Showing posts with label AMA MX-class. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AMA MX-class. Show all posts
Grant Langston Alpinestarsinc.com Interview -ozzy go-
Grant Langston on Pushing Forwards Back
At the U.S. Open, Grant Langston took a step back and reflects on
winning the 2007 AMA Motocross National Championship.
Following the final practice for the opening round of the 2007
U.S. Open, Grant Langston undressed in the Yamaha 18-wheel
semi-truck and put on his street clothes. He had done all his
requisite TV interviews for CBS and the Speed Channel and was
now relaxed and taking his time in answering questions this writer
asked him about the 2007 AMA Motocross National Championship
that he clinched at Glen Helen Raceway on Sunday September 9.
It was quite apparent that the afterglow of winning the title after a
spirited late-season charge had not worn off and the friendly,
well-spoken South African was all too happy to talk about it. Yes,
he was set to poised to race for a hell of a lot of money in the
MGM Grand Garden Arena in a few hours time, but for the
moment, Langston was much more keen to be sitting in the
monolith-like emerald green hotel/casino’s parking garage and
wax ecstatic about what he felt was his greatest achievement in
racing. interview - pic from motocrossactionmag.com
Tim Ferry AMAMotocross.com Interview -ozzy go-
Obviously it was the entire team of Ricky Carmichael, Ryan
Villopoto, and Timmy Ferry that took Team USA to the Budds
Creek MXON win; but in my mind, Timmy Ferry was the hero.
Ferry was the logical choice to replace injured teammate James
Stewart on the team, but when Ferry suffered a few poor finishes
near the end of the 2007 AMA Toyota Motocross Championships
Presented by FMF, some message board doubters were ready to
replace him. Taking it in stride, the 32-year old Ferry came to
Budds Creek ready to race and never looked back as he took his
class win. It was a great victory for Ferry after injuring himself
several years ago at the 2003 MXON where TEAM USA finished
second. interview on amamotocross.com - picture from
motocross.com
Best of 2007 Nationals -ozzy go- vitalmx.com
The AMA Nationals are a much different breed from the technical
ballet of Supercross. Wide open and rough, the riders string
together 24 motos throughout a long, hot, summer to determine
National Champions in the Motocross Lites and Motocross classes.
By now we're not going to be surprising anyone by congratulating
Ryan Villopoto and Grant Langston on their titles, but how they
got there was pretty wild to watch. Ryan had stretched out a lead
over his Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki teammate, Ben
Townley, in the AMA Lites standings by the time they got to
Unadilla, but a DNF allowed Ben back into the chase, and they two
were only a few points apart for much of the rest of the season.
Villopoto turned it on near the end, and combined with a few
mistakes by Townley, clinched his second straight outdoor title.
In the Motocross class, you'd have had a hard time finding
anyone who'd have bet against James Stewart as a shoe-in for
the title at the beginning of the season. Ricky Carmichael was
only running a limited number of events, and it appeared that no
one would have the speed to run with Ricky or James. When they
raced together, they were often 30 seconds or better ahead of
third place. But James suffered a practice crash at Unadilla that
left him with a whiplash-style neck injury... read the full story
Gavin Gracyk AMA Interview -ozzy go- amamotocross.com
All summer everyone has been talking about Gavin Gracyk’s
impressive rides. And why not - especially with all the hard
times that the 23-year old privateer has been going through?
Rebounding back from numerous injuries and personal
tragedies, Gavin soon became both a media darling and
everyone’s favorite feel-good success story. Get to know
Gracyk, and you will have a whole new level of appreciation
for his on-track success this past summer. I caught up with
the Ohio native at Glen Helen, where he finished eighth
overall and ninth in the 2007 AMA Toyota Motocross
Championship Presented By FMF series. click here to the
interview on amamotocross.com
Updated - October 3, 2007 - RacerX
Help Gavin Gracyk's Dad
Gavin Gracyk at Glen Helen - tedescophoto.com
Team Australia - Profiles for the 2007 Red Bull FIM Motocross of Nations -ozzy go-
After the disappointing 11th place finish of last year, the Aussies will go back
to this year’s Red Bull FIM Motocross of Nations with a very strong squad,
made of Chad Reed (31), Andrew McFarlane (32) and Michael Byrne (33).
