Salt Lake City Notes

New King: Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki's Ricky Carmichael capped off a spectacular season thus far, wining 11 consecutive races - 12 on the year - in Irving, Texas last weekend to win his first-ever 250cc EA SPORTS Supercross championship. Three years in the making, the championship gave him bragging rights to every major American racing title, including the Outdoor National championship and U.S. Open title. In addition, Carmichael was a member of the Motocross des Nations, where he was chosen as part of a three-man team to represent the U.S. in the world championships of motocross.

Long Remember The King: While Carmichael has removed seven-time supercross champion Jeremy McGrath from his throne, it's hard to forget his accolades. Currently, McGrath sits number one on the 250cc all-time win list with 72. To season the point, the rider in second place, Ricky Johnson, has 28 wins. Though, he has only won two races in 2001, McGrath still has two races left and will return hungry in 2002. The last time McGrath lost the title (1997 to Jeff Emig), he rebounded on a new bike, new team, and new outlook on his career to win the 1998 supercross title that remained in his corner for three consecutive years.

The Rock: Does Mike LaRocco test himself every week by seeing how many riders he can pass? LaRocco, who sits third in series points, has been know as a slow starter, but it's easy to forget those slow starts when he carves through the pack, passing riders like they are standing still. Last weekend's come from behind heroics by LaRocco placed him fourth place when the checkers came out. This came after he started dead last and suffered a crash halfway through the race.

We're Waiting: After testing the waters in 250cc competition before the 125cc Eastern Regional Supercross season started, Travis Pastrana returned to the big bikes after winning the 125cc title, but has yet to compete in a 250cc main event since the start of the season. Pastrana either qualified for the main event or practiced in 250cc competition at several races since the Anaheim rounds this year Aggressive and not afraid to trade paint, Pastrana, 17, will compete this weekend before heading to Las Vegas for the Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Shootout, where the best 125cc riders from both coasts duke it out in the dessert.

Hopeful Hiatus: Team Yamaha's David Vuillemin will make a triumphant return from a broken collarbone that he suffered earlier this season. Vuillemin, who won four races last season, fell into a slump in the first part of the season, but this break could be the answer to his lack-luster season.

Second And Climbing: EA Sports Supercross Presented by Supercross recently enjoyed a 1.2 rating with a 3 share for the second leg of three ABC races. Numbers posted by the first ABC race placed EA SPORTS Supercross second in motor sports, right behind NASCAR as the Pontiac, Mich., tape-delayed event surpassed both the CART and IRL race which aired that same day.

Byrne Baby Byrne: Last weekend Michael Byrne, who is the Australian National Supercross champion, showed up in Irving, Texas in a van supplied by Emig Racing. "It's a long drive to Dallas with no scenery," said Byrne. The week before, Emig's team, edgesports.com Kawasaki, closed its doors after their title sponsor failed to meet the financial needs to run the team. The hit came at an unfortunate time for Byrne, who is competing in his first year of American supercross, as he currently sits ninth in points. The team's closure also left Byrne's teammate Casey Johnson without a ride. Byrne finished ninth last week. Emig has not turned his back on the dream of owning his own team. The Riverside, Calif., native is working with the Familie, an extreme sports marketing company, to rejuvenate the team.

Racing For Records: In the event that Carmichael wins the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas events, he will tie McGrath's all-time win (14) and consecutive wins in a season record (13). Historically speaking, the least amount wins McGrath ever had in a season was 1997 with 2.

Come On, Fonzy: The final round of the 125cc Western Regional Supercross series will unfold this weekend as Team Yamaha of Troy's Ernesto Fonseca brings with him an 20-point lead. Fonseca, who won the 1999 125cc Eastern Regional Supercross title in his rookie year, had an off weekend in Irving when injuries and soil samples took precedence over winning the title ... of course not by "Ernie's" choice. Going into Saturday night's 125cc Main Event in Irving, Fonseca followed one motto: never say die. Fonseca finished a solid third place. The Costa Rica native was mid pack out of the gate and on his way through the competition, a hard crash was salt in the wound. Fonseca suffered injuries to his ribs, hand, wrist, neck, foot, and lip, but Fonseca kept pushing, putting together lap times that were three seconds faster than anyone on the track. "I have never seen him go at it that hard," said David Bailey, ESPN2 analyst. "After all of the injuries, he went on to be a mad man. Travis (Pastrana) has his hands full with a healthy Ernesto. I have always felt that Ernesto was not up to speed with Travis but going into Vegas, it's going to be brawl."

Pay-Per-View: For the second time ever, EA SPORTS Supercross' final round from Las Vegas' Sam Boyd Stadium will be available to fans across the country Live on Pay-Per-View. Packed with behind the scenes interviews and trackside interviews, this is one event that fans should not miss.

Last Leg: The third and final leg of EA SPORTS Supercross' ABC broadcasts will be at Salt Lake City. The inaugural stop in Rice-Eccles Stadium will air on ABC's Wide World of Sports Sunday, April 29th at 3:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT/ 1:00 p.m. MT. This is the first year that EA SPORTS Supercross has been aired on ABC three times. Starting in 1998, ABC has featured EA SPORTS with stellar results and has continued to produce excellent results.

Changin' Lanes: This weekend's Salt Lake Soil, which is loose and loamy, will change throughout the day, offering a variety of lines to riders.

