Makita Suzuki's Carmichael Wins San Fran

Makita Suzuki’s Carmichael Wins San Francisco Supercross

Round 4 – Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series
San Francisco, CA
AT&T Park
Jan. 27, 2007

Team Makita Suzuki Racing’s Ricky Carmichael returned to competition with a vengeance on Saturday night in San Francisco, taking the win in front of a screaming crowd at AT&T Park.  Teammate Ivan Tedesco had a few problems and finished in 14th position.

“You have no idea how good it made me feel to hear the fans screaming so loud when I got in the lead,” said Carmichael after the race.  “It was a good race, you know.  James (Stewart) was leading and he fell, then Chad (Reed) grabbed a handful and his bike came out from under him...  Some chaos started happening and I almost bought the farm on the finish line -- that was a little crazier than I wanted to get.  But it was a good race and this is what Supercross needs to be to get the recognition it deserves.”

The Makita Suzuki teammates were together in their qualifying race earlier in the night.  Carmichael and Tedesco got away in first and second and held those positions until the eight-lap race’s end.

“What can I say?” asked Carmichael after winning the Supercross heat race.  “It’s been a special career, I’ve been around some great people, the fans have been amazing and it would be great to bag another win in San Francisco.  I’m just going to turn it loose one more time here in San Francisco and try to get a win.”

That was exactly what Carmichael did.  The 2006 AMA Supercross Champion got a good start on his Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 and was running in third.  Riding conservatively and keeping first and second positions in sight, Carmichael was in the right place to take over the lead when his competitors made mistakes in the 20-lap main event.

“It was a blast,” said Carmichael.  “It’s great to be back here and racing after a weekend off.  Those guys were riding buck wild out there…  And I was pretty comfortable just sitting there.  I knew if I stayed where I was I would be good and I could pounce at end of the race.  I felt really good and I’m really pumped to be here in the top spot.” 

Meanwhile, Tedesco got a good start and was up front on his Makita Suzuki RM-Z450.  He was battling for fourth place when he went down.

“The track was real rutted,” he said afterward.  “And after the triple, I landed on a Tuff Block.  I’m fine, I’m not even sore.  I was in fifth, trying to make a pass for fourth when I crashed and I was down for a while because I was under the bike.  It took me at least half a lap to get up, and by then I was way back in the pack.  I tried to make a comeback but there really wasn’t much I could do.”

Team Makita Suzuki Racing will return next week for round five of the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2007.

Art available upon request.

Ricky Carmichael, Team Makita Suzuki Racing RM-Z450, #4
1st Place – Supercross class, Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series

Ivan Tedesco, Team Makita Suzuki Racing RM-Z450, #9
14th Place – Supercross class, Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series
10th Place – Overall Championship Points Standings

Supercross Class Top 10 Finishers:

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

Supercross Lites Class Top 10 Finishers:

Ryan Villopoto, Kawasaki
Josh Grant, Honda
Jake Weimer, Honda
Josh Hill, Yamaha
Jason Lawrence, Yamaha
Kyle Partridge, Honda
Steve Boniface, Kawasaki
Josh Hansen, KTM
Michael LaPaglia, Yamaha
Matthew J Lemoine, Yamaha
*Chris Gosselaar, Kawasaki (holeshot)