Supercross officially changed when the gate dropped for the main event in Anaheim 2. It seemed like another regular old Amp’d Mobile Supercross race, with 20 riders on the gate, and the device dropping a few seconds after the 30-second girl rotated the 30 card sideways.
But here was the difference. While 20 great riders were behind that starting gate when it dropped, the greatest of them all was seated far, far away, in the upper regions of Angel Stadium. Ricky Carmichael, heretofore referred to as the Greatest of All Time, was not racing. He was helping Ralph Sheheen and Jeff Emig with commentary for the CBS TV broadcast. Carmichael was staying true to his plan of racing only a part-time SX season, and thus, even after almost winning the race at Phoenix a week ago, he was not competing in Anaheim. Never before had a rider stepped away at such a high level. No retirement had ever begun with a rider holding the most current AMA Supercross Title, and sitting within a few points of the series lead in both the AMA and World SXGP Series. But Ricky was going to do it, because he wants to be a TV journalist that darned bad.
Okay, perhaps that wasn’t it. Carmichael can still win championships, but he doesn’t want the pressure of having to deal with those expectations anymore. That pressure then fell on James Stewart, who has been referred to as both the heir and (very catchy) air apparent to the supercross and motocross throne . Stewart was the one who now held the points lead, and with Carmichael now holding a microphone, who was going to stop him?
Well, no one. Stewart took the fastest practice times, won his heat race, and then battled for the holeshot in the main. He settled for merely a good start instead behind MDK/Xyience Honda’s Nick Wey, then passed Wey and took off. Not that Wey was fussed over that. With Carmichael off the track, a big hole was left open for someone else to finally get on the podium, and Wey wanted it. Eventually, Chad Reed, who was still recovering from injuries, got past Wey for second, and then the battle was on to see who would break the damn and get that third-place spot.
Wisely, Wey didn’t focus on the podium, but instead tried to hang with Reed. He ignored a hard-charging Tim Ferry and held the vice grip on third. The privateer had beaten the factories for a podium. A few minutes after the celebration, however, the AMA took a fuel sample from Wey’s bike…but that’s a story for another week.
The real story here was Stewart, who was now three-for-three in AMA Supercross races. His closest competitors were either down (Reed said he was close, but not yet up to 100 percent) or out (Carmichael). For James, he’s a long way off from having to worry about what to do when his supercross career winds down, because he was on the way up.
The way down can come quick in this game, though. In the Lites, class, the flash of Frenchman Christophe Pourcel ended as quickly as it began. After shocking the world with a second and a first at the opening rounds of supercross 2007, Pourcel came into A2 nursing a foot injury. Then he mis-timed a rhythm section and broke his shin. Just as soon as he had come, he was gone. Ryan Villopoto took the win and resumed control of the West for the foreseeable future. That Carmichael guy sounded pretty impressed from his spot in the TV booth.
