2003 Phoenix 250cc Heat #1 (Ricky Carmichael Vs. Travis Pastrana #2)

Рет қаралды 229,047

9 жыл бұрын

This is the 1st 250cc qualifying heat race from the 2003 Phoenix Supercross.
In 2003, Honda's Ricky Carmichael came into the 2nd round of the Supercross season at Phoenix with a 2nd place finish at the Anaheim 1 opener. After a qualifying heat incident with Team Suzuki's Travis Pastrana, which resulted in the whole crowd booing him, Carmichael crashed twice in the main after an 8th place start and finished in 2nd after coming from last twice. Yamaha 250cc rookie Chad Reed took an easy first round win, but Carmichael and Pastrana would meet each other again in this heat race.
In this heat race, Travis and Ricky nearly tied for the holeshot. Pastrana held the lead and swapped positions with Carmichael, giving the crowd an immediate excitement to begin the 250cc racing. Pastrana and Carmichael swapped positions left and right before Carmichael crashed in turn #2 and Travis (again) had nowhere to go. Travis went down, too, which handed the lead to Ricky's Honda teammate, Ernesto Fonseca.
Ernesto held the lead for 4 turns before stalling his CR250 in the turn after the whoops. KTM's Grant Langston, and Yamaha's Tim Ferry got by, which turned into a new battle for 1st place. Fonseca restarted his bike and lost 3rd to Carmichael. Tim Ferry chased Grant Langston for a few turns before he crashed in the rhythm section and was forced to go to the semi. Carmichael moved back up to 2nd and challenged Langston for the heat win, but he couldn't make the pass. Langston won the heat (his first on the 250), and Carmichael finished a very close 2nd; Fonseca recovered from the stall to finish in 3rd, and Travis Pastrana recovered from his crash to finish in 4th.
After the heat race, Ricky was visibly upset. The main didn't go much better. Carmichael ran 3rd for a majority of the race behind Chad Reed, and Team Kawasaki's Ezra Lusk before he crashed in the first turn around lap 10. Carmichael recovered for a 4th place finish, but Ezra Lusk broke through and won his first Supercross race since Indianapolis 1999. Chad Reed took a smart 2nd place. As for Travis Pastrana, he took a disappointing 12th after he was lapped before the white flag. As for Grant Langston, an early crash shuffled him to 20th place, but his 250cc season was full of crashes and injuries since a 3rd in the Geneva World Supercross opener; Grant would later drop down to ride the 125cc East again, but yet another injury to his wrist ruined that season, too. Amazingly enough, Langston would battle with Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Mike Brown and his KTM teammate Ryan Hughes for the 2003 125cc National Championship and come out the champion with only 1 moto win.
Enjoy.

Пікірлер: 119

@32NinerBravo 4 жыл бұрын

Racing was so much better with 2-strokes. Nothing comes close to hearing that sound in a stadium.

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 4 жыл бұрын

No arguments from this corner. I didn't expect the 2-strokes to be completely away after 2006 though. They are back in Canada's MX2 class, and while I like the move, I cannot help but feel that the bike has been considerably discredited when you look at 250s in this time period.

@MrIh8hondas 4 жыл бұрын

There seemed to be a lot more passing in the two stroke days as well.

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 4 жыл бұрын

@@MrIh8hondas No question about it.

@nathanmcdonald1572 3 жыл бұрын

They also forced you to carry a lot of momentum through the corners. You couldn't just park it and still make the big jumps like with a 450. 2-strokes did more to separate the men from the boys.

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames Жыл бұрын

@@nathanmcdonald1572 Indeed. It was all technique, and at times, riding a 250cc 2-stroke was easier than a 125cc.

@americanguy87 7 жыл бұрын

Memories. My neighbor was Ernesto Fonseca mechanic. I used to go to the test track with them in the off season.

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 7 жыл бұрын

Wow! That's a pretty big claim to fame -- you neighbors w/ Kenny Germain, Ernesto Fonseca's mechanic??? Lucky you! :)

@americanguy87 7 жыл бұрын

Yes and his now ex wife Jennifer.

