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AMP’D MOBILE SUPERCROSS STATS - ATLANTA Weekly Notes, Part 1 AMA Supercross Class Laps Led: James Stewart 109 Ricky Carmichael 45 Chad Reed 40 Kevin Windham 5 Nick Wey 1 AMA Supercross Lites Class Laps Led: Ryan Villopoto 84 Christophe Pourcel 17 Jason Lawrence 3 Steve Boniface 1 Progressive Direct Holeshot Award (AMA Supercross) Nick Wey (Toronto): $1,500 James Stewart (Vancouver): $1,500 Chad Reed (Anaheim 1): $1,500 Jeff Dement (Phoenix): $1,500 Nick Wey (Anaheim 2): $1,500 Chad Reed (San Francisco): $1,500 Nick Wey (Anaheim 3): $1,500 Tim Ferry (Houston): $1,500 Ivan Tedesco (San Diego): $1,500
Progressive Direct Holeshot Award (AMA Supercross Lites) Christophe Pourcel (Anaheim 1): $1,000 Martin Davalos (Phoenix): $1,000 Steve Boniface (Anaheim 2): $1,000 Chris Gosselaar (San Francisco): $1,000 Ryan Villopoto (Anaheim 3): $1,000 Ryan Villopoto (Houston): $1,000 Christopher Gosselaar (San Diego): $1,000
MMI Top Tech Award Jeremy Albrecht (Anaheim 1): $500.00 Mike Gosselaar (Phoenix): $500.00 Jason Thomas (Anaheim 2): $500.00 John Mitcheff (San Francisco): $500.00 Willie Manning (Anaheim 3): $500.00 Manual Rivas (Houston): $500.00 John Mitcheff (San Diego): $500.00
U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Pro Privateer Challenge 1. David Vuillemin 114 Points 2. Travis Preston 110 Points 3. Heath Voss 110 Points
Asterisk Medic Card Charles Castloo (Anaheim 1) Michael Willard (Phoenix) Charles Castloo (Anaheim 2) Logan Darien (San Francisco) Tyler Keefe (Anaheim 3) Adam Chatfield (Houston) Adam Chatfield (San Diego)
Racer X Gas Card Nathan Ramsey (Anaheim 1) Eric Sorby (Phoenix) Bryan Johnson (Anaheim 2) Manuel Rivas (San Francisco) Jason Thomas (Anaheim 3) Erick Vallejo (Houston) Doug DeHaan (San Diego)
Toyota Tundra Fan Challenge Jeff Gibson (Anaheim 1) Nick Wey (Phoenix) Nick Wey (Anaheim 2) Jeff Gibson (San Francisco) Nick Wey (Anaheim 3) David Vuillemin (Houston) Paul Carpenter (San Diego)
Race Recap: SAN DIEGO (February 17, 2007) – Chad Reed, of Tampa, Fla., won his first Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series race aboard a Yamaha at Qualcomm Stadium before 60,529 fans. Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., clinched the Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites championship, marking his sixth win of the season and his first-ever AMA Supercross Lites championship.
