CARMICHAEL ON DAYTONA SX PODIUM
Team Makita Suzuki Racing's Ricky Carmichael celebrated his
final Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross race at Daytona International
Speedway by bringing home a strong second-place finish in
Daytona Beach, Florida on Friday night as team mate Ivan Tedesco
grabbed a sixth-place finish.
"I've got to tell you, I've had a great time tonight,"
said five-time Daytona Supercross winner Carmichael. "I've
had a great time performing in front of the Florida fans and
the Daytona Bike Week fans. Hats off to James Stewart and
thanks to my Makita Suzuki team for giving me a good bike
in the RM-Z450. I'm happy with the way I rode in the Main
Event and I'm proud of my performance on this track."
Both Carmichael and Tedesco lined up for heat race number
one on Friday night. Carmichael went down in turn one, only
to remount his Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 in 19th place and make
his way up to finish fourth. Tedesco got a great start and
brought home second place in the eight-lap heat.
In the 20-lap Main, Carmichael did not get the start he'd
hoped for: Back in sixth place on lap one, the defending AMA
Supercross Champion put his head down and worked his way up
into second place and brought home the podium finish.
"I can't thank my fans enough," reiterated 15-time
AMA Champion Carmichael. "To win here five times has
been amazing. It's been a pleasure racing with James, and
especially these last six months it's been special. Every
dog has his day and my days are getting thin. It's great to
be called the 'Greatest of all Time' but I just want to be
known as a great person, a great family man and a great ambassador
for our sport. I'm very proud of what I've accomplished."
Tedesco got off the line a few spots behind Carmichael and
also put his head down on his Makita Suzuki RM-Z450. The former
AMA Supercross Lites and Motocross Lites Champion rode a consistent
and smooth race and reeled in the competition for a sixth-place
finish by the end of the night.
"My heat race was good," said Tedesco. "I
got in the lead at the beginning and ended up in second. In
the Main, I got a good jump out of the gate but I was real
far inside and got pinched off. I ended up in 15th or somewhere
and had to work my way up. It was a tough track to pass on
so I tried to be smart and pass when I should and stay put
when I should."
In the Supercross Lites class, Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey
had a few problems in his qualifying races and did not compete
in the Main Event.
"It was a combination of a little bad luck and a small
mistake," said Makita Suzuki Team Manager Roger DeCoster.
"Ryan got the holeshot in his heat race and he was a
little hard on the front brakes, tucked the front end and
he got hit by another rider. As a result, the wiring harness
came loose and the bike wouldn't start. Then in the Last Chance
Qualifier he made a little mistake and couldn't make it up
in just four laps."
Supercross Class Top 10 Finishers:
1 James Stewart (Kawasaki)
2 Ricky Carmichael (Makita Suzuki)
3 Chad Reed (Yamaha)
4 Timmy Ferry (Kawasaki)
5 Kevin Windham (Honda)
6 Ivan Tedesco (Makita Suzuki)
7 Grant Langston (Yamaha)
8 David Vuillemin (Honda)
9 Davi Millsaps (Honda)
10 Josh Summey (Honda)
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