Carmichael Going for Three Victories in a Row

Ricky Carmichael, the two-time supercross champion from Havana, Fla., will try to win his third consecutive race tonight at Edison Field when the AMA’s THQ Supercross Series stages its fifth of 16 events.

Carmichael won at Anaheim two weeks ago, then repeated last weekend in San Francisco. With 28 victories, he is tied for second place all-time with Rick Johnson but is still several years behind seven-time champion Jeremy McGrath, who won 72 times.

Chad Reed and David Vuillemin of Corona finished second and third last week at Pacific Bell Park in the 250cc main event. Reed trails Carmichael in the standings, 90-84.

Tim Ferry, the only rider other than Carmichael to finish in the top five in each of the first four races, is third with 74 points, followed by Ezra Lusk with 71 and Vuillemin with 67.

James “Bubba” Stewart, 17, of Haines City, Fla., has opened a 25-point lead in the 125cc class over defending West Region champion Travis Preston of Hesperia and Andrew Short, who are tied with 72 points.

In one of the compelling storylines in the 125cc class, Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Matt Walker was fined $1,000 by the AMA after the San Francisco race.

He allegedly forced Preston into scaffolding by slowing as they approached the big finish-line jump. Preston’s Honda hit the back of Walker’s bike and shot into the scaffolding. Walker finished second, Preston 11th.

“He continued to try to make the double jump after I closed the door on him,” said Walker, who is sixth in the standings. “He ended up hanging on the scaffold.... It’s racing.”

Walker said that two weeks earlier in Phoenix, Preston had cut a corner and knocked Walker over a berm; Preston finished second and Walker 14th.

“I’m not sure what I said on the podium, everyone was booing,” Walker said. “I kind of got caught up in that. I might have said it was payback, I am not sure but Duke [Finch, AMA referee] said I said that it was payback and that is why he [fined] me.”

For the 10th time in the last 12 races at Anaheim, the event is a sellout. A series spokesman said the Wednesday sellout was the earliest in series history.