Giant killer!
By TMX Archives on 9th Feb 04
ERNESTO FONSECA is already a two-times US champion with both of his titles - a unique East (1999) and West (2001) Coast double - coming in 125cc SX.At 5'7" and 10 stone the Costa Rican is not the biggest guy around but ERNESTO FONSECA is already a two-times US champion with both of his titles - a unique East (1999) and West (2001) Coast double - coming in 125cc SX.At 5'7" and 10 stone the Costa Rican is not the biggest guy around but the 22-year-old from San Jose, the capital of the small Central American state, has his eyes set on the biggest prizes in the sport - a fact clearly evident when dbr caught up with The Fonz prior to his domination of the SXGP in the Arnhem Gelredome."Honda are not interested in SXGP yet, so it was my personal decision to come over for the races in Europe. But I think the public in America will take notice of SXGP in the end - Clear Channel are interested in making it a success and keep promoting it at the races."Initially, however, there was an even more pressing reason for adding Seville and Arnhem to his already busy schedule. "One of the reasons I decided to come here was to see how close I was to Ricky and Chad but after their injuries I'll have to wait for Anaheim."And a direct comparison with the two giants of US SX is not unrealistic as Ernesto had stood on the podium alongside Carmichael and Reed through every one of the last six rounds of the 2003 AMA SX series.Ever since Jean-Michel Bayle took on - and beat - the Yanks at their own game we've become accustomed to seeing ambitious riders from around the globe moving Stateside to promote their careers. Most readers will know the geographical position of Australia, France and other leading nations - but Costa Rica? Okay, it's in Central America - but a little more specific? I'll put my hand up and admit I sneaked a glance at the kids' atlas to discover the country is next to Panama - of canal fame - but I let Ernesto fill me in with a little more detail."San Jose is 10 north of the Equator so the climate is tropical. There are only about four million people in the whole country. There is some agriculture but we have some nice beaches so there's a lot of trade with tourists."It's fair to say that motocross is also not exactly a national sport. "The people know who I am but even after my results in the States I am not as well known as footballers. Motocross isn't really a big sport in Costa Rica - there are only between 250 and 300 riders in the whole country."No other Costa Rican motocrosser has yet cut it in the USA but the impact a star rider can make cannot be denied and since 1999, the year of Ernie's first AMA title, fellow Costa Rican riders have won 10 out of 13 FIM Latin American titles!The Fonseca success story began at the age of five - "my dad was a fan of motocross and bought me a bike" - and by 1992 the family were pooling their resources to send the 11-year-old Ernesto to Florida for the Mini Olympics. "It was a lot different to what I had been riding. It was my first time racing in sand and it was really hard at first because I wasn't used to those conditions but I ended up the week fourth in the 80 class and I won the 60 class."He tried to go back to the US as often as possible after that and, by the time he was 16, Ernesto - with six AMA amateur titles now under his belt - was able to arrange the loan of a factory support Yamaha for his first National, the 1998 finale at Steel City. "I got 13th in the first race and got a deal with Yamaha of Troy for the 1999 East Coast SX."Tampa, Florida, on the second Saturday of February was Ernesto's Pro debut - and he swept both heat and final. "Everything just went right from the word go in 1999 and I won six races out of the seven in the 125 East Coast SX. I hadn't ridden in the stadiums before but I had been able to practice at the Yamaha SX training track for a while and that helped prepare me a lot."A single narrow defeat at the hands of Brock Sellards in Pontiac was his only loss of the series but it was in St Louis that Ernesto really hit the headlines. On the floor at turn one, he passed 20 rivals before the start of the final lap when he and race-long leader Kelly Smith - in search of KTM's maiden US win - touched and went down. But such was their lead, Ernesto was able to remount and win. An awesome ride - even if Kelly didn't think so at the time!The East Coast series was set up as a true showdown the year after with Kawasaki switching West Coast champ Nathan Ramsey to take on Ernesto and rookie Travis Pastrana but the season never took off for the defending champ with just a single win on his way to a series fifth."I hurt my shoulder really bad before the first race. It was tough to prepare after that and I struggled all the way through the season. It's kinda hard to catch up after something like that because no-one is going to wait for you."Those too keen to write Ernesto off as a one-season wonder soon had their mouths shut as he switched to the West Coast for 2001 and again dominated to achieve the unique double of East and West titles, an achievement James Stewart will try to emulate this season.At 20 years of age it was time for Ernesto to move to the 250 ranks in '02. It was also time for a change in team terms and Honda - looking to return to the winners' circle since the departure of McGrath - were taking no chances, adding not only Carmichael but also Ramsey and Fonseca.The trio made their debut in red at Anaheim I and Carmichael, coming off 13 straight wins, was sensationally drilled into the stadium floor to the delight of his detractors. And it was Ernesto who upheld Honda prestige with an equally sensational podium in his 250 debut ride!But the following week in San Diego saw his luck change. "I ruptured some ligaments in my forearm in training and couldn't even contest the evening programme. Just like in 2000 it was tough after that."Consistency rather than sensational scores were the order of the day once Ernesto could return at round four and he rounded out the campaign seventh. "It's tough to move up to the 250s. There's a lot of good riders, there's a lot who can win and there's a whole group of riders who are pretty much at the same level - that makes it tough. Everything has to click at the right moment, you've got to get a good start and you've got to get stronger because you have to be able to do 20 laps at a good pace."Last season did not start well for Ernesto with sixth in the Anaheim opener. "I rode tight all night. It was just first night nerves and that was another reason I wanted to race in Europe this year, to get it out of my system."But worse was to come with brutal get-offs at each of the next three rounds, once courtesy of Tim Ferry and twice all on his own. But race-by-race, as factory rivals splattered themselves on the ground all around him, Ernesto rebuilt his confidence until that final streak of six consecutive podiums in every SX after Daytona.And it's in the SX that Ernesto sees his best shot at the moment. "I don't think I've tended to concentrate on supercross, it's just that I am a little bit better at it than motocross. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy motocross but I just need to improve."I think it's a little tougher not to be so tall too and you have to make it up somewhere, so I'm pretty lucky that my riding has always been precise and that's what's so important in supercross. It's not something I've worked on. It just seems to come naturally and I'm not aware of concentrating more or anything."But the first SXGP of 2003/2004 did not seem like supercross at all. Ernesto completed just a single lap in each of his qualifiers in the horror of Seville and failed to make the Main. "That was tough. We had mechanical problems both times. It's kind of a bummer. For sure the taller guys had a better chance to get through the mud but at least I had hoped to make the Main and score a few points."One week later in Arnhem, Ernie's world was once again in order as he stamped his authority from the first lap of practice. "That was my goal, to win my first 250 race. We'd been working for that and I feel really comfortable this year."With RC sidelined Honda's hopes rest firmly on Ernesto's shoulders but, despite a crash-induced 10th at Anaheim I after taking the holeshot, he's keeping his cool. "I don't have any more pressure from Honda. Everything is normal, I just have to try to do my best. You can't say what's going to happen yet but I want to win SXGP just as much as I want to win the AMA. There are 15 more races to go and I'm gonna play catch-up and see how it works. Hopefully this year will be the year."By Alex Hodgkinson