American Honda’s Ricky Carmichael continued his domination of the AMA Supercross Series, tying Jeff Stanton’s Daytona International Speedway record with his fourth win in a row, this one coming on a muddy and rutted course.
Carmichael gated well, taking the lead early on the first of 20 laps. Once in the lead, he steadily pulled away, the track drying slightly as the race wore on, but still heavily rutted from nearly a week’s rain.
Halfway in Carmichael had an 8.816 second lead over Yamaha’s Chad Reed which he stretched to 14.501 at the end, lapping everyone but the podium trio. Yamaha’s Tim Ferry was third.
“Lapping through fourth and up to third is pretty damn good,” the Floridian Carmichael said of the win in front of a partisan crowd. “It feels good to be up here in front of the hometown crowd.”
The Australian Reed, who now makes his home in Florida, said Carmichael was untouchable today.
“I was trying, but obviously it wasn’t enough,” Reed said. “Ricky (Carmichael) rode a great race and I say congratulations.” Reed added that Carmichael’s experience in the mud paid off.
“Ricky (Carmichael) pretty much smoked me so I’ve got to go back and put my head down and work harder,” Reed said.
The win, Carmichael’s seventh of the year and fourth in a row, padded his AMA Supercross Series championship points lead to 25, 235 to 210, with six rounds remaining. Third continues to be held by Yamaha’s David Vuillemin at 169, who didn’t race the main. The Frenchman crashed into the face of a jump in his heat, slumping on the track. He was taken to Halifax Medical Center with internal injuries and respiratory difficulties.
Tim Ferry consolidated his fourth place in the standings with 163 points.
“The track was brutal today,” Ferry, another Floridian, said. “I didn’t get the best of starts, worked my way up to third.”
Amsoil/Chaparral/Honda’s Travis Preston was fourth after taking the spot from Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki’s Ezra Lusk late in the race.
The 125 Eastern Regional Supercross went to Team Pro Circuit/Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki’s Mike Brown (bottom photo).
The veteran Tennessean took the lead after Red Bull KTM’s Brett Metcalfe fell out of the lead on the third of 15 laps right in front of Brown. Brown slowed, then rode over Metcalfe’s fallen KTM.
A lap later Team SoBe Suzuki’s Branden Jesseman was in the lead, only to lose it with a front end washout on the seventh lap. Jesseman only lost one spot, moving back past ECC Suzuki’s Shae Bentley on the ninth lap, the finishing order then set.
“This is one of the roughest tracks and one of the hardest to win on and probably most prestigious to win,” Brown said. “I’m glad to win this in my career.”
Brown’s first win of the year moves him to within five points of Jesseman in the 125 Eastern Regional point standings. With three rounds to go, Jesseman leads Brown 92 to 87. Boost Mobile Yamaha/Troy Racing’s Brock Sellards, fourth today, is third with 79 points.
“It’s great to have the points lead for sure,” Jesseman said. “I just want to go back and so some more work because I feel like I can go faster, but I just got to get more time on the bike.”
Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida Results: March 8, 2003 (Round 10 of 16)
250 HEAT 1: 1. Josh Woods (KTM); 2. Joaquim Rodrigues (Yam); 3. Travis Preston (Hon); 4. Damon Huffman (Hon); 5. Damon Huffman (Hon); 6. Tyler Evans (Suz); 7. Clark Stiles (Hon); 8. Joseph Oehlhof (Hon); 9. Scott Metz (Suz); 10. Jason Thomas (Hon); 11. Brandon Butler (Suz); 12. David Vuillemin (Yam); 13. Jamie Brockman (Suz); 14. Dave Castillo (Yam); 15. Chad Sanner (Kaw); 16. Spencer Hill (Yam); 17. Davis Guimaraes (Yam); 18. Whispern Smith (Hon); 19. Chris Shellenberger (Hon); 20. Kirk Layfield (Hon); 21. Gary Bruce (Hon); 22. Matt Shue (KTM); 23. Ryan Clark (Yam); 24. Doug Dehaan (Hon).
Margin of victory: 0.230 secs.
250 HEAT 2: 1. Ezra Lusk (Kaw); 2. Chad Reed (Yam); 3. Larry Ward (Hon); 4. Sean Hamblin (Suz); 5. Heath Voss (Yam); 6. Brian Mason (Yam); 7. R Farnell (Hon); 8. Jimmy Wilson (Yam); 9. Ron Walton (Hon); 10. Austin Squires (Yam); 11. Cory Young (Yam); 12. Forrest Butler (Suz); 13. Matthew Jakan (Hon); 14. Jeremy Cook (Yam); 15. Ronnie Ramiscal (Hon); 16. M Waldele (Yam); 17. Kevin Blalock (Hon); 18. Tim Hawthorne (Yam); 19. Ross Johnston (Yam); 20. Jamey Grosser (Hon); 21. Keith Seeger (Yam); 22. Allen Gavlak (Kaw); 23. Gary Harvin (Hon); 24. Ryan Kelley (Hon); 25. Kenneth Garcia (Hon).
