Makita Suzuki Anaheim Race Report

Makita Suzuki’s Carmichael Podiums & Tedesco Rallies from Injury in Season-Opening Anaheim Supercross

Round 1 – Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series
Anaheim, CA
Angel Stadium
Jan. 6, 2007

Team Makita Suzuki Racing started the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross season with an impressive second-place finish from defending Supercross Champion Ricky Carmichael in front of a packed house at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday night.  Teammate Ivan Tedesco also put in a remarkable ride, racing in spite of an injured hand and finishing 14th to pick up essential championship points.

“This has been a fun weekend and it’s been very emotional for me,” said Carmichael of his final Anaheim race.  “The whole night I felt like I was chasing my tail in the 90-degree turns.  James (Stewart) was riding good.  At one point, he made a mistake, I got the lead and then he passed me right back.  I was right on the edge.”

Carmichael and Tedesco started the night together in the first Supercross heat race earlier in the cool Southern California evening.  Tedesco got the holeshot and led the first four laps before finishing in fourth place and advancing to the main event.  Carmichael got a bad start but in true championship-winning fashion, worked his way up into first place to take the win.

“I had to work for it tonight,” said Carmichael of the eight-lap heat race.  “I just put my head down and tried to get back up there.  We’ve had some great battles here and it’ll be an exciting main event, for sure.”

The 20-lap main event saw Carmichael get a good start on his Makita Suzuki RM-Z450.  The 15-time AMA Supercross/Motocross Champion rode a smooth race and battled for the lead for the entire evening before finishing in second position.

“I knew it was going to be tough,” said Carmichael after the race.  “I’ve been doing this a long time and I know when I’m struggling.  I’d hoped that I could be there at the end but I just wasn’t.  I didn’t like the track tonight and I hope they’ll change some things for Phoenix next week and make it better.”

Teammate Tedesco, meanwhile, was doing his best to ride through his injury.  The Makita Suzuki rider suffered from three broken bones in his left hands after another rider collided with him at the Toronto Supercross in December. 

“I was happy with my heat race and that started the night out right,” said Tedesco.  “But riding like that in the heat made my hand sore and I could feel it on the parade lap for the main.  I knew it was going to bother me.  On the first lap, I went down when another rider ran into me but I got up and started chipping some laps off, just trying to get as many points as I could.”

Team Makita Suzuki Racing will return next week for round three of the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series at Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ, on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2007.

Art available upon request.

Ricky Carmichael, Team Makita Suzuki Racing RM-Z450, #4
2nd Place – Supercross class, Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series
2nd Place -- Overall Championship Points Standings

Ivan Tedesco, Team Makita Suzuki Racing RM-Z450, #9
14th Place – Supercross class, Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series
14th Place – Overall Championship Points Standings

Supercross Class Top 10 Finishers:

James Stewart, Kawasaki
Ricky Carmichael, Team Makita Suzuki Racing
Chad Reed, Yamaha (holeshot)
Travis Preston, Honda
Timmy Ferry, Kawasaki
David Vuillemin, Honda
Nick Wey, Honda
Heath Voss, Honda
Kevin Windham, Honda
Michael Byrne, Suzuki
 

Supercross Lites Class Top 10 Finishers:

Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki
Christophe Pourcel, Kawasaki (holeshot)
Jason Lawrence, Yamaha
Josh Hansen, KTM
Jake Weimer, Honda
Troy Adams, Suzuki
Matthew Lemoine, Yamaha
Chris Gosselaar, Kawasaki
Kyle Chisholme, Kawasaki
Justin Keeney, Kawasaki