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 7 жыл бұрын

Wow -- never knew Kenny Germain divorced.

@92174164 7 жыл бұрын

americanguy87 wow that is awesome

@TheDude111 7 жыл бұрын

Too bad we'll never hear that buzz in an arena ever again.

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 7 жыл бұрын

The 2-strokes in a Supercross in U.S.? Yes, you're right; at least Canada has found a way to keep the 2-strokes alive by allowing them to compete in the MX2/250cc class during their National season. While I like the idea, my only complaint is that letting the 250cc 2-strokes compete w/ the 250cc 4-strokes has considerably discredited the 250cc 2-strokes.

@seantamke3108 3 жыл бұрын

@@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames How have they discredited the 250 twostroke?

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 3 жыл бұрын

@@seantamke3108 Because during this time period, the 250 2-strokes were going against the 450 4-strokes; today, they're classified as "Lites bikes" in Canada. If you think of it that way, I think you'd understand my point.

@tonyclifton474 5 жыл бұрын

Nobody can recover from a crash like Carmichael

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 5 жыл бұрын

I would tend to agree at this point in racing.

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 2 жыл бұрын

@lol That only seems to happen in the movies as far as dropping from the race is concerned.

@oscarchialvo5678 7 жыл бұрын

i love ricky carmichael and love love love the game mx superfly

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 7 жыл бұрын

Same here; unfortunately (for Ricky), Chad Reed holds a special place in my heart as my favorite rider. I liked Carmichael just as much as the next person (don't get me wrong), but I wanted to see him challenged and Chad Reed filled pretty much all those voids.

@oscarchialvo5678 7 жыл бұрын

okay . Do you have the game of mx superfly ?

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 7 жыл бұрын

I do indeed. I've already posted about 4 or 5 races on my channel :)

@oscarchialvo5678 7 жыл бұрын

okay. Do you have the game of mx superfly o mtx mototrax ?

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 7 жыл бұрын

MX Superfly I do have (as I said earlier), but not MTX Mototrax

@endurotruckererniedesjardins 7 жыл бұрын

this is real mx with the right sound and real bikes . gotta love 2 strokes

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 7 жыл бұрын

Yes indeed. I loved the 250s, but the 450s I also liked, too. I didn't expect the 4-strokes to dominate the sport just 3 years later.

@doostar6875 Жыл бұрын

can you imagine how many MX and Supercoss titles Pastrana would have won if he had remained disciplined??? He was all talent and no fear. I guess thats why he made it so big in the freestyle world

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames Жыл бұрын

Yes indeed. The way Travis handled his racing career made him a pretty big hypocrite when he once said, "Racing has been my dream since I was 4 years old." I still believe the only thing Travis really gave was a personality you just can't beat.

@doostar6875 Жыл бұрын

@@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames a wild child with too much talent on a bike and yet absolutely no discipline to the craft of racing. Yet i guess that very trait is what helped him push the barriers of what can be done in freestyle. And also that total lack of fear is what has made Nitro Circus such a big brand and a big money making machine

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames Жыл бұрын

@@doostar6875 Yes true. I have respect for Travis in that capacity, but he really whammied Suzuki from my view when he didn't let that knee heal properly. I also began losing respect for Travis when he backflipped the FINISH line jump at Daytona '06, too.

@VashStarwind Жыл бұрын

@@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames What you talking about dude? Travis has sold more Suzuki bikes than anyone on the planet. He didnt whammy suzuki in any way lol. And backflipping after a race is badass lol. None of the other dude would do that ha.

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames Жыл бұрын

@@VashStarwind I know what I'm talking about. As a racer, Travis DID whammy Suzuki the way he did -- especially when he never let his knee heal properly.

@user-wj2yx8vn5e 4 жыл бұрын

この頃のスーパークロスは面白かったなぁ〜見れて良かった。ありがとうございます♪

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 4 жыл бұрын

Glad you think so. This was when I was in high school and looking for someone new to cheer for after McGrath's sudden retirement. I found my guy in Chad Reed.

