Josh Grant Returns to the Podium
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – After winning the opening round of the AMA Supercross Championship in Anaheim, Calif., all eyes were on the rookie Grant to see if he could put in another podium performance. Grant did not disappoint the 46,566 fans at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz., as he showed beyond a doubt he can consistently be a top contender against the world’s best supercross riders.
The JGRMX Toyota/Yamaha mounted Grant pulled the holeshot in his heat race, with Yamaha rider James Stewart following. Stewart was able to move by Grant, and Grant qualified easily for the main with a solid second place. In the main event, it was again the YZ450F of Grant leading the field into the first turn. Grant led most of the first lap, with Stewart going into the lead just before the start of the second lap. Reigning Supercross Champion Chad Reed then hounded Grant for two laps before making a pass as the trio steadily pulled away from the pack. Grant then rode the remaining 17 laps flawlessly to take third place and retain the series points lead.
Grant’s JGRMX Toyota/Yamaha teammate, Cody Cooper, also a rookie to the AMA Supercross Championship suffered a crash in practice injuring his knee. “I crashed in the second practice and banged up my knee,” said Cooper. “I went to the Asterisk Mobile Medical Unit and they x-rayed it. They said if I wanted to try and ride I could. I went to the line for the heat race, but the pain turned out to be more than I could bear so I pulled off after the second lap. I felt like I had to go out and try, or I would have always wondered if I could have gotten through it afterward.” Cody will have an MRI tomorrow to determine what the extent of the injury is.
“I am really proud of Josh and the entire team,” said team manager, Jeremy Albrecht. “Our goal for this year is to be top five every weekend and we got third, I am very happy with our results.”
“Josh did a great job backing up his performance last weekend,” said team founder Coy Gibbs. “He rode well all day and he was on the podium again. I am also proud of Dean Baker, who heads up our engine development program. We place a lot of effort in that area and its helping Josh get some really good starts.”
The next and third round of the 17- race series will be on Saturday, January 17, at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. The original television broadcast of the Supercross Class will be at 12:00 p.m. (EST) January 18, on CBS.
