San Manuel Yamaha rider Chad Reed saw his run of five
consecutive victories come to an end in Houston for the seventh
round of seventeen in the 2008 AMA Supercross series, a FIM
World Championship, but the Australian continued his 100%
podiumrecord with second position and guards a 32 point lead in
the competition.
The 42nd Supercross in Houston did not witness a fourth straight
sweep for Yamaha in both classes even though Jason Lawrence
did also climb the rostrum in second spot in the Lites West Coast
category to remain poised at the top of the standings with one
round to go.
In 1974 Pierre Karsmakers marked Yamaha’s first success in
Houston and the manufacturer has enjoyed thirteen more
triumphs since then, Reed himself contributing two of those.
In a so-far-dominant campaign the number ‘22’ was not able to
increase his season statistics at the Reliant Stadium. Kevin
Windham, who helped design the short layout, gained his first 25
points of the year after taking the lead on the first lap and
setting the pace at the front. Reed, who had started badly, pulled
through the pack to pass brand-mate Josh Hill and secure second
place at mid-race distance but could not close to Windham’s rear
wheel. Tim Ferry was third.
That’s a tough one to swallow. I gave it everything I’ve got.
Kevin rode a good race, and I want to congratulate him but this is
a disappointment,” said Reed, who took his third career runner-
up position at Houston and has never dropped out of the top
three at the event.
“It was just one of those nights,” added the 25 year old who has
totalled 31 victories and became the first racer to win all the
Californian rounds with his chequered flag last week in San Diego.
“Once I got into second, I couldn’t cut into Kevin’s lead. We’ve
had a good season, and it’s still good to be up on the podium.”
18 year old Hill was running as high as second before being
overtaken by Reed and Ferry. With Broc Hepler and Grant
Langston still absent with physical ailments (broken hand and
an eye problem respectively) the teenager produced a positive
showing for his second best result of the season so far.
In the Lites category Yamaha of Troy’s Jason Lawrence again
made the podium for the fourth meeting in succession. His
second position on the YZ250F behind Austin Stroupe and some
costly mistakes by title rival Ryan Dungey means that the 20
year old stretched his advantage in the championship by five
points, to six in total. The final round of the West coast series will
take place on 26th April in Seattle as the East coast championship
now cranks into life.
“I think that might be my main advantage, being smart –
something Dungey hasn’t been all year. That’s four races in a row
that he’s crashed out,” said Lawrence. “He’s handing me this title,
and I’ve got one more race to hold it together. I’m going to go to
that race and do exactly what I did right here. Dungey can win it
by a mile, but I’m going to get the title.”
The schedule refuses to ease for the riders and teams and they
continue onto Atlanta for round eight next weekend. yamaha-
racing.com - pics from tedescophoto.com
Reed maintains podium record with 2nd position in Houston
Weekly Notes Part 2: San Francisco –ozzy go- motocross.com
With three rounds of Monster Energy® AMA Supercross, an FIM
World Championship, in the books, Team San Manuel’s Chad Reed,
of Tampa, Fla., races for his second win at San Francisco’s AT&T
Park this Saturday. Reed, the current AMA Supercross class points
leader won in San Francisco in 2004. Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan
Dungey, of Belle, Plaine, Minn., scored his second Western Regional
AMA Supercross Lites class win last weekend in Anaheim, Calif.,
and will make his San Francisco debut this weekend. Dungey leads
Yamaha’s Broc Hepler, of Kittanning, Pa., 72-50.
This weekend marks the inaugural broadcast of Monster Energy®
Supercross in high-definition technology on CBS Sports, Sunday,
January 27 at Noon EST. CBS Sports opened the 2008 season with a
one-hour preview show and will air a total of seven races this year
before closing out the championship with a season-recap show
Sunday, May 4 at Noon. The Western Regional AMA Supercross
class will air on SPEED Saturday, February 2 at 6:00 p.m.
Going into this weekend’s AMA Supercross race in San Francisco,
the Suzuki Factory Racing team is revved up and ready to go.
