TORONTO, Canada (December 4, 2004) - Ricky Carmichael, of Havana, Fla., won the opening race of THQ World Supercross GP at Toronto’s SkyDome on his Suzuki motorcycle. KTM’s Nathan Ramsey won the 125cc main event.

 

 

Carmichael, who missed last supercross season with knee injury, edged out Honda’s Kyle Lewis for the holeshot award but was quickly passed by Lewis. At the end of lap one Carmichael secured the lead and rode to his first THQ World Supercross GP win on a Suzuki. Honda’s Mike LaRocco and Lewis battled until lap six when Lewis crashed over the finish line jump. LaRocco held on for second and Yamaha’s Tim Ferry made a charge at the end of the race to secure third place.

 

 

"I have good head start on the competition," said Carmichael. "This race is important to me and the THQ World Supercross GP title is very important. I am going to continue to train and ride as hard as I can. It’s great to be back after missing the entire season last year."

 

 

Ramsey, who is riding the first race KTM, earned the holeshot in the 125cc main event and led all 15 laps. Bobby Kiniry, who rides for Honda, finished second after chasing Ramsey for the entire race.

 

 

"My bike was great out of the gate," said Ramsey. "Once I had the holeshot, it was all about riding smart. There were a lot of lappers tonight. On lap five, I ran into my first lapper and had to play it smart."

 

 

1.      Ricky Carmichael, Suzuki

2.      Mike LaRocco, Honda

3.      Tim Ferry, Yamaha

4.      Heath Voss, Yamaha

5.      Nick Wey, Honda

6.      Tyler Evans, Suzuki

7.      Keith Johnson, Yamaha

8.      Jason Thomas, Honda

9.      Damon Huffman, Honda

10.     Doug Dehaan, Honda

 

 

1.      S. Anderson, KTM

2.      M. DaSilva, KTM

3.      B. Best, KTM

4.      F. Gaudreau, KTM

5.      T. Frappier, KTM

6.      M. Godkin, KTM

7.      K. Armstrong, KTM

8.      T. Balance, KTM

9.      Q. Rodgers, KTM

10.     D. Corbett, KTM

11.     W. Boyd, KTM

12.     W. Wrozyna, KTM

13.     S. Brazeau, KTM

14.     M. Williams, KTM

15.     D. Morphew, KTM

 

 

The two international races coupled with 15 of the domestic races (excluding the Daytona Supercross) comprise the 17-round THQ World Supercross GP. Last season Heath Voss, of Mico, Texas piloted his Mach 1 Yamaha to the THQ World Supercross GP championship, earning top honors and giving Yamaha its second world championship in as many seasons.

 

 

For more information, please log on to www.supercross.cc.com.  For tickets log onto www.supercross.cc.com , www.ticketmaster.com, www.ticketmaster.ca (Toronto and Vancouver only) www.tickets.com (San Francisco only) or www.unlvtickets.com (Las Vegas only). Media requests please contact Denny Hartwig at 630-566-6305 or email at dennyhartwig@clearchannel.com.

 

 

THQ World Supercross GP is a 17-round global series that is produced and promoted by Clear Channel Entertainment and Dorna Off Road S.L. Riders must compete in the international rounds to be eligible to win the world championship. In 2004-2005, the 17-event THQ 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 THQ AMA Supercross Series. The other THQ AMA Supercross Series event held in Daytona Beach, Fla., is independently produced by the International Speedway Corporation, and is not a part of the THQ World Supercross GP. A THQ AMA Supercross Series rider will be crowned as the national champion for the series of events conducted in the United States only. 

 

 

THQ World Supercross GP/THQ AMA Supercross Series is the premier off-road motorcycle racing series in the world. Clear Channel Entertainment is the largest promoter and producer of live events in the world, with a broad based tradition in the promotion and production of motorcycle racing events. 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 85 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 THQ World Supercross GP, Dorna manages the rights to MotoGP. For more information on THQ World Supercross GP and the THQ AMA Supercross Series, log on to www.supercross.cc.com.  

 

 

Clear Channel Entertainment, the world’s largest producer and marketer of live entertainment events, is a subsidiary of Clear Channel Worldwide (NYSE:  CCU), a global leader in the out-of-home advertising industry.  Clear Channel Entertainment currently owns, operates and/or exclusively books 135 live entertainment venues, including 44 amphitheaters in the U.S. and 28 venues in Europe.  Each year, more than 62 million people attend approximately 26,000 events promoted and/or produced by the company, including:  Live music events; Broadway, West End and touring theatrical shows; family entertainment shows; and specialized sports and motor sports shows.

 

 

In addition, Clear Channel Entertainment owns leading talent management businesses that specialize in the representation of athletes and broadcasters, including independently operated baseball, basketball and football businesses.  Clear Channel Entertainment is headquartered in New York City.

 

 

AMA Pro Racing is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its properties include the THQ AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Motocross Championship, the AMA Superbike Championship, the AMA Progressive Insurance Flat Track Championship and the AMA Supermoto Championship. For more information about AMA Pro Racing, visit www.amaproracing.com.