KTM Junior Supercross Challenge Tristan Miller, Alpine, Calif., KTM Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP Season Standings James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 207 Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP Event Results, San Diego Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Yamaha Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series Standings James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 163 Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Lites Event Results, San Diego Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Lites Season Standings Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 172 AMA Supercross Recap from San Diego · Chad Reed earned his 26th career AMA Supercross class win. He is now second behind Jeremy McGrath on the Yamaha all-time AMA Supercross class win list. · Chad Reed is the first Yamaha rider to win an AMA Supercross race five consecutive seasons. · This was the fourth consecutive year that Chad Reed has won the seventh AMA Supercross race of the season. It was his fourth win at San Diego. · Tim Ferry earned his ninth consecutive top five finish and third consecutive podium. · Kevin Windham earned his first podium of the season and Ivan Tedesco earned his first top five of the season. · Yamaha has won an AMA Supercross event for 11 consecutive years and 27 of 34 seasons. AMA Supercross Lites Class Recap from San Diego · Kawasaki won their 17th AMA Supercross Lites title, their11th on the west coast and the fifth consecutive on that coast as well. · Kawasaki has won seven consecutive AMA Supercross Lites races this year. Atlanta Stats · First race in Atlanta, March 5, 1977, Bob Hannah won on a Yamaha. This is the 29th time the gate will drop in Atlanta. · Yamaha won the first race held in Atlanta at the Fulton County Stadium. In 1992, Yamaha’s Damon Bradshaw won the last supercross at the Fulton County Stadium. In 1993, the race moved into the Georgia Dome, where Bradshaw made history again by winning the venue’s inaugural event. Wins by brand · Yamaha 10, Honda 9, Kawasaki 5, Suzuki 4 · First time winners in Atlanta: Bob Hannah: 1977, Chuck Sun: 1980, Jeff Stanton: 1989, Damon Huffman 1997. · Ricky Carmichael owns Atlanta with five wins on three brands. He is tied with Jeremy McGrath for most wins in Atlanta. · Ricky Carmichael is the only rider to win Atlanta on three brands: Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Honda. Lites Stats · First race, February 23, 1985 and Eddie Warren won on a Kawasaki. · This is the first round of the Eastern regional AMA Supercross Lites. In 22 seasons the winner of the first round would went on to win the championship 17 times. · Wins by brand at the first round of Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites competition: Suzuki 8, Kawasaki 5, Honda 5, Yamaha 4. · Can Yamaha get a Lites win? They have a 43-round losing streak. Their last win was Round 12 of 2004. · Suzuki has a 23-round losing streak. Their last win was Round 16 of 2005. · KTM has a 19-round losing streak. Their last win was Round 4 of 2006. History: Round 8 of Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series · 33 years ago, June 4, 1977, Marty Smith won the main event in New Orleans on a Honda, beating Bob Hannah. Jimmy Ellis was 3rd on a Can-Am. It was his last podium on a Can-am. · 20 years ago, April 4, 1987, Rick Johnson beat Jeff Ward and Ron Lechien in Dallas. · 10 years ago, March 15, 1997, Jeremy McGrath earned his first win on a Suzuki in Minneapolis. · Greg Albertyn was 2nd. That was the last time Suzuki win 1-2 in an AMA Supercross event. Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP Rider Finishes
