Townley Picks Up First-Ever Victory in AMA Supercross Lites

ST. LOUIS (March 3, 2007) – Suzuki’s Ricky Carmichael made a victorious return to the Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series with an impressive win before a crowd of 58,131 at the Edwards Jones Dome. Kawasaki’s Ben Townley picked up the first-ever AMA Supercross Lites victory.

Yamaha’s Chad Reed, of Tampa Fla., grabbed the $1,500 Progressive Direct Holeshot Award to start the 20-lap main event. On the opening lap, Reed tangled with Kawasaki’s James Stewart, dropping the riders from the top two positions. Carmichael was the benefactor and took the lead on lap four, overcoming his poor start.

Carmichael’s lead would quickly grow as Stewart, who fell to the back of the pack after getting together with Reed, was making his move through the field. Stewart, of Haines City, Fla., eventually tracked down Reed and passed him on lap 12, giving him second on the night. Reed finished third.

“I don’t know if I would have caught them after spotting them all those positions,” said Carmichael, referring to his poor start. “I saw Chad and James go down, so that helped, but I saw Chad get back up right behind me. I got into the lead but I was looking forward to racing them. I was in my zone tonight but I got a gift.”

In reference to Stewart and Reeds collision, Reed said, “Every week I’m getting pushed around. It’s racing but he thinks he can walk all over me and I’m gonna put an end to that.”

Townley, of Tallahassee, won the $1,000 Progressive Direct Holeshot Award to start the Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites main event. He was followed by Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., and his Kawasaki teammate Darcy Lange, of Hemet, Calif.

The trio put on quite a battle up front, exchanging the lead a couple of times while pulling from away from the field. On lap 12, Dungey crashed while trying to make a pass on Townley for the lead and dropped out of contention.

Lange made a pass to the lead at the end of lap 14, but was quickly re-passed by Townley with one lap remaining. Lange closed to within a bike length of his teammate before a spectacular crash, ironically in the same spot as Dungey’s earlier crash, ended his chance at a win.

Townley went on to take the win, followed by Yamaha’s Ryan Morais, of Temecula, Calif., and Matt Goerke, of Lake Helen, Fla.

This weekend’s AMA Supercross race will air on SPEED, Sunday, March 4, at 6:00 p.m. EST. The AMA Supercross Lites class race will air on SPEED, Friday, March 16, at 4:30 p.m. EST. The next round of Amp’d Mobile Supercross takes place on Friday, March 9, at the Daytona Motor Speedway.

KTM Junior Supercross Challenge

1. Grayson Graham, Bainbridge, Ga., KTM
2. Tristan Lewis, Locust Grove, Ga., KTM
3. Chase Haley, Dickson, Tenn., KTM
4. Daniel Ross, Candler, N.C., KTM
5. Blaze Turner, Gillsville, Ga., KTM
6. Ridge Penn, Brandon, Miss., KTM
7. Jonathan Royster, Jefferson City, Tenn., KTM
8. Devin Milkovich, Ballwin, Mo., KTM
9. Cory Carsten, Bayville, N.J., KTM
10. Cameron Kothman, Adkins, Tex., KTM
11. Ryan Herling, Belleville, Ill., KTM
12. Justin Covarrubias, Canyon Country, Calif., KTM
13. Weston Overturf, Brighton, Mo., KTM
14. Logan Rich, Festus, Mo., KTM
15. Benjamin Cousins, Killeen, Tex., KTM

Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP Season Standings

1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 254
2. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Yamaha, 236
3. Timmy Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki, 186
4. Ricky Carmichael, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki, 163
5. David Vuillemin, Menifee, Calif., Honda, 144
6. Heath Voss, Mico, Texas, Honda, 137
7. Michael Byrne, Newnan, Ga., Suzuki, 127
8. Travis Preston, Hesperia, Calif., Honda, 122
9. Paul Carpenter, Ithaca, N.Y., Kawasaki, 119
10. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 112

Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series Event Results, St. Louis

1. Ricky Carmichael, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki
2. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki
3. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Yamaha
4. Kevin Windham, Centerville, Miss., Honda
5. Nathan Ramsey, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha
6. David Vuillemin, Menifee, Calif., Honda
7. Paul Carpenter, Ithaca, N.Y., Kawasaki
8. Heath Voss, Mico, Texas, Honda
9. Eric Sorby, Lake Elsinore, Kawasaki
10. Cole Siebler, Emmett, Id., Honda

Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series Season Standings

1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 210
2. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Yamaha, 191
3. Timmy Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki, 149
4. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda, 137
5. Ricky Carmichael, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki, 116
6. Michael Byrne, Newnan, Ga., Suzuki, 114
7. Heath Voss, Mico, Texas, Honda, 107
8. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 103
9. David Vuillemin, Menifee, Calif., Honda, 101
10. Travis Preston, Hesperia, Calif., Honda, 97

Amp’d Mobile Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Event Results, St. Louis

1. Ben Townley, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki
2. Ryan Morais, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha
3. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., Yamaha
4. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM
5. Broc Tickle, Cary, N.C., Yamaha
6. Darcy Lange, Hemet, Calif., Kawasaki
7. Jeff Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM
8. Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ken., Honda
9. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., KTM
10. Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha

Amp’d Mobile Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Season Standings

1. Ryan Morais, Temecula, Calif., Suzuki, 40
2. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., Yamaha, 40
3. Darcy Lange, Hemet, Calif., Kawasaki, 37
4. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 28
5. Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha, 26
6. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., KTM, 26
7. Ben Townley, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 25
8. Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ken., Honda, 25
9. Jeff Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 22
10. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 18

1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 172
2. Jason Lawrence, Carlsbad, Calif., Yamaha, 135
3. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Honda, 103
4. Christopher Gosselaar, Victorville, Calif., Kawasaki, 97
5. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 92
6. Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Yamaha, 88
7. Josh Hansen, Lake Elsinore, Calif., KTM, 87
8. Matthew Lemoine, Pilot Point, Texas, Yamaha, 86
9. Troy Adams, Homosassa, Fla., Suzuki, 71
10. Kyle Cunningham, Springtown, Texas, Yamaha, 66

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 strive to 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.”

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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