AURORA, Ill. (April 20, 2007) – Kawasaki’s James Stewart headlines the weekend’s Amp’d Mobile Supercross race with a commanding points lead, but the Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites championship will be awarded to one of three riders, Yamaha’s Ryan Morais, Kawasaki’s Ben Townley and his teammate Darcy Lange, who sit first, second and third respectively. Amp’d Mobile Supercross fans are in for a big weekend at Ford Field as the second annual event in downtown Detroit takes place.
CBS Sports will broadcast the AMA Supercross race Sunday, April 22, at Noon EST. SPEED will broadcast the AMA Supercross Lites class Sunday, April 29, at 4:00 p.m. (EST).
Local standout Josh Woods, who lives in Flint, Mich, but spends the Winters training in Georgia, used the early part of the week to work with local television stations to promote the weekend’s race. He finished seventh last year at the inaugural Ford Field race.
MDK Motorsports rider David Vuillemin showed up for press day a little tired as he jumped on a red eye from LA to Detroit. Vuillemin leads the privateer challenge that awards the top privateer $25,000 from the United Smokeless Tobacco Company and a 2007 Weekend Warrior Supercross edition trailer. He leads former World Supercross GP champion Heath Voss by 39 points heading into the weekend.
Vuillemin’s teammate Nick Wey, who grew up in nearby Dewitt, Mich., will miss this weekend’s race due to an injured thumb he suffered at Anaheim 3.
“From Houston I went to the Doctors immediately to get an MRI and X-ray,” said Wey. “After evaluation the doctors were unsure as to the extent of the damage to the ligaments in my thumb. So I aggressively started a rigorous rehabilitation program. After two weeks of rehab, the chances of racing in the next few weeks seemed about as good as winning the Michigan Lottery, I needed to have surgery. I was able to get in that night for the surgery. I indeed had an ulnar collateral ligament rupture. The damage was significant but repairable, so after four weeks in a cast I have been doing the necessary rehab and training to be back 100% for the start of the outdoors.”
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s James Stewart won his 10th race of the season at Texas Stadium in Dallas before heading to California to complete an intense three days of motocross testing. The second week of the break was for pure R&R because 13 straight weeks racing can take a toll on the body.
“I finally took a week off, “said Stewart. “I was just really tired and kind of exhausted. I have been going since November and it is has taken a lot out of me. So I am happy to have gotten some time off.”
Stewart will be going into Detroit with a 35-point lead in the AMA Supercross standings and a 29-point lead in the World GP standings. As long as Stewart captures at least second this weekend at Ford Field he can wrap up the championship in Seattle a race early.
He added, “I like Detroit. I rode good there last year and I am looking forward to doing the same thing this year.”
Teammate Timmy Ferry, who was on the podium for the fourth time this season in Dallas, headed to California to do some motocross testing during his first week off. However, he flew back home just in time to enjoy the Easter holiday with his son Evan and wife Evalee.
The following week he was set to come back to California for some more testing until a sinus infection keep him grounded in Florida. Fortunately, he beat the infection and was feeling better a few days later.
“I knew it was time to get him back on the track when I found him changing light bulbs and doing laundry,” said Mrs. Ferry.
The next day he was back to his normal routine enjoying a freshly-groomed outdoor track and began prepping for Detroit.
“Last year Detroit was the first race where I really started to feel healthy again,” said Ferry. “I like the dirt there and am looking forward to it. Also, I think sometimes the outdoor testing can get you better corner speed and maybe we can benefit from some of that and pick up the pace.”
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Ben Townley, after winning the third race of his rookie supercross season, headed into his two-week break to do some outdoor testing. However, Townley elected to remain focused on supercross and improve on some things in his riding before the big show down at Ford Field.
“I concentrated on supercross the whole time off to make sure that I’m ready to go for this weekend,” said Townley.
This weekend Detroit will be the make or break point for Townley as the championship will be decided there. He currently sits just three points behind the Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites points’ leader, and in order to capture the title, must either win or finish at least three points in front of the points’ leader.
Teammate Darcy Lange, who took home the runner-up position in Dallas, took a direct flight back home to Canada, where he spent almost the entire two-week break. This was an important and exciting event as it’s the first time he has been home since Christmas.
“I got to go home to Canada and hang out with my family and friends,” said Lange. “My brother and I went steelhead fishing on a river and got to play a little golf. It was a long awaited break and was well spent.”