@andrewb232 3 жыл бұрын

looking back supercross kinda sucks now theres no 2 strokes the tracks arent nearly as good and the trophy girls dont even kiss the winners any more

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 3 жыл бұрын

No 2-strokes, I don't disagree with; the tracks, I FULLY agree with, but I don't know if the trophy girls still kiss the winners -- even BEFORE COVID-19 took over our lifestyle. How Ricky got the job of designing the tracks, I have no clue, but Gary Bailey not building Daytona anymore was a bad move all around. Ricky's track designs have been so basic, it takes the fun out of it before the night even begins. What REALLY needs to be done is have more riders give their own designs to add more flavor like before.

@hamonrye9823 4 жыл бұрын

I miss these days

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 4 жыл бұрын

No arguments from this corner. I miss these days, too.

@hamonrye9823 4 жыл бұрын

Those **

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 4 жыл бұрын

@@hamonrye9823 Either word works. I miss those good days because this was the period where I was considering leaving the sport, but Chad Reed kept me a fan down the stretch of the Supercross season.

@hamonrye9823 4 жыл бұрын

@@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames yea Chad Reed ripped . Especially at outdoors

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 4 жыл бұрын

@@hamonrye9823 In Supercross, totally. I still hold Chad in my debt for saving me from leaving after MC retired so suddenly. Motocross took Chad a little while longer in terms of winning a title, but 2004 was his best year ever IMO next to 2009 and 2011.

@fredgarvinMP 4 жыл бұрын

Crazy! This was like Atlanta 1990 condensed into a heat race.

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 4 жыл бұрын

That's an interesting way to put it. I never thought of comparing the excitement here to Atlanta 1990.

@felixmassot1389 3 жыл бұрын

Anaheim 86 : best SX race in history Phoenix 2003: hold my beer Daytona 2008: what about me? Anaheim 86 and Phoenix 2003 : you're funny!

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 3 жыл бұрын

No disagreements on Anaheim '86, but I do have mixed opinions on Daytona '08 and the last two because of what year you're speaking of.

@92174164 7 жыл бұрын

Damn i miss Ricky

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 7 жыл бұрын

Same here, but it's understanding to me why he retired after 2007.

@Freddy_Confetti 4 жыл бұрын

Same here

@fristytron 8 жыл бұрын

Awesome heat,.. what an end!

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 8 жыл бұрын

+Lluis Nieto No doubt about it. This was arguably one of Travis Pastrana's last bright moments in his life.

@MiPiKeTe392 8 жыл бұрын

+MathewV21688 umm I think he did much better later he came out with nitro circus and he's a pro rally racer now and a a pro drifter

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 8 жыл бұрын

***** Well, yeah, but that's non-racing. As a racer, I thought Travis set the most bad examples before Jason Lawrence took that torch from him.

@MiPiKeTe392 8 жыл бұрын

+MathewV21688 how is it non racing only nitro circus was non racing the rest is he races rally now and drift competitions he even battled Ken Block and Tanner Faust

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 8 жыл бұрын

***** I meant when Travis was in this sport. Total shame, but he did make the most of the rest of his career in that department.

@scottbradford4130 7 жыл бұрын

Langston put out some serious juju on the leading pack.. Ricky going down on a easy turn. Travis going down cause of Ricky then Fonseca stalls..ooooo man, luck was on his side that night boy... great fucin race overall though.

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 7 жыл бұрын

I remember thinking the same thing -- it's a shame Langston's luck in the main went sour from there.

@luizspindola 5 жыл бұрын

Tim Ferry crashed too!

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 5 жыл бұрын

Yep, on his own though in the rhythm section.

@jacobweidinger6822 3 жыл бұрын

@@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames o

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 3 жыл бұрын

@@jacobweidinger6822 Nonetheless, this was one of the craziest heat races that I can remember.

@MIDNIGHT_909 6 жыл бұрын

WHERE CAN I FIND MORE VIDEO'S OF KYLE LEWIS #23 ANY ONE?

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 6 жыл бұрын

I have some more races of Lewis in there -- especially when he podiumed at Washougal 2002 w/ a 4-3.

