CARMICHAEL IS HOT COMING INTO HIS LAST DAYTONA SUPERCROSS
PICKERINGTON, Ohio (March 6, 2007) - Ricky Carmichael has a long and storied career in the Daytona Supercross by Honda. Last year the 27-year-old Makita Suzuki rider from Havana, Fla., became the first five-time winner of one of the most prestigious races on the AMA racing calendar. Carmichael is now set to race in his final Daytona Supercross this Friday night, March 9, as he prepares to transition to a NASCAR racing career. He is hoping to cap off his amazing Daytona legend with yet another victory in the grueling race.
Carmichael, who first raced at Daytona 10 years ago, is racing only part-time in this year's Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series, but he comes into Daytona fresh off a win this past Saturday in St. Louis. Daytona is one race that Carmichael has been looking forward to all year.
"I got a gift in St. Louis, but I'll take it any way I can get it," said Carmichael, who last March gave Suzuki its first Daytona Supercross victory in 25 years. "I can't wait for Daytona. I love that place. The fans have supported me there so strong over the years. I'm going to celebrate all the races this year. I've had a lot of time to reflect with this being my last run in Supercross and it's just gone by so fast. It's going to be on at Daytona. James [Stewart] and I have had some epic battles this year and hopefully it will be another great one this week."
While much of the focus at Daytona will be on Carmichael, fans at Daytona International Speedway will also be eager to see the battle for the series lead between Monster Energy Kawasaki's James Stewart and L&M Yamaha's Chad Reed. The tension between the top two riders ratcheted up even further last week after the two collided and both went down while battling for position in the St. Louis final.
"Every week I'm getting pushed around," said Reed, in reference to his collision with Stewart. "It's racing but he thinks he can walk all over me and I'm going put an end to that. I can't wait for Daytona. It's a special race. Everyone wants to win there. I've got a couple of good wins there, especially in 2005 over Ricky, and I want to go back and do it again."
Reed bravely rode to a runner-up finish at Daytona last year in spite of suffering a separated shoulder in practice the day before the race.
Series leader Stewart was slightly more conciliatory on the clash with Reed in St. Louis."I guess it's going to be like that the rest of the season," Stewart said, alluding to the hard passing he and Reed are putting on each other. "I'm out here racing for a championship. There's no reason to be like that. There are no hard feelings on my part."
Stewart is looking for his first win in the premier class at Daytona. He led last year's race before taking a tumble while leading. He won the Supercross Lites race there (then called 125 Supercross) in 2004.
Daytona has long been recognized as the longest and most physically challenging course in the 16-race series. Daytona combines many elements of outdoor motocross in a Supercross format. Riders like Tim Ferry (Monster Energy Kawasaki) and Kevin Windham (Sobe/Samsung Honda) hope their motocross skills will put them in a position to mix it up with Carmichael, Stewart and Reed on the rough and sandy track.
The AMA Supercross Lites East Series is heating up coming into Daytona with three riders within three points of one another in the battle for the points lead. Boost Mobile Yamaha teammates Ryan Morais and Matt Goerke are tied atop the series standings with 40 point each, while Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Darcy Lange is right in the thick of the chase with 37 points.
Morais is coming off his first ever podium finish last week in St. Louis. "I'm so happy," he said after Saturday's race. "All my hard work is finally paying off. I'm more prepared than I've ever been and my team has given me a great bike. Everything goes great when you have all that on your side. I guess the only downside to having a share of the series lead is that it makes me a little nervous."
Goerke, who calls Lake Helen, Florida home, says he too is ready for Daytona. "Hopefully I can get on top of the box at my home race," he said.
Former MX2 World Champion Ben Townley, of New Zealand, figures to be a top contender at Daytona coming off his win last week in St. Louis, as does Ryan Dungey, who won the Lites East opener in Atlanta two weeks ago.
The 37th Daytona Supercross by Honda is a premier event in the AMA racing season. Daytona International Speedway is one of the tracks from which Supercross racing originated. It was first held in 1971.
The race will be shown at 9:30 p.m. Eastern on SPEED, Saturday evening, March 9. Ralph Sheheen will lead SPEED's on-air team for coverage of the Daytona Supercross by Honda, with Hall of Famer Jeff Emig providing analysis and Erin Bates reporting from the pits.
For the Supercross race, SPEED will add a special "SPEED Cam," a dedicated hand-held camera riding at race speed on the famed Daytona International Speedway tri-oval apron, taping the Supercross riders as they maneuver through vicious stutter bumps known as "whoops."
For ticket information visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.
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.