Chad Reed is the most popular and successful Australian star. The San Manuel
–Yamaha rider achieved his dream to become a supercross specialist in the US
scene after making his first steps in the national series in Australia and then
competing in the MXGPs for a season under the guidance of recently
disappeared great tuner Jan De Groot. Once on the US ground Chad proved
right away to have the speed to become one of the most important riders of the
sport and, step by step reached, in 2004, the goal of becoming the 250cc 2
stroke SX class Champion. Since then Chad remained one of the top riders in
the US series and while recently decided to race in supercross only he
undoubtedly has generous speed in the outdoor scene as well.
Former long time top MXGP’s racer and long time MXoN participant Andrew
McFarlane will join his friend Chad Reed in the mission of achieving one of
the top spot in the final standings for Australia. Andrew as well moved to US
where he spent the last two years with inconsistent results but his brilliant past
in the GP’s scene makes him one of the most experienced rider in the sport.
Third member Michael Byrne is as well an “Aussie” in US. Michael will bring
his precious knowledge to the group with his good speed and long experience
in the American scene.
Team Australia’s manager will be Gary Benn, who, after a rich career in both
Australian and International racing, became an expert mechanic, working both
in MotoGP and Motocross.
Last year’s result and team (MX1/MX2/Open): 11th; Daniel Reardon, Brett
Metcalfe, Cheyne Boyd.
Chad Reed at Budds Creek in June - tedescophoto.com
Team South Africa - Profiles for the 2007 Red Bull FIM Motocross of Nations -ozzy go-
After GP winner Tyla Rattray’s knee injury, the South African squad underwent some
changes, and the final line-up will be made by Grant Langston (19), Gareth Swanepoel
(20) and Wyatt Avis (21). South Africa has entered the top five several times, but was
never on the podium.
25 year old Grant Langston comes from Durban, and has won in Motocross, SuperMoto
and Supercross during his professional career, which started in 1998. In 2000 Langston
won the 125cc Motocross World Title, and clinched victory also in the 125cc class at the
Motocross of Nations. Three years later he won both the SuperMoto Unlimited
Championship and the AMA Motocross Championship in the 125cc class. This year he
has just won the AMA Motocross Nationals.
Gareth Swanepoel, who debuted in the Nations in 2001, will be back in the saddle after
his best season in the FIM Motocross World Championship, where he conquered a hard
fought fifth place in the MX2 class at the very last round (Lierop). Swanepoel, who
clinched his maiden GP podium at this season opener (Valkenswaard), looks forward to
repeat the team’s best result of the millennium, which was the fifth place of 2004
(Lierop). That year team South Africa finished tied in points (41) with fourth placed
Estonia and third placed France.
Wyatt Avis, who moved from home Durban to Europe in 2000 after having won many
National Junior Championships, was also part of the successful 2004 Team South Africa.
Avis wants to make up for a troubled MX2 World Championship season, where had to
recover from knee surgery and eventually injured his hand, with a good result at the
Nations. The 23 year old missed the event in 2005 because of a knee injury, and this
will be his second MXoN in a row.
Three time Motocross World Champion Greg Albertyn will lead the South African squad
as Team Manager. Like most of his countrymen, also Albertyn moved to Europe in his
teens, and eventually ended his career in the US, clinching one AMA 250cc Motocross
Title in 1999 despite the many injuries he suffered in the States. Last year’s result and
team (MX1/MX2/Open): 7th; Neville Bradshaw, Tyla Rattray, Wyatt Avis.
Grant Langston at Glen Helen two weeks ago
tedescophoto.com
End of an Era - Ricky Carmichael -ozzy go- motocrossmx1.com
There is no event like it in the season. Not one single race captures the
imagination like the Motocross of Nations. This years event set to be held
at the Budds Creek circuit in Maryland, USA on September 22, 23 has a
special attraction. Many say he is the greatest motocross rider of all time,
and when Ricky Carmichael steps from his machine at around 4.30pm on
September 23 he will have ridden his last major motocross event. This ride
in Budds Creek will be his last serious attack on a motocross circuit, his
last goodbye and he wants it to be a special one.
"I am ready to race," Carmichael said. "I want to lead the team to victory.
We have some good riders available and I know that we can get the job
done. The Motocross of Nations is about being careful and scoring enough
points to be on top of the podium come Sunday afternoon."
