AMA Supercross Class Laps Led:
James Stewart 131
Ricky Carmichael 23
Chad Reed 39
Kevin Windham 5
Nick Wey 2
AMA Supercross Lites Class Laps Led:
Ryan Villopoto 84
Christophe Pourcel 17
Ryan Dungey 14
Jason Lawrence 3
Steve Boniface 1
Ben Towley 1
Progressive Direct Holeshot Award (AMA Supercross)
Nick Wey (Toronto): $1,500
James Stewart (Vancouver): $1,500
Chad Reed (Anaheim 1): $1,500
Jeff Dement (Phoenix): $1,500
Nick Wey (Anaheim 2): $1,500
Chad Reed (San Francisco): $1,500
Nick Wey (Anaheim 3): $1,500
Tim Ferry (Houston): $1,500
Ivan Tedesco (San Diego): $1,500
Chad Reed (Atlanta): $1,500
Progressive Direct Holeshot Award (AMA Supercross Lites)
Christophe Pourcel (Anaheim 1): $1,000
Martin Davalos (Phoenix): $1,000
Steve Boniface (Anaheim 2): $1,000
Chris Gosselaar (San Francisco): $1,000
Ryan Villopoto (Anaheim 3): $1,000
Ryan Villopoto (Houston): $1,000
Christopher Gosselaar (San Diego): $1,000
Mike Alessi (Atlanta): $1,000
MMI Top Tech Award
Jeremy Albrecht (Anaheim 1): $500.00
Mike Gosselaar (Phoenix): $500.00
Jason Thomas (Anaheim 2): $500.00
John Mitcheff (San Francisco): $500.00
Willie Manning (Anaheim 3): $500.00
Manual Rivas (Houston): $500.00
John Mitcheff (San Diego): $500.00
Jason Thomas (Atlanta): $500.00
U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Pro Privateer Challenge
1. David Vuillemin 128 Points
2. Heath Voss 123 Points
3. Travis Preston 120 Points
Asterisk Medic Card
Charles Castloo (Anaheim 1)
Michael Willard (Phoenix)
Charles Castloo (Anaheim 2)
Logan Darien (San Francisco)
Tyler Keefe (Anaheim 3)
Adam Chatfield (Houston)
Adam Chatfield (San Diego)
Cory Green (Atlanta)
Racer X Gas Card
Nathan Ramsey (Anaheim 1)
Eric Sorby (Phoenix)
Bryan Johnson (Anaheim 2)
Manuel Rivas (San Francisco)
Jason Thomas (Anaheim 3)
Erick Vallejo (Houston)
Doug DeHaan (San Diego)
Erick Vallejo (Atlanta)
Toyota Tundra Fan Challenge
Jeff Gibson (Anaheim 1)
Nick Wey (Phoenix)
Nick Wey (Anaheim 2)
Jeff Gibson (San Francisco)
Nick Wey (Anaheim 3)
David Vuillemin (Houston)
Paul Carpenter (San Diego)
Bryan Johnson (Atlanta)
Race Recap:
ATLANTA (February 24, 2007) – Kawasaki’s James Stewart picked up his sixth win of the season tonight at the Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series before a record crowd of 70,649 at the Georgia Dome. Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plain, Minn., captured the first AMA Supercross Lites win of his career.
KTM Junior Supercross Challenge
- Christopher Boothe, Atkins, Va., KTM
- Hunter Neal, San Antonio, Texas, KTM
- Logan Nance, Lakeland, Fla., KTM
- Bugsy Murphy, Lafayette, La., KTM
- Kyler Godwin, Valley Grande, Ala., KTM
- Matthew McFadden, Goshen, Ohio, KTM
- Michael Thibodeau, Bridgeport, Conn., KTM
- Brandon Porter, Waldorf, Md., KTM
- Kobe Woltz, Loomis, Calif., KTM
- Taylor Cobb, Prattville, Ala., KTM
- Nicholas Webre, Youngsville, La., KTM
- Dallas Davis, Frankfort, Ind, KTM
- Colton Weisheim, Las Vegas, Nev., KTM
- Adam Toldo, Windsor, ON, KTM
- Clay Mullins, Elsinore, Calif., KTM
Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP Season Standings
- James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 232
- Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Yamaha, 216
- Timmy Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki, 180
- Ricky Carmichael, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki, 138
- David Vuillemin, Menifee, Calif., Honda, 127
- Heath Voss, Mico, Texas, Honda, 121
- Travis Preston, Hesperia, Calif., Honda, 120
- Michael Byrne, Newnan, Ga., Suzuki, 120
- Nicholas Wey, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 108
- Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 108
Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series Event Results, Atlanta
- James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki
- Ricky Carmichael, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki
- Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Yamaha
- Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
- Kevin Windham, Centerville, Miss., Honda
- Timmy Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki
- Bryan Johnson, Cairo, Ga., Honda
- David Vuillemin, Menifee, Calif., Honda
- Heath Voss, Mico, Texas, Honda
- Jeff Gibson, Blacklick, Ohio, Kawasaki
Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series Season Standings
- James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 188
- Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Yamaha, 171
- Timmy Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki, 145
- Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda, 119
- Michael Byrne, Newnan, Ga., Suzuki, 108
- Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 101
- Travis Preston, Hesperia, Calif., Honda, 96
- Heath Voss, Mico, Texas, Honda, 94
