Sure, there were lots of new faces and rigs to check out, but there were some obvious no-shows for Anaheim. The rumor mill was churning and the likes of former factory riders Larry Ward and John Dowd were nowhere to be seen. It seems that both of these guys had lost their factory rides at the end of the 2000 season and no one picked them up for the 2001 season. John Dowd was out having surgery that he had put off till the end of the year and he would not be ready for the opening round of the SX series, so his worth to the big teams was nil. Larry Ward, on the other hand, had a lackluster season indoors and out.
Nothing can be further from the truth.
John Dowd to date has had some great rides with a second overall coming at his home track in Southwick, Massachusetts. Ward has taken the bar one step higher, winning Round 6 in the 125 division. Easily both could have slipped out of racing and no one would have faulted either rider whatsoever. But these guys obviously still have the desire to race and win for that matter. Dowd currently sits in sixth in the points in the 250 division ahead of at least four factory riders and the rest of the field, as well.