Ramsey wins Western Region AMA Supercross Lites
PHOENIX (January 14, 2006 ) – Suzuki’s Ricky Carmichael put a charge back into the Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series with a thrilling win on Saturday night at Chase Field in Phoenix. KTM’s Nathan Ramsey, of Menifee , Calif. , won the Western Region AMA Supercross Lites main event.
Tonight’s race will air on SPEED tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. EST.
Seven-time supercross champion Jeremy McGrath, of Escondido , Calif. , brought the crowd to its feet with a holeshot to start the 20-lap main event. He led the first lap and a half before being passed by Yamaha’s Chad Reed, of Dade City , Fla. Meanwhile, Kawasaki ’s James Stewart, of Haines City , Fla. , was working his way through the field after a first turn crash left him in last place and over 30 seconds behind the leaders.
With Reed out front, Carmichael began to make his charge. Carmichael was sitting back in second place and was slowly making ground on Reed when the leader spun his bike in the rhythm section before the first triple jump and was forced to stop. By the time Reed got back up to speed, Carmichael was on his tail and began inching closer with each turn. And on lap 11, Carmichael finally made his move with an inside pass in the sweeper turn before the final triple.
Once in the lead, Carmichael continued to extend his lead and won comfortably. Reed finished second and Stewart, whose mid-race charge came up a little short, placed third.
“I’m going to cherish this one like it’s the last one; it’s been a while since I’ve won,” said Carmichael, who picked up the 128 th win of his career. “ Chad had a little mishap and I was able to get by him. He didn’t hit this timing lane and I got it. The track was good for racing. We need close racing which will make (racing) better for everyone.”
Kawasaki ’s Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo , Wash. , grabbed the holeshot off the start but ran into the fallen Honda of Andrew Short, of Murrieta , Calif. , who was in the lead at the time, on lap two as the two riders dropped to middle of the pack. Kawasaki ’s Grant Langston also went down on the same lap and added his name to the list of series contenders who were struggling in the early stages.
With his main competition behind him, Ramsey shot to the lead on lap four, one he would never relinquish, cruising to his first win of the season and 15 th of his career. Honda’s Billy Laninovich, of Lake Elsinore , Calif. , finished second, while Langston put a block pass on Short with two turns to go on the last lap to secure third.
Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP Season Standings
1. James Stewart, Haines City , Fla. , Kawasaki , 95
2. Ricky Carmichael, Havana , Fla. , Suzuki, 89
3. Chad Reed, Dade City , Fla. , Yamaha, 84
4. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta , Calif. , Suzuki, 69
5. Nicholas Wey, Dewitt , Mich. , Honda, 63
6. Michael Byrne, Murrieta , Calif. , Kawasaki , 62
7. Jeff Gibson, Westerville , Ohio , Honda, 50
8. Jason Thomas, Melrose , Fla. , Honda, 48
9. Ryan Clark, Waddell , Ariz. , Honda, 42
10. Justin Buckelew, Riverside , Calif. , Honda, 33
Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series Event Results, Anaheim 1
1. Ricky Carmichael, Havana , Fla. , Suzuki
2. Chad Reed, Dade City , Fla. , Yamaha
3. James Stewart, Haines City , Fla. , Kawasaki
4. Jeremy McGrath, Encinitas , Calif. , Honda
5. Nicholas Wey, Dewitt , Mich. , Honda
6. Michael Byrne, Murrieta , Calif. , Kawasaki
7. Ernesto Fonseca, Murrieta , Calif. , Honda
8. Mike LaRocco, Corona , Calif. , Honda
9. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta , Calif. , Suzuki
10. David Vuillemin, Corona , Calif. , Honda
Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series Season Standings
1. Ricky Carmichael, Havana , Fla. , Suzuki, 45
2. James Stewart, Haines City , Fla. , Kawasaki , 45
3. Chad Reed, Dade City , Fla. , Yamaha, 44
4. Mike LaRocco, Corona , Calif. , Honda, 31
5. Nicholas Wey, Dewitt , Mich. , Honda, 30
6. Ernesto Fonseca, Murrieta , Calif. , Honda, 29
7. Jeremy McGrath, Encinitas , Calif. , Honda, 28
8. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta , Calif. , Suzuki, 28
9. Michael Byrne, Murrieta , Calif. , Kawasaki , 27
10. Travis Preston, Hesperia , Calif. , Honda, 23
Amp’d Mobile Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites Event Results
1. Nathan Ramsey, Menifee , Calif. , KTM
2. Billy Laninovich, Lake Elsinore , Calif. , Honda
3. Grant Langston, Murrieta , Calif. , Kawasaki
4. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo , Wash. , Kawasaki
5. Andrew Short, Murrieta , Calif. , Honda
6. Sean Collier, Santa Clara , Calif. , Yamaha
7. Paul Carpenter, Ithaca , N.Y. , Honda
8. Darcy Lange, San Jacinto , Calif. , Kawasaki
9. Brett Metcalfe, Murrieta , Calif. , Yamaha
10. Mike Alessi, Apple Valley , Calif. , KTM
Amp’d Mobile Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites Season Standings
1. Billy Laninovich, Lake Elsinore , Calif. , Honda, 42
2. Andrew Short, Murrieta , Calif. , Honda, 41
3. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo , Wash. , Kawasaki , 40
4. Grant Langston, Murrieta , Calif. , Kawasaki , 38
5. Nathan Ramsey, Menifee , Calif. , KTM, 34
6. Darcy Lange, San Jacinto , Calif. , Kawasaki , 29
7. Paul Carpenter, Ithaca , N.Y. , Honda, 29
8. Brett Metcalfe, Murrieta , Calif. , Yamaha, 25
9. Jake Weimer, Rupert , Idaho , Honda, 24
10. Mike Alessi, Apple Valley , Calif. , KTM, 23
KTM Junior Supercross Challenge Results
1. Mark Worth, Queen Creek , Ariz. , KTM
2. Thunder Ralston, Mesa , Ariz. , KTM
3. Jared Conley, Lowell , Ind. , KTM
4. Pat rick Evans, Monroe , N.C. , KTM
5. William Simons, Simi Valley , Calif. , KTM
6. Tyler Sullivan, McDonough , Ga. , KTM
7. Dylan Brown, Palmdale , Calif. , KTM
8. Mark Hushon, Delta, Pa. , KTM
9. McKenna Oldenburg, Browerville , Minn. , KTM
10. Ryan Miller, Victorville , Calif. , KTM
11. Ethan Wilson, Lake Havasu City , Ariz. , KTM
12. Nicholas Lioy, Tucson , Ariz. , KTM
13. Jimmy Willis, Murrieta , Calif. , KTM
14. Cody Pelle, Bakersfield , Calif. , KTM
15. Sara Hernandez, Mira Loma , Calif. , KTM
Supercross LIVE! , the only place on the planet to catch Amp’d Mobile Supercross 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 2004-2005, more than a three-quarters-of-million listeners logged on to Supercross LIVE!
For more information about the Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, please log on to www.supercross.cc.com . For media requests, please contact Denny Hartwig at 630-566-6305 /e-mail at dennyhartwig@livenation.com or Tony Gardea at 949-365-5750 /e-mail tony@nextlevelsportsinc.com .
About Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP™/Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series
Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP 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 2005-2006, 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 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 Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP, Dorna manage the rights to MotoGP. For more information on Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP/ Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, log on to 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 Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Motocross Championship presented by FMF, the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship and the AMA Supermoto Championship. For more information about AMA Pro Racing, visit www.amaproracing.com . Accredited media outlets can also access AMA Pro Racing's online Press Room at www.amaproracing.com/pressroom .
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