BREA, Calif., (Sept. 25, 2007) - American Suzuki Motor Corp. (ASMC) congratulates Makita Suzuki's Ricky Carmichael and Roger DeCoster for leading Team USA to its 18th victory in the 2007 Motocross of Nations at Budds Creek Motocross Park in Mechanicsville, Maryland, on Sunday. Team USA swept the prestigious event with three victories out of three motos. This running of the Motocross of Nations is the first time that the race has been held in the U.S. since 1987."When I was growing up, I always wanted to race this race," said 15-time AMA Supercross/Motocross Champion Carmichael. "Being a part of the Motocross of Nations team should be every top racer's dream, and if it's not, then I don't know what else to say. It always feels good to go out, prove the critics wrong and let our racing do the talking. For me, this is the last race that really means anything - where I have to perform and I have to do good. I'd like to give a big, big thanks to our American fans that came out to show their support. This race is back to where it was in the Roger DeCoster days and the Johnny O'Mara days."Carmichael has led Team USA to victory twice before in this international event, and this year, the rider they call the Greatest Of All Time raced his Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 to a third-place finish in the first moto and a win in the final moto of the day. The third-place result came after Carmichael relinquished his number-one starting position to his teammate on a smaller-displacement bike and also after he was hit from behind and went down on lap one. In spite of the unfortunate get-off, Carmichael remounted and charged hard to come all the way from 40th place to a podium position. At the end of the day, he helped Team USA complete a Motocross of Nations sweep in all three of the event's classes. Carmichael and crew raced under the tutelage of Makita Suzuki and Team USA Manager RogerDeCoster."Obviously it's been a good race for Team USA," said DeCoster. "We actually could only have improved by one point to be perfect. We had three firsts, one second and a third, out of a maximum possible three firsts and two seconds. So we missed a perfect score by just one point. Overall, I was a little bit worried about what we would get for attendance and about the track preparation because at the AMA Motocross national it was not that good. But it turned out great; they had as many people here as the track could handle. Everything was jam-packed, and they ran out of concessions and souvenirs by noon on Sunday. Also, the track turned out really good, and the racing was great from our team. It was sort of like a celebration for the American season with the rest of the world. The end result was good and positive for our sport."For more information on Carmichael, DeCoster and Team Makita Suzuki Racing, log ontowww.teamsuzuki.com.
