Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Ramirez working way up the motocross ranks

Friday, Oct. 10, 2003 | 11:10 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Tommy Ramirez is making up for lost time.

Ramirez, a 19-year-old Las Vegas native, is in only his third year as a competitive motocross rider but has qualified to compete in Sunday's Amateur Arenacross World Finals, being held in conjunction with the Maxxis U.S. Open at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

And he qualified for the elite field in two classes.

Rather than concentrating on either the 125cc or 250cc class, Ramirez competed in both 125cc Novice and 250cc Novice classes in Western Regional Arenacross events this season and finished in the top three in points in both classes. Only the top three riders in each of 16 classes from six different regions across the country advance to the Amateur Arenacross World Finals.

"This is only my third year and everyone else, they've been racing since they were little kids and I'm kind of like a late starter because I was in other sports growing up," Ramirez said Wednesday after wrapping up a training session with his riding coach in Hesperia, Calif.

"(Qualifying for the World Finals) is kind of shocking because everyone else has ridden forever and some of them only have a couple of titles. When I tell people that I've only been riding for a couple of years, they don't believe me."

Although Ramirez said he had wanted to take up motocross racing at an earlier age, his father, Tom, tried to steer him to other sports because of the injury factor associated with motorcycle racing. Tommy Ramirez earned several national championships in water-ski racing before he finally convinced his father to let him race motocross.

In his first year in the sport, Ramirez won the 125cc Beginner class championship in the local Beat the Heat series. Later that same year, he won the 125cc Beginner class at the prestigious NMA World Mini Grand Prix in Las Vegas before moving up to the Amateur Arenacross Series.

"I caught on pretty quick and I just love it -- I don't want to do anything else," Ramirez said of motocross. "My first year ever (in motocross), I won the Vegas series and that was like a big shock. Then I won the World Championships in Vegas and that was just unbelievable. Ever since then, I've been hooked and I just knew it was going to be a good sport for me."

While Ramirez will be busy Sunday jumping between his 125cc and 250cc Yamahas, he said he has been training for what will be a rigorous day of racing.

"I've been training real hard and really focusing in on this race -- my life right now revolves around this race," he said. "My goal is to ride one hundred percent. I just want to do the best that I can and hopefully come through with a win -- that would be great.

"I'll be riding both (bikes) on Sunday, which is a lot to do because you do all the qualifiers, all the pre-heats -- everything is all in one day. For both classes, that's a lot but that's why I've been training so much. It's a lot to do, but I think it makes you a more diverse kind of rider."

Ramirez said he plans to run the 2003-2004 Arenacross Series in the Intermediate class and would like to turn pro next year.

"It's a big jump (to the professional ranks); you have to really be ready for it," he said. "No one has really come out of Vegas and raced the big stadium races ... and I hope I'll be able to do that."

Sunday's Amateur Arenacross World Finals begins at 11 a.m., with main events scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at the MGM Grand Garden Arena ticket office and online at www.Ticketmaster.com.

Busch, who started 30th after rain canceled qualifying, worked his way through the field and into the race lead on lap 26. Busch was running in front when the leaders pitted on lap 42 but it started to rain shortly after the stop and the race eventually was called after 66 of the scheduled 100 laps.

Former NASCAR Winston Cup Kirk Shelmerdine, who elected not to pit with the leaders, was out front when the race was called and won his third career ARCA race.

Burton signed with Haas CNC Racing to drive the No. 0 Pontiac next season. Jack Sprague drove the car for the first five months of the season before being replaced by Jason Leffler. Leffler will remain with the team and drive in the Busch Series next season.

"This is a great opportunity for me to bring my experience to an up and coming, young team," Burton said. "I've watched the team grow and progress in its first year and it's definitely come a long way in a short time.

"Gene Haas runs a first-class organization, NetZero HiSpeed is a great sponsor and Tony Furr is an outstanding crew chief. I feel like we can take this team to the next level together and I'm thrilled to be a part of it."

Busch Series driver Scott Wimmer will replace Burton in the No. 22 Dodge for the final four races this year and the entire 2004 season.

The announcement ended months of uncertainty about Earnhardt's future with the team that was founded by his late father. At one point this season, Earnhardt Jr. declared himself a free agent because he had not yet signed a contract with the team, which is being run by his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt.

"This is the first time I have had a contract in four years," Earnhardt Jr. said. "We had a handshake (agreement) and that was sufficient. But, in today's business world, you need written agreements and now we have one.

"It was an interesting process that was very educational. What it really came down to was Teresa and myself being in the same place at the same time and sitting down to talk about it. Once that happened, it was taken care of in no time at all."

Japanese driver Takuma Sato, who has been signed to replace Villeneuve next season, will drive for BAR in the Japanese Grand Prix.

Matta, 44, finished third overall on a Kawasaki watercraft in the Masters Ski Stock class and Edwards, 32, earned his bronze medal on a Kawasaki in Novice Veteran Ski SS.

The Pro and Pro-Am classes compete today through Sunday.