- Ricky Carmichael, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki, 91
- David Vuillemin, Menifee, Calif., Honda, 86
Amp’d Mobile Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Event Results, Atlanta
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki
- Darcy Lange, Hemet, Calif., Kawasaki
- Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., Yamaha
- Ryan Morais, Temecula, Calif., Suzuki
- Branden Jesseman, New Brighton, Pa., Yamaha
- Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha
- Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., KTM
- Matt Boni, Geneva, Fla., Kawasaki
- Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ken., Honda
- Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., Suzuki
Amp’d Mobile Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Season Standings
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 25
- Darcy Lange, Hemet, Calif., Kawasaki, 22
- Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., Yamaha, 20
- Ryan Morais, Temecula, Calif., Suzuki, 18
- Branden Jesseman, New Brighton, Pa., Yamaha, 16
- Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha, 15
- Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., KTM, 14
- Matt Boni, Geneva, Fla., Kawasaki, 13
- Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ken., Honda, 12
- Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., Suzuki, 11
Amp’d Mobile Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites Season Standings
- Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 172
- Jason Lawrence, Carlsbad, Calif., Yamaha, 135
- Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Honda, 103
- Christopher Gosselaar, Victorville, Calif., Kawasaki, 97
- Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 92
- Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Yamaha, 88
- Josh Hansen, Lake Elsinore, Calif., KTM, 87
- Matthew Lemoine, Pilot Point, Texas, Yamaha, 86
- Troy Adams, Homosassa, Fla., Suzuki, 71
- Kyle Cunningham, Springtown, Texas, Yamaha, 66
Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Recap After Atlanta
- James Stewart earned his 17th AMA Supercross class win. He is now tied with Mark Barnett and Jeff Stanton.
- Chad Reed scored his 66th career AMA Supercross podium and his 39th consecutive top five finish. This weekend Reed will line up for his 73rd consecutive start.
- While racing a select-schedule this year, Ricky Carmichael earned his 84th career AMA Supercross podium. Carmichael has raced seven seasons in the class with at least one podium.
- Mike LaRocco went 17 seasons with at least a podium.
- Jeremy McGrath had 10 seasons with at least a podium.
AMA Supercross Lites Class Recap From Atlanta
- Ryan Dungey earned his first AMA Lites Supercross win.
- Dungey became the 18th different rider to get their first AMA Supercross Lites win on a Suzuki.
- Dungey gave Suzuki their first AMA Supercross Lites win since Ezra Lusk in 1994.
- Dungey broke Suzuki’s 23-round winless streak.
- Dungey joins Carmichael, John Dowd, Josh Grant, Doug Henry, Keith Turpin, and Eddie Warren as riders to win their first AMA Supercross Lites in Atlanta.
AMA Supercross Stats: Atlanta
- First race, April 27th, 1996, Jeff Emig won on a Kawasaki.
- This is the 12th time the gate will drop at St. Louis.
- Wins by brand: Yamaha-6: Kawasaki-2; Suzuki-2; Honda-1
- Jeff Emig won his first ever AMA Supercross on a Kawasaki in 1996 by stopping Jeremy McGrath's 13-race win streak.
- Kawasaki’s last win in St. Louis was in 2001 by Ricky Carmichael.
- Chad Reed has three wins in St. Louis out of four starts with one second-place finish.
- Since 2003, Chad Reed has won 10 of 40 races during the opening eight rounds of AMA Supercross. In the last eight rounds of AMA Supercross, Reed has won 16 of 32 races.
Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites at St. Louis
- First race April 27th, 1996, Kevin Windham won on a Yamaha.
- Wins by brand: Yamaha-4; Suzuki-3; Kawasaki-3; Honda-1
- Dungey can be Suzuki’s first rider since Travis Pastrana to win back-to-back AMA Supercross Lites races. Pastrana accomplished this feat in 2001.
- In 23 seasons of AMA Supercross Lites racing, Suzuki has won a race in 16 of them.
- Suzuki earned their 79th AMA Supercross Lites win in Atlanta.
- In the last 17 of 22 seasons, the winner of the opening round of Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites competition has gone on to win the title.
AMA Supercross History for the Ninth Race of the Season
· July 19th, 1977- Jim Weinert won on a Kawasaki in Los Angeles.
· April 11th, 1987- Jeff Ward won the first round of a double header in Pontiac on a Kawasaki
· March 22nd, 1997- Jeff Emig won on a Kawasaki in Houston Texas.
· March 3rd, 2007- Stewart can continue Kawasaki’s 10-year tradition of winning the ninth round of AMA Supercross.
Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP Rider Finishes
Chad Reed
Toronto: 1
Vancouver 3
Anaheim 1: 3
Phoenix: 3
Anaheim 2: 2
San Francisco: 3
Anaheim 3: 2
Houston: 2
San Diego: 1
Atlanta: 3
Ricky Carmichael
Toronto: 2
Vancouver 1
Anaheim 1: 2
Phoenix: 2
Anaheim 2: N/A
San Francisco: 1
Anaheim 3: N/A
Houston: N/A
San Diego: N/A
Atlanta: 2
James Stewart
Toronto: 3
Vancouver 2
Anaheim 1: 1
Phoenix: 1
Anaheim 2: 1
San Francisco: 2
Anaheim 3: 1
Houston: 1
San Diego: 5
Atlanta: 1
Tim Ferry
Toronto: 4
Vancouver 5
Anaheim 1: 5
Phoenix: 5
Anaheim 2: 4
San Francisco: 4
Anaheim 3: 3
Houston: 3
San Diego: 2
Atlanta: 6
David Vuillemin
Toronto: 5
Vancouver 4
Anaheim 1: 6
Phoenix: 20
Anaheim 2: 11
San Francisco: 6
Anaheim 3: 12
Houston: 10
San Diego: 9
Atlanta: 8
Nick Wey
Toronto: 6
Vancouver 9
Anaheim 1: 7
Phoenix: 9
Anaheim 2: 3
San Francisco: 5
Anaheim 3: 4
Houston: N/A
San Diego: N/A
Atlanta: N/A
Ryan Clark
Toronto: 7
Vancouver: 14
Anaheim 1: 17
Phoenix: N/A
Anaheim 2: N/A
San Francisco: N/A
Anaheim 3: 17
Houston: 16
San Diego: 14
Atlanta: N/A
Paul Carpenter
Toronto: 8
Vancouver: 12
Anaheim 1: 11
Phoenix: 19
Anaheim 2: 7
San Francisco: 15
Anaheim 3: 9
Houston: 9
San Diego: 8
Atlanta: 20
Heath Voss
Toronto: 9
Vancouver: 11
Anaheim 1: 8
Phoenix: 10
Anaheim 2: 13
San Francisco: 12
Anaheim 3: 8
Houston: 7
San Diego: 7
Atlanta: 9
Jeff Gibson
Toronto: 10
Vancouver 8
Anaheim 1: 15
Phoenix: 15
Anaheim 2: 12
San Francisco: 9
Anaheim 3: 13
Houston: 17
San Diego: 13
Atlanta: 10
Nathan Ramsey
Toronto: 21
Vancouver: 6
Anaheim 1: DNF
Phoenix: 11
Anaheim 2: 10
San Francisco: 13
Anaheim 3: 6
Houston: 19
San Diego: N/A
Atlanta: 16
Travis Preston
Toronto: 16
Vancouver: 7
Anaheim 1: 4
Phoenix: 4
Anaheim 2: N/A
San Francisco: 7
Anaheim 3: 11
Houston: 5
San Diego: 10
Atlanta: 12
Jason Thomas
Toronto: 14
Vancouver: 10
Anaheim 1: 21
Phoenix: 14
Anaheim 2: 16
San Francisco: N/A
Anaheim 3: N/A
Houston: N/A
San Diego: 19
Atlanta: 13
Kevin Windham
Toronto: N/A
Vancouver: N/A
Anaheim 1: 9
Phoenix: 8
Anaheim 2: 6
San Francisco: 10
Anaheim 3: 7
Houston: 4
San Diego: 3
Atlanta: 5
Michael Byrne
Toronto: 15
Vancouver: 19
Anaheim 1: 10
Phoenix: 6
Anaheim 2: 5
San Francisco: 8
Anaheim 3: 5
Houston: 6
San Diego: 6
Atlanta: 14
Ivan Tedesco
Toronto: N/A
Vancouver: N/A
Anaheim 1: 14
Phoenix: 7
Anaheim 2: 8
San Francisco: 14
Anaheim 3: 10
Houston: 8
San Diego: 4
Atlanta: 4
Joshua Summey
Toronto: 19
Vancouver: 16
Anaheim 1: N/A
Phoenix: N/A
Anaheim 2: 9
San Francisco: 11
Anaheim 3: 19
Houston: N/A
San Diego: 12
Atlanta: N/A
Bryan Johnson
Toronto: 20
Vancouver: 20
Anaheim 1: N/A
Phoenix: N/A
Anaheim 2: N/A
San Francisco: 20
Anaheim 3: 18
Houston: 14
San Diego: 16
Atlanta: 7
Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross East Lites Class Rider Finishes
Ryan Dungey
Atlanta: 1
Darcy Lange
Atlanta: 2
Matthew Goerke
Atlanta: 3
Ryan Morais
Atlanta: 4
Branden Jesseman
Atlanta: 5
Justin Brayton
Atlanta: 6
Zach Osborne
Atlanta: 7
Matt Boni
Atlanta: 8
Ryan Sipes
Atlanta: 9
Kelly Smith
Atlanta: 10
AMP’D MOBILE AMA SUPERCROSS
2007 ATLANTA POST-RACE PODIUMS AND INTERVIEWS – 2/24/07
JIM HOLLEY: Let me see if I can get Matt Goerke to make his way on over here. Finished third place tonight. Great ride. Riding the wheels right off that bike, you have to be feeling good about that.
