 Soutwick,
MA - June 13, 2004
By Steve Cox
Ricky
Carmichael is the modern version of Superman, except
that even Superman had his kryptonite. If RC has
a weakness, none of his competitors know what it
is. At the Southwick MX National, round three of
the 2004 AMA/Chevrolet 250cc National Championship,
Carmichael extended his thus-far perfect season
to six straight moto wins, while also breaking his
mentor
Jeff Stanton’s record of four consecutive
Southwick wins with his fifth in the 250cc class
dating back
to 2000.
“
I feel bad for the guy,” Carmichael said of Stanton. “It’s
like every time we’re going up for some record
or what have you. He’s a good guy, he helps me
a lot, and I never even knew that I was trying to beat
his record until I came here this weekend, and quite
frankly I’m really not sure what it is. I don’t
know how many he’s got, or how many I have.”
The
two-moto sweep also landed Carmichael his 99th AMA
National victory, putting him on the doorstep
of yet another major milestone.
“
I’m having a good time racing right now,” Carmichael
said. “I feel like everything is right on track,
and this being my 99th win today is something special.
I think if I get 100 wins, that’s really saying
something. It’s just amazing, I can’t believe
it."
Carmichael
led both motos from start to finish, winning the
two by a combined total of over a minute over
a surprisingly fast Chad Reed. Reed is apparently
coming to terms with his YZ450F and with the AMA
Outdoor Nationals, and he’s not giving up without
a fight.
“
I enjoy riding outdoors, and I enjoy the sand,” Reed
said. “I grew up riding in the sand, and I spent
a year in Europe living in the sand, and I’m
just having fun. Last year was no fun at all riding
any track, so I’m just trying to put the work
in and trying to get up there and put in a challenge.
I’m sure he’s getting bored out front,
and I want to get out there and race with him.”
“
A boring race is good for somebody,” Carmichael
answered. “I try to work hard to make it a boring
race for myself, and I think that outdoors is easy
for me. I feel really naturally talented, and that’s
one of my strong points. And especially coming into
sand, I feel really good here.”
Third
in both motos went to Kevin Windham, who has never
been at his best in the sand.
“
I’m happy I was able to make the best of it today,” Windham
said. “I’ve never really done too great
in the sand, so coming away with two thirds isn’t
too bad.”
But the day was Carmichael’s.
" The
first moto was good, but I actually think the second
moto was better,” the champ said. “My bike
was good the whole time, and I had a nice lead. My
starts were awesome today, I’ll tell you. The
450 is good. It’s really, really good. It makes
my life a lot easier. The track was rough today. You
had to stand up a lot, and it kind of made your lower
back sore. Today was a good day for me. I made up a
lot of points on Kevin, who was in second, and I made
six points on Chad, so it was good. I’m looking
forward to going to Budds and Red Bud, Millville...
Those are three of my favorite tracks, and I’ve
got a challenge coming up at Unadilla. I want to win
that race. I’m really going to try to put it
down for that.” AMA/Chevrolet Southwick 250cc National Overall Results:
1. Ricky Carmichael, 1-1
2. Chad Reed, 2-2
3. Kevin Windham, 3-3
4. Sean Hamblin, 6-4
5. Timmy Ferry, 4-9
6. Kyle Lewis, 8-5
7. Michael Byrne, 7-7
8. Heath Voss, 10-10
9. Ernesto Fonseca, 15-8
10. Joaquim Rodrigues, 11-12
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