Race Day

Redddd Buddd!!! That is the chant that has been heard every summer for over 30 years here in Buchanan, Michigan. This Independence Day weekend the AMA FMF Outdoor National Series makes its way to Red Bud Track-N-Trail, which year after year is the nicest motocross facility in the U.S. This year is no exception as the Ritchie family, with some help from Mike LaRocco, has been busy getting the track and surrounding grounds ready for the hundreds of amateur and professional racers and thousands of screaming fans to descend on its loamy soil and manicured grounds.

While Red Bud doesn't have the giant hills like most other tracks on the AMA Outdoor circuit, it more than makes up for it with the size of its jumps. Two of the largest, sketchiest jumps in American Motocross are located at this facility. One is the giant step-up known as LaRocco's leap, the other is the Red Bud ski jump with its 120' drop into choppy ruts. Both have been known to ruin a racer's day, either by being too difficult to clear or by the hard landing.

Turbo Reif on his new Star Racing/NCY Yamaha YZ250F Photo: Carl Stone

WML Pro rider Sarah Whitmore and friend take in the Red Bud sceneWin Photo: Carl Stone

Such was the case for Kawasaki's James Stewart, who was attempting LaRocco's Leap in Saturday practice on his 250 two-stroke and cased it hard. So hard that he broke his rear shock and had to pull off of the track. The other bad news from Saturday practice is that RC was four seconds a lap faster than anybody else, which doesn't bode well for the rest of the field.

In other news, Mike Alessi's younger brother Jeff Alessi is dropping down from the 250 class to the 125 class for the rest of the season, and retiring his privateer KTM 450 in favor of a Red Bull KTM factory 250F. Apparently the KTM boys have a number of vacancies due to injury this season, so Jeff was given the nod and will now be lining up with his brother Mike. Today will also be the long awaited return of Kyle Lewis, the holeshot king. In addition, Turbo Reif will be debuting his new ride, a Star Racing/NCY Yamaha YZ 250F.

Brownie's patriotic gear would look good at the MXDN Photo: Carl Stone

And given that patriotism has a tendency to run rampant on the 4th of July weekend, much attention has turned towards the Motocross Des Nations and the potential for Team USA to actually come together this year. It is clear that Ricky Carmichael is in, and it appears that Mike Brown plans to participate. The big question is who will be the third rider for the team. It appeared that the AMA would be making a big announcement about the 2005 MXDN team on Sunday morning, but instead, Steve Whitelock let everyone know on Saturday that there would be no announcement as one of the riders selected had declined to participate. From the sound of it, Team USA is back on the drawing board. Hopefully Team USA will get firmed up in the next couple of weeks and the rampant speculation can turn into careful planning.

125 Moto 1

With the ultra competitive nature of this years 125 class, it is anybody's guess what will happen today. Mike Alessi says that his shoulder is now 100%. Grant Langston is still nursing his ankle, but has healed enough to start practicing during the week. Mike Brown on his Jim's Cycle Sales privateer Honda is still leading the points and getting consistent, strong finishes. Ivan Tedesco has shown dramatically improved outdoor skills and is consistently running in the top three. Josh Grant had his first Outdoor National Moto win at Budds Creek. Team Suzuki's Broc Hepler and Davi Millsaps are both known to be fast, but have not been consistent. Ryan Hughes, in what is supposed to be his last season as a professional, has shown the speed needed to win, but has not had luck on his side and has suffered from too many crashes. Andrew Short has been showing better speed and getting better finishes at each round of the series. And a host of others like Tommy Hahn, Nathan Ramsey, Kelly Smith, Ryan Mills, Michael Blose and Ryan Sipes have been showing signs of brilliance and have consistently run in the top ten.

Ivan Tedesco airs it out Photo: Carl Stone

As the gate dropped for 125 Moto 1 it was Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Grant Langston with the holeshot. He was followed closely by Ivan Tedesco and Mike Alessi. Meanwhile, points leader Mike Brown suffered a poor start and came out of the first corner in about 15th place. Unfortunately, with the level of competition in this class it can be impossible to overcome a poor start.

Midway into the first lap Alessi made an off-track excursion after landing off of the side of a tabletop. He had been using a sketchy line all day on this jump and it finally bit him. This allowed Tedesco to get past Alessi and put a pair of Kawasaki's at the front of the pack.

Langston shows everyone the fast way around in 125 Moto 1 Photo: Carl Stone

At the end of the first lap it was Langston, Tedesco, Alessi, Short, Josh Grant, Ryan Mills, Joaquim Rodriquez, Ryno, Sellards and Danny Smith for the top ten. Mike Brown came across the line in 18th.