Flying high off of last week’s victory in the AMA Supercross Lites
race at Anaheim 2, Dungey is excited about his San Francisco
debut. Dungey’s AMA Supercross-class teammates, Mike Alessi and
David Vuillemin, are just as eager to return to the city where
they’ve had strong results. full story on motocross.com
Josh Hill APNStar Interview -ozzy go-
5 Minutes with Josh Hill January 25, 2007
“I feel like the big dog of the street,” laughed Josh Hill
when asked about is runner-up finish to Chad Reed last
Saturday night in Angel Stadium. “I mean Jason Lawrence
lives just down the street and he hasn’t won a race yet.”
As soon as the 18 year-old Hill was done speaking, in the
background, one could hear a bunch of pots and pans
clank together and the unmistakable voice of Jason
Lawrence.
“Is that the Racer X guys?” he asked loudly. “What do you
mean not win a race? Tell them to look up Saturday night’s
lap times!”
So we did. Lawrence had a good point. While Hill placed
second on a 450F with a fast lap of 49.501, Lawrence
pulled the fastest lap of the night on a 250F with a time of
49.663 (although he stalled his Yamaha and finished 21st).
Nonetheless, the banter between the two Lake Elsinore,
California was amusing and made for a pretty interesting
interview. Now a full-time 450F rider and in only his third
supercross in the deathly competitive classification, young
Hill had placed an amazing second at Anaheim and not
only was the podium result impressive, it left the 40,000-
plus fans present that there were plenty more to come
from the kid from Yoncalla, Oregon. With San Francisco
Supercross only 48 hours away, we tracked him down to
get his take on riding the big blue Yamaha and his chances
at AT&T Park, the big ball yard at #24 Willie Mays Plaza.
read the interview on alpinestarsinc.com
pic from tedescophoto.com
Josh Hill RacerX Interview -ozzy go-
Between the Motos: Josh Hill January 23, 2008
Josh Hill isn’t following the traditional path to motocross
stardom. The Oregon rider was snagged out of the amateur
national scene, like many others, and thrown into the Lites
class to prove himself. Josh showed potential, landing on the
podium at times, but he always seemed out of place on the
smaller bike. So Josh took matters into his own hands by
buying a 450 and showing the Yamaha management that he
could ride the bigger bike. They gave him a chance and he
has already rewarded them with a second-place finish in the
opening rounds of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross
series. The future looks bright for this oversized youngster.
read the interview on racerxill.com
Josh Hill Dragon SX Tour
Hill Second at A2
In only his third race in the premier class,
Dragon/Factory Yamaha rider Josh Hill finished 2nd
to Chad Reed Saturday night at Angel Stadium.
Hill held off 3rd place Kevin Windham for the first
podium of his career in the AMA Supercross class.
dragonalliance.com - pic from racerxill.com
Yamaha Race Report: Anaheim II
AMA Supercross Round 3 | January 19, 2008 | Anaheim
2008 AMA Supercross Championship in Anaheim, CA. on Saturday
night, Jan. 19. With rival James Stewart out for the season with a
knee injury, Reed’s win vaults him into a significant 16-point
championship lead over Kevin Windham, who finished third.
“Retro Night” at Angel Stadium also proved sensational for Hill,
who scored his first career Supercross podium. While in the Lites
class, YZ250F warriors Broc Hepler and Jason Lawrence showed
massive speed as Hepler claimed a fine second and Lawrence set
the fastest Lites race lap.
Supercross
L&M Racing’s Reed was fastest in Supercross practice, followed
by Stewart (before his withdrawal), Yamaha Factory Racing’s
Grant Langston and Hill, giving Yamaha three of the top four
riders. But when the gate dropped for the main event it was Mike
Alessi who earned the holeshot ahead of Reed and Hill. The pair
quickly got by Alessi and gapped the rest of the field.
