CARMICHAEL CLAIMS 100TH WIN
This
weekend's AMA Toyota Motocross at Budds Creek was a significant
one for Team Makita Suzuki Racing as 15-time AMA Champion
Ricky Carmichael carded his 100th AMA Motocross win while
his team mate Ivan Tedesco successfully returned to racing
after missing the first three rounds due to injury.
For Carmichael, who finished second in the first 30-minute
moto and first in the second moto to take the overall win,
this result also marks his 148th career victory. Tedesco eased
into the weekend, taking 12th place in the first moto and
sixth in the second to bring home a ninth-place overall finish.
Ricky Carmichael:
"Getting my 100th motocross win is pretty amazing. I
was telling my mechanic 'Goose' - Mike Gosselaar, in 2004
I got my 100th win of combined motocross and Supercross and
to think that I've won 100 Nationals is amazing. Stefan Everts
has done the same thing in GPs, so it can be done. James Stewart
is well on his way. It's amazing. I never set out to do anything
like that, it just comes. You put your head down and you take
every weekend one for one and the next thing you know that's
how many wins you have."
Ivan Tedesco:
"Coming back after missing three rounds is tough, but
I needed to start somewhere so I could see where I was. It
felt good to be back racing my Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 and now
I know what I need to work on. My performance in the first
moto wasn't very good. I got a bad start and the track was
tough to pass on and I just couldn't make anything happen.
In the second moto I rode a lot better and got a better start.
My endurance was good: Now I just need to work on my speed
at the beginning of the motos. As far as the rest of the season
goes, I am just glad to be racing again and to recognize my
weaknesses. I have two weeks before Red Bud to improve so
I think I will be a lot better there. My goal for the rest
of the season is to get my Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 on the podium
as much as possible."
In the Motocross Lites class, Team Makita Suzuki Racing's
Ryan Dungey put in an impressive ride on his RM-Z250 as he
battled fiercely for a podium position. Although the 17-year-old
rider fell a tad short of the podium, he still brought home
strong fifth-and fourth-place moto finishes for a noteworthy
fourth-place overall result. With this finish, Dungey remains
in third-place overall in the MX Lites championship points
standings.
Ryan Dungey:
"This weekend went pretty good. I had a few good battles
here and there and I'm happy with the way that I rode. In
the second moto, in particular, I had a good three-way battle
for third place that lasted for about 27 minutes. Overall,
the Suzuki RM-Z250 is running really great and I'm really
happy with the bike. The whole team is doing a great job.
We've got a weekend off and we're going to practice some to
get ready for Red Bud. I've raced there before and I love
that track; it's really fun."
Motocross Overall: 1. Ricky Carmichael (Suzuki), 2. James
Stewart (Kawasaki), 3. Chad Reed (Yamaha), 4. Andrew Short
(Honda), 5. Timmy Ferry (Kawasaki), 6. Mike Alessi (KTM),
7. Grant Langston (Yamaha), 8. Kevin Windham (Honda), 9. Ivan
Tedesco (Suzuki), 10. Michael Byrne (Suzuki).
Motocross Lites Overall: 1. Ryan Villopoto (Kawasaki), 2.
Ben Townley (Kawasaki), 3. Jason Lawrence (Yamaha), 4. Ryan
Dungey (Suzuki), 5. Josh Grant (Honda), 6. Josh Hill (Yamaha),
7. Jake Weimer (Honda), 8. Broc Tickle (Yamaha), 9. Steve
Boniface (Kawasaki), 10. Robert Kiniry (Kawasaki).
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