Thursday Rev-Up: No Quarter
February 2, 2006 6:37am | by: Andy Bowyer
quar·ter n. Mercy or clemency, especially when displayed or given to an enemy.
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I was there to see that amazing race with my own two eyes, and I remember everything about it. Two memories from that night stood out the most to me. The first was the parade-lap whip RC uncorked over The King’s head. McGrath had some janky pyrotechnics set up on his helmet that were supposed to be triggered by touching a couple fingers together. As fate had it, “Showtime” was over for MC, as the pyrotechnics failed, and when Jeremy looked over he was met with the top of Carmichael’s helmet, as he was showing drain plug next to MC’s ear. You could almost see that #1 on his YZ250 disappear.
The other memory was the chest-caving roar the crowd let out when RC made his pass for the lead that night, on lap 14, to pass McGrath and effectively take the reins of U.S. supercross dominance. This is old news for most of you, but I want to get your mind right as we draw close to Round 5. Do I think this race will mirror that magical and powerful Saturday night in 2001? Yes. The house will be packed, the racing will be fierce, and the whips are going to be huge. Will this race mark the beginning of a new era of supercross dominance? Not by a damn sight!
It matters not who wins this weekend. There has been no quarter given thus far, and I do not see anything by the way of mercy heading down the pike. This series is going the distance. It’s time for Round 5. Let's turn the heat up in here and get Revved-Up for Anaheim 3!
Supercross Lites
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Ahead of FFC is the veteran freight train of Grant Langston, Andrew Short, Billy Lano, and Nate Ramsey. It’s been a back-and-forth power struggle between these warriors, and I reiterate, this class will be going off this weekend.
Supercross
Ricky Carmichael record # 123: Never lost a points lead.
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I heard a lot of noise about the Big Three sweeping the podium in 2006. Chad Reed was the first to balk, as he succumbed to the awful muck of San Francisco and finished the hardest-fought fifth-place of his life—kind of like James’ fifth at Anaheim 1 after about a dozen falls. Now is it time for RC or JBS to stumble? As I hold a finger to the wind, I’m getting an eerie feeling about this Saturday night. My spider senses aren’t so much telling me that the points leaders will falter as much as they are telling me that something big is going to go down in the brisk Southern California air for Round 5. An old racing fanatic like me gets a hunch from time to time when I feel an important race approaching. Maybe I’ve had too much coffee Or maybe it's something else?
Be that as it may, the time has come to return to the “Machine City” of our industry. Anaheim holds the heart of our sport, and as we draw closer to this weekend's racing, the supercross heartbeat is pounding at 170 bpm. I will be there, too, on special assignment for Racer X magazine. Look for me near the entrance of the tunnel, trying to catch one last whiff of two-stroke smoke!
Oh yeah, one more thing: The King of Supercross is returning to his castle for what may really be the last time. Lock the doors, kill the lights, and pray for a holeshot: Jeremy McGrath is coming home this Saturday night!
Thanks for reading, see you next week!