@MIDNIGHT_909 6 жыл бұрын

MathewV21688 I HAVE A HELMET SIGNED BY HIM AND I ALSO HAVE HIS TOP LONG SLEEVE THT HAD CAUGHT ON FIRE FROM HIS BIKE. ANY VIDEOS ON THT? WHEN HE HAD HIS TRAGEDY ACCIDENT?

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 6 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately, I have no photos of anything -- just the classic races from the late McGrath era on

@jojojnc 5 жыл бұрын

Kyle Lewis was fun to watch all the way to the end .

@slimshaynie369 7 жыл бұрын

I rhode in the ktm challenge this night

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 7 жыл бұрын

Lucky you. How'd you do? Did you win?

@slimshaynie369 6 жыл бұрын

MathewV21688 no I believe I got like 7th out of 16, but an awesome experience

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 6 жыл бұрын

Impressive indeed :)

@wgreis9439 7 жыл бұрын

what happen to Ernesto Fonseca ?

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 7 жыл бұрын

Heat race: stalled for some odd reason and came back for 3rd. Career: Fonseca was forced to the sidelines permanently in 2006 after a paralyzing crash at the Honda test track before the Daytona Supercross. Ernesto fractured his C7 and now, he is in a wheelchair. Sad that it happened to someone like him. I got to meet Fonseca when he came to my home state of Hawaii in 2001.

@wgreis9439 7 жыл бұрын

***** I thought so , it's a shame you don't hear about him and how he is doing ... No race to raise money for him ??

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 7 жыл бұрын

From what I know, there was a charity golf tournament just before the 2006 Vegas finale to raise money for Ernesto.

@wgreis9439 7 жыл бұрын

***** I don't like to think like this but is that it ?

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 7 жыл бұрын

I'm afraid so. Fonseca did regain the use of his arms, but he can't feel from his nipples down. That's all I heard. What a shame because now we'll never know how long Ernesto's career would've lasted.

@jonon1989 6 жыл бұрын

Travis is the reason Carmichael switched to Suzuki

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 6 жыл бұрын

Somehow, I highly doubt that is why Ricky went to Suzuki for 2005. I think Ricky went yellow because he wanted to make the decision that was best for him -- like when he left his long-time home at Kawasaki to ride for Team Honda in 2002.

@dr00andrew 5 жыл бұрын

@@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames thats cause honda offered him a massive contract at the time. I also remember david bailey saying how carmichael had ridden lusks CR haninging out one day and really liked how it rode, better than his KX I was reading mcgraths book and came up with my own theory on rc's switch to honda. So from 96-01 honda didnt win one supercross OR national title and they had factory riders like lusk and windham (guys who were supposed beat mc) and even larocco (who was independent.) No one could beat MC until ricky in 2001. Did honda offer RC a huge contract so they could finally win a title AND stick it to the guy who walked away after '96 because MC didnt like the terms of their contract to him? I remember MC said Cliff White from honda was glad to see him struggle and lose in the 97 season following their contract fallout The most ironic part about RCs switch to honda was it took him forever to finally win a race in 2002. Larocco won the first sx race for honda that year and could have even taken the title had he not hurt his wrist that year

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 5 жыл бұрын

No disagreements there on Honda. Yes, they had guys like Lusk, Windham, Pichon, and LaRocco and Tortelli, but I think bad and/or dumb luck had a lot to do with guys like Lusk and Windham. I remember Davey Coombs pointing out that when McGrath left Honda for Suzuki, it was an 11th hour thing, and Ricky had signed with Honda early. I don't really remember much about behind the scenes there. Well, unless you count the 2001 U.S. Open, Ricky was already a winner on that CR250R. As for the 2002 calendar year, that crash Ricky had at A1 where he sustained a broken bone in his hand and unconscious for a moment had everything to do with Ricky not getting a win yet until Phoenix. Half the time, people would be on the sidelines for at least a week, but not Ricky. I don't think still getting used to the Honda had anything to do with Ricky starting out with a 20th (DNF) and 2 4th places in 2002 though. As far as LaRocco's concerned, yes, I agree he could have taken the title had the circumstances went as is with Vuillemin bypassing Daytona. If you're in the LaRocco camp, and you place all the blame on Travis Pastrana (which they have every right to do), you'd have a case because that was one incident involving Travis that could've been prevented. Many people (myself included) did place the blame on Travis Pastrana, and David Bailey even said he understood that since he did dumb things like backflipping into the Grand Canyon. LaRocco sure CAN place the blame on Travis for sure because that was all on Travis.

