Supercross ....... March 2000

Round Five
Houston Astrodome
February 5, 2000

Jeremy McGrath entered the Houston Astrodome determined to take control of the 2000 EA Sports Supercross season and did just that - winning his heat race and going on to win the 250cc main event at the historic Astrodome Saturday, February 5th. Almost 47,000 fans watched as McGrath and Vuillemin took to the track for a pace lap showcasing the sports current king of extreme and the Frenchman who was charged to take the title away. After winning rounds one and two in Anaheim, McGrath was contested by David Vuillemin, who would win rounds three and four in San Diego and Phoenix. The Frenchman was a legitimate threat to McGrath as round five approached and all the talk in the pits was to see who would win the fifth round and take control of the series. Both Vuillemin and McGrath won their separate heat races setting the fans up for a spectacular main event. McGrath, however, had another idea as he took the $1,000 Yahoo!Sports.com holeshot award and ran away with the win.

Chevy Truck Kawasaki's Ricky Carmichael was on a high after his career best third place finish in Phoenix and bettered it by one spot tonight by finishing second. Asked if he was on a roll, Carmichael responded, "I hope." David Vuillemin's challenge to McGrath was hampered by a seventh place start. He quickly moved into fifth place half way through the moto and would finish the night on the podium with a solid third. The consistent and hard-charging LaRocco went down in a corner and was sent back to ninth position before mounting a comeback to end up with another impressive performance, finishing fifth for the night. "This is the best feeling in the world" said Shae Bentley about his first-ever win in the 125cc class. "This is a dream come true, I finally did it." Bentley would make the fifth rider in as many races to take the win. Mark Burkhart took the $500 Yahoo!Sports.com Holeshot Award as the 125cc West Region got under way.
Perhaps the hardest working rider of the night was Jason Thomas, a privateer from Melrose, Florida. Thomas qualified for both the 125cc and the 250cc main events. The most interesting news to come from the 125cc West Region is the fact that after four rounds, there were four different winners on four different manufacturer's bikes. Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda and Kawasaki have all had a man atop the podium this season. Tonight was a key night in deciding the 125cc West Region championship as each of the four previous winners have all had off nights as well.

125cc Heat 1 1. Robbie Horton (#61) 2. Casey Lytle (#30) 3. Greg Schnell (#63) 4. Travis Elliott (#716) 5. Isaiah Johnson
125 cc Heat #2 1. Justin Buckelew (#158) 2. David Pingree (#35) 3. Christopher Gosselaar (#55) 4. Jori Dostell (#717) 5. Billy R. Payne
250 cc Heat #1 1. David Vuillemin (#934) 2. Sebastien Tortelli (#21) HON 3. Mike LaRocco (#5) 4. Brock Sellards (#18) HON 5. Damon Huffman (#20) KAW
250 cc Heat #2 1. Jeremy McGrath (#1) YAM 2. Ricky Carmichael (#4) KAW 3. Kevin Windham (#14) 4. Greg Albertyn (#7) SUZ 5. Larry Ward (#10)
125 cc Last Chance Qualifier 1. Mark Burkhart (#188) 2. Rusty Holland (#74) 3. Bryan M. McGavran (#333) 4. Jimmy J. Varis (#282) 5. Daniel M. Blair (#921)
250 cc Semi #1 1. Damon Huffman (#20) KAW 2. Kyle Lewis (#112) 3. John Dowd (#16) 4. Michael Craig (#43) 5. Jean-Sebastien Roy (#31)
250 cc Semi #2 1. Tim Ferry (#15) 2. Larry Ward (#10) SUZ 3. Heath Voss (#33) 4. Austin M. Squires (#67) 5. Ty Kady (#358)
250 cc Last Chance Qualifier 1. Shayne King (#110) 2. Jason Thomas (#51) 3. Grayson Goodman (#65) 4. Jason Frenette (#224) YAM 5. Jeff Hedden (#370)
125 cc Main Event 1. Derrick Shae Bentley (#104) 2. David Pingree (#35) 3. Rodrig Thain (#120) 4. Casey Lytle (#30) 5. Isaiah Johnson (#68)
250 cc Main Event 1. Jeremy McGrath (#1) YAM 2. Ricky Carmichael (#4) KAW 3. David Vuillemin (#934) 4. Greg Albertyn (#7) SUZ 5. Mike LaRocco

