Supercross Update Round Three – News – Dirt Rider

 

LapsLed After 2 Rounds

SebastienTortelli: 11

DavidVuillemin: 9

ChadReed: 55

EzraLusk: 5

 

125ccLaps Led After Phoenix

CraigAnderson: 3

MattWalker: 2

JamesStewart: 10

ChristopherGosselaar: 2

TravisPreston: 13

 

$1,500SXGP.com Holeshot Award (250cc)

SebastienTortelli (Geneva, Switzerland and Arnhem, Holland):$3,000

MikeBrown (Anaheim 1): $1,500

ChadReed (Phoenix): $1,500

 

$1,000SXGP.com Holeshot Award (125cc)

ChristopherGosselaar (Anaheim 1)$1,000

CraigAnderson (Phoenix) $1,000

 

NissanFrontier Top Privateer Points Leader:

RyanClark, Yamaha

Nissanwill give the top-finishing privateer a Nissan Frontier at the end of theseason.

 

PhoenixRace Recap

Kawasaki'sEzra Lusk, of Bainbridge, Ga., won his first 250cc THQ Supercross since '99 infront of 48, 445 fans at Bank One Ballpark. Team Kawasaki's James Stewart wonhis first 125cc Western Regional Supercross of the season.

 

125ccWestern Regional Supercross Results, Phoenix

1.James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki

2.Travis Preston, Hesperia, Calif., Honda

3.Danny Smith, Middleton, Idaho, Suzuki

4. SeanHamblin, Sun City, Calif., Suzuki

5.Kevin Johnson, Albuquerque, N.M., Yamaha

6.Craig Anderson, Australia, Yamaha

7. ErickSorby, France, Kawasaki

8.Steve Mertens, Sonoma, Calif., Yamaha

9.Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., Suzuki

10.Billy Laninovich, Escondido, Calif., KTM

 

125ccWestern Regional Supercross Season Standings, After Phoenix

1.Travis Preston, Hesperia, Calif., Honda, 47

2.James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 47

3.Danny Smith, Middleton, Idaho, Suzuki, 36

4.Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., Suzuki, 32

5.Kevin Johnson, Albuquerque, N.M., Yamaha, 27

6.Christopher Gosselaar, Corona, Calif., Honda, 27

7.Craig Anderson, Australia, Yamaha, 27

8.Billy Laninovich, Escondido, Calif., KTM, 26

9. MattWalker, McRae, Ga., Kawasaki, 21

10.SeanHamblin, Sun City, Calif., Suzuki, 18

 

250ccTHQ Supercross Event Results, Phoenix

1. EzraLusk, Bainbridge, Ga., Kawasaki

2. ChadReed, Corona, Calif., Yamaha

3. TimFerry, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha

4.Ricky Carmichael, Havana, Fla., Honda

5.David Vuillemin, Corona, Calif., Yamaha

6.Sebastien Tortelli, Temecula, Calif., Suzuki

7. MikeLaRocco, South Bend, Ind., Honda

8.Ernesto Fonseca, Canyon lake, Calif., Honda

9. IvanTedesco, Albuquerque, N.M., Kawasaki

10.Brock Sellards, Sherrodsville, Ohio, Yamaha

11.Ryan Clark, Albuquerque, N.M., Yamaha

12.Heath Voss, Mico, Texas, Yamaha

13.Stephan Roncada, Menifee, Calif., Suzuki

 

250ccTHQ Supercross Series Season Standings, After Phoenix

1. ChadReed, Corona, Calif., Yamaha, 47

2. TimFerry, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha, 40

3.Ricky Carmichael, Havana, Fla., Honda, 40

4. EzraLusk, Bainbridge, Ga., Kawasaki, 38

5.David Vuillemin, Corona, Calif., Yamaha, 34

6.Sebastien Tortelli, Temecula, Calif., Suzuki, 31

7.Ernesto Fonseca, Canyon Lake, Calif., Honda, 28

8. IvanTedesco, Albuquerque, N.M., Yamaha, 21

9.Stephane Roncada, Menifee, Calif., Suzuki, 19

10.Ryan Clark, Albuquerque, N.M., Yamaha, 14

250ccTHQ World Supercross GP Season Standings

1. ChadReed, Corona, Calif., Yamaha, 91

2.David Vuillemin, Corona, Calif., Yamaha, 87

3. TimFerry, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha, 81

4.Sebastien Tortelli, Temecula, Calif., Suzuki, 70

5. MikeLaRocco, South Bend, Ind., Honda, 62

6.Grant Langston, Lake Elsinore, Calif., KTM, 60

7.Keith Johnson, Albuquerque, N.M., Yamaha 47

8. RyanClark, Albuquerque, N.M., Yamaha, 47

9.Damon Huffman, Canyon Country, Calif., Honda, 37

10.JeremyMcGrath, Encinitas, Calif., KTM 29

 

ChadReed, Yamaha

Round1, Geneva, Switzerland 5th

Round2, Arnhem, Holland 1st

Round3, Anaheim, CA 1st

Round4, Phoenix, AZ 2nd

 

TimFerry, Yamaha,

Round1, Geneva, Switzerland 2nd

Round2, Arnhem, Holland 6th

Round3, Anaheim, CA 3rd

Round4, Phoenix, AZ 3rd

 

RickyCarmichael, Honda

Round3, Anaheim, CA 2nd

Round4, Phoenix, AZ 4th

 

