Are you ready...
By TMX Archives on 7th Jan 05
...for supercross-cross-cross? The call is about to echo around Anaheim stadium but the shockwaves will travel much further... To answer floor announcer Terry Boyd a bit in advance, I am officially "ready for supercross". Just yesterday I received delivery of my new gigantic, ultra-fancy flat-panel telly. The refrigerator is fully stocked, the TV schedule clinging to the door via the miracle of magnetism. At press time we're only a few days away from the Anaheim series opener which will see young phenom James Stewart join the likes of Ricky Carmichael, Chad Reed and Kevin Windham in the premier 250 class. After months and months of speculation, the Main Event is about to begin! As in the past two years, we had a sneak preview of the upcoming season in December thanks to the THQ World Supercross GP rounds. I made the trek to Geneva and Arnhem back in '02 but was asked politely by friends and city officials to stay away from Amsterdam for a while and the series bosses must have had me in mind when they announced that this year's SXGP rounds would take place in nearby Toronto and Vancouver, Canada. The series-with-a-series is still somewhat controversial, if not confusing. People still seem to have trouble grasping the exact difference between the new SXGP series and the good ol' THQ AMA SX series. The short answer is...well, there is no short answer and if I tried to give you the long answer, I'd probably miss the first three rounds or so trying to explain. So let's just say that the difference is star power. Even with the close proximity to the States, Toronto and Vancouver still weren't able to draw all the top factory talent to SXGP. A few first-timers did make the trip north though, including Mike LaRocco, Tim Ferry and the newly Suzuki-mounted Ricky Carmichael who saw the races as an ideal way to fine-tune their machines and work out any last-minute kinks. And while the crowds may not have equalled those of the American rounds, the fans who showed up or watched the next-day telecasts certainly had something to talk about on the way to January 8. Round one was held in early December at Toronto's Sky Dome and although track conditions were less than ideal - the soil was very loose and rocky and it rutted up almost immediately - the racing was top-notch. Carmichael, competing in his first SX series since 2003 (he sat out '04 with a knee injury), looked in good form on his new RM250 and easily claimed the Main Event win. Not surprisingly, LaRocco and Ferry filled out the podium with Heath Voss and Nick Wey rounding out the top five. The next weekend saw the action move west to Vancouver. Carmichael again won easily but he never looked relaxed - in fact, he rode on the edge the entire time, pushing himself much harder than necessary on the loose, slippery soil. He nearly threw it away a couple of times but held on for a commanding win - classic Carmichael. The always fast Nick Wey who was inexplicably forced to the privateer ranks this year took second overall with fellow solo rider Damon Huffman finishing third. Any doubts about Carmichael's fitness or form should have been silenced in Canada. RC pulled the holeshot in his Toronto heat race and he led every lap of the Main Event. He also lapped up to eighth place in the Main and won by 20 seconds. His domination in Vancouver will only have given Reed, Stewart and company a little more to think about over the following month. "I know there are going to have to be some chances taken as we come to Anaheim and the other guys are in there," said Carmichael after Vancouver. "I know I'm taking some and they'd better be willing to take some. I did tonight and I got lucky so maybe that's a good sign. I know how to ride that edge and that's what it's going to take." The extra track time and actual race conditions should prove helpful to Carmichael and those who chose to compete in Canada but the series may never attract all the top talent. The riders know that once January rolls around it's a long and brutal season. Even with the opening rounds moved to Canada - well within driving distance or a short flight away - Carmichael was the only one of the potential-champion bunch to make the trip. Reed was in Oz on his honeymoon but Yamaha didn't really encourage their riders to participate (Ferry had to borrow a bike from Yamaha of Canada and brought his own parts). In its third year of existence, THQ World Supercross GP is still a question mark. The move from Europe to Canada didn't really draw enough top-class riders and its proximity to the US will do little to help its 'world supercross' status (and while Canadian fans were undoubtedly thrilled to host the races, we seem to be drawing closer to the American tradition of deciding that our national championships are, in fact, world championships simply because the USA is so freakin' awesome). That could all change, of course. If Carmichael hits the ground running in the early part of the AMA series it could change the way riders and factories look at the early rounds. With plenty of available bonus money and a chance to work out the kinks under race conditions, the world series could prove irresistible - even mandatory - for any serious championship contender.