The 2005-'06 Amp'd Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series has produced some of the best racing in recent history; and this Saturday's opening race of the AMA Supercross Lites Eastern Region division at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis only figures to add to the excitement.
Amp'd Mobile Supercross has been visiting St. Louis since 1996, and in those 10 years the rider who has won the race has gone on to win the Eastern Regional championship eight times, including the last five seasons. The opener to any racing season is considered the most prominent, but add to the mix the role that St. Louis has played throughout the years, and this year's group of talented riders will be gunning for the win.
"This season, any one of a handful of riders can win the championship," said Yamaha of Troy rider Branden Jesseman, of New Brighton, Pa., who won in St. Louis en route to the 2003 championship. "It probably won't come down to who wins the most races, but the guy who wins (the title) will be the one who puts in more consistent finishes and finds himself on the podium week in and week out."
Gone from the list of championship hopefuls is Kawasaki's Grant Langston, of Murrieta, Calif., who chose to ride the Western Region and not defend his title from a year ago, but there is a group of riders who figure to be in the hunt.
Leading the list of riders who figure to contend for the title are KTM's Josh Hansen, who tied Langston in the season-ending point standings last year but lost on a tie-breaker, and Honda's Davi Millsaps, of Cairo, Ga. Hansen was a two-time winner last season, picking up three additional podium finishes, and figures to be the favorite based on previous results and experience. Like Hansen, Millsaps was a two-time winner in '05 but must improve on his consistency and not allow a let down similar to his 18th place finish at Daytona last season that but eliminated his title chances.
Other riders who are expected to contend for the title are Jesseman and Yamaha of Troy teammate Matt Walker, of McDonough, Ga.; Suzuki's Broc Hepler, of Kittanning, Pa.; Honda's Josh Grant, of Riverside, Calif.; and Yamaha's Stephane Roncada, of Menifee, Calif.
The Edwards Jones Dome is a popular stop on the Amp'd Mobile Supercross circuit, with annual crowds nearing capacity. Fans interested in purchasing tickets for the Feb. 18 race can purchase tickets at Ticketmaster outlets, participating Yamaha dealers and at the Edwards Jones Dome box office. To charge by phone, call 314-241-1888 and 314-421-4400.
A tape-delayed, one-hour television broadcast of the AMA Supercross Lites racing will air on SPEED on Saturday, Feb . 25 at 6 p.m. EST. An additional one-hour broadcast of the AMA Supercross class will also air on CBS on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 12:30 p.m. EST.
Supercross LIVE!, the only place on the planet to catch Amp'd Mobile Supercross live at home in your car, or just about anywhere in the world, is available live 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! Archived broadcasts are also available at supercross.cc.com, or can be downloaded to iPod or MP3 players via Podcast at sxlivepodcast.com.
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.
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.