Amp'd Mobile 2006 Supercross Final Race at Las Vegas - Dirt Rider Magazine

In soggy and less than favorable conditions, Yamaha's Chad Reed managed to tie Suzuki's Ricky Carmichael in the overall Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series points race when he finished in second place at Seattle's Qwest Field last Saturday night. Reed's efforts set up a scenario that has never taken place in the sport's 34-year history.After 34 seasons, Amp'd Mobile Supercross has written the perfect script, making this weekend's race one for the record books. Amplifying the phenomenal season is the 3.5 hour live broadcast of the race on SPEED on May 6, starting at 10:00 p.m. EST.This Saturday night, 20 laps will determine the 2006 Amp'd Mobile World Supercross GP and Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series champions at Las Vegas' Sam Boyd Stadium. Carmichael, of Tallahassee, Fla., and Reed, of Dade City, Fla., each share 316 points. Kawasaki ace James Stewart, of Haines City, Fla., who is currently in third place, sits just five points out of the lead in AMA Supercross Series standings.In the Amp'd Mobile World Supercross GP standings Stewart holds a 12-point lead. The 20-year old passed Carmichael in the points race after his win in Dallas and extended the lead in Seattle."All I can do is my best. If I win the Vegas race and the world title I can't really ask for anything else," said Stewart.Carmichael, the four-time AMA Supercross Series champion and reigning World Supercross GP champion, won in Las Vegas in 2001 and 2002, while Reed won Las Vegas in 2003 and 2005. Despite the adverse conditions in Seattle, Carmichael fought back from a 10th-place start to finish third while Stewart walked away with his seventh AMA Supercross Series win of the season."The night didn't go how I wanted it to go," said Carmichael. "To be honest, I can't believe I made it up to third. I was so far behind the first two laps. I saw James (Stewart) and he was a half track ahead of me. Then I just tried to pick every guy off one by one because I knew I needed to get on the box.""I know I can do it, if I ride the way I know I can ride," said Reed. "I think it's going to be a good battle. I just want to ride the way I know how to ride. We all sat at the press conference in Anaheim 1 and we all said we wanted to take it to Vegas. I don't know if any of us thought it was going to be this close. I think it's going to be fun and I'm super stoked to have a shot at winning the title."AMA Supercross Lites champions Davi Millsaps and Grant Langston will battle with the rest of the field to determine the Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Shootout title.The pre-race press conference will be held on Friday, May 5, in the press box of Sam Boyd Stadium at 9:00 a.m. PST. The featured riders are Carmichael, Reed and Stewart, who will each speak individually to the media (See schedule below). Honda's Millsaps and Kawasaki's Langston will represent the AMA Supercross Lites class. Fan can listen to the press conference on Supercross LIVE!, www.supercross.cc.com at 9:00 a.m. PSTIndividual Rider InterviewsRicky Carmichael: 9:00-9:20 a.m.Chad Reed: 9:20-9:40James Stewart: 9:40-10:00****Amp'd Mobile World Supercross GP Season Standings
1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 355
2. Ricky Carmichael, Havana, Fla., Suzuki, 343
3. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha, 334
4. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 276
5. Nicholas Wey, Dewitt, Mich., Honda, 268Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series Season Standings
1. Ricky Carmichael, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki, 316
2. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha, 316
3. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 311
4. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 241
5. Nicholas Wey, Dewitt, Mich., Honda, 234Amp'd Mobile Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites Final Season Standings
1. Grant Langston, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 161
2. Andrew Short, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 153
3. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 141
4. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 129
5. Billy Laninovich, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda, 125Amp'd Mobile Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Final Season Standings
1. Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Honda, 166
2. Chris Gosselaar, Victorville, Calif., Kawasaki, 134
3. Joshua Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 119
4. Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 102
5. Jesseman, New Brighton, Pa., Yamaha, 96Supercross 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 SeriesAmp'd Mobile World Supercross GP, produced and promoted by Live Nation 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 manages 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.Live Nation is one of the world's largest diversified promoters and producers of, venue operators and sponsorship/advertising for, live entertainment events including music concerts, theatrical performances, and specialized motor sports events. Live Nation owns, operates or has booking rights for 150 venues worldwide including 107 domestic and 43 international venue sites. In 2005, promoted and/or produced over 28,500 events with attendance at venues exceeding 61 million persons.About AMA Pro RacingAMA 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. Accredited media outlets can also access AMA Pro Racing's online Press Room at www.amaproracing.com/pressroom.