Chad Reed Toronto: 1 Vancouver 3 Anaheim 1: 3 Phoenix: 3 Anaheim 2: 2 San Francisco: 3 Anaheim 3: 2 Houston: 2 San Diego: 1
Ricky Carmichael Toronto: 2 Vancouver 1 Anaheim 1: 2 Phoenix: 2 Anaheim 2: N/A San Francisco: 1 Anaheim 3: N/A Houston: N/A San Diego: N/A
James Stewart Toronto: 3 Vancouver 2 Anaheim 1: 1 Phoenix: 1 Anaheim 2: 1 San Francisco: 2 Anaheim 3: 1 Houston: 1 San Diego: 5
Tim Ferry Toronto: 4 Vancouver 5 Anaheim 1: 5 Phoenix: 5 Anaheim 2: 4 San Francisco: 4 Anaheim 3: 3 Houston: 3 San Diego: 2
David Vuillemin Toronto: 5 Vancouver 4 Anaheim 1: 6 Phoenix: 20 Anaheim 2: 11 San Francisco: 6 Anaheim 3: 12 Houston: 10 San Diego: 9
Nick Wey Toronto: 6 Vancouver 9 Anaheim 1: 7 Phoenix: 9 Anaheim 2: 3 San Francisco: 5 Anaheim 3: 4 Houston: N/A San Diego: N/A
Ryan Clark Toronto: 7 Vancouver: 14 Anaheim 1: 17 Phoenix: N/A Anaheim 2: N/A San Francisco: N/A Anaheim 3: 17 Houston: 16 San Diego: 14
Paul Carpenter Toronto: 8 Vancouver: 12 Anaheim 1: 11 Phoenix: 19 Anaheim 2: 7 San Francisco: 15 Anaheim 3: 9 Houston: 9 San Diego: 8
Heath Voss Toronto: 9 Vancouver: 11 Anaheim 1: 8 Phoenix: 10 Anaheim 2: 13 San Francisco: 12 Anaheim 3: 8 Houston: 7 San Diego: 7
Jeff Gibson Toronto: 10 Vancouver 8 Anaheim 1: 15 Phoenix: 15 Anaheim 2: 12 San Francisco: 9 Anaheim 3: 13 Houston: 17 San Diego: 13
Nathan Ramsey Toronto: 21 Vancouver: 6 Anaheim 1: DNF Phoenix: 11 Anaheim 2: 10 San Francisco: 13 Anaheim 3: 6 Houston: 19 San Diego: N/A
Travis Preston Toronto: 16 Vancouver: 7 Anaheim 1: 4 Phoenix: 4 Anaheim 2: N/A San Francisco: 7 Anaheim 3: 11 Houston: 5 San Diego: 10
Jason Thomas Toronto: 14 Vancouver: 10 Anaheim 1: 21 Phoenix: 14 Anaheim 2: 16 San Francisco: N/A Anaheim 3: N/A Houston: N/A San Diego: 19
Kevin Windham Toronto: N/A Vancouver: N/A Anaheim 1: 9 Phoenix: 8 Anaheim 2: 6 San Francisco: 10 Anaheim 3: 7 Houston: 4 San Diego: 3
Michael Byrne Toronto: 15 Vancouver: 19 Anaheim 1: 10 Phoenix: 6 Anaheim 2: 5 San Francisco: 8 Anaheim 3: 5 Houston: 6 San Diego: 6
Ivan Tedesco Toronto: N/A Vancouver: N/A Anaheim 1: 14 Phoenix: 7 Anaheim 2: 8 San Francisco: 14 Anaheim 3: 10 Houston: 8 San Diego: 4
Joshua Summey Toronto: 19 Vancouver: 16 Anaheim 1: N/A Phoenix: N/A Anaheim 2: 9 San Francisco: 11 Anaheim 3: 19 Houston: N/A San Diego: 12
Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Lites Class Rider Finishes
Ryan Villopoto Anaheim 1: 1 Phoenix: 2 Anaheim 2: 1 San Francisco: 1 Anaheim 3: 1 Houston: 1 San Diego:
Christophe Pourcel Anaheim 1: 2 Phoenix: 1 Anaheim 2: 21 San Francisco: N/A Anaheim 3: N/A Houston: N/A San Diego: N/A
Jason Lawrence Anaheim 1: 3 Phoenix: 8 Anaheim 2: 2 San Francisco: 5 Anaheim 3: 3 Houston: 2 San Diego: 2
Joshua Hansen Anaheim 1: 4 Phoenix: 6 Anaheim 2: 22 San Francisco: 8 Anaheim 3: 5 Houston: 12 San Diego: 5
Jake Weimer Anaheim 1: 5 Phoenix: 14 Anaheim 2: 6 San Francisco: 3 Anaheim 3: 6 Houston: 6 San Diego: 7
Troy Adams Anaheim 1: 6 Phoenix: 13 Anaheim 2: 8 San Francisco: 11 Anaheim 3: 21 Houston: 10 San Diego: 8
Matthew Lemoine Anaheim 1: 7 Phoenix: 4 Anaheim 2: 11 San Francisco: 12 Anaheim 3: 10 Houston: 7 San Diego: 12
Christopher Gosselaar Anaheim 1: 8 Phoenix: 3 Anaheim 2: 5 San Francisco: 21 Anaheim 3: 7 Houston: 9 San Diego: 3
Kyle Chisholm Anaheim 1: 9 Phoenix: N/A Anaheim 2: N/A San Francisco: N/A Anaheim 3: N/A Houston: N/A San Diego: N/A
Justin Keeney Anaheim 1: 10 Phoenix: 12 Anaheim 2: 13 San Francisco: 18 Anaheim 3: N/A Houston: N/A San Diego: N/A
Steve Boniface Anaheim 1: 11 Phoenix: 5 Anaheim 2: 7 San Francisco: 7 Anaheim 3: 15 Houston: N/A San Diego: N/A
