Battle for AMA Supercross championship tightens up in Indianapolis

March 5, 2006, 7:33am

Millsaps Takes Second Win and Holds AMA Supercross Lites points Lead

INDIANAPOLIS (March 4, 2006 ) – Suzuki’s Ricky Carmichael, of Tallahassee, Fla., won his second consecutive Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series race in front of 56,283 fans at the RCA Dome. Honda’s Davi Millsaps, of Cairo, Ga., picked up his second AMA Supercross Lites win on the season

Honda’s Ernesto Fonseca, of Murrieta, Calif., earned his first $1,500 Progressive Direct Holeshot Award of the season in the AMA Supercross class with reigning World Supercross GP/AMA Supercross champion Carmichael in second. Kawasaki’s James Stewart, of Haines City, Fla., crashed in turn one and started in last place, while Chad Reed, of Dade City, Fla., started in sixth place.

Carmichael passed Fonseca for the lead on lap 2 and pulled away from the field. Stewart worked into second place on lap 10 but was unable to catch Carmichael. Points leader Chad Reed passed Honda’s Nick Wey, of Dewitt, Mich., for third place late in the race and was able to hold onto his Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series points lead. Carmichael’s win was his fifth of the season. Stewart finished second and Reed third.

“I was just trying to win out there tonight,” said Stewart on his second place finish. “Next week we go to my home state of Florida, and I love racing at Daytona. I hope I can get a win there.”

Honda’s Kelly Smith, of Ludington, Mich., won the $1,000 Progressive Direct Holeshot Award in the AMA Supercross Lites division, with Honda’s Josh Grant, of Riverside, Calif., and Millsaps in second and third respectively. Grant moved into the lead and Millsaps settled into second place to start the 15-lap feature. The two Honda riders traded positions on lap 2. Grant crashed on lap 10, allowing Millsaps to take over the lead. Grant finished second, his second podium finish of the season.

Kawasaki’s Chris Gosselaar, of Victorville, Calif., earned his second podium position of the season with a third tonight.

“Josh (Grant) had a good lead tonight,” said Millsaps. “That isn’t the way that I want to win, but a win is a win. I want to stay smart and be consistent. I have a solid points lead in the series, so that’s what’s important.”

Prior to tonight’s race the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) reached a joint resolution to the points penalty imposed by the AMA on Ricky Carmichael after the San Diego race of Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series. The 25-point penalty was not imposed on Carmichael; therefore, he moved from third place to second place, six points behind leader Chad Reed coming into tonight’s race.

Tonight’s race will air on SPEED on Sunday, March 5, at 6:00 p.m. EST. A separate one-hour broadcast of the AMA Supercross Lites racing will air on SPEED on Saturday, March 12, at 6 p.m. EST.

Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP Season Standings
1.      Ricky Carmichael, Havana, Fla., Suzuki, 242
2.      Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha, 233
3.      James Stewart, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 231
4.      Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 191
5.      Nicholas Wey, Dewitt, Mich., Honda, 179
6.      Michael Byrne, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 179
7.      Jeff Gibson, Blacklick, Ohio,, Honda, 127
8.      Jason Thomas, Melrose, Fla., Honda, 123
9.      Ryan Clark, Waddell, Ariz., Honda, 122
10.     Tyler Evans, Corona, Calif., Suzuki, 105

Amp’d Mobile Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Event Results, Indianapolis
1.      Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Honda
2.      Joshua Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda
3.      Christopher Gosselaar, Victorville, Calif., Kawasaki
4.      Kelly Smith, Ludington, Much., Honda
5.      Robert Kiniry, Lafayette, N.Y., Honda
6.      Josh Hansen, Lake Elsinore, Calif., KTM
7.      Branden Jesseman, New Brighton, Pa., Yamaha
8.      Tucker Hibbert, Centerville, Miss., Yamaha
9.      Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda
10.     Sean Hamblin, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki

Amp’d Mobile Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Season Standings
1.      Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Honda, 72
2.      Chris Gosselaar, Victorville, Calif., Kawasaki, 54
3.      Jesseman, New Brighton, Pa., Yamaha, 52
4.      Joshua Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 47
5.      Robert Kiniry, Lafayette, N.Y., Honda, 41
6.      Josh Hansen, Lake Elsinore, Calif., KTM, 38
7.      Sean Hamblin, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 36
8.      Teddy Maier, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki, 33
9.      Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Honda, 31
10.     Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 29

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

KTM Junior Supercross Challenge Results

Ryan Miller, Ocala, Fla., KTM
Wyatt Ellison, Boonville, Ind., KTM
Sam Thurman, Pegram, Tenn., KTM
Cameron Breland, Bay Saint Louis, Mo., KTM
Jake Daugherty, Owensboro, Ken., KTM
Sebastian Vinueza, Quito, Ecuador, KTM
Ryder LaRocco, Corona, Calif., KTM
Wyatt Barth, Marietta, Ohio, KTM
Drew Foley, Memphis, Ind., KTM
Matthew Suit, Oxford, Ohio, KTM
Alexander Juelfs, St. Louis, KTM
Bailey Schultz, Beecher, Ill., KTM
Zachary Roma, Harwinton, Conn., KTM
Alex Adent, St. Joseph, Mich., KTM
David Kavalauskas, Oak Forest, Ill., KTM