Indy SX PR: Carmichael's points have not changed
The AMA Pro Racing website yesterday changed the points for Ricky
Carmichael on the San Diego round from a -3 to the 22 he earned, but
then also credited him 0 for the win he earned in Atlanta this weekend,
which means the points have not actually changed ... Yet, anyway.
Here's the AMA Pro Racing press release on what promises to be another
exciting and intriquing weekend of supercross!
Indy Supercross Kicks Off Second Half of the Season
PICKERINGTON, Ohio (February 28, 2006) - Yamaha's Chad Reed finds
himself in the lead in the Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series as the
second half of the 2006 season gets underway at the RCA Dome in
Indianapolis on March 4.
After running third in the series just a week-and-a-half ago Reed is
suddenly atop the standings after an unexpected series of events.
First, rivals Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart both had a miserable
night in the St. Louis Supercross on Feb. 18. Carmichael crashed and
broke his Suzuki and was forced to retire. Then Stewart crashed and had
a tough time restarting his Kawasaki and finished back in 17th. Reed
took maximum advantage, won St. Louis, and took over the points lead.
Then just before this past Saturday's race in Atlanta, Carmichael was
penalized 25 points after tests revealed the fuel in his Suzuki to be
out of compliance at the San Diego round. Carmichael won in Atlanta,
but the 25 points he lost to the penalty dropped him to third in the
standings. Stewart crashed again on the first lap in Atlanta. He picked
up his Kawasaki and charged back to third, but lost valuable points to
Reed in the process.
After the dust settled Reed, the Yamaha factory rider from Australia
who won the 2004 AMA Supercross Series, finds himself holding a
19-point lead over Stewart.
Carmichael has a hill to climb if he is to come back and defend his
title but his Atlanta victory shows that he won't back down from the
challenge. The second all-time AMA Supercross wins leader is 31 points
down to Reed. This sets up a second half of the season where Stewart
and Carmichael will be scrambling to close the gap on Reed in the
points chase, while Reed tries to preserve his newfound advantage.
It all begins Saturday night in the RCA Dome.
Reed and Stewart are looking for their first Indy Supercross victories.
Reed was runner up last year and this will mark Stewart's first
appearance in the RCA Dome. He was slated to race in the Supercross
Lites class (formerly called 125 Supercross) in Indy two years ago, but
sat out the program due to a concussion he suffered during practice.
While Reed holds the series lead, he realizes that he still has to try to win every weekend to build on his momentum.
"I was a little too pumped from being out front early," Reed said of
Saturday's race in Atlanta. "I wasn't prepared to throw it down in
Atlanta and be aggressive to battle Ricky, but I came out with second
place and in the position I'm in right now I'm happy with that. I enjoy
the remaining tracks on the schedule and am looking forward to the rest
of the season."
Carmichael, Mike LaRocco and David Vuillemin are the three former Indy
Supercross winners expected to take the green flag Saturday night.
While the season is far from over, Carmichael is philosophical about his status.
"I've never been in a position like this," Carmichael said of the
penalty he was assessed. "I'm disappointed. The championship is a long
shot for me now. I'll watch these two guys (Reed and Stewart) battle it
out for the championship and maybe it will be a bittersweet victory for
them if I keep on winning."
Hoosier fans will be rooting for home state hero LaRocco. This may be
the final RCA Dome appearance for the 35-year-old South Bend native who
took an emotional victory there in 2004.
Last year's Indy Supercross Lites winner Davi Millsaps has moved from
Suzuki to Honda and is leading the series coming into round three.
Millsaps will try to become the first rider to win back-to-back
Supercross Lites races in Indianapolis since Mickael Pichon
accomplished the feat in the mid-1990s. Boost Mobile Yamaha's Branden
Jesseman is second in the standings to Millsaps followed by Christopher
Gosselaar of Monster Energy Drink/Pro Circuit Kawasaki.
Tickets for the Indy Supercross are available at all Ticketmaster
outlets, all participating Yamaha Dealers, at the Box Office, Karma
Records or charge by phone at 317-239-5151. A special Family Section is
also available in the RCA Dome for non-alcoholic family fun. When
ordering tickets through Ticketmaster, request the Family Section for
an alcohol-free atmosphere.
The Indianapolis round will receive next-day coverage on SPEED, Sunday, March 5 at 6:00 pm EST.