Monday, May 6

Carmichael Dominates in Vegas

By Gabe Warner
EXPN.com

People come from far and wide to attend the final round of the EA Sports Supercross series in Las Vegas, Nevada. The gates open at eleven a.m. so the hordes of eager fans can pour in to the stadium and more importantly the pit area. Racing doesn't start for another eight hours but the rows and rows of sponsor booths and factory pit tents provide more than enough entertainment for these diehard fans. All of the stars of the sport are here somewhere and the fans are determined to find them, a pen in one hand and a camera in the other. The athletes are more than happy to oblige the fans as is evident by the number of signatures on jerseys, hats and body parts that they are offered as a canvas.

Malcolm Mc Cassy and MC ham it up during the autograph signing.

The Las Vegas Supercross is a unique race because in most years the series champion has already been crowned by the time the final race occurs. This is because the points leader has extended his lead by more points than can be gained by winning this race. This race is not about titles, this race is about bragging rights, one final chance to beat that guy you have been battling with all season. If you have the luxury of already owning the title - which was the case for Carmichael this year, this is the race to go out and have fun and to show the other riders that you really are the king of your sport.

The battle for the holeshot.

During the 250cc qualifiers, Jeremy McGrath and Ricky Carmichael dominated their heats. MC was riding great and it looked like there was going to be a fierce battle between them in the Main Event. This was not the case. In the Main Event Kyle Lewis grabbed the holeshot with RC and Ezra Lusk right behind him. MC got tangled up in traffic and ended up stuck in the middle of the pack in 11th. Within two turns Ricky took over the lead and never looked back. As the race wore on David Vuillemin and Nate Ramsey battled it out in 3rd and 4th, Lusk held second virtually uncontested while Jeremy worked his way through the pack finally ending up in 5th place. Carmichael walked away from the season with his 11th win and second Supercross title in a row proving for now, he is the king of Supercross.

Carmichael celebrates his win.

KTM Junior Supercross Challenge:

1. Caleb Dowell - Athens, Texas - KTM
2. Nicolas LaPaglia - Murrieta, Calif. - KTM
3. Austin Politelli - Big Bear Lake, Calif. - KTM
4. Killian Woder - N. Las Vegas - KTM
5. Brian Sjogren - Reno, Nev. - KTM
6. Tallon Taylor - Henderson, Nev. - KTM
7. Colby Raha - Acton, Calif. - KTM
8. Cole Nanney - Henderson, Nev. - KTM
9. Cannon Pixley - Idaho Dallas, Idaho - KTM
10. Dennyn Mattson - Mission Viejo, Calif. - KTM
11. Kade Wadsworth - Hiko, Nev. - KTM
12. Jake Burbach - Hudson, Wis. - KTM
13. Chace Quick - Banning, Calif. - KTM
14. Cole Quick - Banning, Calif. - KTM

125cc Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Shootout Results

1. James Stewart - Haines City, Fla. - Kawasaki
2. Chad Reed - Australia - Yamaha
3. Chris Gosselaar - Juniper Hills, Calif. - Honda
4. Ivan Tedesco - Albuquerque, N.M. - Yamaha
5. Danny Smith - Middleton, Idaho - Suzuki
6. Travis Preston - Hesperia, Calif. - Honda
7. Michael Byrne - Australia - Honda
8. Brock Sellards - Sherrodsville, Ohio - KTM
9. Brandon Jesseman - Fombell, Pa. - Suzuki
10. Joshua Woods - Flint, Mich. - Suzuki

250cc EA SPORTS Supercross Event Standings:

1. Ricky Carmichael - Havana, Fla. - Honda
2. Ezra Lusk - Acworth, Ga. - Kawasaki
3. David Vuillemin - Corona, Calif. - Yamaha
4. Nathan Ramsey - Menifee, Calif. - Honda
5. Jeremy McGrath - Encinitas, Calif. - Yamaha
6. Ernesto Fonseca - Costa Rica - Honda
7. Stephan Roncada - France - Kawasaki
8. Nick Wey - Dewitt, Mich. - Yamaha
9. Kyle Lewis - Henderson, Nev. - Honda
10. Keith Johnson - Albuquerque, N.M. - Yamaha

250cc EA SPORTS Supercross Season Points Standings:

1. Ricky Carmichael - Havana, Fla., Honda - 356 pts
2. David Vuillemin - Corona, Calif., Yamaha - 321 pts
3. Jeremy McGrath - Encinitas, Calif., Yamaha - 250 pts
4. Ezra Lusk - Acworth Ga., Kawasaki - 245 pts
5. Stephane Roncada - Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki - 232 pts
6. Nathan Ramsey - Corona, Calif., Honda - 229 pts
7. Ernesto Fonseca - Costa Rica, Honda - 192 pts
8. Nick Wey - Dewitt, Mich., Yamaha - 173 pts
9. Damon Huffman, Valencia, Calif., Suzuki - 151 pts
10. Heath Voss - Mica, Texas, Honda - 148 pts


Related Photos:
2002 Supercross in Las Vegas - Action
2002 Supercross in Las Vegas - Scene