Time: 11 mins., 1.285 secs.
Margin of victory: 23.089 secs.
250 HEAT 3: 1. Ricky Carmichael (Hon); 2. Danny Smith (Suz); 3. Nick Wey (Yam); 4. Keith Johnson (Yam); 5. Paul Carpenter (Hon); 6. James Povolny (Hon); 7. Greg Schnell (Yam); 8. Ernesto Fonseca (Hon); 9. Jon Boruff (Hon); 10. J Fernandez (Yam); 11. Barry Carsten (Suz); 12. B. Karsten Butler (Suz); 13. Andy Mathieu (KTM); 14. S Homans (Yam); 15. Scott Davis (Suz); 16. Kris Papworth (Kaw); 17. Brad Gilmour (Hon); 18. Martin Leum (KTM); 19. Terry Fontenot (KTM); 20. Mark Cyphers (Suz); 21. Andrew Short (Suz); 22. Scott Graves (KTM); 23. D Kain (Hon); 24. J Pries (Yam).
Margin of victory: 35.981 secs.
SEMI 1 (6 laps, 1-5 transfer): 1. Tyler Evans (Suz); 2. Clark Stiles (Hon); 3. Jason Thomas (Hon); 4. Joseph Oehlhof (Hon); 5. Doug Dehaan (Hon); 6. Ryan Clark (Yam); 7. Scott Metz (Suz); 8. Cory Young (Yam); 9. Chad Sanner (Kaw); 10. Spencer Hill (Yam); 11. Brandon Butler (Suz); 12. Ronnie Ramiscal (Hon); 13. Ron Walton (Hon); 14. Whispern Smith (Hon); 15. Jamie Brockman (Suz); 16. Matthew Jakan (Yam); 17. Davis Guimaraes (Yam); 18. Dave Castillo (Yam); 19. Keith Seeger (Yam); 20. Ross Johnston (Yam); 21. Mark Waldele (Yam); 22. Matt Shue (KTM); 23. Kirk Layfield (Hon); 24. Chris Shellenberger (Hon); 25. Gary Bruce (Hon); 26. Gary Harvin (Hon).
Time: 7 mins., 48.595 secs.
Margin of victory: 1 lap.
SEMI 2 (6 laps, 1-5 transfer): 1. Ernesto Fonseca (Hon); 2. James Povolny (Hon); 3. Scott Davis (Suz); 4. Greg Schnell (Yam); 5. Barry Carsten (Suz); 6. Andrew Short (Suz); 7. Jerimias Fernandez (Yam); 8. Austin Squires (Yam); 9. Jimmy Wilson (Yam); 10. Kris Papworth (Kaw); 11. S Homans (Yam); 12. Scott Graves (KTM); 13. Forrest Butler (Suz); 14. Tim Hawthorne (Yam); 15. B Karsten Butler (Suz); 16. Andy Mathieu (KTM); 17. Brian Mason (Yam); 18. Jon Boruff (Hon); 19. Jeremy Cook (Yam); 20. Brad Gilmour (Hon); 21. Kevin Blalock (Hon); 22. D Kain (Hon); 23. Jamey Grosser (Hon); 24. Martin Leum (KTM); 25. Ryan Kelley (Hon); 26. Allen Gavlak (Kaw); 27. Terry Fontenot (KTM); 28. Mark Cyphers (Suz); 29. Justin Pries (Yam).
Time: 7 mins., 46.523 secs. Margin of victory: 22.214 secs. 250 MAIN: 1. Ricky Carmichael (Hon); 2. Chad Reed (Yam); 3. Tim Ferry (Yam); 4. Travis Preston (Hon); 5. Ezra Lusk (Kaw); 6. Danny Smith (Suz); 7. Nick Wey (Yam); 8. Larry Ward (Hon); 9. Heath Voss (Yam); 10. Sean Hamblin (Suz); 11. Ernesto Fonseca (Hon); 12. Keith Johnson (Yam); 13. Paul Carpenter (Yam); 14. Ryan Clark (Yam); 15. Tyler Evans (Suz); 16. Jason Thomas (Yam); 17. Doug Dehaan (Hon); 18. Joe Oehlhof (Hon); 19. Clark Stiles (Hon); 20. Barry Carsten (Suz); 21. Greg Schnell (Yam); 22. James Povolny (Hon); 23. Jimmy Wilson (Yam); 24. Damon Huffman (Hon); 25. Scott Metz (Suz).
