Back to school
By TMX Archives on 18th May 04
I'M A big fan of the unthinkable. When something happens that just stops everyone in their tracks and makes them reconsider everything in front of them it really gets the old juices going. I'M A big fan of the unthinkable. When something happens that just stops everyone in their tracks and makes them reconsider everything in front of them it really gets the old juices going. And the great thing about this sport of ours is the unthinkable happens all the time.Take for instance Ricky Carmichael. When he made the switch from Kawasaki to Honda not long ago, it blew people's minds. RC was a Kawasaki rider from almost day one - how could he switch? Would the fans ever get used to seeing him on a red bike? We did of course - over time. The unthinkable will always become perfectly normal if not inevitable - but now he's gone and done it again.Carmichael's early signing with Team Suzuki with so much time left in the 2004 season was a shock to the system for many American fans. And while many understood his move from Kawasaki to the historically mighty Honda team, a move to Suzuki never seemed part of the equation. The team has struggled for years now, its last 250cc championship coming courtesy of Greg Albertyn in 1999's outdoor national series.While RC's move certainly blew a few minds there could well be more to come. At the beginning of the year it was well known that the big three - Carmichael, Chad Reed and James Stewart - were essentially free agents at year's end. With each of their contracts up for renewal at the end of '04 each one was free to speak with other teams. Carmichael's decision came earlier than most expected, though, and now the gossip mills are churning away full-force.Where will the rest end up? There has been plenty of talk surrounding Suzuki's war chest suggesting that Roger de Coster's squad is ready to make a push for another big-time rider, most likely Reed. Without the perpetually injured Travis Pastrana and Sebastien Tortelli, the yellow marque's 250 squad has consistently lacked a top-calibre, championship-level rider. And with one of the best already signed on for '05 there's a good chance they may splash the cash for the speedy Australian.As for Stewart, a juicy early-season rumour had him heading to KTM which sounded crazy until you realised that Red Bull could probably put up the cash to secure his services. But would James really go to a brand with a 250cc bike as unproven as KTM's? It looks less than likely. Then again, the unthinkable always does.Whichever way the remaining big two decide to go they'll bring their shiny new championship trophies with them. Stewart secured the 125cc East region championship two rounds early this year adding it to his West region title from '02. His 18 career 125cc wins give him the new record, three ahead of the previous mark set by Jeremy McGrath.While Bubba continues his quest to win every title the AMA can throw at him, Aussie Chad Reed has made a bit of history himself. For the first time since Jean-Michel Bayle in 1991 a foreign-born rider has won the 250cc supercross title. Reed capped a fantastic season with the #1 plate for 2004 securing 10 out of 16 main-event wins. It was a much-deserved spot in the history books as Team Honda's Kevin Windham, Reed's closest competition, took five wins with Mike LaRocco taking a popular victory at his home race in Indianapolis.But where's the controversy you ask? Hungry for scandal? Well we've got that too. Reed and company received a bit of a scare in April when AMA Pro Racing dropped the hammer on them for violation of their new leaded-fuel rules. At the 14th round in Dallas a random test for lead found three riders - Reed, his Yamaha team-mate David Vuillemin and Yamaha privateer Tyson Hadsell - in violation. Each was docked 25 championship points.AMA Pro Racing SX/MX Series Manager Steve Whitelock - a busy man in his first year in that role - stated that fuel samples were collected from seven motorcycles at the Texas round and that the samples from Hadsell, Reed and Vuillemin were found to be in non-compliance. The samples were sent to a certified testing lab which confirmed that the fuel did not meet the requirements specified in the AMA SX/MX rulebook.That narrowed the gap between Reed and Windham to 15 points with two rounds to go. It didn't make a difference in the end - Windham's victories at the last two rounds were tamed by second-place finishes for Reed - but it has put an unnecessary asterisk next to Chad's name in the record books.Was Reed or Team Yamaha cheating? Almost certainly not - the levels of lead in the gas while well above the allowed limit were not sufficient to effect performance - but for many the damage has been done.Adding more, er, fuel to the fire was the fact that AMA Pro turned down Yamaha's appeal, whereas they had upheld an appeal from Windham early in the series when he was docked points for rough riding.Now, I love a good conspiracy as much as the next guy but we're dealing with two very different situations here. Windham's penalty was a judgement call and after a video review it was overturned. The fuel penalty imposed on Reed, Vuillemin and Hadsell on the other hand was a by-the-book violation - overturning that one would have neutered the AMA in general and Whitelock in particular in the eyes of the entire sport. In the end it didn't affect the title and the best man won.As the eyes of the American moto-public now shift to the dewy, early-morning vistas of the outdoor nationals a new sense of drama has returned to the sport. Carmichael is about to begin his Honda swansong while his team-mate Windham has gained huge amounts of confidence since his return to racing. Reed has never been a serious threat in the nationals but he recently announced a new dedication to outdoor racing and plans to make a serious run at the red riders. Chad Reed sweeping the entire 2004 season? Well that's just unthinkable.By Jeff Kocan, courtesy RacerX