Carmichael up for the task in Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (March 7, 2003) -- The Superbikes step aside on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway as the Daytona Supercross By Honda takes center stage in the tri-oval of the "World Center of Racing." Ricky Carmichael, 23, of Havana, ...
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (March 7, 2003) -- The Superbikes step aside on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway as the Daytona Supercross By Honda takes center stage in the tri-oval of the "World Center of Racing."
Ricky Carmichael, 23, of Havana, Fla., returns to his home state looking to make history in Saturday's Daytona Supercross By Honda. Carmichael has the chance to tie Jeff Stanton's record of four straight wins between 1989-92.
Carmichael is also well on his way to earning his third straight AMA Supercross title. The Daytona Supercross By Honda marks the 10th round of the 16-race series and Carmichael has built a 22-point lead over Aussie Chad Reed after winning six of the last seven rounds.
The 250cc main event that features Carmichael will start at 4:05 p.m. while the the fourth round of the AMA 125 East Region Supercross begins at 3:30.
Carmichael is the undisputed king of the Daytona Supercross. The factory Honda rider didn't just win the last three Daytona Supercross races, he completely dominated them.
"Daytona will prove whether or not you've been training hard," said Carmichael, the only former winner in the field. "It is a tough race and causes a lot of riders to crumble. Daytona seems to bring out the best in me. It's always rough and sandy and I grew up racing on those kinds of tracks."
The 2003 edition of the Gary Bailey-designed circuit, set up inside Daytona International Speedway's tri-oval, has been reconfigured. The new layout appears to offer additional passing lanes and the starting gate has been relocated to give a longer run into turn one.
Chad Reed won the 125 East Region race at Daytona last year and needs a strong race in the featured 250 class this year to keep pace with Carmichael. Reed's Yamaha teammate, David Vuillemin, who missed last year's Daytona Supercross with an injury, has been getting stronger with each race this year and should be a leading contender for this weekend's race.
Tim Ferry and Ezra Lusk are fourth and fifth respectively in the series standings and finished second and third respectively in the Daytona Supercross last March. Ferry is hoping to earn his first victory of the season and Lusk wants to follow up his January win in Phoenix with another victory.
Tickets and more information on the Daytona Supercross By Honda are available on the Speedway's Web site at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling the Speedway ticket office at (386) 253-7223.
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