Carmichael, Stewart sweep Hangtown.

Ricky Carmichael marked his return to AMA action in style at the Hangtown opening round of the 250cc Motocross championship on Sunday, the defending champion winning both motos on his 450F debut to take the overall.

Any question of how Carmichael would perform in his return from knee surgery was answered early in the first moto: After a brief battle with fellow Honda rider Kevin Windham and Supercross champion Chad Reed, RC pulled away... then the Floridian then did the same in the second moto.

"My knee felt fine," said Carmichael. "I'm still not in great racing shape, but I'll work into that as the season goes on. It's feels incredible to come back to racing and win in my first outing. The long layoff really got me hungry again."

RC also said the transition to racing a four-stroke for the first time in his career was a comfortable one.

"The four-stroke is pretty easy to ride," he said of the 450F. "You just have to treat it with respect."

David Vuillemin took a surprising second overall - his first podium in an outdoor national since 2002 - while team-mate Reed was third. Vuillemin, Reed and Windham all scored 40 points, with the second moto results serving as a tiebreaker.

"I had two great starts," Vuillemin said. "I got tired mid-way through both motos, but was able to hang on to get a good result. I'm really more of a supercross rider, so I think it's not too bad where I finished today."

Reed was also happy with his start to the 2004 campaign: "This is right where I want to be," said the Australian. "It's a good start to the season and I hope to get stronger as the year goes on."

In the 125cc class, Kawasaki's James Stewart duly took his second Hangtown win, after missing the 2003 event through injury. However, 'Bubba' didn't dominate to the extent he had during the second half of last season.

Instead, Stewart faced another tough challenge from Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Stephane Roncada, who looked to have shaken the #259 in their previous Las Vegas Supercross battle.

Roncada would finish second to Stewart in both motos, with a particularly strong display in the final outing where he overtook Bubba several times. Meanwhile, former national champ Mike Brown went 4-4 to take third overall for Yamaha of Troy.

"My hands were getting tight," Stewart explained afterwards. "I think it's just the first race. Everyone goes through some problems early in the outdoor season."

The win marked Stewart's eighth straight dating back to Budds Creek last year.

The AMA Motocross series now moves to High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris on May 30.