The crying game
By TMX Archives on 14th Apr 03
have changed over here since the last time we talked. We've got a new 250 SX champ (at least we think so), a surprise return to racing and, well, another surprise return to racing. SOME THINGS have changed over here since the last time we talked. We've got a new 250 SX champ (at least we think so), a surprise return to racing and, well, another surprise return to racing. With all these changes, one thing remains the same - injuries. Here's a quick update on last month's topic.As I write this, there are three rounds remaining in the THQ/AMA supercross series. A look at a few statistics in the 250 class should give you some idea what we're dealing with over here.Of the current top-20 racers in the series, only nine are racing right now. One of those riders, defending 125 West Region SX champ Travis Preston, has only been racing the 250 division during the break in the west coast series. He will return to the smaller bikes for the final three rounds, dropping the number of active top-20 250cc racers to eight.With the field this depleted, the points race is a strange place to be. As of now, Ricky Carmichael leads Chad Reed in the standings by 16 points. Reed's closest active competitor - Team Honda's Ernesto Fonseca - is 120 points out of second (coincidentally, Carmichael, Reed and Fonseca are the only three riders this year to have made all 13 250cc Main Events).These statistics, however, only take into account the THQ/AMA series. Its sister series, the THQ World Supercross GP champs, is even more bizarre. Since SXGP only accounts for riders who participated in the first two European supercross rounds at Geneva and Arnhem, the points race is hopelessly confusing. For example, my friend Ryan Clark - a privateer - finished ninth overall a few weeks back. But only one racer in the top eight, Chad Reed, had raced in Europe. So Clark was awarded 22 SXGP points and second place on the night.Speaking of the SXGP series, it's got itself a new champion - although you wouldn't know it if you weren't keeping a close watch on things. Chad, who's been putting in some inspired rides of late, clinched the '02-'03 250cc World SXGP title at the Pontiac Supercross to zero fanfare. No announcements, no press releases, no celebrations. Word is that Reed's coronation will take place at the Dallas race instead. Let's hope they don't forget.Reed has been phenomenal lately. The Aussie Yamaha pilot has been the only consistent threat to Carmichael's #1 plate in the normal SX series and he has earned three consecutive 250 wins at St. Louis, Houston and Pontiac. While Carmichael's lead is still fairly secure, he's only one big crash away from giving Reed the double championship.With the supercross series winding down, there's already a huge buzz about the upcoming outdoor nationals. The mid-May kick-off at California's Glen Helen Raceway will see the return of much of the 250 field, including boy wonder Travis Pastrana and prodigal son Kevin Windham.Windham, who broke his leg over a year ago at the Atlanta Supercross, was at first rumoured to be out of racing altogether. Perhaps the most naturally gifted racer in America, K-Dub took a year off to consider his options and the most attractive one, it seems, involves a Honda CRF450R with support from Factory Connection and a plane ticket to Glen Helen.Windham's riding buddy, medical test-case Travis, will also be on the starting gate in San Bernardino - assuming he doesn't get hurt at one of the last two supercross races which he plans to ride. And that's never a safe assumption. Travis has been training with his friend - Kawasaki rider Robbie Reynard - and could pose a realistic threat in the 250 nationals.And as long as we're looking ahead, the 2003 US Open of Supercross is shaping up to be a real corker. The October one-off is seen as the kick-off to the '04 season - sort of an international friendly but with a $300,000 purse.The field at the Open which is held in Las Vegas will include Carmichael, Reed, Pastrana and Windham along with currently injured riders Mike LaRocco, David Vuillemin, Tim Ferry, Ezra Lusk and Sebastien Tortelli. It might just be the first full gate we've had since Anaheim. Now if they can just get McGrath to come back...But wait, McGrath is already back! The seven-time SX champ has been all over the place in the last few weeks. One recent report saw him picking up two KTMs at a California dealership - but not for supercross and certainly not for the outdoor nationals. It seems that MC has caught the supermoto bug. The King of Supercross participated in a supermoto event at Fontana, California, during the AMA Superbike weekend there.McGrath acquitted himself nicely at the event, finishing second overall in the open class to former SX hero Jeff Ward who has made a name for himself in the past years as an auto racer. With supermoto picking up momentum in the States - the AMA and Red Bull have announced a full series to begin later this year - don't be surprised to see Jeremy on top of another podium sometime soon.That's all for now. I just watched my beloved Magpies drop a crucial match to Everton, effectively ending our little championship run. I haven't the heart to go on so cheers until next month.Jeff Kocan, courtesy RacerX