MATT GOERKE: Yeah, I thought I was going to win tonight. I felt great. I was real tight because I haven’t raced in a while, but now I’m in the championship hunt, so that’s good.
JIM HOLLEY: What about next week? How does that change your attitude when you go to St. Louis next week?
MATT GOERKE: Oh, I plan on winning next week. I’ll loosen up this week now that I’ve already got a podium out of the way. But I couldn’t have done it without my bike, Boost Mobile, Yamaha Troy, Dunlop Tires, Fly Racing, Bell Helmets, my mom and dad, Shane Yagen, Keith Ord, Belinda, Jim Delzer and Dr. Messenger helped me out a lot, all my friends and family, for coming out here.
JIM HOLLEY: Alright, man. We’ll see you next week when we go to St. Louis. Matt Goerke pulling off a third place finish tonight. Waiting for Darcy Lange to make his way up here and we’ll put that, once and for all, to bed, whether it’s Lange or Lang. We’re going to let him explain that. It’s sort of like the Lanovich, Laninovich type thing. For as long as we’ve known each other, I hear Lang, I hear Lange – You tell me how you want it.
DARCY LANGE: Lange.
JIM HOLLEY: Lange – See, I was right all night long. Darcy, you rode great. You had to come from behind and you showed. You got the speed. You’re ready for Supercross.
DARCY LANGE: Yeah, this is awesome – my first Supercross of the year on the Pro Circuit Monster Energy Kawasaki. I can’t say enough for all those guys – Jeff Fox at Parts Unlimited, Vans, KMC, Amp’d Mobile, Scott, Bridgestone Tires, Maxis, Thor – and just everyone for helping us out; Mitch Peyton for keeping faith in me and having me on his team and Bones for the suspension, my mechanic, Damon, the team manager, Zack. Just, the whole team is awesome and I wouldn’t be here without any of them.
JIM HOLLEY: Is there a little bit of extra pressure watching what just happened on the West Coast with your teammate Ryan Villopoto picking up a championship?
DARCY LANGE: Oh yeah, they’re expecting me to do well. I got into that race and almost got up to second and then stalled and went back to sixth. So, I charged back to second. That’s awesome for the first round and as long as we’re up here on the box, it’s great.
JIM HOLLEY: Always good to get the first one behind you. Now you can look forward to St. Louis. How much more relaxed will you be when you come into St. Louis?
DARCY LANGE: Oh, way more relaxed. This weekend, I was a basket of nerves. It’s been my dream to ride for the Pro Circuit Team and now I’m on it. I just don’t want to let them down. I want to keep getting better and better and hopefully come back in St. Louis and keep the rubber side down; get a good start and do some battling.
JIM HOLLEY: There you go. Darcy Lange, finishing second tonight, on the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki. Nice job, Darcy. I know T.V.’s waiting to talk to you. We’re gonna be talking to Ryan Dungey here in just a second, the Makita backed factory Suzuki rider. Ryan, come on over here, man. You deserve the accolades. How about it, Atlanta? Say hello to Ryan Dungey.
Ryan, I gotta tell you what, man. You came in and put a smile on Roger DeCoster’s face. You absolutely owned it here tonight.
RYAN DUNGEY: Yeah, I felt good. I just can’t thank Roger enough for putting me on this team and then taking me in under his arm with Ricky and Ivan. It’s been a great experience so far and I’m looking forward to every bit of it.
JIM HOLLEY: Now we know you really as an outdoor specialist. Now you’re on the radar as an indoor Supercross specialist. I’ll ask you the same question. How much easier will it be next weekend going into St. Louis, getting this first race behind you?
RYAN DUNGEY: It’s definitely a big relief. I wanted to come out of here with a good, solid finish and just be consistent. I feel I accomplished that goal tonight. I felt I put in great consistent laps and going into St. Louis that’s gonna take a little off my back.
JIM HOLLEY: Was there anything that you found out here tonight that surprised you or that you need to work on just a little bit before next week to make yourself even tougher?
RYAN DUNGEY: Yeah, I could always get better, but I don’t know. I feel like I rode a solid race. I think some stuff could have been a little better but that’s why we got all this week.
JIM HOLLEY: Well, congratulations. Way to start off the ’07 East Coast Lites. We’ll see you next weekend when we go to St. Louis.
JASON WEIGANDT: Alright, that is Ryan Dungey. Suzuki redesigned the RMV-250 and they said it was a return to dominance. They’ve had one race with a factory on it and they’ve got one win. So, job well done for Roger DeCoster and I know Ricky Carmichael’s gotta be pumped over that. I know he has done some work with Ryan and that’s one of his goals. He wants to give back to the Suzuki Team before he’s done and that’s not far from now.