@dr00andrew 5 жыл бұрын

@@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames yeah the pastrana larocco incident was really unfortunate. travis didnt mean any harm to larocco, but he just had the worst case scenario happen out of that event. its one of those things where larocco and his camp had a valid point about how travis was wrong, but travis just made a really honest mistake hat affected someone else's season. this is a perfect example of why tp never panned out in racing. he knew what he had to do to win, but he could never consistently make smart decisions. he always had the speed and talent to win, but his focus/mental game was never always there

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 5 жыл бұрын

No doubt about that. I agree that it was an honest mistake on Travis' behalf; he even said that he was the only rider jumping the dragon's back double and making the inside line, but the incident was also uncalled for at the same time because you don't move LaRocco out of the way. The extra stuff you said about Travis is spot on. This also furthers my point of why I felt Travis was one of THE biggest disappointments (or disgraces) to the sport of Supercross. All Travis really gave was a personality you can't beat. Travis certainly knew what to do to win (having won a total of 8 races in the 125cc class), but yeah, he couldn't make smart decisions consistently, not to mention he couldn't stay away from injuries and Freestyle MX.

@tc9084 5 жыл бұрын

Did they record this on a Sony walkman Jesus

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 5 жыл бұрын

blank DVDs, loser.

@cwracing86irwin76 6 жыл бұрын

Ricky rode dirty! We all know it..

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 6 жыл бұрын

Oh I completely disagree. RC kept it clean, and so did Pastrana. Just dumb luck led to their crashes IMO.

@travis10ist 5 жыл бұрын

That not dirty tho. Ricky crash first before Travis did. It call accident. He didnt use cheap shot or took travis out like ryan dungy did to james stermart or others

@claytonandrews7234 2 жыл бұрын

RICKY WON MORE RACES THAN ANY OTHER RIDER EVER. WE ALL NO THAT

@hoochipappie75 7 жыл бұрын

man u guys im sorry...BUT i am the BIGGEST mx fan on earth used yo race...and i NEVER noticed it....but look at it just really WATCH this...it looks like they GAVE that to ktm...i mean they (travis and ricky)look like they just threw it away...then fonseca just do happened to STALL it...then ricky catches him in one lap and just follows gor 2 laps..it is JUST a heat too.....JUST WATCH THIS AGAIN...im really wondering now???????????NEVER NOTICED THIS B4

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 7 жыл бұрын

I wouldn't say Grant Langston was GIVEN the win. Fonseca's stall just puzzled the heck out of me, but I think Ricky's and Travis' crashes were just dumb luck; Travis got the worst end of the deal though. Either way, it was an exciting 8-lap heat race between Pastrana and Carmichael, but it's a shame that neither of them won.

@hoochipappie75 7 жыл бұрын

watch it again..wirh this in mind...ktm was struggling then..dont think of now

@hoochipappie75 7 жыл бұрын

dude pastrana and ricky just laid over as much as they RIDE EVERYDAY... u really think NEVERMIND ktm wouldnt have been around much longer back then ...they all GAVE it away

@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames 7 жыл бұрын

hoochipappie75 I seriously do not think Carmichael was trying that hard, but Travis had nowhere to go and that's what happens when you follow a rider sometimes. I don't know if Ferry would've won the heat race over Langston, even if he didn't crash, but Ferry's crash ruined everything for him. I do give Carmichael credit for trying to come back to win it because he was only a 1/2 second off of Langston.

@MrKdr500 7 жыл бұрын

Supercross in USA was not going to make or break KTM, they were big in Europe MX/Offroad already. you are reading into something that is not written.