Getting Even and Getting Odd at the U.S. Open of Supercross -ozzy go- alpinestarsinc.com

As very recent history has taught us, Chad Reed out-and-out
smoked the field on the opening night of the 2007 Rockstar
Energy Drink U.S. Open by completing a triple play in winning the
Toyota Superpole, his heat easily and, finally, the main event. All
things considered, if one were to walked around the large MGM
Grand parking garage that served as the pit area for the U.S.
Open and taken an ad hoc pole, the general consensus was that
Reed and the dominance he displayed made for an evening of
racing that was downright boring. So much so that on Saturday
morning, as mechanics and team members began preparing the
bikes for the race later that night, many feared another Reed
whitewash. But unlike any city on Earth, in 24 hours, Las Vegas
can change things dramatically — for both the good and the bad
— for a person. In fact after the running of the second night of
the U.S. Open, all one had to do was to ask Chad Reed about
Vegas and what it can do to a person.

Heat number one got the dice rolling on Saturday night in the
MGM Grand Garden Arena with Team Honda’s Andrew Short
racing away to win the opening heat over an impressive, hard
charging Josh Demuth. Chad Reed won heat number two over Tim
Ferry and Team Sobe/No Fear/Samsung/Honda 250F-mounted
Jake Weimer. Michael Byrne led the third heat out and in of the
jam-packed MGM Grand Garden Arena with Mike Alessi and
Branden Jesseman in tow. Just behind were Australian Supercross
champion, Dan Reardon (now riding for the Sobe/No Fear/
Samsung/Honda team), and Grant Langston. On lap number three
new Team Suzuki rider Mike Alessi found a way around Byrne
while Langston moved into third by the finish. LCQ
DNA Energy
Drink/BTO Sports teamsters Jason Thomas and Bryan Johnson
both won their respective last Chance Qualifier races and earned
spots on the gate for the main event.

Reed would get back up and take off only to rear end the blue
fender of Grant Langston’s Yamaha. From that point, for all
intents and purposes, it was all over but the shouting for Reed.
When the checkered flag was grabbed and waved manically,
young Jake Weimer was the first rider to meet it. Somewhere out
there on the floor of the arena the fate of the winner of the 2007
U.S. Open hung in the balance. Mike Alessi had zapped Michael
Byrne for fourth, while Grant Langston had made it all the way
back to fifth. In a frenzy, the mathematics were done and it was
declared that 2007 AMA National Motocross Champion Grant
Langston had won the 2007 Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open of
Supercross with a somewhat unbelievable overall score of 2-5.
“Man, I don’t know where to begin,” beamed Langston atop the
podium. “It was the wildest race I ever been in my life. I got hit
about 15 times that time, and I hit about five people and I didn’t
know where I was. I looked at my pit board and it looked like
Japanese! This is just unbelievable. I just did what I could. I got a
pretty good jump off the gate but I got collected up in that mess,
but it’s racing and I didn’t give up. It just fell in my lap!”

It was also an amazing night in Sin City for Jake Weimer, his win
both impressive and shocking in nature. “Tonight I got a little bit
of luck on the start, got into the lead, and it was a long 20 laps,”
he smiled. “My team is doing an awesome job and I’m super
pumped to be up here.” alpinestarsinc.com