There is no question as to who will win the inderviduel overall at Budds
Creek, it would take a mammoth effort from a Ryan Villopoto, Ben
Townley, Antonio Cairoli or Grant Langston to beat RC, and it seems like
Carmichael just doesn't make mistakes anymore. He should go out a
winner, a hero's goodbye to match that of Stefan Everts in last years
Motocross of Nations. When all is said and done there are not too many
riders of the modern era that have given this even such a lift.
We all remember his battle with Sébastien Tortelli at the 2000 MXoN,
held at the St Jean d'Angély circuit in France, his battle with Stefan Everts
at the Zolder circuit in 2004, or his total domination in Ernée, France in
2005 when he went 1-1 and lead Team USA to victory. It has been all
Ricky Carmichael in the last three MXoN events he has competed, and his
respect for this race was never more evident than in his 2004 victory over
Everts, a year when his team were badly beaten after team riders Tim
Ferry and Ryan Hughes struggled against the might of Europe. click on
ozzy go to the full story on MotocrossMX1 - pic from tedescophoto.com
Vital MX First Look: Riding the 2008 Yamaha YZ450F -ozzy go-
As you probably already know, Grant Langston just
wrapped up the 2007 AMA Motocross Championship with
an impressive run in the last half of the season. Early in
the title chase (with the exception of a third overall at
Southwick), his overall results were in the 5th, 6th, and
7th-place range. Of course, there were also Ricky
Carmichael and a healthy James Stewart to contend with.
But suddenly, around Washougal, things rapidly turned
around for the South African transplant. He’d have scored
the overall in Washington, except for Kevin Windham
giving up a spot to Timmy Ferry on the last lap when he
mistook the white flag for the checkers. Grant then also
scored a second at Millville (behind Ricky Carmichael,
who was riding his last National of ’07), and after that
reeled off three successive wins at Steel City, Freestone,
and Glen Helen to cap the year. Sure, he saw the
opportunity to take a title and that provided some extra
motivation, but he was also quick to credit a switch to an
’08 Yamaha YZ450F, and its improved handling and
cornering habits for quite a bit of the boost in his results.
click on ozzy go to the full coverage on vitalmx.com
Racer X Films: Grant Langston Interview -ozzy go-
Ping and Simon met up with the new MX Champ,
Grant Langston, for this interview. 9/14/2007
click on ozzy go to the interview on RacerX
Langston reflects on surprise title glory -ozzy go- crash.net
The 25-year-old South African won the final three events on his
factory Yamaha to edge out KTM's Mike Alessi, Honda's Andrew
Short and Kawasaki's Tim Ferry in one of the best battles in series
history.
It marked the second American motocross title for Langston. He
won the AMA Motocross Lites class (then called 125ccc Motocross)
in 2003. Prior to coming to America he also clinched the FIM
125cc World Motocross Championship in 2000.
Langston ran sixth in the point standings as late as round seven in
late July. But then made an amazing turnaround and scored two
seconds and three firsts in the final five rounds to complete his
championship rally.
Grant led by just eight points from Short entering a thrilling
climax to the AMA outdoor campaign but with his rival only able to
take fifth position overall, Langston ended his first season in the
class and maiden year with Yamaha 16 points over Alessi and 18
points in front of Short. click on ozzy go to the full story - pic from
yamaha-motor.com
RacerX Bench Racing Ammo: Langston's Gear -ozzy go-
Grant Langston made some news this week when he won the
2007 AMA Toyota Motocross Championship in MSR gear. Now MSR
has a long history of success in motocross, and Langston certainly
has a resume full of his own previous success: He's won a world
title, an AMA MX title and a pair of 125/Lites Regional SX
Championships. But what makes last weekend's championship win
interesting here is the fact that Langston wore M2R gear all
summer long, then switched to MSR for the last round. How did
that happen? Well, M2R was sold earlier in the year, and with that
sale came reorganization. Having to refocus its revenues, the
company decided to buy Langston out of his contract earlier this
summer. Langston decided to keep wearing the M2R until
something for '08 and beyond came along, and when it did--with
MSR--he decided he would go ahead and switch now as a gesture
of good faith to his new gear sponsor, having done likewise with
his old gear sponsor by wearing it long after they had completed
their business relationship.