Round Six
Indianapolis, IN
February 12, 2000

PACE Motor SportsT, held another stellar event at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana, as Mazda/Chaparral Yamaha's Jeremy McGrath continued his reign as the defending supercross champion. The $1,000 Yahoo Sports Holeshot Award went to McGrath in a very crowded first turn. Following McGrath was Yamaha's David Vuillemin, Honda's Kevin Windham, and Indiana native, Mike LaRocco, on the Amsoil/Factory Connection/Jack-in-the-Box/Competition Accessories Honda. After three laps Windham was the only threat near enough to McGrath to pose any challenge. Later, a triumphant McGrath claimed, "I was trying to use the least amount of energy I possibly could." Midway through the moto, McGrath would stretch his lead on Windham and continue at a pace that few could maintain. Vuillemin would eventually move into second past Windham with LaRocco following, advancing him to third. The hard-charging LaRocco would then move into second past Vuillemin with the approval of the crowd as 52,102 people screamed encouragment to the hometown hero on his 29th birthday. McGrath has dominated all but the two rounds he lost to the Frenchman Vuillemin, before getting back on his domination roll that has been all but impossible to stop.

In the much anticipated 125cc Eastern Region opener, FMF Honda's Michael Brandes took the $500 Yahoo Sports Holeshot Award and launched himself into a comfortable position as the man to beat for the evening. Honda's Brock Sellards was in second with Suzuki's young icon, Travis Pastrana, in third. The 125cc Eastern Region defending champion, Yamaha of Troy's Ernesto Fonseca was back in fifth for the start. Brandes, able to avoid traffic, was able to stretch his lead as the remainder of the top five battled for position. During the main event, Pastrana, Wey, Roncada, Fonseca and Sellards would all go down at one time or another in one of the most heated races of the season. It was apparent that all of these riders were determined to end the night on the podium, however, only three could rise to the top. Sellards and DeMarini Suzuki's Tyler Evans would round out the top three as Brandes won his first-ever supercross event. Jason Thomas, privateer from Melrose, Florida, was once again the hardest working man of the weekend as he qualified for the 125cc main event and narrowly missed the 250cc main event.

125 cc Heat #1 1. Michael Brandes (#27) 2. Nicholas Wey (#23) 3. Travis Pastrana (#199) SUZ 4. Paul Currie (#38) 5. James Povolny Jr.
125 cc Heat #2 1. Stephane Roncada (#26) YAM 2. Brock Sellards (#18) HON 3. Tyler Evans (#45) 4. Ernesto Fonseca (#1) YAM 5. Ryan Clark (#56)
250 cc Heat #1 1. David Vuillemin (#934) 2. Mike LaRocco (#5) 3. Sebastien Tortelli (#21) HON 4. Greg Albertyn (#7) SUZ 5. Heath Voss (#33)
250 cc Heat #2 1. Kevin Windham (#14) 2. Jeremy McGrath (#1) YAM 3. Ricky Carmichael (#4) KAW 4. Tim Ferry (#15) 5. Robbie Reynard (#17) SUZ
125 cc Last Chance Qualifier 1. Mark Burkhart (#188) 2. Tony LoRusso (#97) 3. Kelly Smith (#41) 4. Matt Shue (#201) SUZ 5. Ronnie Renner (#153) YAM
250 cc Semi #1 1. Damon Huffman (#20) KAW 2. Larry Ward (#10) SUZ 3. Heath Voss (#33) 4. Jean-Sebastien Roy (#31) 5. Grayson Goodman (#65)
250 cc Semi #2 1. John Dowd (#16) 2. Michael Craig (#43) 3. Robbie Reynard (#17) SUZ 4. Greg Schnell (#63) 5. Isaiah Johnson (#68)
250 cc Last Chance Qualifier 1. Shayne King (#110) 2. Kyle Lewis (#112) 3. Jason Thomas (#51) 4. James Povolny Jr. (#62) 5. Jim Neese (#86)
125cc Main Event: 1. Michael Brandes (#27) 2. Brock Sellards (#18) HON 3. Tyler Evans (#45) 4. Travis Pastrana (#199) SUZ 5. Nicholas Wey (#23)
250 cc Main Event 1. Jeremy McGrath (#1) YAMAHA 2. Mike LaRocco (#5) 3. David Vuillemin (#934) 4. Ricky Carmichael (#4) KAW 5. Damon Huffman

Round Seven
Pontiac, Michigan
February 19, 2000

Round seven of EA Sports Supercross took place in front of 50,224 fans at the long running Pontiac Silverdome, February 19, 2000. Jeremy McGrath won his fifth main event of the season out of the seven rounds that have been run. In storybook form, McGrath grabbed another $1,000 Yahoo Sports Holeshot Award and went on to own the Silverdome as he did in 1998. McGrath's biggest battle for the weekend was the flu.