EzraLusk, Kawasaki

Round3, Anaheim, CA 8th

Round4, Phoenix, AZ 1st

 

DavidVuillemin, Yamaha

Round1, Geneva, Switzerland 1st

Round2, Arnhem, Holland 2nd

Round3, Anaheim, CA 4th

Round4, Phoenix, AZ 5th

 

SebastienTortelli, Suzuki

Round1, Geneva Switzerland 4th

Round2, Arnhem, Holland 5th

Round3, Anaheim, CA 5th

Round4, Phoenix, AZ 6th

 

ErnestoFonseca, Honda

Round3, Anaheim, CA 6th

Round4, Phoenix, AZ 8th

 

IvanTedesco, Yamaha

Round3, Anaheim, CA 12th

Round4, Phoenix, AZ 9th

 

StephaneRoncada, Suzuki

Round3, Anaheim, CA 10th

Round4, Phoenix, AZ 13th

 

RyanClark, Yamaha

Round1, Geneva, Switzerland 11th

Round2, Arnhem, Holland 13th

Round3, Anaheim, CA 7th

Round4, Phoenix, AZ 16th

 

PressConference quotes from Phoenix:

 

DannySmith: "Things have been going wellfor me in the last few weeks. I just got off to a couple of slow starts sofar. It's killing me if these guys getout front because get out front and they have a really good pace. I need to beout there in the first lap a little quicker. I have been sticking to the sameprogram. I had a pretty good off season with no injuries and I am in prettygood shape."

 

TravisPreston: "If you don't get up front fast someone is going to pull awaysome I had to make something happen quick. I was looking for a place to get byMatt Walker. He was going good in the whoops, he was taking all the fast linesand protecting his inside. Actually in the section I got by him I made amistake and then he jumped so high on the triple I doubled and kept it low andjumped to the inside and it worked out pretty good. He went down, and that's racing. I hope we can leave everythingon the track."

 

JamesStewart: "The first couple laps were crazy out there. I didn't get thatgreat a start. It sucks because I havebeen working on my starts all week. In the first lap I almost looped itout. I just tried to keep it up in thebeginning and once I got around Matt I just rode my own race and pulledaway. On this track you had to bumpsomebody to pass them. I made a coupleof mistakes when Travis was behind me and I had to worry about trying to passMatt and having him behind me. A coupletimes I was running the inside and jumping high on the triples and coming upshort just so he wouldn't put a block pass on me. I didn't get excited thereare 15 laps. This year I am a littlebit smarter."

 

"Thatwas just something different. I triedto motivate myself so I could go out there and break dance. I planned it outlast week I was practicing before the race, and I didn't get to do it. It was just fun for the crowd, for everyoneto laugh at me. I have been watching a lot of Michael Jackson videos."

 

TimFerry: "I spent two days in thehospital here last year, with a bruised lung. The year before I messed my neck up and spent the night in the hospitalso I am really happy to be on the podium.

 

It wasa good race for me, I felt really strong the whole time. Last week I was a littlebit weak about halfway on. This was definitely a good race for me.

 

Since Iride the 4-stroke people have labeled me as an outdoor rider. I am trying tochange that. My goal for this offseason was to become a better supercross rider. To be the best I think you haveto be the best at supercross. Outdoors is secondary almost. I felt a lot betterin practice here. This track is a lotlike my track in Florida. I think I have the speed to win. Each week I am getting better and better. Ialmost won one last year, but I tipped over at Pontiac."

 

ChadReed: "During the heat race Ezra was riding really good. He got me acouple of times. When you are is secondyou find some lines. He rode a great race. I got a little bit of a gap and kindof ran right into the back of Ryan Clark. It was a good race. It's a long championship. I would rather be first but you have to takesecond when you have to. There are a lot of guys that have stepped it up. It seemed like every week someone steps itup again. It's getting crazy out there.Everyone is crashing just because there are at their limit. Our bikes are gettingbetter and better. Everyone wants to win and everyone feels like there are in aposition to win. I got the holeshot,normally I am a terrible starter and have to charge up.

 

Whenyou want to win and everyone is running the same kind of speed, you need topass. Ezra put two aggressive passes on me this weekend. I know what to expectfrom him now. It's going to begreat. It's going to be a long season.

 

Therewas a lot of talk last week. Everyonesaid he (RC) crashed and I had an easy race. In practice he was following meand I thought we might as well do some training while we were here. We prettymuch went at it both practices. It wasa lot of fun. It's a bummer he crashed tonight. He got a good start, he was in third."

 

EzraLusk: "I don't know if it has sunk in yet. It was fun. This whole weekendhas been a lot of fun. I just kind ofjumped into it right off the bat and tried to run with Ricky and Chad. It's hard to say what made it click. Being in the truck and hanging out withBubba, a young kid just 17 years old, being around him was positive too, himwinning a 125 outdoor championship last year. I knew I wanted to come and dogood."

 

"Iguess my thoughts of my wife having a baby got my thoughts off everything else.Bubba has bet me that my baby is black. He won't be at the next race if that istrue."

 

"Thiswhole aggressive racing deal everyone has been talking about, I have been doingthis a long time, and aggressive racing has been for years. Everyone is just making a big deal about it. Now the leaders are doing it. Chad andI got into it at the US Open and its no big deal. Tim and I have gotten into it and we are best buddies. This is the level we are at right now,everyone is just going to have to enjoy it."

 

"Inever thought that I couldn't when a race, I just kept trying."