Margin of victory: 14.501 secs. Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida
Results: March 8, 2003 (Round 4)
125 HEAT 1 (6 laps, 1-9 transfer): 1. Brock Sellards (Yam); 2. Michael Brown (Kaw); 3. Troy Adams (Yam); 4. Steve Boniface (KTM); 5. Paul Currie (Yam); 6. Matthieu Lalloz (Suz); 7. Joshua Summey (Yam); 8. Michael Blose (Yam); 9. Jeremy Chaussee (Yam); 10. Clinton Shealy (Suz); 11. Adam Cini (Yam); 12. Tiger Lacey (Yam); 13. Casey Clark (Yam); 14. Colt Humphrey (Yam); 15. Michael Kann (Yam); 16. Kevin Johnson (Yam); 17. Nicholas Burns (Yam); 18. Adam Stancil (Yam); 19. Roy Horton (Suz).
Time: 7 mins., 48.071 secs.
Margin of victory: 6.168 secs.
125 HEAT 2 (6 laps, 1-9 transfer): 1. Branden Jesseman (Suz); 2. Ryan Mills (Hon); 3. Shae Bentley (Suz); 4. Brett Metcalfe (KTM); 5. Kelly Smith (Yam); 6. Erick Vallejo (Yam); 7. Tyson Hadsell (Yam); 8. Jeff Gibson (Suz); 9. Ryan Morais (Suz); 10. Paul Perebijnos (Yam); 11. Ty Conner (Hon); 12. William Browning (Hus); 13. Kyle Garro (Yam); 14. Chris Wisniewski (Yam); 15. Ryan White (Suz); 16. Macia Fernando (Yam); 17. Jerrad Fisher (Yam); 18. Jacob Marsack (Suz); 19. William Bryant (Yam); 20. Tom Parson (Yam).
Time: 7 mins., 39.883 secs.
Margin of victory: 19.671 secs.
125 LCQ (4 laps, 1-4 transfer): 1. Keith Johnson (Yam); 2. Colt Humphrey (Yam); 3. Jacob Marsack (Suz); 4. Clinton Shealy (Suz); 5. W Browning (Hus); 6. K Garro (Yam); 7. T Conner (Hon); 8. M Kann (Yam); 9. Chris Wisniewski (Yam); 10. Nicholas Burns (Yam); 11. R White (Suz); 12. Aaron Stancil (Yam); 13. M Fernando (Yam); 14. William Bryant (Yam); 15. C Clark (Yam); 16. Tiger Lacey (Yam); 17. Adam Cini (Yam); 18. Roy Horton (Suz); 19. Paul Perebijnos (Yam).
Margin of victory: 21.760 secs.
125 MAIN: 1. Mike Brown (Kaw); 2. Branden Jesseman (Suz); 3. Shae Bentley (Suz); 4. Brock Sellards (Yam); 5. Kelly Smith (Yam); 6. Brett Metcalfe (KTM); 7. Troy Adams (Yam); 8. Tyson Hadsell (Yam); 9. Michael Blose (Yam); 10. Erick Vallejo (Yam); 11. Joshua Summey (Yam); 12. Matthieu Lalloz (Suz); 13. Jeff Gibson (Suz); 14. Ryan Morais (Suz); 15. Steve Boniface (KTM); 16. Ryan Mills (Hon); 17. Kevin Johnson (Yam); 18. Jeremy Chaussee (Yam); 19. Clinton Shealy (Suz); 20. Jacob Marsack (Suz); 21. Colt Humphrey (Yam)
Time: 22 mins., 59.318 secs.
Margin of victory: 6.638 secs.
125cc EASTERN REGIONAL SUPERCROSS SERIES POINT STANDINGS (After 3 of 7 rounds): 1. Branden Jesseman (92/2 wins); 2. Mike Brown (87/1); 3. Brock Sellards (79/1); 4. Kelly Smith (61); 5. Erick Vallejo (52); 6. Brett Metcalfe (49); 7. Matthieu Lalloz (44); 8. Shae Bentley (43); 9. Ryan Mills (37); 10. (TIE) Michael Byrne/Steve Boniface (36); 12. Jeff Gibson (28); 13. Michael Blose (27); 14. Joshua Summey (23); 15. Paul Currie (18); 16. Tyson Hadsell (17); 17. Ivan Tedesco (15); 18. Troy Carroll (14); 19. Shane Lusk (7); 20. Grant Langston (5).
