Wednesday, May 9

Racewire - 05.09.01

By B.J. Smith
MotoWorld

What's going on in the MotoWorld? Yeah, we know we are a day late but you've still come to the right place to find out what's been going on. It was a busy weekend and everything you could ever want to know is right here at your finger tips. For all the latest news click 'full story' and you're hooked up.

... A credible source told us yesterday that Ricky Carmichael will be going to Honda next year and he will take his mechanic Chad Watts with him. Apparently, not only was the money appealing, but Honda officials took a visit to Carmichael's home in Fla. and brought him a Honda to ride and Ricky found that the bike handled better than anything he's ever ridden. Remember, Shaun Palmer has been training with Ricky and living at his house. Palmer is riding for Team Honda at the Glen Helen National and maybe more. An Influence? Maybe...

... It might get a little crowded in the Honda truck next year so who's going where? Look for Ezra Lusk to fill the void at Kawasaki or move in to the Team Yamaha truck.

... Ricky Carmichael's mechanic Chad Watts went on the record last weekend to set a rumor in stone: Ricky will run number four this summer and next year in Supercross. Watts said, "He likes the way the number looks so that's what we will run." What do we think? >From a marketing standpoint it would be a good move for the sport. It would also help us break away from the "I'm number one" mentality. Motocross fans seem to have a problem with loyalty. We only love the rider with the #1 plate. Granted there are true fans out there, but Jeremy McGrath said it best in Atlanta this year, "You're only as good as your last race." Sure, it was tough to see Jeremy McGrath take second in the Supercross series, but people are too quick to write him off as washed up. Didn't we go through this four years ago? Most people would kill to place second in the Supercross series and here we have a guy that has a career Supercross record of 1-1-1-1-2-1-1-1-2 and we have the nerve to ask him what his problem is? McGrath has the cleanest record in Supercross history and that is one record that will not be broken anytime soon. Not running #1 is a wise decision by Carmichael. He becomes more marketable. Put it this way: What is the first thing you think about when you see that big red and white number '3'? Dale Earnhardt. It's his trademark and that is the way Ricky wants to be known. That is why he's been wearing Fox hats with a stitched '4'. Images sell and it's hard to sell an image if your number changes every year.

...There may not even be a #1 plate out there this weekend at Glen Helen. Look for Pastrana to run number 199 this weekend.

... Oh yeah, the motocross season kicks off this weekend. Check out the MotoWorld.com MX preview under the "MX" tab on the homepage. Most of the crew is already at the track checking out where to put the cameras and stuff. Glen Helen's "Yamaha Mountain" is scary huge and it's going to be interesting to see how the riders react. We will bring you pictures this weekend to show just how steep it really is.

... Don?t want to fight the post-race traffic this weekend at Glen Helen? Then just drop in via helicopter. Briles Wing & Helicopter, Inc, and Heli USA Helicopter Tours of Van Nuys, Calif. are going to be on hand offering (for a price of course) round trip helicopter flights from the Rialto Airport to Glen Helen. Flights begin at 7 a.m. and leave every 5-6 minutes until 9 a.m. Special requests are available throughout the day. Return flights will be available prior to the end of the final moto. The damage? $50 each person for a round trip ticket, cash only. Seating is first come first served. For more information or to purchase an advance ticket, call 877-863-5952, ext. 202, or www.briles.rotor.com.

... Completely useless information: Ricky Carmichael has raced four full 12-race AMA Motocross seasons. Every year, he has finished the series with over 500 points out of a possible 600. Last season he ended with nine wins and 535 points. (The series was 13 races in 1997 but he would have made the cut even if he hadn't raced the last round.) Carmichael's MX National win percentage: From '97-'00, Carmichael's win/race ratio sits at 34/49 or just over 69%.

The only one: Carmichael is currently the only rider making a serious dent in the all-time winners' column. RC has 50 wins and sits tied for fifth with Broc Glover. McGrath leads with 89. Oh, and that's counting RC's US Open win.

Most MX National wins in a row: Eight: Bob Hannah 1978, 250cc, David Bailey 1984, 500cc.

Most MX National wins in a season: 14: Pierre Karsmakers 1973, 500cc. (The series was 24 races long).

