Lakewood – Even a small chance turned out to be no chance for the other riders as defending champion Ricky Carmichael overcame a bad start in the first moto Sunday to win the AMA Motocross Championship event at Thunder Valley Motocross Park.
Carmichael won both motos Sunday en route to his sixth consecutive overall victory in front of 26,685 fans. Davi Millsaps took second overall and James Stewart third.
“It’s fun to come here to this new venue. It’s a good racetrack, but a lot of tough elements,” said Carmichael, who took a 69-point lead in the standings over Chad Reed. “You have to fight elevation. We are 22 percent down on horsepower, so it’s harder to pass.”
It may have been harder to pass for most, but Carmichael made it look easy.
In the first race, Carmichael flinched when the gate moved slightly. When the gate finally fell, he found himself back in the pack. After the first lap, Carmichael was sixth but stayed calm on course and eventually made his way to the front.
Carmichael methodically weaved in and out of the riders in front of him on the second lap, powering through his fastest lap of the moto and into third place.
By the time he finished the fifth lap, Carmichael had taken the lead from Millsaps and started working on building his advantage. His lead grew to 8.72 seconds after the eighth lap, and it was up to 11.64 seconds when the 11th lap was done.
“It was fun to catch up from behind,” said Carmichael, who has won 33 of the past 34 AMA national races. “Sometimes those races are a lot more fun than just getting the holeshot and powering through.”
Carmichael has won the only two races at Thunder Valley since it became part of the tour last year, and the victory gave him 141 wins on the tour. Nursing a huge lead, Carmichael slowed on the last two laps, popping wheelies for his crew on the sideline and waving to paralyzed former rider Ernesto Fonseca.
“He’s a fighter. I’m just pumped to see him out,” Carmichael said of Fonseca. “You couldn’t find a guy like that mentally. The way he has taken it is unreal.”
Fonseca was honored during the opening ceremony, and funds were raised at the track to help with his rehabilitation from his March practice crash that ended his racing career.
The motocross lite division ended just as one-sided as the main event. Ryan Villopoto of Poulsbo, Wash., won both motos in a fashion similar to Carmichael.
In the first moto, Villopoto grabbed the lead at the start and never looked back, but he had to work to win the second. Villopoto took the lead early in the first lap of the second moto but fell off his bike and dropped in the standings. But his bike did not stall and he rejoined the race in third place.
“I just tried to regroup. I lost some positions but I just had to go and work my way up,” the 17-year-old Villopoto said.
Villopoto used his fastest lap of the race to regain the lead by passing Broc Hepler during the fourth lap.
They were side-by-side at the end of the third lap, but Villopoto used a quick burst of speed up the first hill of the fourth lap to take the lead for good. It was Villopoto’s fifth victory in a row in the series.
“I hope I can keep it rolling,” he said.
Brandon Meachum can be reached at 303-820-1720 or bmeachum@denverpost.com.
Results
Toyota Trucks Pro Motocross National
At Thunder Valley MX Park, Lakewood
Motocross (Moto Finish)
1. Ricky Carmichael, Suzuki, 1-1; 2. Davi Millsaps, Honda, 3-2; 3. James Stewart, Kawasaki, 2-5; 4. Kevin Windham, Honda, 4-4; 5. Travis Pres-ton, Honda, 5-7.
6. Tim Ferry, Yamaha, 8-6; 7. Michael Byrne, Kawasaki, 6-8; 8. Chad Reed, Yamaha, 16-3; 9. Josh Summey, Honda, 10-10; 10. David Vuillemin, Yamaha, 7-13.
Motocross lites (moto finish)
1. Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, 1-1; 2. Broc Hepler, Suzuki, 4-2; 3. Mike Alessi, KTM, 3-3; 4. Andrew McFarlane, Yamaha, 5-5; 5. Martin Davalos, Yamaha, 6-6.
6. Nathan Ramsey, KTM, 8-9; 7. Andrew Short, Honda, 2-33; 8. Danny Smith, Honda, 9-12; 9. Joshua Grant, Honda, 9-14; 10. Steve Boniface, Honda, 7-15.
Season standings
Motocross class
1. Ricky Carmichael, Suzuki, 342; 2. Chad Reed, Yamaha, 273; 3. Davi Millsaps, Honda, 236; 4. Kevin Windham, Honda, 231; 5. Travis Preston, Honda, 195.
6. Nicholas Wey, Honda, 193; 7. David Vuillemin, Yamaha, 181; 8. James Stewart, Kawasaki, 164; 9. Timmy Ferry, Honda, 146; 10. Joshua Summey, Honda, 121.
Motocross lites
1. Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki, 290; 2. Mike Alessi, KTM, 277. 3. Andrew Short, Honda, 230; 4. Andrew McFarlane, Yamaha, 229; 5. Joshua Grant, Honda, 219.
6. Brett Metcalfe, Yamaha, 206; 7. Nathan Ramsey, KTM, 146; 8. Broc Hepler, Suzuki, 115; 9. Matt Goerke, Yamaha, 113; 10. Troy Adams, Kawasaki, 112.