Kyle Cunningham Anaheim 1: 13 Phoenix: 9 Anaheim 2: 12 San Francisco: N/A Anaheim 3: 9 Houston: 8 San Diego: 10
Martin Davalos Anaheim 1: 20 Phoenix: 10 Anaheim 2: 10 San Francisco: 22 Anaheim 3: 11 Houston: 5 San Diego: 6
Joshua Hill Anaheim 1: 19 Phoenix: 7 Anaheim 2: 3 San Francisco: 4 Anaheim 3: 4 Houston: 4 San Diego: 4
Joshua Grant Anaheim 1: 22 Phoenix: 22 Anaheim 2: 4 San Francisco: 2 Anaheim 3: 2 Houston: 3 San Diego: 13
Kyle Partridge Anaheim 1: N/A Phoenix: 11 Anaheim 2: 9 San Francisco: 6 Anaheim 3: 8 Houston: 22 San Diego: 15
Michael Lapaglia Anaheim 1: 18 Phoenix: 15 Anaheim 2: 14 San Francisco: 9 Anaheim 3: 13 Houston: 20 San Diego: 9
Adam Chatfield Anaheim 1: 14 Phoenix: N/A Anaheim 2: N/A San Francisco: 10 Anaheim 3: 22 Houston: N/A San Diego: N/A
AMP’D MOBILE AMA SUPERCROSS 2007 SAN DIEGO POST-RACE PODIUMS AND INTERVIEWS – 2/17/07
JASON WEIGANDT: Let’s go down to the podium with Chris Gosselaar.
CHRIS GOSSELAAR: Yeah, it feels good to finally get out there and get in front. I rode a little tight and I’d just like to congratulate Ryan on his championship. He rode awesome all year. I’m really happy for him. I’d also like to congratulate Lawrence, for pulling off second in that race and thank my sponsors, Monster Energy, Pro Circuit, Kawasaki, Thor. I couldn’t be here without my doctor, Steve Navarro, hooking me up on my shoulder and everything from that San Francisco crash. So, I’d like to thank him and all my family who came out to watch me and all you fans. Thank you.
TERRY BOYD: You were mentioning to me earlier today that you already feel like you’re on the best team in Supercross, on the Pro Circuit Monster Energy Kawasaki Team. You wanted a good result here because you always gotta start thinking about next year.
CHRIS GOSSELAAR: Yeah, for sure. I always want to be up front. And I did that tonight, even though I did ride a little tight. I couldn’t have done it without my team and everybody that’s behind me.
TERRY BOYD: Well, I’ll tell you what, man – A great job. Nice job. Not closing out the West Coast Lites, but you got an eight-week break. We’ll talk to you when we go to Seattle on the 28th of April.
CHRIS GOSSELAAR: Yeah, I’m looking forward to that break and starting some outdoor testing.
TERRY BOYD: You rode the wheels off that Yamaha, passed about seven bikes in the last four or five laps – What a great job tonight.
JASON LAWRENCE: Yeah, I tried. Ryan rode awesome. I thought I had the holeshot right there, but he had the inside and controlled the corner and he went wide. He hit me the first turn and it blew out a couple of my spokes, actually. It was pretty cool to see him do something back after last weekend. Congratulations to him for winning the championship and, I mean, I’m just pumped to be up here for my whole team – Boost Mobile, Yamaha of Troy, FlyRacing – Everyone. Thanks a lot.
TERRY BOYD: Let’s talk about a little bit of controversy. Last week in Houston you made the pass, people were talking. You said that’s racing; I would expect someone to do that to me. I think when people looked at the video, they said, okay, the door was wide open. But coming in, you also said, listen, the guy is fast. In order to pass this guy, I have to get a start – Bottom line.
JASON LAWRENCE: Yeah, that’s true. I was just trying to pass him and I kind of thought he’d see me on the inside. I didn’t even know we’d hit.
TERRY BOYD: What are you going to do with the eight-week break? Are you going to take a week off to relax a little bit, and then get going on the outdoor testing? Or is it just right to testing?
JASON LAWRENCE: We’re gonna start outdoor testing on Monday. Then, I’m going to Georgia to get ready for the outdoors.
