Rookie Townley Wins Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Championship

DETROIT (April 21, 2007) – Kawasaki’s James Stewart, of Haines City, Fla., won his fifth consecutive Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series race at Ford Field. Kawasaki’s Ben Townley, of Tallahassee, Fla., won the Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Championship with a second place finish tonight. Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., won the main event, leading all 15 laps.

Stewart used an inside line to earn the $1,500 Progressive Direct Holeshot Award and was followed by his teammate Tim Ferry, of Dade City, Fla. Yamaha’s Chad Reed, of Dade City, Fla., started in sixth place, and by lap eight, he secured third place. On lap 14 Reed moved past Ferry into second place where they would finish.

“The first few laps I was out of control,” said Stewart. “I want to have a good time next weekend in Seattle.”

Dungey opened the Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites class main event with the $1,000 Progressive Direct Holeshot Award with Yamaha’s Ryan Morais, of Temecula, Calif., in second and Honda’s Billy Laninovich, of Lake Elsinore, Calif., in third. Townley rounded turn one in fourth place.

Morais, who came into tonight’s event as the points lead, stalled his bike on the opening lap, dropping to 12^th place, while the pack ran away. On lap eight, Townley moved into second place, scoring second place and the first AMA Supercross Lites title of his career.

Dungey established a huge lead and rode to the third win of the year. He finishes the season in 5th place.

“I am still learning, so I hope to have better luck next year,” said Dungey. “I won the holeshot, and I rode a great race after that. I look forward to racing in Las Vegas in two weeks.”

“This is a dream come true,” said Townley, who came to the United States from New Zealand. “It’s great to have a season under my belt, and I have really enjoyed working with my team Pro Circuit Kawasaki.”

The AMA Supercross class will air on CBS Sports Sunday, April 22, at Noon (EST). SPEED will broadcast the AMA Supercross Lites class Sunday, April 29, at 4:00 p.m. (EST). Amp’d Mobile Supercross returns next weekend at Seattle’s Qwest Field where the Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites class resumes.

KTM Junior Supercross Challenge

1. Garrett Bercaw, Zephyrhills, Fla., KTM
2. Landon Armbruster, Brookville, Ohio, KTM
3. Broc Schindler, Pueblo West, Colo., KTM
4. Joseph Crown, Metamora, Mich., KTM
5. Parker Witbanks, Trabucco Canyon, Calif., KTM
6. Zachary Swain, Flushing, Mich., KTM
7. Evan Herr, DeMotte, Ind., KTM
8. Connor Lochhead, West Seneca, N.Y., KTM
9. Justin Graham, Riverside, Calif., KTM
10. Matthew Carpenter, Zeeland, Mich., KTM
11. Noah Park, Moss Point, Miss., KTM
12. Max Lillibridge, Bettendorf, Iowa, KTM
13. Wesley Morey, Muscle Shoals, Ala., KTM
14. Evan Hansen, Spencer, Iowa, KTM
15. McKie Larson, Clemont, Fla., KTM

Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP Season Standings

1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 354
2. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Yamaha, 322
3. Timmy Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki, 262
4. David Vuillemin, Menifee, Calif., Honda, 208
5. Ricky Carmichael, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki, 185
6. Michael Byrne, Newnan, Ga., Suzuki, 180
7. Heath Voss, Mico, Texas, Honda, 175
8. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 174
9. Paul Carpenter, Ithaca, N.Y., Kawasaki, 170
10. Jeff Gibson, Blacklick, Ohio, Kawasaki, 150

Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series Event Results, Detroit

1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki
2. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Yamaha
3. Tim Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki
4. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda
5. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
6. David Vuillemin, Murrieta, Calif., Honda
7. Heath Voss, Mico, Texas, Yamaha
8. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
9. Paul Carpenter, Ithaca, N.Y., Kawasaki
10. Jason Thomas, Melrose, Fla., Honda

Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series Season Standings

1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 335
2. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Yamaha, 297
3. Timmy Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki, 243
4. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda, 200
5. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 171
6. David Vuillemin, Menifee, Calif., Honda, 169
7. Michael Byrne, Newnan, Ga., Suzuki, 164
8. Ricky Carmichael, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki, 160
9. Heath Voss, Mico, Texas, Honda, 148
10. Paul Carpenter, Ithaca, N.Y., Kawasaki, 125

Amp’d Mobile Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Event Results, Detroit

1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki
2. Ben Townley, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki
3. Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda
4. Billy Laninovich, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda
5. Ryan Morais, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha
6. Branden Jesseman, New Brighton, Pa., Yamaha
7. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., Suzuki
8. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM
9. Matt Boni, Geneva, Fla., Kawasaki
10. Darcy Lange, Hemet, Calif., Kawasaki

Amp’d Mobile Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Season Standings

1. Ben Townley, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 133
2. Ryan Morais, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha, 130
3. Darcy Lange, Hemet, Calif., Kawasaki, 117
4. Branden Jesseman, New Brighton, Pa., Yamaha, 103
5. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plain, Minn., Suzuki, 98
6. Billy Laninovich, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda, 85
7. Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda 84
8. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 84
9. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., Yamaha, 83
10. Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha, 68

Amp’d Mobile Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites Season Standings

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 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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