East Coast Curse: Carmichael is the first East Coast rider to win a 250cc championship.

Sweet 16: If McGrath wins in Salt Lake City, it will be the 16th state he has won a 250cc supercross Main Event in

Podium Leaders: Only four riders have made it to the podium in 2001: Carmichael: 14; McGrath: 10; LaRocco; Lusk: 7 ; Windham: 4

Big Leagues: Carmichael is the second rider in history to win both 125cc and 250cc supercross championships

<pre> 2001 SFX Motor Sports Bonus Program

Mike Craig:             $8,801
Damon Huffman:          $8,992
Kyle Lewis:             $11,056
Isaiah Johnson:         $6,804
Heath Voss:             $10,103
Robbie Reynard:         $11,056
Jean Sebastien-Roy:     $8,029
James Polvolny:         $5,659
Ryan Clark:             $1,785
Jimmy Wilson:           $952
Kevin Crine:            $1,619
Robbie Skaggs:          $2,180
Ted Campbell:           $833
Doug Dehann:            $1,272
Pedro Gonzales:         $2,013
Jeff Baker:             $666
Jason McCormick:        $1,272
Brian Stone:            $606
Tommy Hoffmaster:       $740
Dustin Nelson:          $740
Brian Mason:            $1,481

125cc $500 SFX.com Holeshot Award

Justin Buckelew: Anaheim #1, San Diego, Anaheim #2              $1,500
Jason McCormick: Phoenix                                        $500
Bryan McGavaran: Anaheim #3                                     $500
Nathan Ramsey: Indianapolis                                     $500
Kelly Smith: Minneapolis, St. Louis                             $500
Grant Langston: Houston                                         $500
Danny Carlson: Pontiac                                          $500
Greg Schnell: Irving                                            $500

250cc $1,000 SFX.com Holeshot Award

David Vuillemin: Anaheim #1 $1,000 Ricky Carmichael: San Diego, Indianapolis, Minnesota, St. Louis $4,000 Jeremy McGrath: Anaheim #2, Anaheim #3, Atlanta, New Orleans $4,000 Ezra Lusk: Phoenix, Irving $2,000 Tim Ferry: Houston $1,000 Kevin Windham: Pontiac $1,000

250cc EA SPORTS Supercross Season Standings

Pos.    Pts.    Rider Name              Hometown        Wins    Sponsors
1       342     RICKY CARMICHAEL        HAVANA, FL      12      TEAM CHEVY TRUCKS / KAWASAKI
2       291     JEREMY A MCGRATH        ENCINITAS, CA   2       TEAM MAZDA / YAMAHA / MCGRATH RACING INC
3       251     MIKE LAROCCO            SOUTH BEND, IN  0       AMSOIL / DR MARTINS / COMPETITION ACCESSORIES / HONDA /
4       238     EZRA LUSK               ACWORTH, GA     0       AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO, INC
5       231     KEVIN W WINDHAM         CENTREVILLE, MS 0       AMERICAN SUZUKI MOTOR CORP
6       179     TIMMY M FERRY           LARGO, FL       0       YAMAHA / FOX / FLY HELMETS / GAERNE BOOTS
7       135     DAVID VUILLEMIN         FRANCE,         0       YAMAHA MOTOR CORP USA / FOX / BRIDGESTONE
8       134     STEPHANE RONCADA        MENIFEE, CA     0       TEAM CHEVY TRUCKS KAWASAKI
9       119     MICHAEL BYRNE           AUSTRALIA, QL   0       THE EDGE SPORTS.COM / KAWASAKI
10      118     DAMON W HUFFMAN         VALENCIA, CA    0       MOTOWORLD RACING.COM / ANSWER RACING / YAMAHA / FMF / MAXI

125cc Western Regional Supercross Season Standings

Pos.    Pts.    Rider Name              Hometown        Wins    Sponsors
1       143     ERNESTO FONSECA         COSTA RICA,     4       YAMAHA OF TROY / YAMAHA / FOX
2       123     RODRIG THAIN            FRANCE,         0       AMERICAN SUZUKI MOTOR CORP
3       117     JUSTIN BUCKELEW         ALBUQUERQUE, NM 1       YAMAHA OF TROY / YAMAHA / FOX
4       113     GRANT LANGSTON          S AFRICA,       1       KTM SPORTMOTORCYCLE USA / REDBULL / THOR
5       106     IVAN TEDESCO            ALBUQUERQUE, NM 0       PLANO HONDA / MSR / PRO CIRCUIT / FETISH / SCOTT / RENTHAL
6       92      DANNY L SMITH           MIDDLETON, ID   0       AMERICAN SUZUKI MOTOR CORP
7       84      DAVID PINGREE           MENIFEE, CA     0       KTM SPORTMOTORCYCLE USA / REDBULL / THOR
8       75      TRAVIS A PRESTON        HESPERIA, CA    1       FAST BY FERRACCI / DKNY / DIADORA / TROY LEE / DUNLOP
9       68      GREG S SCHNELL  RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA    0       MOTOWORLD RACING.COM / ANSWER / YAMAHA / FMF / MAXIMA / 909 /
10      62      JIRI DOSTAL             CZECH REPUBLIC  0       PLANO HONDA / MSR / PRO CIRCUIT / SCOTT / RENTHAL / FETISH

-SFX Motor Sports