JIM HOLLEY: Well, and the other guy is also the mechanic, Tim McAdams. That’s actually his first win as a mechanic with one of his riders, and it’s good to see that. These guys put in a lot of hard time, testing and developing. We could have a diamond in the rough here and Dungey’s just sealed the deal there.
JASON WEIGANDT: Wonder what that win bonus is all about.
JIM HOLLEY: Let’s bring in our winner of the Lites, Ryan Dungey. You just got a chance to ride out there. You won the main. How was the track holding up?
RYAN DUNGEY: It held up pretty good. The track got kind of rutted up here and there, but other than that, it was pretty good.
JIM HOLLEY: Ryan, I was watching a lot of your lines. You were riding the inside of a lot of corners and not getting yourself caught up in that outside, to have a front wheel wash out.
RYAN DUNGEY: Yeah, I was just trying to stay out of those deep ruts. If you’re in them, all you are doing is bouncing around in them. So, you just try to stay out of them and get in the smallest one possible.
JIM HOLLEY: What does he tell you? I mean, what exactly are you talking about? Are you talking about the whoops?
JASON WEIGANDT: What does Ricky Carmichael tell you? How closely have you worked with him in the six months you’ve been part of this team?
RYAN DUNGEY: The whole time! My whole beginning in Supercross, for the first five weeks we tested all together and every track has something about it that he just picks up and he showed it to me. I just got a lot to learn and I know I do.
JASON WEIGANDT: Hey, I want to ask you something. When you got signed with the team, a lot of people were wondering, why did they take him out of the amateur arena so early and put him on a factory bike? Is this vindication now, because you won your first Supercross?
RYAN DUNGEY: Yeah, people talk here and there, but I just can’t thank Roger enough for pulling me aboard the team and it’s just a great opportunity. I am just really thankful for it.
JASON WEIGANDT: Hey, Ivan, we were talking about it. You built on something – last week, you had something to build on. You got to be happy with a strong fourth place.
IVAN TEDESCO: Yeah, for sure, I was stoked with my ride. I’m just trying to get better every weekend. This week was better than last and obviously the last race was better than the ones at the beginning of the year. So I got another good start and just tried to ride my best. Reed went down and I was trying to hold onto that podium spot. We battled there for a few laps, but I’m stoked. At least I’m a little closer to these guys and I just need to keep moving forward.
JIM HOLLEY: You mentioned that battle, Ivan. You and Reed came together on a couple of occasions – Turn #5, Turn #6 and Turn #7. You saw Reed go high and you were racing down that start line straightaway – you saw him go up high, you go, I’m going to the inside and I’m taking him all the way up to the Parts Unlimited tuff block.
IVAN TEDESCO: That’s right. That is how you gotta race. I’ve been laying down for these guys. I don’t know why. My confidence hasn’t been there and I haven’t been able to race those guys. I was scared, I guess; I don’t know. But, I was stoked to finally ride a good race and hopefully there’s more to come and get on that box.
JIM HOLLEY: Hey, its fun out there when you put a motorcycle into another guy, isn’t it?
IVAN TEDESCO: That’s right. I love racing. That’s what this is all about and there shouldn’t be any hard feelings. We weren’t getting dirty. We were just block passing each other and it was fun.
JASON WEIGANDT: Now let’s talk about this, Ivan. We heard about the confidence and you were struggling because you started the season with an injury. Are you still glad that you came back in Anaheim 1 at less than 100 percent and had to take some lumps?
IVAN TEDESCO: You know what? I was talking about that with some of my people today, actually, and I don’t know if it was the smartest move. I was thinking about just the point situation. And obviously I came into the race and wasn’t prepared. I basically taped my hand to the handlebars and couldn’t even ride. But, you learn, I guess. I should have maybe waited ‘til I got healthy and came out here with some confidence, but I’m back. I feel like I’m back and hopefully there are more good races to come.
JIM HOLLEY: Are you looking forward to next week, St. Louis?
IVAN TEDESCO: Yeah, I am. I had a good ride there last year. I led that race for ten laps and I just need to keep on moving forward and get some good starts like that. I’ve been working on my speed and it’s starting to come around.
JIM HOLLEY: Hey, how happy is Tony Berluti? I’m looking in the binoculars – see you guys down there. Tony’s got an ear-to-ear grin down there.
IVAN TEDESCO: Yeah, Tony I’m sure is stoked finally to get in there and race. We’re not just riding around in the back of the pack. The whole team was pretty frustrated, including myself, there at the beginning of the year and I’m sure it’s good for everybody; just the whole atmosphere of the team.
JIM HOLLEY: Hey, how happy were you going into that main event knowing that Ryan Dungey, the rookie, came away – your teammate – with that win?
IVAN TEDESCO: Yeah, that was good. Ryan’s a hardworking kid and he’s a good buddy of mine. He’s young and, you know, he’s a smart kid for how young he is. I think there are some more good races for him to come.