Okay, so what makes that Bench Racing Ammo? The fact that
similar late-season switches have happened before. Take Brad
Lackey in 1972, for instance. Lackey rode a CZ towards the first
AMA 500cc National MX Championship, but then switched to a
better-paying Kawasaki deal with exactly one race left in the
eight-race series. click on ozzy go to the full story on RacerX
RacerX Rev-Up: Chaos A.D -ozzy go-
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Rev Up. Before we get going
here let’s all stand up and give the outdoor nationals a round of
applause. (YEW!!!) The 2007 AMA Toyota Motocross
Championship presented by FMF was simply as good as any of us
could have hoped for. Five different winners in the AMA Motocross
class, five instances of James vs. Ricky, and the BT and RV show
came right at us throughout the 12 race series. Every single moto
was a fair-and-square opportunity for the riders to show the world
what they had. The boys were going for it with each drop of the
gate and it kept the t-shirts swinging every single lap. Typically
the season kind of dies off a little after the last pyrotechnic
explodes at the Las Vegas supercross. Not anymore, folks. It’s
funny, a year or so ago an “insider” told me the outdoor nationals
would be dead by 2008. I thought about that guy on my way
home from RedBud this year. Yes, supercross has grown into a
beautiful animal, but there is so much more to the season when
it’s through. Oh yes, there is copious amount of drama after the
light goes down in the stadiums. In my opinion that’s when the
real shit goes down. Let’s call it Chaos A.D. and let’s go back and
run through what was simply an astonishing summer. click on
ozzy go to the full story on racerxill.com
Cody Copper RacerX Interview -ozzy go-
5 Minutes With...Cody Cooper September 13, 2007
“You have to go talk to this guy,” said an industry member
the Racer X crew hangs around with. “I watched him race
in Texas and he’s really good. He’s been in the U. S. for a
few weeks riding with Ben Townley and getting ready for
the Motocross of Nations.” So we marched on over and
there he was, sitting in a lawn chair beneath an awning
placed up against a blue Pro Circuit box van. Next to him,
up on its stand, was his #902 Honda CRF450R. Cody
Cooper was biding his time before the mandatory riders’
meeting the morning of the Glen Helen National. In
America at the invite of countryman Townley and with the
2007 Australian Nokia Motocross Nationals over and done
with, Cooper decided to ride the last two AMA Toyota
Motocross Nationals. And after going 7/6 for a rock-solid
fifth overall at the Freestone round, Cooper was pretty
happy to be on the AMA circuit, even if only for the final
curtain. click on ozzy go to the interview on RacerX
photo from alpinestarsinc.com
Glen's party is over. Let's go to Budd's! -ozzy go- amamotocross.com
Glen Helen featured the final stop on your AMA Toyota Motocross
Championship Series – by FMF – and, granted it was minus a few
stars and it was at that spectacular track just up the street from
the women’s prison, yet it was still the end of the road for a
wonderful, exciting and unpredictable year of “outdoor” AMA
Motocross. South Africa’s Grant Langston (“Granite Langstone” in
Flintstonia…) was surely not the man in command all season, yet
for those watching at Southwick, Massachusetts, as Yamaha’s
Langston passed and briefly sparred with Kawasaki’s James
Stewart, these were signals that this fierce competitor with the
charming accent and bright resume was going to be making his
mark in this series.
At the hilly, difficult and incredibly breathtaking San Bernardino
course, Langston was granted a 1-3 finish that gave him the
overall and the championship and, indeed, it was well earned.
Naturally, admirable performances all season long from Mike
Alessi, Andrew Short and Tim Ferry made this one of the most
hair-raising series endings in a while.
Additionally, the Lites class came down to a near photo-finish, as
teammates Ryan Villopoto and Ben Townley went at it all season
long, while RV had five season overalls and more points Townley
had his share of victories, yet with RV coming in to California with
a small, yet comforting points lead, his 1-2 finish behind Townley
at Glen Helen was enough to gain the upper hand and the AMA
Lites class championship.
Who were the Surprise-STAND-Out riders of-the-year?
For me, I’d have to say Martin Davalos in the Lites and Gavin
Gracyk in the MOTOCROSS Class. Both had incredible seasons.
Next weekend is where we dust off our trophies in the garage,
use a cotter-pin to clean under our fingernails and think about this
upcoming WORLD CLASS FESTIVAL OF MOTOCROSS At Budd’s
Creek, Maryland.
September 22-23. Most of us pull in Friday and leave Monday. The
hardcores are already there, streaming past the Amish buggies,
the smoky fish-shacks and a sweating Jonathan Beasley – the
charismatic Budd's Creek...click on ozzy go to the full story
pictures from tedescophoto.com
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