Kawasaki's James Stewart, of Haines City, Fla., brings a two-race win streak into Houston's Reliant Stadium this Saturday, April 1 for the Amp'd Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series. Reliant Stadium is the birthplace of Stewart's first AMA Supercross class win, which took place last year. While Suzuki's Ricky Carmichael has a comfortable points lead for the Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series, the race for the Amp'd Mobile World Supercross GP is heating up.
Stewart, who has seven wins on the season, started his win streak in Orlando where he led all 20-laps in the main event. Before 41,010 fans last weekend, the 20-year-old superstar repeated that performance at the inaugural race inside Detroit's Ford Field. The two wins positioned Stewart to tie Carmichael for the Amp'd Mobile World Supercross GP this weekend in Houston.
Stewart trails reigning World Supercross GP/AMA Supercross Series champion Carmichael, of Tallahassee, Fla., by three points in Amp'd Mobile World supercross GP standings and 20 points in the Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series.
Yamaha's Chad Reed sits in second place, 10 points behind Carmichael in the AMA Supercross class but is struggling due to a shoulder separation suffered before the stop at Daytona International Speedway. The tough Australian has ridden through the pain earning podium finishes at two of the three races since the injury.
"Everyday, I do what I need to do to get my shoulder strong," said Reed of the injured shoulder. "I've just accepted the fact that it's an injury that'll be here a while and I just gotta do my part by keeping strong and giving it everything I got. Never give up and fight 'til the end.
"It's my problem. Obviously, I know I can ride better without a shoulder injury but it is what it is. I feel I'm giving up some on the track and that sucks but I'm figuring out how to ride my race with my situation."
Stewart turned a blazing fast 48.8 lap time in the main event and established a decent lead in his race against the clock.
"I just wanted to ride and put twenty consistent laps together," said Stewart. "The track changed a lot and all I could do was to try and stay up. I saw Ricky (Carmichael) coming up through the pack and I saw Chad (Reed) pushing hard too. I knew those two were going to start battling because they are so close for the AMA Supercross points race. I just want to win races," said Stewart. "I figure if I win races, I'll come out close to winning the (Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series) title. I'm just going out there and doing my own thing and getting good (lap) times. "
This season a consistent Carmichael has been on the podium 14 out of 15 races and has won six races.
"I'm worried about myself, not anybody else," said Carmichael. "I have my goals and I'm not worried about anyone. I need to take care of myself before I worry about someone else."
In the AMA Supercross Lites class, Honda's Davi Millsaps, of Cairo, Ga., leads his Honda teammate Josh Grant, of Riverside, Calif., by 22 points heading into the final race of the Eastern regional AMA Supercross Lites championship. Grant could give Honda their first lites title since 1993 when Doug Henry won the championship. Last weekend Grant's win in Detroit marked Honda's seventh consecutive lites win, a feat that hasn't been done since 1993 as well.
The rich history of supercross in Houston dates back to March 15, 1974 when Jim Pomeroy won the 250cc main event aboard a Yamaha. Since 1974, the city of Houston has been on the AMA Supercross schedule and in seven of those years, the Houston Astrodome hosted two races.
In front of 43,445 fans last year, Carmichael clinched his fourth AMA Supercross Series championship and his 12th AMA National Title. Honda's Andrew Short, of Murrieta, Calif., won his first 125cc Western Regional AMA Supercross Series race, leading all 15 laps in the main event.
Tickets are available at the Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, all participating Yamaha dealers (tickets also available at Yamaha outlets), or charge by phone at 713-629-3700.
This weekend's race will air on SPEED on Sunday, April 2, 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 Sunday, April 9, at 6 p.m. EST.
Amp'd Mobile World Supercross GP Season Standings
1. Ricky Carmichael, Havana, Fla., Suzuki, 286
2. James Stewart, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 283
3. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha, 267
4. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 227
5. Nicholas Wey, Dewitt, Mich., Honda, 215
6. Michael Byrne, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 209
7. Jeff Gibson, Blacklick, Ohio,, Honda, 150
8. Ryan Clark, Waddell, Ariz., Honda, 148
9. Jason Thomas, Melrose, Fla., Honda, 146
10. Tyler Evans, Corona, Calif., Suzuki, 116
Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series Season Standings
1. Ricky Carmichael, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki, 259
2. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha, 249
3. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 239
4. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 194
5. Nicholas Wey, Dewitt, Mich., Honda, 185
6. Michael Byrne, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 181
7. Travis Preston, Hesperia, Calif., Honda, 146
8. Ernesto Fonseca, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 125
9. Mike LaRocco, Corona, Calif., Honda, 108
10. Tim Ferry, Dade City, Fla., Honda, 96
Amp'd Mobile Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Season Standings
1. Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Honda, 141
2. Joshua Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 119
3. Chris Gosselaar, Victorville, Calif., Kawasaki, 114
4. Jesseman, New Brighton, Pa., Yamaha, 96
5. Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 80
6. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., Honda, 67
7. Robert Kiniry, Lafayette, N.Y., Honda, 66
8. Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Honda, 59
9. Teddy Maier, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki, 48
10. Michael Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Honda, 45
Amp'd Mobile Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites Season Standings
1. Andrew Short, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 118
2. Grant Langston, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 116
3. Nathan Ramsey, Menifee, Calif., KTM, 107
4. Billy Laninovich, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda, 99
5. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 95
6. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 94
7. Brett Metcalfe, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha, 91
8. Paul Carpenter, Ithaca, N.Y., Honda, 78
9. Darcy Lange, San Jacinto, Calif., Kawasaki, 55
10. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Honda, 52
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.