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Last year Ricky Carmichael gave Team Suzuki their first win ever in Indianapolis. This yeara midst swelling controversy due to fuel testing issues at San DiegoCarmichael races into Indianapolis with nothing to lose. "I'm just racing to race," said Carmichael, who has three career wins at the RCA Dome. "I have never been in this position before. I feel a little cheated. It sucks, because now Chad (Reed) can just coast into Vegas. Chad has a pretty nice points lead on James (Stewart). So really where's the fun and excitement in racing, other than race wins for me?" Despite the controversy, Carmichael, who started his 100th AMA Supercross race last weekend in Atlanta, trailed Reed for the first 10 laps before moving into the lead and collecting his fifth win at the Georgia Dome. "It was a great win," said Carmichael in the post-race press conference. "I saw James go down and then I started to catch Chad. I knew that I could get up there with him. Then once I got into second, I started putting in some goods laps and was able to pass him. Chad hounded me for a while. So, I just tried sticking to my lines." Reed, the Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series points leader, scored his fourth second-place finish last weekend. The Australian now has 51 podiums in 56 starts and tied Ricky Johnson on the all-time supercross podium list. "I'd been riding really well during the week; I just wasn't bringing it to the races," said Reed. "So, I've tried turning it around. My confidence is good and I know I can win. I have learned that I have to take (advantage of) opportunities. I felt that I rode tight in the beginning of the race but when Ricky passed me, I just wanted to ride a smart race." Kawasaki's Stewart went down in turn one and spent his evening playing catch up in the AMA Supercross class' main event. He currently sits second in the points for Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series and has three wins and an additional three podium finishes. "I didn't give myself a chance tonight," said Stewart on his first-turn crash in Atlanta. "I was on the ground again. I need to just stay up on the first corner and then I'll be good from there." Honda's Mike LaRocco, 35, originally from South Bend, Ind., began his professional supercross/motocross career in 1988, when he finished in third place for the Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Series and seventh in 125cc Outdoor Motocross. A decent springboard for a career that lasted longer than any other top AMA Supercross/Motocross racer. This weekend he will be racing for his 229th career AMA Supercross start. Another special weekend in Indianapolis for LaRocco as he and eight-year-old son Ryder will both race in their respective divisions under the RCA Dome. Ryder, an avid motocross racer, will be racing in the KTM Junior Supercross Challenge, a three-lap race on KTM's 50 SX Pro Senior LC mini-motorcycle, featuring 7-8 year old kids, which is held during the intermission at Amp'd Mobile Supercross races. LaRocco won Indianapolis in 2004. In the AMA Supercross Lites class, Honda's Josh Grant, of Riverside, Calif., won his first-ever main event. Grant won the Progressive Direct Holeshot Award to start the AMA Supercross Lites main event. He held the lead in the early stages of the and avoided a cluster of crashes that kept series front runners KTM's Josh Hansen, of Lake Elsinore, Calif., and Honda's Davi Millsaps, of Cairo, Ga., out of contention. Grant cruised to the easy victory ahead of Millsaps and Martin Davalos, of Cairo, Ga., who finished third for his first career podium. This weekend's race will air on SPEED on Sunday, March 5, 2006 at 6:00 p.m. EST. A tape-delayed, one-hour television broadcast of the AMA Supercross Lites racing will air on SPEED on Saturday, March 12, at 6 p.m. EST. Tickets are also available at the Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, all participating Yamaha Dealers,Karma Records or charge by phone at 317-239-5151. Gold seats are $35; Mid-level seats are $25;Treadhead seats are $10. All seats are $2 more on the day of the race. Amp'd Mobile World Supercross GP Season Standings
Ricky Carmichael, Havana, Fla., Suzuki, 217
Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha, 211
James Stewart, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 211
Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 173
Michael Byrne, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 164
Nicholas Wey, Dewitt, Mich., Honda, 163
Jeff Gibson, Blacklick, Ohio,, Honda, 113
Ryan Clark, Waddell, Ariz., Honda, 112
Jason Thomas, Melrose, Fla., Honda, 110
Tyler Evans, Corona, Calif., Suzuki, 94 Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series Season Standings
Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha, 171
James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 152
Ricky Carmichael, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki, 140
Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 126
Michael Byrne, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 118
Nicholas Wey, Dewitt, Mich., Honda, 117
Ernesto Fonseca, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 110
Mike LaRocco, Corona, Calif., Honda, 108
Travis Preston, Hesperia, Calif., Honda, 90
Jeremy McGrath, Encinitas, Calif., Honda, 67 Amp'd Mobile Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Season Standings
Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Honda, 47
Branden Jesseman, New Brighton, Pa., Yamaha, 38
Chris Gosselaar, Victorville, Calif., Kawasaki, 34
Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Honda, 30
Teddy Maier, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki, 27
Joshua Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 25
Sean Hamblin, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 25
Robert Kiniry, Lafayette, N.Y., Honda, 25
Josh Hansen, Lake Elsinore, Calif., KTM, 23
Michael Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Honda, 20 Amp'd Mobile Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites Season Standings
Andrew Short, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 118
Grant Langston, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 116
Nathan Ramsey, Menifee, Calif., KTM, 107
Billy Laninovich, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda, 99
Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 95
Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 94
Brett Metcalfe, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha, 91
Paul Carpenter, Ithaca, N.Y., Honda, 78
Darcy Lange, San Jacinto, Calif., Kawasaki, 55
Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Honda, 52 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 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 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.
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