JASON WEIGANDT: Now the one thing, of course, that everyone has talked about with you joining the team last year was the influence of Ricky Carmichael and we saw you guys ride together a lot in practice. How much does it help having Ricky here as opposed to last weekend, in San Diego, when he wasn’t in the building?
IVAN TEDESCO: Yeah, Ricky has helped me out a lot. I can’t thank the guy enough. He’s the best guy to have around. He’s just a down-to-earth guy and always willing to help. We’re good friends and it’s good to have him back. He’ll be here for the next three races and it’s good to have him around. Just the atmosphere of the team’s really good.
JASON WEIGANDT: One thing I’ve always heard racers say – How much easier is it going to be to go out and get up early in the morning, train, ride and test this week coming up, now that you know good things are happening?
IVAN TEDESCO: I’ll tell you what – I was frustrated there for a while. I was depressed and as a racer, I’m real competitive and I hate being in the back of the pack. Even though my situation, coming in injured, you still don’t want to be back there. You know you’re better than that. I’m glad I’m back and hopefully there’s more; I can keep the ball rolling and keep moving forward.
JASON WEIGANDT: Hey, we’re proud of you too. We’re glad you’re back. It makes for good racing – That’s for sure, brother.
IVAN TEDESCO: Right on. I’ll check it on T.V. tomorrow – I’m sure it will be exciting.
JIM HOLLEY: Alright, thanks, Ivan. Good job.
IVAN TEDESCO: Thank you. See you guys.
JASON WEIGANDT: Let’s go down to the podium – They’re talking to Ricky Carmichael, with Terry Boyd.
TERRY BOYD: Next week we go down to St. Louis – four weeks in a row. Your final race, though, in Orlando, the luck of the Irish – St. Paddy’s Day – I keep saying it’s gonna be Ricky O. Carmichael.
RICKY CARMICHAEL: Yeah, you know what? I got a little Irish in me so hopefully it’ll be a good weekend. I haven’t won in Orlando since my first time there in ’97, so it owes me one.
TERRY BOYD: Alright, buddy. We will see you next week in St. Louis. Great job. Greatest of all time. He’s gotta head over to Speed and Erin Bates.
Let me grab James Stewart, ladies and gentleman. How ‘bout it? James Stewart! James is just throwing it down, man. You did not waste any time. You saw Chad was in the lead; you knew you wanted to get a gap between the rest of those guys.
JAMES STEWART: Yeah, it was a good race, just like I told you guys, and I felt good. I was getting this rhythm section down. I was just kind of saving it for tonight and I was able to get it pretty good through the race. And Ricky kept me honest the whole time. It was a great battle and I kind of got caught up with lappers a little bit but was able to pull the gap back out and take the win. But it was fun.
JASON WEIGANDT: Now, we have brought it back – a one-week absence – the call-in show has returned.
CALLER: Alright, well, Chad, obviously everything’s gotten taken over to the four-stroke. A lot of people thought that you were one of the people that could stay up there on a two-stroke. Did you ever think about that that much?
CHAD REED: Unfortunately, the two-stroke went away really quick; pretty much overnight. They just made a really good bike and just pretty much outdated the two-stroke. I liked the two-stroke a lot, but, honestly, I really wouldn’t choose to go back to it even if I had the chance.
JIM HOLLEY: Hey, Chad, I gotta ask you. Towards the end of the night, there were two critical points. You had to get around Tedesco and you guys got a little physical out there.
CHAD REED: Yeah, he made it tough and that’s what racing’s all about. I’m just super, super pumped to get back up on the podium. We got some fast guys out there and some guys coming back that are getting healthier and healthier. I know what it’s like to be in Ivan’s position and try to get up there and be healthy again. So, after the fall, I felt good; I really did. I felt that I was in a good position to kind of follow some lines from James and just try to sit there and see what went down.
JIM HOLLEY: You mentioned you went down. What exactly happened? You lost the front end?
CHAD REED: Yeah, just the rut was there and I just kind of came right in there and the dirt was really deceiving; it was really tacky. Then in some sections it was really loose. I just grabbed a handful and kind of pushed the front away. I hit my head pretty good and that woke me up. I’m like, okay, don’t worry about that get back on the bike and just try to get back on the podium. I knew those guys were gone at that point and I just wanted to get up on the box.
JASON WEIGANDT: Chad, a lot of people are wondering if the factor of Carmichael coming back-did it seem like the pace was any different at any point in the race? Was there a difference between him being here or not?
CHAD REED: I don’t think so. I think me and James have been pushing hard for the last few weekends and whether Ricky’s here or not. I felt I was in a great position tonight; super pumped on my starts and then kind of made a mistake. He got by and then, we kind of bumped a little bit; got a little aggressive. Then I wanted to retaliate a little bit, but I was like, no, just follow him and see what lines he had. I went down, so I kind of ruined all my chances tonight.
JASON WEIGANDT: Chad, one more thing I’m gonna ask. It seems like Stewart was able to get around you and then you tried to stick with him. Are you a little more comfortable trying to follow him and stay with him than try to put up with the pressure with him riding right behind you?