The 250cc Main Event was shaping up to be a predetermined battle between McGrath, Yamaha's David Vuillemin and Chevy Truck Kawasaki's Ricky Carmichael, all of whom have been consistently in the top of the class. A first turn crash involving Carmichael would end all hopes of him winning his first supercross race in the premier 250cc class. Carmichael would end the night in tenth place. Honda's Sebastien Tortelli ended the night with a second place finish. "I worked hard to get here and it's been a long time since I've been on the podium in supercross," said a jubilant Tortelli. Vuillemin would begin the moto five spots from last but would charge thru the pack of riders to earn a respectable sixth place overall finish. FMF Honda's Brock Sellards would take home the $500 Yahoo Sports Holeshot Award with Yamaha's Stephane Roncada following in second in the heated 125cc East Regional series. The back-and-forth battle between Suzuki's Travis Pastrana and Splitfire Kawasaki's Nick Wey was the pivotal point of the evening. Wey was determined to hold the last podium spot in front of his home town crowd but Pastrana would have nothing of it. Pastrana would remain composed and would take the third place finish to better his previous finish in Indianapolis by one spot. In one of the most contested heat races in years the crowd witnessed Suzuki's Travis Pastrana and last years East Regional series champion Ernesto Fonseca battle for the win as if they were already in the main. The two would trade positions and keep the fans on their feet for the duration of the heat race and would build much interest in the upcoming 125cc main event. The 125cc East Regional series is building momentum and has become a much anticipated aspect of the night's show throughout the remainder of the season.

125 cc Heat #1 1. Brock Sellards (#18) HON 2. Kelly Smith (#41) 3. Ryan Clark (#56) 4. Nathan Ramsey (#24) KAW 5. Paul Currie (#38)
125 cc Heat #2 1. Travis Pastrana (#199) SUZ 2. Ernesto Fonseca (#1) YAM 3. Michael Brandes (#27) 4. Nicholas Wey (#23) 5. Paul P. Carpenter (#73)
250 cc Heat #1 1. David Vuillemin (#934) 2. Sebastien Tortelli (#21) HON 3. Greg Albertyn (#7) SUZ 4. Mike LaRocco (#5) 5. Heath Voss
250 cc Heat #2 1. Jeremy McGrath (#1) YAM 2. Kevin Windham (#14) 3. Tim Ferry (#15) 4. Ricky Carmichael (#4) KAW 5. Damon Huffman (#20) KAW
Jr. Supercross 1. Kyle Stephens, 2. Nick Faora, 3. Orre Shane, 4. Kyle Prince, 5. Ulysses Johnson
125 cc Last Chance Qualifier 1. Branden Jesseman (#44) 2. Tyler Evans (#45) 3. Joseph Oehlhof (#84) 4. Jason Thomas (#51) 5. Anthony Amaradio (#48)
250 cc Semi #1 1. Jean-Sebastien Roy (#31) 2. Larry Ward (#10) SUZ 3. Heath Voss (#33) 4. John Dowd (#16) 5. Jason Thomas (#51)
250 cc Semi #2 1. Damon Huffman (#20) KAW 2. Kyle Lewis (#112) 3. Michael Craig (#43) 4. Isaiah Johnson (#68) 5. Jason Frenette (#224) YAM
125 cc Main Event 1. Stephane Roncada (#26) SUZ 2. Brock Sellards (#18) HON 3. Ernesto Fonseca (#1) YAM 4. Travis Pastrana (#199) SUZ 5. Nicholas Wey (#23)
250 cc Main Event 1. Jeremy McGrath (#1) YAM 2. Sebastien Tortelli (#21) HON 3. Damon Huffman (#20) KAW 4. Greg Albertyn (#7) SUZ 5. Kevin Windham

This page last update 13 July 2000