After returning back to the States, Lange heads to Detroit with an eight-point deficit, which he hopes to overcome to grasp his first-ever AMA Supercross Lites Championship.
Returning from a two-week hiatus from Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross, Team Makita Suzuki Racing is ready for battle in Michigan at Detroit’s Ford Field this coming weekend.
For Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, this will be his final East Coast AMA Supercross Lites race of the season. Dungey heads into Detroit after picking up a podium spot at the last round in Dallas, as well as with victories in Atlanta and Indianapolis.
“I felt like I got back into the groove in the last two rounds,” said Dungey, who is in sixth-place overall in the SX Lites points chase. “I was happy to be on the box at Dallas, and the week before we won, so I’m happy. The Makita Suzuki RM-Z250 was running great and the team did a great job getting the bike ready for me. For the last two weeks, we’ve been testing for the Outdoor Nationals. Last year, I only raced four rounds and I’m looking forward to a full season this year.”
Like Dungey, Makita Suzuki teammate Ivan Tedesco also used this two-week break to do some testing for the upcoming motocross season. But he also got some well-deserved R&R. Prior to the break, Tedesco picked up his best finishes – three fourth-place finishes – at San Diego, Atlanta and Orlando.
“We’ve been testing for the Outdoors and also getting a little relaxation in,” said Tedesco of the break. “We’ve been going for 13 weeks in a row and it’s been nice to get a little time off, relax and have some fun. Now it’s time to start hitting it hard and get ready for Detroit and the last few races. I really want to try to finish the season off strong.”
For more information about the Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, please log on to www.supercrossonline.com. For media requests, please contact Denny Hartwig at 630-566-6305 or e-mail at dennyhartwig@livenation.com.
About Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP™/Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series
Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP, produced and promoted by Live Nation is a 17-round global off-road motorcycle stadium racing circuit. Riders must compete in the international rounds to be eligible to win the world championship. In 2006-2007, the 17-event Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP will be comprised of two international events and 15 of the 16 events that are conducted in major cities throughout the United States as a part of the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series. Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series is a 16-event series solely conducted in the United States. The other Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series event held in Daytona Beach, Fla., is independently produced by the International Speedway Corporation and is not a part of the Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP. An Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series rider will be crowned as the national champion for the series of events conducted in the United States only.
The FIM, Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme, is the body that globally governs motorcycle sport at the world level. Among other matters, the FIM groups together 94 affiliated National Federations relating to the sport of motorcycle racing. AMA Pro Racing is the National Federation representative that sanctions motorcycle-racing events in the United States. Dorna Off Road S.L. is an internationally recognized sports management group established in 1988 with an emphasis on major international motor sports events. Dorna is headquartered in Madrid, Spain with branch offices in Barcelona, London and Tokyo. In addition to its involvement with Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP, Dorna manages the rights to MotoGP. For more information on Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP/ Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, log on to www.supercrossonline.com.
About Live Nation
Live Nation is the world's largest live music company. Our mission is to inspire passion for live music around the world. We are the largest promoter of live concerts in the world, the second-largest entertainment venue management company and have a rapidly growing online presence. We create superior experiences for artists and fans, regularly producing tours for the biggest superstars in the business, including The Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Madonna, U2 and Coldplay. Globally, we own, operate, have booking rights for and/or have an equity interest in more than 160 venues, including House of Blues® music venues and prestigious locations such as The Fillmore in San Francisco, Nikon at Jones Beach in New York and London’s Wembley Arena. Our websites collectively are the second most popular entertainment/event websites in the United States, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. In addition, we also produce, promote or host theatrical, specialized motor sports and other live entertainment events. In 2006, we connected nearly 60 million fans with their favorite performers at approximately 26,000 events in 18 countries around the world. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol “LYV.” For more information regarding Live Nation and its businesses or concerts near you, please visit our website at www.livenation.com.
About AMA Racing
AMA Racing is the competition arm of the American Motorcyclist Association and is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its professional properties include the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship presented by FMF, the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship, the AMA Supermoto Championship and the AMA Pro ATV Championship. In amateur and pro-am competition, AMA Racing sanctions over 4000 events in 24 different disciplines and supports over 110 thousand active members. For more information about professional racing, visit www.amaproracing.com. Accredited media outlets can also access an on line Press Room at www.amaproracing.com/pressroom. For amateur racing information visit www.amadirectlink.com/amrace/amasports.asp.
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