TERRY BOYD: Ryan, I’ll tell you were turning fast laps in qualifying and practice earlier today. Took a little bit of a spill and I saw people do that gasp. You just popped up – no big deal.
RYAN VILLOPOTO: Yeah, I’ve been getting good starts all night and it just worked out for me in the main. I got a great start and then Goose was leading and that helped me out a lot. I just can’t thank the team enough for what they’ve done for me. They kind of put me where I’m at now. I just can’t say enough for everybody that’s helped me like my mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, Monster Pro Circuit, Kawasaki, Jeff Fox from Parts Unlimited, Thor, Maxima, Bridgestone, Scott, Vans, KMC, Amp’d Mobile and the Lord Jesus to keep me safe. I’d just like to thank all the guys from Toyota of Escondido for hooking me up with the sickest truck out there. I can’t thank everybody enough.
TERRY BOYD: And it’s the official truck of Supercross. By the way, look at your family over there! They are beaming ear to ear. Mitch Peyton is smiling ear to ear as well. Now, earlier today, you said one of the things you’d like to do but you don’t really have control of your finances yet because you just turned 18. You want to get some property in Texas. With a championship, I can think of a better way to celebrate.
RYAN VILLOPOTO: Yeah, that’s what we’re looking for a place to spend outdoors. I just can’t thank everybody enough on the team.
TERRY BOYD: Alright man, congratulations. It’s always good to see a guy out of the Pacific Northwest taking home a win.
JASON WEIGANDT: That is Ryan Villopoto. That is your Supercross West champ. And I want to do some research. I don’t know if we’ve ever had a Supercross title wrapped up in February, but that’s the way the schedule worked and that’s how well Ryan Villopoto rode.
JASON WEIGANDT: Let’s go down to Ivan Tedesco and our holeshot award.
TERRY BOYD: Fifteen hundred dollars for you, Hot Sauce. That ought to take the sting out of the night.
IVAN TEDESCO: Yeah, it’s not how I want to be up here tonight. I got a good start. I was just real slow at the beginning of the race and it took me a while to get going. I wish I could get up here for the podium but it’s a good step for me. I’ve been struggling lately and I just need to keep on building on it and go from there.
TERRY BOYD: Let me ask you a tough question, probably, to answer – but after Toronto you were pumped. You were full of energy, you were healthy, and you got taken out with a broken hand. Has it been tough to bounce back from that early on?
IVAN TEDESCO: Yeah, for sure. This is the probably the toughest experience I’ve had to deal with in my career. I’m struggling right now but tonight was good. I had a decent ride and I have something to build on now. I just want to get up there and battle with those guys. I think if I keep on getting up there and working on my speed during the week, I’ll get there sooner or later.
TERRY BOYD: Next week at Atlanta – How about that?
IVAN TEDESCO: Yeah, that’ll be good. I’m actually going back to my place in Texas this week and ride on some softer dirt and it should be good.
TERRY BOYD: We’ll see you next week in Atlanta – Hopefully I’ll be talking to you up here on the podium again. Let me grab Kevin Windham. K-Dub, get over here man. Kevin, you were so gracious earlier on in your interview. You said, I’m not the winningest rider, but I sure have a lot of great fans that have stayed with me through my entire career. And you said, hey, last week it felt great to lead again.
KEVIN WINDHAM: It did, and I’ll tell you what, tonight it just feels great to be up here on the podium. I was hearing the crowd cheering and it sounded like an exciting race. I mean, I hated to see James go down but I’m just stoked to be riding a lot better. Everyone knows that the start of the season was a little bit rough for me and the Sobe No Fear Samsung Honda Team just really stuck with me through thick and thin. I’m so glad to put ‘em up here on the podium. The bike’s been week in and week out and unfortunately, I haven’t been. But, we’re moving in the right direction. It feels great to be up here. It feels good to ride strong in Houston and I just gotta take my hats off to the sponsors.
TERRY BOYD: You said you missed Valentine’s Day. Here’s a great Valentine’s Day present for your wife.
KEVIN WINDHAM: Yeah, I had to fly here on Wednesday and the team just wants to keep working and working, trying everything they can to help get me up here and it’s such a big help. I had to leave on Valentine’s Day, so I gotta say hey to my wife and children back home and to my family and everybody back there. But right now this moment’s just unbelievable and I just couldn’t do it without such an incredible support team.
TERRY BOYD: And it’s always good to be talking to you, K – K-Dub. We’ll talk to you next week in Atlanta. Let me get Tim Ferry over here. Timmy, come on down. Tim Ferry, stepping up another notch on that podium. A year ago, you were riding really as a privateer, and it was a tough struggle for you. Did you ever think that you would get back to this level again?
TIM FERRY: Yeah, I had a lot of injuries, obviously, back in ’04, ’05, but I put those behind me and rode the Triple X last year and things were good and caught the eye of Kawasaki. So, I can’t believe this is actually happening. I finished around tenth last year and I was totally happy at that point.
TERRY BOYD: Were you dreaming of this?
TIM FERRY: Yeah, definitely. I knew I could do it. I just wasn’t sure if my wrist could do it. I knew I could always do it. I just needed the right team. I got good support from Kawasaki and Monster and I’d like to thank all the guys for working really hard over there. I’d like to thank my wife, who’s here and flew out today to watch me race and all my family back at home. I got to thank all my sponsors for sticking behind me- Scott Goggles, 661 Boots and Etnies.
I’ll slide in with Chad Reed. I don’t know if you even are aware of this, but San Diego – four out of the last five years – the win at San Diego has gone to Chad Reed.
CHAD REED: I love this plan. I’ve got some wins when I really needed some wins at this place. I think it was ’05 when we were battling with RC and got him on the last lap. I’m just super excited to get this win, man. Second place was getting old and I needed to step it up. It was a shame to see James go down like that but I felt that I was riding well. It was a long race and it sucks. It was kind of scary. I came up over the finish line and I just saw him kind of going left right and I’m just saying, just stay there and I’ll miss you.
TERRY BOYD: I noticed the first piece of business was to go over and give your wife, Ellie, a kiss. Is this an emotional thing for you to come full circle?
CHAD REED: More of a relief, I guess. When I know I can win and I put myself in great positions and then I have a performance last weekend which was pathetic. It’s great to bounce back and ride strong. I can’t say enough for all my team and their being there every week. We’ve been around in circles trying everything. They’re not scared to work hard and go in a good direction. So, thanks to those guys. All the guys at San Manuel Unbound, Thor Parts, man, Brian Sharese, my wife, Elle – I love her – and I’m just super pumped.
TERRY BOYD: Man, spreading the good will with San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. We’ll see you next week in Atlanta.
CHAD REED: Yeah, I can’t wait. You know, I just take it week by week, you know, and keep trying to pull those good starts.
TERRY BOYD: Man, great starts.
JASON WEIGANDT: We’ve been joined by Tim Ferry.
JIM HOLLY: Hey, it feels good to get that second. I know your wife flew out here to watch you compete tonight in San Diego. Walk us through the race a little bit. How was it?
TIM FERRY: I got the worst start ever. I think it was DV that hit the gate. I was paying too much attention to him, but I snuck around that inside, came out of fifth or sixth and just was a little nervous that Kevin got around Ivan so quick because I knew he had a little better pace the last few weeks. So, I tried to get around Ryan as quick as I could and got right up behind Windham and made the pass. I could see Chad ahead of me and I just didn’t let him go.
JIM HOLLY: Well, let me ask you this. When you came across the finish line and you see your teammate down like that, what goes through your mind?
TIM FERRY: I mean, really just trying to focus on myself. I knew and I think he knew and everybody else knew – this track was really slippery today. It was really dry earlier and they had to water it a bunch to get the moisture back in it and anything can happen. I’ve just been kind of trying to focus on my own race and it was coming to me, actually. I was actually staying in pace with Chad.
JIM HOLLY: Well, I knew Jim O’Neill, Frank Kashar and all the guys over at O’Neill got to be pumped with another podium. You’re making a habit of this thing and we’re heading east and you must like that.
TIM FERRY: Yeah, I do definitely. I’d for sure like to thank O’Neill that was one of the sponsors that kind of stuck behind me last year. They helped me get back to where I am now. And obviously thank Kawasaki and Monster. I’m looking forward to going back east. Those tracks suit me better. I say that, but I’ve been riding really well at the Anaheim’s and some of the hard stuff out here.
JASON WEIGANDT: Tim, we’re seeing you like you said, you’re able to try to match Chad Reed’s pace, maybe even close in on him late in the main event. The way this is working out, you’re getting quicker and quicker every week. You’ve gotta think that a first Supercross win has got to be a realistic possibility now.
TIM FERRY: It’s becoming more and more real, for sure. Anything can happen. I think I have the pace. I wish I could have come out with Chad tonight and I wish I had my start last week this weekend. But that’s the way it goes. I’m trying to focus on just myself and not get too caught up in trying to make things happen too quickly.
JIM HOLLY: Well, you’re only nineteen points behind Chad Reed and you saw what happened to Chad Reed. It took a big chunk out of the point lead that James Stewart had on him tonight. I mean, you could possibly be in the hunt for that championship also.
TIM FERRY: Oh, for sure. I’m less than a race behind him and anything can happen. It can happen to me then it can happen to anybody. This is a long series and everybody gets really excited about getting on the podium. But I want to look at this year as a whole year and just take it race by race.
JASON WEIGANDT: Tim, you’ve had battles to get on these podiums. It seemed like for a couple of weeks you and Nick Wey were almost deadlocks; you were battling hard every main event. Now it’s been the same thing between you and Kevin Windham. It’s gotta be fun that you’re not only getting on the box, but you’re earning it!
TIM FERRY: Yeah, I definitely have had a few times where I got good starts and some guy fell. But with Windham he’s riding good right now and I like racing with Windham. You can tell what he’s gonna do on the track and it’s good to see him back riding good and making all this exciting.
JASON WEIGANDT: Compare yourself to three or four years ago. You had a great ride with Yamaha. It looked like you were about to go and get a Supercross win, contend for a title and then the injuries set in. Do you think you’re a better rider now than you were even then?
TIM FERRY: I think I’m an overall better rider. I think that’s kind of why I’ve been here every weekend. I sometimes am a little faster or a little better at certain things before, but I’m the whole package now. It seems like I’ve got my starts down besides tonight. I got my endurance back after not riding almost for two years at race pace. Everything’s just kind of coming together.
JASON WEIGANDT: The atmosphere down there on the track – This is something we haven’t had, an opportunity to have somebody on the show like this. How crazy is it down there right now? We hear the fans and everything.
TIM FERRY: Yeah, I can barely almost hear what you’re saying. It’s a good feeling to be down here and be on the podium with these two guys. They’re definitely class acts and I’m sure James will rebound from his fall and he’ll be back up this way next weekend.
JASON WEIGANDT: We might have another guest scheduled to come up on the show; a little more in-depth analysis of the way it all went down here at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego tonight. It was a 60,529 people on hand to witness this. We have updated points here in the Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP and it is down to 21 points in that series. It’s 207 to 196, so it’s actually an eleven-point lead – sorry – for Stewart over Reed. Remember, a little bit different points in the World Series compared to AMA because Reed was able to come away with that win at the opening round of Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP in Toronto. And Tim Ferry’s third in points followed by Ricky Carmichael and David Vuillemin.
We’re gonna go back down – It’s Chad Reed. Chad Reed, what’s happening, man?
CHAD REED: What’s going on?
JASON WEIGANDT: How pumped are you, brother?
CHAD REED: I’m so pumped. It’s definitely a nice feeling and man, it’s a lot of hard work; doesn’t come overnight.
JASON WEIGANDT: No, absolutely. Take us through this main event. It was kind of shades of Anaheim 3 there. This time you had the lead, but you were behind James. Were you able to see the crash? Were you close enough to see the mistake?
CHAD REED: When he passed me, I was right on him and then right away, that lap, he went down the start straight and then came back the next straightaway. He hit a hay bale or one of those tuff blocks, and it came right out. I had to kind of miss it and then I messed that section up and I lost a bit of a gap to him. So, I mean, he had a good enough gap on me that I actually didn’t see. I saw the aftermath of it, but I didn’t see what started it.