In the second lap the battle was on for 3rd. Alessi, Short and Josh Grant had gotten within a few bike lengths of each other. Up front, Langston was starting to steadily open up a gap on Tedesco. As the next lap rolled around, the battle for 3rd became the battle for 2nd as the group led by Alessi had managed to catch Tedesco.

On the fourth lap, Alessi managed to get by Tedesco and began making an effort to catch Langston. The group behind Alessi seemed to stabilize and the running order for the top five would remain the same for the next few laps.

As each lap rolled by, Alessi was slowly closing on Langston. Alessi was consistently running about a half second per lap faster than Langston and finally caught him on the eighth lap. At this point, the running order was Langston, Alessi, Tedesco, Short, Josh Grant, Ryan Mills, Millsaps, Danny Smith, Ramsey and Brown, who had made it all the way up to 10th.

Alessi dogged Langston throughout the eighth lap, but bobbled, which gave Langston about a two second gap, and was all that he would need to hold off Alessi for the entire Moto. While the fans were looking for a repeat of Hangtown, or maybe some payback on the part of Alessi, it just wasn't going to happen. Alessi gave it everything he had on the last lap, gaining two and a half seconds on Langston, but still finished a half second back.

Millsaps with a quick lookback Photo: Carl Stone

Further back in the pack Andrew Short and Josh Grant finally managed to get past Tedesco, while Ryan Mills got past Millsaps for one of his best Outdoor finishes to date. The final finishing order was Langston, Alessi, Short, Grant, Tedesco, Mills, Millsaps, Smith, Ramsey and Brown for the top ten.

As we have seen throughout the season, each Moto has the potential to shake up the overall points standing. 125 Moto 1 at Red Bud was no exception.

250 Moto 1

With James Stewart's struggles this season, everyone now seems to be looking to Chad Reed to step it up and run with Carmichael. Nobody is counting out James completely, but with the combination of inconsistent finishes and the perceived disadvantage of the two-stroke, the expectations for Stewart have dropped significantly.

Ricky Carmichael has shown everyone that his preparation and conditioning are second to none. He has been the dominant force this year, much as in years past, but with everyone stepping it up a notch it appears that Carmichael has stepped it up three notches.

At the start of 250 Moto 1 all eyes were on RC. As the gate dropped and the pack roared towards the first turn it was Chad Reed and James Stewart who were first through the turn. For whatever reason the two-stroke doesn't appear to be a disadvantage on the starts.

250 Moto 1 Start Photo: Carl Stone

Carmichael came around the first turn in around 10th position, but unlike the 125 class, Carmichael has consistently been able to make his way up to the front in the first couple of laps regardless of his starting position.

At the front of the pack Reed was slowly increasing his gap on Stewart while RC was picking his way through traffic. Within the first half lap RC had made his way to 4th, and by the end of the first lap he had made his way by Fonseca for 3rd and had closed to within a half second of Stewart.

In the second lap, Stewart, under pressure from Carmichael, had begun to close on Reed. Reed seemed to stall in a turn at the top of a small hill and Stewart couldn't avoid Reed and tagged him from the rear. This allowed Carmichael to get by for the lead.

Unfortunately for Reed, the stall was caused by a broken chain, and the impact from Stewart had turned his shifter into a pretzel. Reed, showing obvious disgust, handed his bike to a track worker and walked off towards the pits through the Red Bud crowd.

Stewart quickly recovered and held on for 2nd. Behind Stewart, Kevin Windham was making his way by Fonseca with David Vuillemin close in tow.

By the fourth lap Vuillemin had managed to get past Fonseca and the running order had stabilized. As has been the case for many 250 Motos, the running order in the top ten changed very little throughout the Moto. RC continued putting two to three seconds per lap on Stewart and the pack behind them continued to spread out lap after lap.

All of the interesting action was further back in the pack. Nick Wey had managed to make his way up through the pack and ended up dicing with Travis Preston for 6th position. Wey came out on top at the end. Further back in the pack, John Dowd made his way from 16th all of the way to 9th, showing that the old man of the 250 class still has National caliber speed and that his recent podium finish wasn't just a fluke.

RC, smooth and in control, cruises to another moto win Photo: Carl Stone

Towards the end of 250 Moto 1, RC began to slow by a few seconds per lap. On lap eleven his bike started to make some blubbering sounds and it was obvious that something wasn't quite right. As he nursed his bike to the end of the Moto he was able to maintain the majority of his gap, coming in twenty seconds ahead of Stewart at the finish. Unlike Reed, whose luck just isn't holding up this season, RC seems to just have everything going his way right now.

At the finish of 250 Moto 2 it was RC, Stewart, Windham, Vuillemin, Fonseca, Wey, Preston, Byrne, Dowd and Jason Thomas for the top ten. In the end there were only twelve riders on the lead lap, which says a lot for the incredible pace that is being set by the front runners in the 250 class.

125 Moto 2

After dropping out of 125 Moto 1, perennial fan favorite Ryan Hughes would fail to start 125 Moto 2. The rest of the 125 class lined up at the gate in anticipation. The 125 class is so competitive this year that the start is everything. In every Moto this season the eventual winner was at or near the front going into the first turn. With Mike Alessi joining this class this year, and being known as an incredible starter, everyone has had to step up their starting skills.

125 Moto 2 Start Photo: Carl Stone

As the gate dropped and the pack roared into the first turn it was the Pro Circuit Kawasaki of Ivan Tedesco leading the KTM's of Ryan Mills and Mike Alessi through the first turn. Tedesco has been getting good consistent starts, but his luck didn't hold today and he went down midway through the first lap, handing the lead over to the Red Bull KTM of Mills. At the end of the first lap it was Mills, Mike Alessi, Andrew Short, Langston, Brown, Tedesco, Matt Walker, Josh Grant, Nathan Ramsey and Steve Boniface in the top ten.

Mike Alessi was hounding Mills looking for a way around, but bobbled midway through the second lap, allowing Mills to open up a small gap. Further back in the pack Mike Brown was doing everything he could to catch up to Langston.

Alessi gave it his all in 125 Moto 2 but came up short in the end Photo: Carl Stone

Ryan Mills shows them the back of his jersey in 125 Moto 2 Photo: Carl Stone

Through the next three laps the running order would stay consistent with Alessi continuing to pressure Mills and Brown pressuring Langston. At the end of lap four the top seven bikes were all running within 16 seconds of each other.

On lap six Alessi's day began to fall apart. He made a small bobble, which allowed Mills to open up another small gap, then went off the track and down in the same location where he had his problems in Moto 1. This gave Mills a much larger gap ahead of Short, who had gotten by Alessi while he was collecting himself. Grant Langston had also caught Alessi and would continue to put on pressure until finally getting past Alessi.

Andrew Short is putting in some impressive rides Photo: Carl Stone

As the leaders came around for their next lap, Mills now had a 7 second lead over Short. Alessi would hold off Brown for another half lap, but seemed to be struggling with his bike and eventually let Brown get by. In the next lap both Tedesco and Josh Grant would also get past Alessi. The running order was now Mills, Short, Langston, Brown, Tedesco, Josh Grant, Alessi, Matt Walker, Nathan Ramsey and Tommy Hahn.

The running order through the rest of the Moto would stay pretty consistent until the last lap when Langston managed to get by Short and made a last-ditch effort to close on Mills. Mills managed to hold off Langston and finished with a 2.5 second gap. Langston has shown incredible last lap speed before and was just unable to catch Mills on the last lap, even though his lap time was nearly 5 seconds faster than Mills.

At the finish it was Ryan Mills, getting his first AMA National Outdoor Moto win, followed closely by Langston, Short, Brown, Tedesco, Grant, Alessi, Ramsey, Walker and Hahn for the top ten.

250 Moto 2

At the beginning of 250 Moto 2 all eyes were once again on the Suzuki of Ricky Carmichael. As the pack roared into the first turn RC was in his usual position out front, followed closely by Stewart, with Windham bringing up 3rd. Chad Reed was buried back in the pack, but picking off riders one by one.

Throughout the first lap Stewart seemed to be catching Carmichael and coming into the sand whoops before the finish line looked to be in a position to attempt a pass. But RC was having nothing to do with that and managed to make a perfect run through the whoops and pick up about a half second on Stewart.

250 Moto 2 Start Photo: Carl Stone

At the end of the first lap it was RC, with about a one second gap on Stewart, who himself had about a two second gap on Windham. Several seconds back was Buckelew, followed by Dowd, Fonseca, Wey, Byrne, Juss "Juice" Laansoo and Reed.

In the second lap RC began to increase his gap, and as we have seen so many times before he would continue to do so throughout the Moto. The pack behind RC began to sort itself out. First it would be Dowd, who in an attempt to get past Buckelew found himself in the soft part of a berm, which allowed Fonseca to make his move. Further behind this group Reed was continuing to pick off riders one at a time.

The biggest surprise in lap two was Windham, who was quickly catching Stewart. On the next lap Windham would actually catch and pass Stewart on one of the downhills, while Stewart would pass him back on the step up. The battle between Stewart and Windham slowed both of them down and allowed Carmichael to open up an almost 8 second gap.

James Stewart showing great form Photo: Carl Stone

While Windham and Stewart were battling for second throughout the third and fourth lap, Reed had quietly made his way past Dowd and Buckelew for 7th. In the fourth lap Windham once again began pushing hard on Stewart and managed to get past him on the step up. While Windham managed to get by, he also left the door open and Stewart came up on the inside in the next turn. The two made contact and Windham went down, but got right back up and running without losing much time.

As Windham came around for the few laps the crowd was going nuts, cheering him on, willing him to catch Stewart. At the same time Stewart was getting more than his fair share of boos and jeers. Behind Windham and Stewart a four way battle was shaping up for 4th place between Fonseca, Reed, Dowd and Wey.

On lap six Reed finally found his way around Fonseca and Wey was able to pass Dowd. Ahead of this group Windham was riding like a man possessed, actually turning faster lap times that Carmichael and catching Stewart. The Red Bud crowd was focused on the battle, making lots of noise and running back and forth to catch as much of the battle as possible.

Kevin Windham being chased by his own roost Photo: Carl Stone

At this point the running order stayed pretty much the same for the rest of the Moto, with the exception of Vuillemin getting past Wey on the tenth lap. At the finish it was RC with nearly a 26 second lead, followed by Windham, Stewart, Reed, Fonseca, Vuillemin, Wey, Dowd, Buckelew and Byrne.

On the podium after 250 Moto 2, James Stewart ignited another round of Internet controversy by saying that he had let Windham by because he felt bad about putting him down a couple of laps previously, even though it wasn't intentional. James claimed that he didn't want to win that way.

Wrap-Up

With Mike Brown finishing 10th and 4th in his two Motos, his points lead has been reduced and we are now looking at a very real five way battle for the points lead. If the rest of the summer continues to bring the variety of finishers that we have seen so far, the ultimate winner of the 125 class may not be determined until the last round. Langston continues to battle back from missing out in Round Two due to his ankle injury at

Hangtown. Tedesco continues to run consistently in the top five and finish consistently in the top ten. Andrew Short has improved his speed and finishing position nearly every round. We have had two new Moto winners in Josh Grant and Ryan Mills. What was once considered a support class to the big bikes has finally come into its own and is giving us some of the best racing action in years.

In the 250 class Carmichael is proceeding to walk away from the competition as he has done so many times before. Will Stewart be able to run with Carmichael once he gets on the Kawasaki 450? Will Kawasaki decide to bring the 450 out this season? And what happens to Stewart's confidence if he isn't able to run with Carmichael when he gets on the 450? Only time will tell.

In the meantime Kawasaki and the Stewart camp have a public relations nightmare on their hands. Kawasaki has problems because the guy that was supposed to be able to run with Ricky regardless of being on a two-stroke hasn't been able to make it happen, and has been consistently stating that he needs the 450. Will this affect sales of the KX250, even though they are the only two-stroke in the class and their top two riders are consistently finishing in the top ten? If you are looking for a new 250 two-stroke, now might be the time to see what sort of deal you local Kawasaki dealer is willing to put together for you.

John Dowd - Last Call Photo: Carl Stone

Josh Grant, feet up, elbows out Photo: Carl Stone

At the same time young James is obviously going through some growing pains. This is not unlike what Carmichael and others have gone through in the past. Everybody knows that James has the potential to rewrite the record books, yet everyone fears that if James doesn't step it up he could end up like so many other potential greats that just weren't able to put a successful program together. Of course, if James is going to make mistakes, now if the time to do it and to learn from them. While this season may be a wash as far as challenging for the championship, there is still a lot to be learned by following the GOAT around the motocross tracks of America.

Most importantly on this Independence Day weekend we should take the time to remember those who have fought and died for our freedom. It is the hard work and dedication of our armed forces that allows us to enjoy the freedom of going out on Sunday's to ride our motorcycles, or to line up along the fence and scream Redddd Budddd at the top of our lungs. There is a reason why the USA consistently fields the best riders in the world, and why the AMA FMF Outdoor National Series draws the best in the world to the USA. We are blessed to be able to watch the best in the world battle it out on our shores week after week.

? 2005 Roost Productions