ATLANTA (February 26, 2005) - Suzuki's Ricky Carmichael, of Havana, Fla., rebounds inside Atlanta's Georgia Dome, picking up his sixth THQ World Supercross GP/THQ AMA Supercross Series race win in front of 62,764 fans. Kawasaki's Grant Langston, of Murrieta, Calif., won his first 125cc Eastern Regional THQ AMA Supercross Series race since Dallas in 2001.
Reed won the $1,500 Butterfinger Holeshot award with Carmichael in tow for the first six laps. On lap 6, Carmichael moved into the lead, but crashed a lap later, falling to third place. Carmichael caught and passed Reed on Lap 16 before Reed moved back into the lead. It was on Lap 18 that Carmichael re-passed Reed and rode off to his sixth career 250cc supercross win in Atlanta . Reed was second and Honda's Mike LaRocco, of Corona , Calif. , was third.
"It was a fight out there all night," said Carmichael . "When I crashed, I didn't think I had the time to catch back up and give Chad (Reed) a run. This place has been really good to me over the years. From here on out, it's all about keeping the momentum going."
After winning the $1,000 Butterfinger Holeshot Award, Langston was passed by his teammate Matt Walker, of McDonough , Ga. Walker controlled the race until lap 8 when he made a mistake, allowing Langston to make the pass for the win. Walker finished second and Honda's Steve Boniface finished third.
"It was a great race with Matt ( Walker ) and I tonight," said Langston. "It's great to race up there with your teammate in front of a big crowd. Matt made a mistake on lap 8, and I was able to capitalize on it."
Racing moves to St. Louis ' Edward Jones Dome next Saturday, March 5. Tonight's race airs on ESPN2 Sunday, February 27 at 5:00 p.m.
KTM Junior Supercross Challenge
1. Donny Brown, Birchwood , Tenn. , KTM
2. Bailey Blocker, Sylacauga , Ala. , KTM
3. Tanner Earhart, Bristol , Tenn. , KTM
4. Seth Harding, Abingdon , Va. , KTM
5. Taylor Barnett, Hodges , S.C. , KTM
6. Bryson Turner, Tallahassee , Fla. , KTM
7. Dusty Jones, Enterprise , Ala. , KTM
8. Aaron Rasmussen, Big Bend , Wis. , KTM
9. Zachary David Totsch, Grayson , Ga. , KTM
10. De-Andre Smith Lightbourne, Warwick , Bermuda , KTM
11. Branden Bunker, Alpharetta , Ga. , KTM
12. Ben Enfinger, Bainbridge , Ga. , KTM
13. Eli Moulton, Rock Island , Tenn. , KTM
14. Daniel Brown, Canton , Ga. , KTM
THQ World Supercross GP Season Standings
1. Ricky Carmichael, Havana , Fla. , Suzuki, 247
2. Mike LaRocco, Corona , Calif. , Honda, 207
3. Heath Voss, Mico , Texas , Yamaha, 166
4. Sebastien Tortelli, Lake Elsinore , Calif. , Suzuki, 150
5. Tyler Evans, Corona , Calif. , Suzuki, 140
6. Nick Wey, Dewitt , Mich. , Honda, 136
7. Damon Huffman, Valencia , Calif. , Honda, 120
8. Jason Thomas, Melrose , Fla. , Honda, 92
9. Erick Vallejo, Garland , Tex. , Yamaha, 89
10. Joe Oehlhof, Hesperia , Calif. , Honda, 85
250cc THQ AMA Supercross Series Event Results
1. Ricky Carmichael, Havana , Fla. , Suzuki
2. Chad Reed, Dade City , Fla. , Yamaha
3. Kevin Windham, Centerville , Miss. , Honda
4. Sebastien Tortelli, Lake Elsinore , Calif. , Suzuki
5. Mike LaRocco, Corona , Calif. , Honda
6. Ernesto Fonseca, Murrieta , Calif. , Honda
7. Heath Voss, Mico , Texas , Yamaha
8. David Vuillemin, Murrieta , Calif. , Yamaha
9. Jeremy McGrath, Encinitas , Calif. , Honda
10. Tyler Evans, Corona , Calif. , Suzuki
250cc THQ AMA Supercross Series Season Standings
1. Ricky Carmichael, Havana , Fla. , Suzuki, 192
2. Chad Reed, Dade City , Fla. , Yamaha, 160
3. Kevin Windham, Baton Rouge , La. , Honda, 136
4. Mike LaRocco, Corona , Calif. , Honda, 135
5. David Vuillemin, Murrieta , Calif. , Yamaha, 114
6. Sebastien Tortelli, Lake Elsinore , Calif. , Suzuki, 112
7. Ernesto Fonseca, Murrieta , Calif. , Honda, 108
8. Heath Voss, Mico , Texas , Yamaha, 95
9. Michael Byrne, Murrieta , Calif. , Kawasaki , 90
10. Nick Wey, Dewitt , Mich. , Honda, 73
