Carmichael and Fonseca on podium again

AMA Supercross Series 250cc/125cc East
Round 12: Houston, TX
March 29, 2003

"The start is 50 percent of the race," said Team Honda's Ernesto Fonseca at
the Houston Supercross post-race press conference. "When you get a good
start, it's a lot easier." Fonseca's words could not have been truer and
his results at round 12 of the AMA Supercross Series served as proof
positive. He guided his #24 Honda CR250R to the podium for the second
consecutive week in a row and did it the easy way, by garnering a good
start and racing to a third-place finish by the end of the 20-lap Main
Event.

Series leader Ricky Carmichael, on the other hand, suffered from bad luck
in the chaotic first turn but still finished second, the hard way, after
charging through the pack. The 22 points RC earned in his runner-up
position contributed greatly to the commanding 19-point lead he holds in
the 250 Supercross class, as the series heads into the home stretch with
only four rounds remaining.

"Travis Preston got a better jump off the line and beat me to the first
turn, but then he crashed and I hit him," explained Carmichael, as he
recounted his in-the-seat view of the Main Event's first turn pile-up that
claimed many top contenders. "It made the rest of the night interesting.
Coming from that far back is tough."

Tough as it was, Carmichael still managed to pull within an amazing 1.6
seconds of race winner Chad Reed, even after completing the first lap in a
distant 17th place. The 40,422 in attendance at Houston's Reliant Park went
wild as the two-time defending Supercross champion sliced his way through
the pack, surging from almost dead last on the first lap to second place on
lap ten.

Going into the night, Carmichael had hoped for better results. "I've won
the last two Supercross races here in Houston and I'd love to make it
three," Carmichael said before the racing began. "The Houston crowd is
always a great one and that definitely gets me pumped." Unfortunately,
misfortune first struck RC during qualifying. While leading his Heat race,
Carmichael went down before the start of the fourth lap. He resumed racing
in 10th place, and when the eight-lap sprint ended, the Florida native had
advanced all the way back to second place.

Fonseca's path was much smoother as he immediately got in tune with the
high-energy Houston crowd and stayed strong all night. In his Heat, the
21-year old finished an impressive second place, two spots ahead of
Amsoil/Chaparral/Factory Connection Honda CRF450R-mounted Preston. "My bike
is working great and everything seems to be clicking," a confident Fonseca
commented.

Heading into Houston, Honda Motocross Team Manager Erik Kehoe was confident
that Carmichael and Fonseca would share the podium for the second week in a
row. "During the week we did some testing with Fonseca and our Suspension
Technician Mike Battista," said Kehoe. "After finishing third last weekend
Ernie felt like a little fine-tuning of his suspension could help him
produce another podium finish. We did the same with Ricky and his bike when
we got to Houston. Both guys are feeling very comfortable this weekend."

As the Main Event began with its spectacular first-turn pile-up, Carmichael
worked his way clear and his lap times immediately demonstrated that the
Florida native had the Texas track dialed. Working his way through traffic,
Carmichael recorded the fastest lap time of the race: a blistering
0:47.396-second lap. With consistent 47-second lap times, Carmichael bulled
his way to the front and earned a runner-up finish, overcoming a handicap
that would have doomed lesser riders to a mediocre finish.

"I started to reel him (Reed) in when we had about five laps left," said a
disappointed Carmichael. "I rode fast enough to catch him, but not fast
enough to pass him."

Despite Carmichael's personal disappointment, the fact still remains that
in 12 events, Carmichael has only finished off the podium once.

"The championship is almost there," said Carmichael after the race. "I just
hope my bad luck starts wearing off. I'd like to win the rest of the races,
but that means staying out of trouble."

The Honda riders that did stay out of the first-turn melee posted stellar
results. MotoXXX/Yoshimura's Larry Ward matched his finish from the
previous round, finishing an impressive fourth on his CRF450R. After
Preston and Carmichael crashed in the first turn, Ward inherited first
place and led a train of Hondas through the opening laps, including his
MotoXXX/Yoshimura teammate Clark Stiles and Fonseca. The Big Red freight
train held tight until about the mid-way point of the race, and all three
riders finished within the top ten. Behind Red Riders Carmichael, Fonseca
and Ward, Stiles crossed the finish line in eighth, a career high for the
Athens, Alabama resident, whose real talent is hammering out 30-minute
motos on the rough outdoor tracks of the AMA 250 National Motocross
circuit. Even after his first turn crash, Preston resumed the fray and
soldiered on to a respectable 12th place.

In 125 Eastern Region competition, the lone Amsoil/Chaparral/Factory
Connection rider Ryan Mills started tenth aboard his CR125R and advanced
through the 15-lap 125 Main Event with a vengeance. The Supercross rookie
ended the evening with a career-high sixth-place finish, four places higher
than his previous all-time best. Mills' hard-nosed efforts in 125 Eastern
Region events have netted the young New Yorker ninth place in the series
standings.

With four rounds remaining in the 2003 AMA Supercross Series, Team Honda
heads to the Pontiac Silverdome on April 5, where the Honda CRF450R
celebrated its first Supercross win in 2002. It was just a year ago that
Honda's Nate Ramsey put the CRF450R in the Supercross winner's circle, one
spot ahead of runner-up Carmichael. This year, with Ramsey on the mend and
preparing for the outdoor season, Carmichael and Fonseca plan to step in
and keep Honda on top in Pontiac, Michigan.

"It all starts again on Monday," Carmichael said about preparing for Round
13, just minutes after finishing Round 12 on Saturday night. "We'll put in
a good week of testing and training so Honda can come out on top again in
Pontiac."

250 Main Event Results:
1. Chad Reed - Yamaha
2. Ricky Carmichael - Honda
3. Ernesto Fonseca - Honda
4. Larry Ward - Honda
5. Nick Wey - Yamaha
8. Clark Stiles - Honda
12. Travis Preston - Honda
15. Doug Dehaan - Honda
16. Jason Thomas - Honda
20. Ted Campbell - Honda

250 AMA Supercross Point Standings:
1. Ricky Carmichael - Honda - 279
2. Chad Reed - Yamaha - 260
3. David Vuillemin - Yamaha - 169
4. Tim Ferry - Yamaha - 163
5. Ezra Lusk - Kawasaki - 149
6. Ernesto Fonseca - Honda - 145
9. Larry Ward - Honda - 111
12. Michael Byrne - Honda - 75
13. Mike LaRocco - Honda - 73
17. Damon Huffman - Honda - 55
19. Travis Preston - Honda - 46

125 East Main Event Results:
1. Brock Sellards - Yamaha
2. Ivan Tedesco - Yamaha
3. Brett Metcalfe - KTM
4. Branden Jesseman - Suzuki
5. Mike Brown - Kawasaki
6. Ryan Mills - Honda

125 Eastern Region Point Standings:
1. Branden Jesseman - Suzuki - 135
2. Mike Brown - Kawasaki - 123
3. Brock Sellards - Yamaha - 118
4. Brett Metcalfe - KTM - 85
5. Kelly Smith - Yamaha - 83
9. Ryan Mills - Honda- 63
15. Michael Byrne - Honda - 36
19. (Tie) Barry Carsten - Suzuki/Shane Lusk - Honda - 7