Impressively though, Hill stayed close to Reed for the entire race
and ultimately finished 6.1 sec. behind him – a very impressive
result for the Supercross-class rookie. “I felt awesome out there
tonight,” said Reed. “My bike’s a lot of fun to go out there and
race on. We just put the thing on cruise control and watched the
laps wind down.” 
Supercross Lites
In the Lites class, Yamaha of Troy’s Lawrence posted the fastest
practice time, won his heat race and charged from ninth to third
in the final before retiring on lap four. Likewise, Yamaha Factory
Racing’s Hepler started in mid-pack and made a steady drive for
the front, picking off rider after rider and eventually moving into
second behind winner Ryan Dungey. At the checkered flag, just
1.279 seconds separated the two. Hepler’s runner-up finish
moves him to second in the points behind Dungey. “I didn’t do my
start procedure right and wheelied, so I had to work my way up
from the back,” he admitted afterwards. “Now I just need to put it
together and do one step better next weekend!” yamaha-
motor.com - pics from motocross.com &
motocrossactionmag.com
Anaheim II Supercross class Results
Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA - January 19, 2008
2008 Monster Energy Supercross Championships
AMA Supercross class Rnd 3: Anaheim 2
Heat 1 top-10
1. Davi Millsaps (Honda)
2. Grant Langston (Yamaha)
3. Josh Hansen (Yamaha)
4. Tim Ferry (Kawasaki)
5. Jason Thomas (Honda)
6. Eric Sorby (Honda)
7. Manuel Rivas Gomez (Kawasaki)
8. Paul Carpenter (Honda)
9. Nick Wey (KTM)
10. David Vuillemin (Suzuki) DNQ
Heat 2 top-10
1. Kevin Windham (Honda)
2. Mike Alessi (Suzuki) 
3. Chad Reed (Yamaha)
4. Ivan Tedesco (Honda)
5. Andrew Short (Honda)
6. Josh Hill (Yamaha)
7. Charles Summey (Yamaha)
8. Heath Voss (Honda)
9. Jeff Gibson (Kawasaki)
10. Cole Siebler (Honda) DNQ
LCQ top-5
1. David Vuillemin (Suzuki) Q
2. Nathan Ramsey (Yamaha) Q
3. Troy Adams (Honda)
4. Ryan Clark (Honda)
5. Bryan Johnson (Honda)
Main Event
1. Chad Reed (Yamaha)
2. Josh Hill (Yamaha)
3. Kevin Windham (Honda) 
4. Mike Alessi (Suzuki)
5. Ivan Tedesco (Honda)
6. Tim Ferry (Kawasaki)
7. Nathan Ramsey (Yamaha)
8. Josh Hansen (Yamaha)
9. Andrew Short (Honda)
10. Charles Summey (Yamaha)
11. David Vuillemin (Suzuki)
12. Nick Wey (KTM)
13. Paul Carpenter (Honda)
14. Heath Voss (Honda)
15. Manuel Rivas Gomez (Kawasaki)
16. Jeff Gibson (Kawasaki)
17. Jason Thomas (Honda)
18. Grant Langston (Yamaha)
19. David Millsaps (Honda)
20. Eric Sorby (Honda)
pics from TedescoPhoto.com
2008 « Why Not? Energy Drink » Fantasy SX Ranking -ozzy go- rules & full standing
Ranking after stop #2: Phoenix SX top-21
1. James Stewart (Kawasaki) 93 points
2. Chad Reed (Yamaha) 92 points
3. Ryan Dungey (Suzuki) 83 points
4. Jason Lawrence (Yamaha) 75 points
5. Andrew Short (Honda) 70 points
6. Kevin Windham (Honda) 64 points
7. Tim Ferry (Kawasaki) 60 points
8. Grant Langston (Yamaha) 53 points
9. Justin Brayton (KTM) 52 points
9. Ivan Tedesco (Honda) 52 points
11. Broc Hepler (Yamaha) 49 points
11. Dan Reardon (Honda) 49 points
13. Mike Alessi (Suzuki) 45 points
14. Josh Hill (Yamaha) 42 points
15. Brett Metcalfe (Kawasaki) 41 points
16. David Millsaps (Honda) 39 points
17. Nathan Ramsey (Yamaha) 37 points
18. Michael Lapaglia (Suzuki) 36 points
19. Jake Weimer (Honda) 35 points {Rank + 27}
19. Wil Hahn (Yamaha) 35 points
21. Tommy Hahn (Kawasaki) 34 points
pic from racerxill.com
Dragon welcomes Josh Hill to the team
Carlsbad, CA- Dragon proudly announces the addition of Josh
Hill to the motocross team. Josh will Kick off the 2008-racing
season as a 450-class rookie for Factory Yamaha. With multiple
national Amateur Championships under his belt, Josh is the
dark horse favorite for the upcoming season and the future.
