to keep the 2nd place spot this time... Good news...Stephane Roncada is up and moving, his race is done for the day... Halfway point of the race, Mike LaRocco is giving Tim Ferry a run for third - he lines up the pass and jumps by over the straightaway triple jumps...them move unsettles Ferry, who cases one of the jumps and comes up short... Michael Byrne tosses his bike away one more time on the lead-in to the finish line jump...he won't have any more races today to enjoy that jump, he's likely seen enough of that patch of dirt for one day... Third place belongs to LaRocco now, Carmichael has a 16-second lead and is lapping his way deep into the field... McGrath is running in 6th position... Lusk continues to run 2nd, Mike LaRocco 3rd, Vuillemin 4th, Ferry 5th, McGrath 6th... Carmichael's still running a punishing pace, with the condition of the course he's getting the back end kicked up on the way into some of the corners, riding the front wheel into the apex...scary fast... Lap 17 (of 20) is underway, Ricky Carmichael is getting ready to cash the bonus check for winning the Daytona Supercross - still maintaining a 16-second gap... Best race happening is the one for second place - Ezra Lusk has Mike LaRocco all over his back fender, LaRocco's been staying strong as the race has worn on... Lap 18, and LaRocco put the pass on Lusk, and made it stick, pulling away from his teammate... Running order is Carmichael, LaRocco, Lusk, Vuillemin, Ferry, McGrath, Windham, Tortelli, Voss... Carmichael gets the white flag, and the Daytona crowd in the grandstands anticipates his salute on the last time around... LaRocco has moved up somewhat in a never-say-die attempt to catch Carmichael...but it'll be Ricky Carmichael taking the win! LaRocco comes through in 2nd, then Lusk, Vuillemin, Ferry, McGrath, Windham, Tortelli. *Tune in tomorrow for Cycle News Online's exclusive Virtual Grandstand coverage of the Daytona 200 by Arai, at 1:30pm EST. Thanks for watching. 1. Ricky Carmichael (Kaw); 2. Mike LaRocco (Hon); 3. Ezra Lusk (Hon); 4. David Vuillemin (Yam); 5. Tim Ferry (Yam); 6. Jeremy McGrath (Hon); 7. Kevin Windham (Suz); 8. Sebastien Tortelli (Hon); 9. Heath Voss (Hon); 10. Damon Huffman (Yam); 11. Kyle Lewis (Yam); 12. Jean Sebastien Roy (Hon); 13. Steve Lamson (Hus); 14. Jason Thomas (Hus); 15. Keith Johnson (Yam); 16. Michael Byrne (Kaw); 17. Doug DeHaan (Hon); 18. Ryan Clark (Yam); 19. Marco Dube (KTM); 20. Brian Stone (Kaw); 21. James Povolny (Hon); 22. Jimmy Wilson (Yam); 23. Casey Johnson (Kaw); 24. Ted Campbell (Suz); 25. Clark Stiles (KTM); 26. Grant Langston (KTM); 27. Robbie Reynard (Yam); 28. Kevin Crine (Hon); 29. Mike Craig (Hon); 30. Stephane Roncada (Kaw). Margin of Victory: 6.20 seconds 250cc Point Standings: 1. Ricky Carmichael (217); 2. Jeremy McGrath (191); 3. Mike LaRocco (171); 4. Kevin Windham (135); 5. Ezra Lusk (142); 6. David Vuillemin (134); 7. Stephane Roncada (108); 8. Tim Ferry (101); 9. Sebastien Tortelli (179); 10. Nick Wey (162).

.	Broadcast By: Kory Klinger, Mark Thome Spotter: Roger Larsen, Nick McCabe Photos By: