2004 THQ AMA SUPERCROSS SERIES

By Jen Emde

n the last months of 2003, the 2004 Supercross season was becoming one of the most highly anticipated in recent years. Factory Yamaha’s Chad Reed and Factory Honda’s Ricky Carmichael had spent the 2003 season battling for the THQ AMA Supercross 250cc Championship, with Carmichael ultimately edging out Reed by just seven points for the title. Reed came out on top of the THQ World Supercross GP points and then went on to win the Maxxis U.S. Open in October, adding fuel to the already blazing debate over which of the two would claim the title in 2004.
     But as the first round of the 2004 THQ World Supercross in Spain drew near, news started rolling in that would change the game completely. The first bombshell was that reigning AMA Supercross champ Ricky Carmichael had torn his ACL and would require surgery, forcing him to sit out the entire 2004 Supercross season. So, now there was no question that the title would be Reed’s in 2004, right? Not so fast. A second bit of shocking news soon followed. Reed had suffered a shoulder injury that would force him to sit out the first two World Supercross rounds in Spain and Holland. He was going to attempt to make it back for the AMA season opener at Anaheim. How did the Thunder From Down Under sustain this injury? Car accident? Attempting Pastrana-style back flips? Shark bite? No, apparently daredevil Reed was engaging in a risky and perilous game of 8-ball. Who knew playing pool could be so dangerous?
     Suddenly the race for the title appeared to be wide open. Skeptics ventured that even if Reed did make it back for Anaheim 1, he wouldn’t be at the top of his game. So, who would step up to claim the championship in 2004? There were plenty of choices. Kevin Windham would be returning to AMA Supercross for the first time since breaking his femur at Atlanta in 2002. Windham had raced the 2003 AMA Motocross Series and finished second in the point standings behind Carmichael. Would he be the star of 2004? Or perhaps it would be David Vuillemin. After having a strong 2003 Supercross season, he then put in an impressive ride at the U.S. Open, winning the first night’s round of action. KTM’s Grant Langston was also stepping up to the 250 class, fresh off his 2003 125 AMA Motocross Championship, and was leading the World Supercross series coming into Anaheim 1. Ferry? Fonseca? The list of possible 250 stars was endless.
     So we all waited anxiously for the season opener at Anaheim. Reed was there, as promised, although he admitted before the race that he didn’t feel like his shoulder was 100%. That didn’t really seem to make much difference, as Reed went on to trounce the field, winning the 250 main event by nearly 20 seconds over Yamaha teammates Vuillemin and Ferry, respectively. After Reed’s performance at Anaheim, most fans assumed that the debate was over. Reed was back in top form and was most likely on his way to winning the 2004 AMA Supercross title.
     All of you who have followed the saga of the 2004 Supercross season know where we stand now. At its halfway point, this season has so far seen more action, controversy and newsworthy events than any in recent history. We all know the epic tale of the Windham/Vuillemin “incident”. No reason to re-hash that mess for the 1000th time, but it at least needs to be mentioned. Then there was the tragic death of Jason Ciarletta at San Diego; the first in AMA Supercross history. San Francisco saw yet another points fiasco when Grant Langston was docked two positions for so-called rough riding against Kawasaki’s Michael Byrne, a decision that was retracted shortly after Windham won his appeal over his ten point penalty in Phoenix.
     Amidst all the chaos in the 250 class, Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Ivan Tedesco was quietly but mightily going about his business, dominating the 125 class and winning five out the six 125 West rounds. The East/West Shootout in Vegas should be a fantastic battle between Tedesco and Bubba Stewart, who is already dominating the 125 East Series. Stayed tuned….
     Parts Unlimited’s uniquely talented powerhouse of riders have made quite an impressive showing so far and it’s looking to be a great season overall. Here are some of the highlights from the first half of the season, Anaheim 1- Minneapolis.

	(L-R) Nathan Ramsey (2nd), Ivan Tedesco (1st) and Stephane Roncada (3rd) topped the 125 podium at the Anaheim season opener. This race marked the beginning of Tedesco’s 5- race winning streak, with Ramsey stepping up to win the sixth race in the 125 West Series in San Francisco.
	The 250 podium at Anaheim I was a clean sweep for Yamaha by (L-R) David Vuillemin (2nd), Chad Reed (1st) and Timmy Ferry (3rd).
	Ivan Tedesco leads the field into the first turn in San Francisco with eventual winner Nathan Ramsey close behind.


After missing the first two World Supercross rounds overseas due to a shoulder injury, Yamaha’s Chad Reed opened the THQ AMA Supercross series with a bang. He won the 250 main event at Anaheim I by nearly 20 seconds, putting to rest the idea that he might not be back in top shape. His first win of the season was followed by victories at Anaheim II, San Diego, San Francisco and Houston. The only rider so far to have beaten Reed is Honda’s Kevin Windham, who claimed the wins at Phoenix, Anaheim III and Minneapolis. Reed has placed second in every race Windham has won. Reed, with his flawless riding style and his always courteous and sportsmanlike attitude, has been a valuable asset to the sport of Supercross. At this point, it looks likely that this Aussie wonder is well on his way to winning his first THQ AMA Supercross title. We wish you the best of luck, Chad. We’ll be cheering for you.

At this point in the 125 West Supercross series, Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Ivan “Hot Sauce” Tedesco is certainly living up to his nickname…this guy is on fire! Tedesco got off to a fantastic start by winning the season opener in Anaheim and has had the throttle wide open ever since. He went on to claim the top podium position at Phoenix, Anaheim II, San Diego and Anaheim III. Tedesco’s 5-race winning streak came to an end in San Francisco, when Honda’s Nathan Ramsey edged him out at the finish by just 1.45 seconds. With the 125 series now in the east, we’re all anxiously looking forward to the 125 East/West Shootout in Las Vegas in May. The battle between Tedesco and Bubba Stewart is sure to be a thrilling race and not to be missed! Maybe Ivan should have a victory dance of his own planned for Vegas. What hasn’t Bubba done yet? The running man? Hand jive? Or perhaps they can get together and do the tango. Now that’s something I’d like to see!

KTM’s Grant Langston has thus far had a season of very literal ups and downs. He suffered a nasty crash during the Anaheim I main event, but continued to soldier on through the next few races. He was 12th in Phoenix, ninth at Anaheim II, sixth in San Diego and eighth at Anaheim III. In San Francisco Langston had yet another frightening get-off during practice, but then came out fighting in the main event and put in his best-yet 250 performance. He placed fifth, but was docked two positions for the incident with Michael Byrne early in the race. The ruling was later rescinded and his fifth place points returned. Then there was Houston. Langston gave us the most spectacular crash of the year when he got squirrelly going into a corner and crashed off the track, falling a good 10 or 15 feet onto the cement floor of Reliant Stadium. As horrifying as this crash was to watch, amazingly, Langston ended up bruised and VERY sore, but otherwise ok. If that’s not a testament to the kind of protection that his Thor gear and M2R helmet gives, I don’t know what is! Grant arrived in Minneapolis battered, but ready to ride. Then during his heat race, Chad Reed took him out from behind when Reed got a little loose and crashed coming out of the whoops. Langston’s definitely had a string of bad luck during his first 250 season and we all hope things turn around for him soon. Good luck Grant and try to keep the rubber side down!

Yamaha’s Timmy Ferry got off to a strong start this season with a third place finish at Anaheim I and a fifth place finish in Phoenix. However, he crashed during practice at Anaheim II and injured his wrist, which forced him to watch from the sidelines until Houston. He came in 11th, but the race aggravated his wrist injury and he sat out Minneapolis as well. We wish Tim the best and hope to see him back in action soon!

Kawasaki’s Michael Byrne has had a great 250 Supercross season so far, placing in the top ten in every race up through Minneapolis. He was fifth at Anaheim I, tenth in Phoenix, eighth in at Anaheim II, fourth in San Diego, sixth at Anaheim III, tenth in San Francisco, ninth in Houston and ninth in Minneapolis. He also collected the $1,500 Butterfinger Holeshot awards in San Francisco and Minneapolis. With his successful 2004 season so far, Byrne has announced himself as a serious 250 contender.

Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Stephane Roncada has made an impressive showing thus far in the 125 West Series. He placed in the top five in the first six races of the series, with four podium finishes. Roncada has ridden an incredibly consistent season and was third in the point standings after San Francisco.

When the 125 East series started in Houston, Eric Sorby picked up where his Pro Circuit Kawasaki teammates left off in the west. He placed third in Houston behind whiz-kid Bubba Stewart and Suzuki’s Broc Hepler.

Former 125cc Champion Mike Brown has qualified for the main event in six races thus far in 2004. He is still looking for a top 10 finish.
	Yamaha of Troy’s Kelly Smith started out the season in the 250 class, but when the series went east, he decided to race the 125 class. He placed tenth in Houston and an impressive third in Minneapolis.
Yamaha of Troy’s Brock Sellards has placed inside the top ten in every 125 West main event so far. Sellards teammate Josh Hansen was originally riding in the 125 West series as well, but broke his hand in an early round. He decided to run the East series instead and earned his first-ever podium finish in second in Minneapolis.
	Supercross is always a highlight of each race. This series is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Supercross superstars of tomorrow to race on the same track as the pros. The KTM Jr. kids always have a great time and are a real treat to watch!
During the Anaheim II opening ceremonies, Thor’s Bob Maynard was honored to receive the Mickey Thompson Award of Excellence for lifetime achievement and dedication to the world of motorcycling.
	This year, Parts Unlimited was excited to announce that they had added Supercross/Freestyle phenom Travis Pastrana to their talent-laden stable of racers. Whether he’s racing Supercross or turning one-footer back flips, Travis will now be sporting Thor gear. Welcome to the team, Travis. We’re honored to have you!
Ivan’s top-secret training method? We’re not quite sure what he’s doing here, but kids, we must insist that you don’t try this at home!
	Chad’s mechanic is doing his part to make sure none of that free champagne goes to waste. Why spray it on the crowd when you can drink it instead?
Chad’s always willing to take a few minutes to sign autographs for the fans. His approachable demeanor always makes him a crowd favorite.
	Somebody get that boy a corkscrew before he dislocates a shoulder or something!
(L-R) Parts Unlimited’s Torsten Corum, Greg Blackwell and Rob Buydos hanging out in the pits.
	THQ AMA 250 Supercross Series points leader Chad Reed and Part’s Unlimited’s Jeff Fox.
Pro Circuit Kawasaki teammates Tedesco (left) and Roncada share the love during a post-race celebration.

RACE RESULTS			POINT STANDINGS
ROUND 1	ROUND 4	ROUND 7	AS OF MINNEAPOLIS
Anaheim 1: Edison Int’l Field, Anaheim, CA January 3, 2004 Attendance: 40,050 125 Class Winner: 1) Ivan Tedesco (KAW) 250 Class Winner: 1) Chad Reed (YAM)	San Diego Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA January 24, 2004 Attendance: 61,062 125 Class Winner: 1) Ivan Tedesco (KAW) 250 Class Winner: 1) Chad Reed (YAM)	Houston Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX February 14, 2004 Attendance: 45,126 125 Class Winner: 1) James “Bubba” Stewart (KAW) 250 Class Winner: 1) Chad Reed (YAM)	THQ AMA 250 Supercross Series (After 8 of 16 Rounds) 1) Chad Reed (191) 2) Kevin Windham (168) 3) David Vuillemin (152) 4) Mike LaRocco (147) 5) Damon Huffman (109) THQ AMA 125 West Supercross Series (After 6 of 8 Rounds) 1) Ivan Tedesco (147) 2) Travis Preston (117) 3) Stephane Roncada (116) 4) Nathan Ramsey (109) 5) Brock Sellards (92) THQ AMA 125 East Supercross Series (After 2 of 7 Rounds) 1) James Stewart (50) 2) Broc Hepler (35) 3) Steve Lamson (34) 4) Kelly Smith (31) 5) Eric Sorby (30)
ROUND 2	ROUND 5	ROUND 8
Phoenix: Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix, AZ January 10, 2004 Attendance: 46,424 125 Class Winner: 1) Ivan Tedesco (KAW) 250 Class Winner: 1) Kevin Windham (HON)	Anaheim 3 Edison Int’l Field, Anaheim, CA January 31, 2004 Attendance: 45,050 125 Class Winner: 1) Ivan Tedesco (KAW) 250 Class Winner: 1) Kevin Windham (HON)	Minneapolis HHH Metrodome, Minneapolis, MN February 21, 2004 Attendance: 42,894 125 Class Winner: 1) James “Bubba” Stewart (KAW) 250 Class Winner: 1) Kevin Windham (HON)
ROUND 3	ROUND 6
Anaheim 2: Edison Int’l Field, Anaheim, CA January 17, 2004 Attendance: 43,602 125 Class Winner: 1) Ivan Tedesco (KAW) 250 Class Winner: 1) Chad Reed (YAM)	San Francisco Pacific Bell Park, San Francisco, CA February 7, 2004 Attendance: 39,621 125 Class Winner: 1) Nathan Ramsey (HON) 250 Class Winner: 1) Chad Reed (YAM)

We don’t quite know what Pro Circuit’s Mitch Payton was supporting here. National Wear Your Giant Cheese Hat to Work Day? Wisconsin Pride Day? We don’t know and frankly, we were a little afraid to ask!

Parts Magazine
Volume 11 #4

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