CARMICHAEL GIVES RM-Z450 BEST SX RESULT
06 December 2005 - Suzuki Racing

Ricky Carmichael gave Suzuki''s RM-450 four-stroke its best-ever Supercross result at the opening round of the 2006 Amp''d Mobile World Supercross Championship in Toronto on Saturday evening.

The reigning World Supercross, AMA Motocross and Outdoor Champion raced to second place behind Kawasaki''s James Stewart - also four-stroke-mounted - after leading for most of the 20-lap main event.

Carmichael gated third behind Stewart but took the lead on the second lap. Four laps in, he moved 3.5 seconds ahead but at the mid-way stage, Stewart had closed right up and stayed there until three laps from the end when he moved to the front after the leading duo lapped up to sixth-placed Michael Byrne.

Said Carmichael: ''Tonight was just fine. James was faster than me; I know where I could have been better tonight so I''m going to go home and work on it. It was a good race, we had fun and I got my butt whipped; it''s motivating to get beat sometimes.''

When asked on his choice in switching to the machine he won this season''s AMA Outdoor series aboard, Carmichael added: ''It''s a proven bike and the best bike and I don''t think anyone who has chosen to ride the four-stroke this year will switch back.''

Carmichael and new team mate Ivan Tedesco both started the evening by taking second-place finishes in their respective heat races. ''We had a pretty good heat race and were clicking off some good laps. But then I made a mistake and that heat race was history.''

For Tedesco, the heat race was his first race on the Makita Suzuki RM-Z450. ''I really didn''t know what to expect. I got a good start and was battling for the lead at first, then, towards the end, I felt like I was reeling in the leader. It let me know I had the speed for the main.''

In the Main Event, Tedesco was right up front with Carmichael when the gate dropped then settled neatly into fourth position and stayed there for the remainder of the event.

''The Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 was great,'' said 125cc AMA Supercross and 125cc AMA Motocross Champion Tedesco. ''This was a really trough track and the bike worked well in the ruts. I got off to a good start, but that first lap was just crazy. Then I settled in and was in fourth place when I got a little arm pump. So I just tried to be consistent and ride as fast as I could in that condition. Overall, it was a good first race.''

With the second round of the Amp''d Mobile World Supercross GP coming up next weekend in Vancouver, both Carmichael and Tedesco are enthusiastic about the event.

''I''m excited about Vancouver,'' said Carmichael. ''I won there last year and I like the city. I''m looking forward to the race and I''m looking forward to improving.''

Added Tedesco, ''I learned a lot this weekend about the bike and about myself. I think I''ll learn even more next weekend in Vancouver and then I can take that on into Anaheim.''

The season-opening round of the Amp''d Mobile AMA Supercross Series takes place on January 7th at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.

250 Main Event Results: 1 James Stewart (Kawasaki), 2 Ricky Carmichael (Suzuki), 3 Chad Reed (Yamaha), 4 Ivan Tedesco (Suzuki), 5 Nick Wey (Honda), 6 Michael Byrne (Kawasaki), 7 Jason Thomas (Honda), 8 Justin Bucklew (Honda), 9 Jeff Gibson (Honda), 10 Doug DeHaan (Honda).

www.suzuki-racing.com

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