125cc Eastern Regional THQ AMA Supercross Series Event Results
1. Grant Langston, Murrieta , Calif. , Kawasaki
2. Matt Walker, McDonough , Ga. , Kawasaki
3. Steve Boniface, Murrieta , Calif. , Honda
4. Davi Millsaps, Cairo , Ga. , Suzuki
5. Kelly Smith, Ludington , Mich. , Yamaha
6. Josh Hansen, Elbert , Colo. , KTM
7. Josh Grant, Riverside , Calif. , Honda
8. Justin Buckelew, Riverside , Calif. , Honda
9. Kevin Johnson, Albuquerque , N.M. , Yamaha
10. Brock Sellards, Sherrodsville , Ohio , Yamaha
125cc Eastern Regional THQ AMA Supercross Series Season Standings
1. Grant Langston, Murrieta , Calif. , Kawasaki , 47
2. Davi Millsaps, Cairo , Ga. , Suzuki, 43
3. Matt Walker, McDonough , Ga. , Kawasaki , 38
4. Josh Hansen, Elbert , Colo. , KTM, 35
5. Brock Sellards, Sherrodsville , Ohio , Yamaha, 29
6. Kelly Smith, Ludington , Mich. , Yamaha, 27
7. Justin Buckelew, Riverside , Calif. , Honda, 21
8. Steve Boniface, Murrieta , Calif. , Honda, 20
9. Josh Grant, Riverside , Calif. , Honda, 20
10. Troy Adams, Brooksville , Fla. , Honda, 18
125cc Western Regional THQ AMA Supercross Series Season Standings
1. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta , Calif. , Kawasaki , 127
2. Nathan Ramsey, Menifee , Calif. , KTM, 91
3. Billy Laninovich, Lake Elsinore , Calif. , Honda, 82
4. Andrew Short, Murrieta , Calif. , Honda, 79
5. Danny Smith, Middleton , Idaho , Yamaha, 77
6. Brett Metcalfe, Murrieta , Calif. , Yamaha, 69
7. Ryan Sipes, Nine Grove , Kan. , Suzuki, 67
8. Thomas Hahn, Belpre , Kan. , Honda, 65
9. Jay Marmont, Murrieta , Calif. , KTM, 64
10. Ryan Morais, Canyon Lake , Calif. , Suzuki, 53
Supercross LIVE!, the only place on the planet to catch THQ World Supercross GP/THQ AMA Supercross Series live at home, is available for fans at every race, starting at 7:00 p.m. local time at supercross.cc.com. Listen as Supercross LIVE! hosts Jim Holley and Jason Wiegandt capture the live race call, a pre-race show, a post-race show, post-race press conference, on-air industry guests and celebrities, in-depth interviews, promotions, call-ins and more. In 2003-2004, more than a half-million listeners logged on to Supercross LIVE!
The two international races coupled with the 15 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 http://www.supercross.cc.com. For tickets log onto http://www.supercross.cc.com, http://www.ticketmaster.com, or http://www.unlvtickets.com ( Las Vegas only). Media requests please contact Denny Hartwig at 630-566-6305 or email at dennyhartwig@clearchannel.com.
About THQ World Supercross GPT/THQ AMA Supercross Series
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.
Clear Channel Entertainment, a leading producer and marketer of live entertainment events is a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications (NYSE:CCU), a global leader in the out-of-home advertising industry. Clear Channel Entertainment currently owns, operates and/or exclusively books approximately 130 live entertainment venues, including nearly 100 in North America and more than 30 in Europe . In 2003, 69 million people attended approximately 32,000 events promoted and/or produced by the company, including live music events; Broadway, West End and touring theatrical shows; family entertainment shows; museum exhibitions, and specialized sports and motor sports events. In addition, the company's independently operated athlete representation business, SFX, provides management, marketing and financial consulting services to many of the world's top professional athletes. Clear Channel Entertainment operates throughout North America , Europe , and Australia . More information may be found by visiting http://www.cc.com/ and www.clearchannel.com.
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 http://www.supercross.cc.com.
About AMA Pro Racing
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.
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