Troy, OH - July 25, 2004
By Steve Cox

Ricky Carmichael is at 103 and counting. At this pace, if he were to race until after his 30th birthday, he would finish up with 200 career wins or more. By virtue of his two-moto domination at Kenworthy’s in Troy, Ohio, he also extended his moto-win streak to 17, dating back to moto two of last year’s Binghamton National, and he’s a perfect 14-for-14 on the season so far.
“ I’ve really got nothing left to prove to anybody but myself,” Carmichael said before the race.

Team Yamaha’s Chad Reed got out quickly in the first 250cc moto on his big YZ450F over Red Bull KTM’s Joaquim Rodrigues and Ernesto Fonseca. Fonseca quickly gave way to Carmichael, as did Rodrigues, and Carmichael set out after Reed.

In just over two laps, Carmichael jumped past Reed in a rhythm section and he never looked back, taking the victory nearly 15 seconds in front of his Yamaha rival.

“I think that both of us [Windham and Reed] are trying to bridge the gap to Ricky,” Reed said. “He as just been pushing really hard, and there’s a comfort zone there that both of us share, and Ricky really doesn’t have that limit.”

Kevin Windham came in a lonely third.

“ I think I’m coming to realize that you have to put it on the line,” Windham said. “My Honda’s working great, as is Ricky’s, and you’ve got to put it to the edge. They’re riding the wheels off those things, and it’s been frustrating to be back a little ways. Now, I’m just focusing on getting out of the comfort zone.”
The two-strokes of Sebastien Tortelli and Ernesto Fonseca rounded out the top five.

Carmichael got out in front of moto two quickly, and although Reed did what he could in the early laps, Carmichael quickly gapped the field to eventually speed off with his customary runaway win, this time by over 17 seconds. While Reed ran on his own in second, Windham reeled him in from more than 15 seconds behind to just over 5 seconds behind before his run stalled out some in lapped traffic.

“ I just wanted to put as much pressure as I could on Chad,” Windham said. “I saw him in front of me, and I was able to make a little bit of time up. You know, these two guys are going so fast that you can’t be there and be comfortable. You’ve got to push it on the line. I was able to drop my pace that second moto, so I feel good about today’s performance, and that’s one step closer.”

Windham finished third, over the two-strokes of Fonseca and Tortelli. Fonseca’s better second-moto finish secured him fourth overall, while last week’s podium finisher Tortelli finished fifth.

When compared to his idol Lance Armstrong after the race, Carmichael was quick to dismiss it.

“ I don’t know that I’m that good, but I tell you what, it was a good day, especially that second moto,” Carmichael said. “I had fun racing with Chad. This was supposed to be the place [for Chad to beat me], and it’s been a while since I’ve ridden some tight stuff like that. The bike worked good, and we had a chance to battle for a couple laps at the beginning. I had a really good time today. The crowd was good, and I’m going to miss you guys. I know Kenworthy’s has done an excellent job, and I wish I could come back here. I like this place.”

AMA/Chevrolet Kenworthy’s 250cc National Overall Results:
1. Ricky Carmichael, 1-1
2. Chad Reed, 2-2
3. Kevin Windham, 3-3
4. Ernesto Fonseca, 5-4
5. Sebastien Tortelli, 4-5
6. David Vuillemin, 6-6
7. Michael Byrne, 7-7
8. Joaquim Rodrigues, 10-8
9. Nick Wey, 9-9
10. Timmy Ferry, 8-10

AMA/Chevrolet 250cc National Points Standings (After 7 of 12 rounds):
1. Ricky Carmichael (350/7 wins)
2. Chad Reed (296)
3. Kevin Windham (277)
4. David Vuillemin (224)
5. Michael Byrne (189)
6. Heath Voss (157)
7. Nick Wey (153)
8. Ernesto Fonseca (151)
9. Timmy Ferry (142)
10. Sean Hamblin (110)