CHAD REED: Yeah, there wasn’t really no game plan to let him by or anything like that. I felt that I had the holeshot and I wanted to get out and put some laps together and see what happens. If he’s faster, he’s gonna come around and that was kind of where it was. I just felt that I was going to see what he had and you never know if you’re better in some parts. I actually really wanted to follow him over the triple in the back section and I hadn’t done that all night long and just kind of had been dragging my feet. So, I was looking forward to making it that lap that I crashed the turn before.
JASON WEIGANDT: Chad, man, thanks for the time and a good ride tonight.
CHAD REED: Thanks. See you guys.
JASON WEIGANDT: Chad Reed of the Team San Manuel Yamaha Team.
JIM HOLLEY: And our man, Dixon – He’s doing such a great job I think he’s got RC – getting ready to put the headset on RC down there.
JASON WEIGANDT: Just passing the headset on down there. This is a real cool thing. Ricky Carmichael – We got you?
JIM HOLLEY: RC, are you there?
RICKY CARMICHAEL: I’m here.
JIM HOLLEY: How you doing, buddy? That was a good ride, there. About lap twelve, you started closing in on James. I thought for sure you were gonna get by him.
RICKY CARMICHAEL: I know you guys can see from up top. It was that dang rhythm lane section. I was wearing the skirt on that one. I was scared to do it, to be honest. And he rode well, but I think that was a big chunk of the time he was making up on me because every time he wouldn’t do it, I would catch him.
JIM HOLLEY: That’s that section when you come out of the first turn there. He was actually landing on the back side and you were stepping on and stepping off, where he was on the back side. Do you think it was that big of an advantage, Ricky?
RICKY CARMICHAEL: Oh, absolutely. Every time he didn’t do it, I’d gain on him and that’s racing. I just wasn’t prepared to do that. But I’m surprised I kept him that close in check while he was doing it. He did get baubled up with some lappers and it allowed me to catch him a little more than he probably wanted to. But hey, I’ll take any advantage I can get.
JIM HOLLEY: Well, and you have to be happy with that second because on that last lap, he actually did that section and when you’ve got the greatest of all time right behind you, you gotta push all twenty laps.
RICKY CARMICHAEL: That’s right. You know me – I ain’t gonna die out. I’m gonna get twenty good laps and just keep driving and driving.
JASON WEIGANDT: Hey, hold on a second here, Ricky. We got a fan on the phone. You got a question for Ricky, who finished second place tonight?
CALLER: Yeah, good job, Ricky. I’m just wondering if you have any plans of coming to Australia to race or do any events over here.
RICKY CARMICHAEL: I’d love to. My time is running thin in Supercross racing, so if they’re gonna do it, they need to do it quick because, like I said, I’m almost to the end of the road. I would love to. I’ve never been to your country and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it, so I’d like to make it there some day, man.
CALLER: You’ve got so many fans over here, mate.
RICKY CARMICHAEL: Oh, thanks, man. I really appreciate it, you guys. Thank you for your support.
JIM HOLLEY: Hey, Ricky, we’re going back to St. Louis next weekend. That wasn’t such a good race for you, with that shock spring last weekend. Are you looking forward to going back to St. Louis?
RICKY CARMICHAEL: Oh, you know it. I love that place, even though what happened last year. I’m pumped. Whatever happened last year’s what happened. But one thing I know is I was cruising there last year so I’m gonna go in with that momentum and now that I got a race under my belt, I’ll be a lot better.
JIM HOLLEY: Hey, Ricky, we really appreciate you taking time out and talking to some of the people that are listening in all over the world and on XM Radio. Thanks again, and we’ll see you next week in St. Louis.
RICKY CARMICHAEL: Alright, we’ll see you. Talk to you next weekend. See you guys.
JIM HOLLEY: See, that’s confidence. He knows he’s gonna talk to us next weekend. See that? I like that.
JASON WEIGANDT: Who’s on the phone right here? Rock?
CALLER: Yeah, you got the Rock here.
JASON WEIGANDT: We got the Rock. What’s your real name, man?
CALLER: Michael.
JASON WEIGANDT: That’s what I thought. There’s only one Rock that I know that travels through the world of the Motocross message boards, and that is Michael. You pumped on the race tonight?
CALLER: Absolutely. I couldn’t be happier for the Yamaha tour guys doing well on the West and now another great start to the series here on the East, so I’m really happy for Scott Paul and all the guys.
JIM HOLLEY: Hey, Mike, we got a special guest on the line. You get to ask James Stewart, the winner of the Atlanta Supercross, a question.
CALLER: James, what would it be like racing without having RC in the mix?
JAMES STEWART: Well, I mean, it’s definitely different. If Chad would have fell in a normal race, I’d have been way out front but you got that third guy in there that’s gonna make me step up my game. I always like racing the guy, but we saw tonight in the heat race, Chad actually stepped up his game too. He’s been really tough all season, so we just have to keep motivated and keep on going.