Most moto wins in a row at the same track: Eight: Ricky Carmichael has never lost a moto at Glen Helen. Can he make it a perfect ten this weekend?

... OK, enough useless facts. Here's some news: Last weekend at the Las Vegas SX, McGrath ran an FMF pipe. McGrath has been a loyal rider of Pro Circuit for over 10 years. His career was jump-started on the original Team Peak/Splitfire squad. Apparently he just felt like trying a new pipe.

... Heath Voss! Hats off to Heath for nabbing the opportunity to ride the new Honda four-stroke at the Las Vegas SX. Voss took the holeshot in his heat race and in the main event. Coming out of the first corner in the main event, the lead Voss had on the rest of the field was unbelievable. Yeah, Ferry crossed the white line first and got the money, but Voss still came out in front. Be sure to catch it on ESPN2 this weekend. Unfortunately Voss jammed his wrist when landed hard off a triple on lap 10 and pulled off the track.

... Pastrana also had a hard landing during his main event. Pastrana kept missing the second triple lap after lap, while Nathan Ramsey and Ernesto Fonseca were easily clearing the gap on their YZ 250Fs. Not one to be outdone, especially jumping, Pastrana went for it with a few laps left to go and landed on the upside of the third jump and jarred his back. After the main, while being interviewed, Pastrana looked like he was going to yak on Davey Coombs' microphone. He will probably be a little sore this weekend but he said it wouldn't slow him down. Of course, there isn't much that would slow him down.

... More kudos to Tim Ferry on his second podium finish in a row. Here's to more this summer.

... According to Michael Demaree, Web producer for Top Speed Productions, Hare & Hound champ Destry Abbott will be at round two of the AMA Motocross Nationals on May 20 trying to qualify for the 250cc class.

... In road racing news, Team Yamaha's Anthony Gobert became the first Yamaha rider to win both the 600 SS and Superbike race on the same day. The wins were so hard-fought, that Gobert found himself in the infield care facility after the race with a minor case of dehydration.

... Yoshimura Suzuki's Jamie Hacking actually finished fifth at Sears in the Superbike race but he was docked a lap for ignoring the meatball flag. Supposedly Hacking jumped the start and he was given the flag that signals a rider to "pit and go." Ignoring the flag means a rider is docked an entire lap. Hacking didn't seem to mind. He was just happy he proved he can run at the front of the pack with the best of them. Pulling off would have taken him out of the running.

...Don't forget that McGrath, Carmichael and Pastrana will be on Leno this Friday. Here's more info from McGrath's publicist, Cheryl Lynch.

Friday, May 11th, seven-time AMA Supercross champion, Jeremy McGrath (Team Mazda/Yamaha) will make his second appearance as a celebrity guest on 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.' McGrath, who made his inaugural appearance on the show last year and won the first-ever Tonight Show Supercross Challenge has been invited back onto the NBC Studio lot for another evening of non-stop Supercross action!

This year McGrath will be joined by Team Kawasaki's Ricky Carmichael and Suzuki's Travis Pastrana has been invited to provide on-air commentary for the Supercross demo and challenge.

In an effort to bring the grandeur of Supercross to NBC, DirtWurx will bring more than 1000 yards of dirt onto the lot to construct a smaller-scale version of an actual Supercross track complete with whoop section, triple jump and rhythm section.

The supercross segment will start with an in-studio interview with Leno and then move out onto the lot as McGrath, Carmichael and Pastrana provide the studio and home viewing audience with a sample of the thrill-a-minute action known as Supercross racing.

The shoot involves real racing, spectacular jumps and an intricate camera set-up including the Tonight show?Äôs requisite High Definition cameras. Last year's shoot involved more than seven cameras positioned throughout the studio and within the simulated track area on the lot.

Be sure to catch it FRIDAY, MAY 11th, 2001 (11:35 p.m.- 12:35 a.m. ET)

... And finally, Antron Brown was the winner of the NHRA Pro Stock Bike Drags this weekend in Commerce, GA. Brown defeated Matt Hines in the final round with a 7.263. Hines still leads the points with 312 to Brown's 253.