After finishing second at the first three Amp'd Mobile Supercross races, Suzuki's Ricky Carmichael, 26, of Havana, Fla., was victorious Saturday night at Phoenix's Chase Field. Amp'd Mobile Supercross celebrates its 40th race in Anaheim this weekend as the tour returns to Angel Stadium of Anaheim.
One of the stadium's most anticipated races will unfold this weekend for the fans at the live event and the fans at home that can watch the coverage on CBS Sports Sunday, January 22 at 1:00 p.m. EST. Kawasaki's James Stewart, who has three wins on the season, is now tied in AMA Supercross Series points with Carmichael at 45.
Media Day is Thursday, January 19, from Noon-2:00 inside the Diamond Club. Yamaha of Troy's race team will be on hand to answer questions and ride for the media.
Carmichael, who has six career wins in Anaheim, moved into the lead in Phoenix on lap 11 and rode off to his 41st AMA Supercross win of his career. Stewart salvaged some points last weekend when he managed to work his way through the field after starting in last place due to a first turn crash. Yamaha's Chad Reed, the 2004 AMA Supercross Series champion, crossed the finish line in second place last weekend and sits in third place in both the Amp'd Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series.
Historically a slow starter, Carmichael's last win before Phoenix was in St. Louis last season. This weekend he can become the first two-time winner in the AMA Supercross class.
"I was happy with the win," said Carmichael, who struggled in his heat race. "I was pretty upset after the heat, you know, I knew I was better than that so I tried to make a turn around."
Reed earned his 46th career podium finish with his second place in Phoenix.
"It felt good," said Reed of his second place finish. "(I) got a good start, did what I had to do, and I felt I was putting some good laps together. It's going to be fun. I'm looking forward to the season."
Seven-time Supercross champion Jeremy McGrath, who has eight career AMA Supercross wins, more than any other rider in history, aims to rebound after a lack-luster 11th place finish at Anaheim 1. The winner of 72 AMA Supercross main events, McGrath finished 4th at Phoenix and won the Toyota Holeshot Award.
In the AMA Supercross Lites class Nathan Ramsey gave KTM their eighth victory as he turned in his first win of the season. Honda's Billy Laninovich finished second in Phoenix and took over the points lead. Ramsey's last win was at Anaheim 1 last year. The former regional supercross champion sits in fifth place in season standings.
This weekend's race will air on CBS Sports Sunday, January 22, 2006 at 1:00 p.m. EST.
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.
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.