JASON WEIGANDT: Alright, Mike, thanks a lot for the call. I know you’re proud of the Yamaha Troy boys. Well done, thanks.
JIM HOLLEY: Hey, James, I gotta ask you – You had to step it up in that main event, coming out of turn one. You were able to land on the back side of that step-on. How gnarly was that?
JAMES STEWART: It was real gnarly – everybody keeps telling me. It was like man, if you walk over there and see it that’s probably why I didn’t jump it, because I didn’t walk over there and look at how gnarly it was. I was able to pull out some lines that I wasn’t doing all day long and I felt like I had a good rhythm going. It was a little bit faster and I was able to put it together in the main event and do it really consistent.
JASON WEIGANDT: Alright, the rhythm lane – we saw you working on that in practice. When you see a section like that – I’m talking the end of that table top is higher than the jump before it. How long does it take you to figure that out?
JAMES STEWART: Pretty much into the main event, when I had to do it. I think I started jumping four laps in and I knew I had to get a little gap because of the way the lappers were and the way the track was. It was kind of one-lined. I got bunched up with those guys and he caught up to me. I know I’m in shape and I know I can run twenty laps as hard as I can, so I knew I had to put it down the last few laps and get that gap again. So, I wasn’t worried about last corner stuff.
JIM HOLLEY: Hey, James, you lost nine points last weekend. With Carmichael here, your nemesis, he actually helped you this weekend; you picked up five more points on that championship.
JAMES STEWART: Yeah, this is a long season and last weekend, I just made a bauble and I wasn’t too happy about that. But today we’ll come back and gain five more points. I just need four more and I’ll be back to where I was. But, I’m having a good time. Just Kawasaki and everybody – they’re really behind me right now and we just have to keep plugging away.
JIM HOLLEY: You know, James, we got a caller on the phone. Jonathan, you got a question for James Stewart?
CALLER: Hey, Cousin Jimmy, this is John.
JIM HOLLEY: Hey, Jonathan – How you doing? Hey, you got James Stewart; your favorite rider. He’s on – Ask him a question.
CALLER: Hey, James.
JAMES STEWART: How you doing, buddy?
CALLER: Good. What have you done since last year to step up your training game to be able to run with all the topper guys, like Reed and them?
JAMES STEWART: Well, I’ve just been riding a lot and putting a lot of hours in the gym. When you’re really motivated, it’s a lot easier to go to the gym. My advice for you is just to have fun at riding and stay in school. That’s the most important thing out of anything and I think it’s great you young kids are starting, young. I wish I had that opportunity to start young and training. It’s going to help you out when you want to do this.
JIM HOLLEY: Hey, James, he’s halfway there. He rides a Kawasaki already.
JAMES STEWART: See, you’re already on it, buddy.
JASON WEIGANDT: Jonathan, thanks a lot for the call. Hey, James, they come here – We had seventy thousand people here at the Georgia Dome, and I know you like it when we get the big crowds out there. That’s gotta be cool.
JAMES STEWART: Oh, man, its super cool because these fans are so into it. I just – I think that’s why Nascar is so big in the southern states. They love it. All year, the fans have been really great and I think this is the biggest sellout we’ve probably had all year long.
JIM HOLLEY: Hey, James, I gotta ask you – Are you excited going back to St. Louis next weekend? I know you had the problems where you lost that front end and you had a hard time starting the motorcycle and during the week training, will you work on starts?
JAMES STEWART: I think my starts are pretty good tonight and we made the bike a lot easier to kick, so hopefully that won’t go on. But there is no disappointment in that. We just have to move on and last year – these few East Coast races, the ones I’m racing now – I had a hard time. I was able to win this one tonight and just gotta go to St. Louis and put my head down and not let what happened last year happen this year.
JASON WEIGANDT: We’re gonna take one more caller and we’ll let you go. We got Scott on the phone. Hey, Scott, we got James Stewart with us. You want to ask James Stewart a question about the race tonight? Go ahead man.
CALLER: Yeah, James, when you had Ricky catching you there, how hard was it to pick up the pace or keep doing the quad section?
JAMES STEWART: Well, I think tonight what the case was I'm kind of knew why he caught me. I got really caught up bad with lappers and he closed the gap. He put in a lot of good laps. So all I had to do was just kind of clear that out of the way and keep running that pace I was running and it seemed to work. I was able to pull enough gap to close it out in the finish. But man, hats off to that guy. He’s always tough to race against and I love it.
JASON WEIGANDT: I can hear – You got the smile kicking down there, don’t you?
JAMES STEWART: You know I do.
JIM HOLLEY: I can see the smile from up here. Hey, why don’t you wave to us up in the booth? We’re up here man. There you are James – How you doing?
JASON WEIGANDT: James, I know you’re gonna have a good time tonight and we’ll see you in St. Louis. Thanks for the time, my man.
JAMES STEWART: Alright, no problem. Thank you guys.
JASON WEIGANDT: Alright, that is James Stewart, and that’s gonna do it for our Supercross Live broadcast, now exclusively for our folks on Supercrossonline.com.