"Josh perfectly fits our brand image and has a ton of potential
at such a young age," said Kenny Adams, Dragon's power
sports manager. "With the addition of Josh, Dragon has three
Factory riders in the 450 class, Josh Hill on Yamaha, Ivan
Tedesco on Honda and Michael Byrne on Suzuki."
The 18-year-old Yoncala native has credited more than 32
amateur championships since 1998, including seven at the
Loretta Lynn Amateur Nationals in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. Hill is
the youngest rider on team Yamaha, and the first Yamaha rider
to jump from amateur status to the factory team since Kevin
Windham in 1996.
"I'm looking forward to the 08 season," Stated Hill. "And I am
stoked to finally be with Dragon and riding in such great
product." www.dragonalliance.com.
pic from transworldmx.com
Josh Hill TransworldMX Interview -ozzy go-
Catching Up With...Josh Hill 12.31.2007
Josh Hill has followed a tried and true career path in the sense
that he graduated from the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Nationals
and moved straight into a factory team. But entering only his
second full-time season, the likable Pacific Northwestern rider
already finds himself aboard a 450 in the premier Supercross
class. interview on transworldmotocross.com
Josh Hill on TWMX Monday Kickstart -ozzy go- transworldmotocross.com
Having struggled with poor starts and mechanical
woes on his factory Yamaha YZ250F all season
long, Washington's Josh Hill made the switch to the
Motocross class aboard a Yamaha YZ450F for the
last two Nationals of the year. Having seen
Hill testing at Perris Raceway in California a couple
weeks ago, we agreed with him that he looked much
better and more at home aboard the bigger bike and
couldn't wait to see him compete in the premier
division. In moto one, Hill started up front and ran
as high as fourth, battling with Tim Ferry and Mike
Alessi, before dropping out with goggle problems.
"I had so much dirt inside my goggles that I couldn't
see anything," said Hill, who pulled in for a fresh set
around the 10-minute mark. "I went back out with a
fresh set but I had so much dirt packed in my eyes
that I had to pull off and rush to the Asterisk Mobile
Medic unit to get my eyes flushed out."
In the second moto, Josh Hill turned in what was
easily his best outdoor showing of the year, working
his was from the bottom of the top 10 up into fourth
at the finish. Along the way, Hill passed riders like
Kevin Windham and Andrew Short, the latter of the
two falling victim to the hard-charging teen late in
the moto. "I told you I could do it!" joked Hill,
shortly after the race. "I've been struggling on the
250F all year long because I am a big kid and I can't
do well after getting a 20th-place start, and I knew
that I could do a lot better on the 450."
Josh Hill AMA Interview -ozzy go-
So far this summer, Team Yamaha’s Josh Hill may not have
garnered quite the attention that fellow rookie Ryan Dungey
has, but the Oregon native has nonetheless been putting in
some excellent rides. Not happy with seventh in the
Motocross Lites point standings, Hill is on an improvement
plan to start his motos as he ends them – by going fast! I
caught up with the 17-year old in the Red Bud pits to hear
his thoughts on his first full AMA Pro season. read the
interview on amamotocross.com
Josh Hill at Hight Point - TransworldMX