Unadilla, NY - July 18, 2004
By Steve Cox

Ricky Carmichael came to Unadilla with his only goal being to win the race, just as always. But at Unadilla, he had a little extra chip on his shoulder. He wanted to not only win the race, but more specifically, beat Kevin Windham.

“ I think he’s always ridden good here, ever since I’ve been racing here in ’97,” Carmichael said of Windham. “I’ve beaten him here heads up in like 2001, I think 2000, so people keep saying this is Kevin’s track, but they forget that I’ve beat him here too. So, it’s just trying to draw attention to the times that I’ve won here against him too. I don’t like this track to start with, so it’s the only thing that keeps me motivated coming here is to try to beat him. There’s so much hype around Kevin for this race, and he’s supposed to beat me, but we’ll see, I guess.”

Windham kind of made it easy on Carmichael at Unadilla, as bad starts pretty much cost him any chance he had of catching his rival. In the first moto, Windham rounded the first lap 15th, while Carmichael was already in the lead and getting away. Because of the rain, the Unadilla track was very one-lined, and Windham had his work cut out for him.

“I mean, I think I rode really well to get up to sixth,” Windham said. “It was hard to pass out there, and to be honest, that isn’t really my game. I’m usually the guy to get out front and sprint. My starts and my sprints are what’s killing me right now.”

Chad Reed started with Carmichael, and he kept the Honda rider honest for quite a while before a series of small mistakes let Carmichael slip away.

“ I think I just need to be used to doing that pace when I’m practicing and things like that,” Reed said. “I just need to keep the pace strong and keep it high. When you’re up there with Ricky, you’re letting it hang out, and it’s a little out of my comfort zone and things like that. I need to get used to that.”
Carmichael ran off with the moto victory, well ahead of Reed, who had a sizable gap on Sebastien Tortelli in third.

Reed grabbed the moto-two holeshot, but once again, by the end of the lap, Carmichael was out front. This time, though, it seemed like Reed was even more determined to reel Carmichael in. The best he could do, though, was hold steady before eventually losing ground. And then came Windham, who charged past Reed and into the second spot. By that time, though, Carmichael was long gone.

Tortelli finished out with the first podium of the year for a two-stroke in third overall, in only his second try.

“Most of the top guys went up to 450s right now, so we’re kind of a little bit lonely on 250s out there. But my Suzuki’s running great, and for sure there are some tracks where the four-strokes have an advantage, but you know, the more rough and more downhill would be better for a two-stroke. But it’s a trade. There are some good things about the 250s, and good things about 450s also. The guys out front are doing great, and they deserve their place, whatever bike they’re riding. They’re fast.”

Reed was satisfied with his podium.

“It’s, uh, my least favorite track, so it’s nice to walk away from here in second, and just to be on the podium,” Reed said. “Last year was a struggle here, and it’s nice to have good finishes and some decent speed this week. The break was fun, and I had a lot of different stuff going on, so I’m looking forward to some consecutive races in a row. I’ll just go home, work on some things, and see what we can do at Troy.”

Jeff Stanton explained why Ricky is so strong right now.

“Ricky prepares himself outstandingly, and with his regimen throughout the week, and honestly, he’s on a great bike as well, he’s super-prepared, fit, motivated, and he wants to keep the streak going.”

AMA/Chevrolet Red Bud 250cc National Overall Results:
1. Ricky Carmichael, 1-1
2. Chad Reed, 2-3
3. Sebastien Tortelli, 3-4
4. Kevin Windham, 6-2
5. Michael Byrne, 4-5
6. David Vuillemin, 5-8
7. Heath Voss, 8-7
8. Nick Wey, 10-6
9. Kyle Lewis, 9-12
10. Ryan Clark, 14-11

AMA/Chevrolet 250cc National Points Standings (After 6 of 12 rounds):
1. Ricky Carmichael (300/6 wins)
2. Chad Reed (252)
3. Kevin Windham (237)
4. David Vuillemin (194)
5. Michael Byrne (161)
6. Heath Voss (137)
7. Nick Wey (129)
8. Timmy Ferry (118)
9. Ernesto Fonseca (117)
10. Sean Hamblin (92)