JIM HOLLY: Hey, Chad, you got a lot of people listening in down under – it’s Sunday down there. You wanna say anything to a few of those people down there? I know your mom and dad listen in.
CHAD REED: Yeah, hopefully my mom and dad are still on. I want to say hi to them. I’m sure they got a big old crew over at the house. I’m super pumped. My dad’s been on my case, saying go get that guy and go kick his butt. But it’s been hard work and I felt like we had a lot for him this weekend. He kind of pulled a little bit of a gap when I made a mistake but I think at the end of the day it was a long race.
JIM HOLLY: Hey, Chad, you happy with all the settings on the Yamaha or are you guys still out there testing and trying to get it better?
CHAD REED: We’re working away, I think. I think we’re getting closer and closer every weekend and it’s not really a bike thing. It’s just more a rider preference. I’m chasing and what I’m trying to get better at and what I feel needs to be better for me to go faster easier. We’re working away. We’re getting closer and closer. I think this weekend was hard to tell. I mean, we’ve been working really hard in the whoops and we jumped ‘em all this weekend, so that kind of sucks.
JIM HOLLY: Hey, Chad, how hard was it to get with Doug Shapinski of Bridgestone and pick a tire because was a slick track here tonight?
CHAD REED: It was a tough track. I think it was a pretty abnormal San Diego. It was kind of soft and nice in some areas but really hard and slick in others. But it was good and I love it at this point.
JIM HOLLY: I saw one time in that step on, step off, you actually backed the throttle down because you didn’t have the drive to step off. Was that because you got a little wheel spin when you landed and didn’t feel comfortable?
CHAD REED: No, that was the lap that James clipped the tuff block on the inside and he just pumped it right out into my line and I almost went down.
JIM HOLLY: Hey, Chad, one last question before you leave. A great win tonight for you and Yamaha and San Manuel and everybody, Larry Brooks. But I gotta talk to your teammate, Nathan Ramsey. How do you talk to Nathan? He had a horrible night tonight, but he had a great heat race.
CHAD REED: It’s hard. That’s a tough one to take. When the one guy wins and the other guys didn’t qualify. He’s a hard worker. He tries his butt out and it sucks to be second in the heat race and then go down and not make it to the main. Nate Dog’s going to be coming back east in a couple weeks and we’ll go to work at my house in Florida. We’ll get him up there.
JASON WEIGANDT: Chad, the whole atmosphere of that team and I know not just the team, but everyone around you. They always talk about how your dad never lets you give up. I know your wife, Ellie, doesn’t let you. I know Larry and everybody involved with that team. And it seems like every time throughout your Supercross career, when you’re down for the count, when someone else’s got a win strike going and you need to get a win, you always seem to bounce back. What do you think allows that to happen when maybe some other rides would pack it in for the year?
CHAD REED: This year especially is probably the most disappointing for me to start that way. I think I came in probably more prepared and better prepared and ready to battle than in previous two years. I think to come in hurt actually hurt my feelings a little bit. It sucked. It’s hard to be hurt and then miss all that testing for the first month. But we don’t give up and I was taught that as a kid. That if I didn’t fight then we’ll put the bike on the trailer and go home. I think I just live day by day by that and at the end of the day it seems to work out.
JASON WEIGANDT: Chad, thanks for joining us on the show. Congratulations.
CHAD REED: Thanks, you guys.
JASON WEIGANDT: Alright, that is Chad Reed, our champion tonight here at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, and I think we’re gonna get Kevin Windham on, I believe – We’ll talk to all three of our podium finishers and then we will talk to Ryan Villopoto, who has been crowned our West Region Lites Supercross Champion. We have got Kevin Windham.
JIM HOLLY: Well, Kevin, it was a hard, slick track out there. You’re noted for the hard, throttle control – good throttle control on the rear wheel, not letting it break loose, and it worked out good for you tonight.
KEVIN WINDHAM: Yeah, everything worked out great from the start. I didn’t have the best of gates but I had a theory. Everybody was pushing wide and I just went down there and hugged the inside, came out about third or fourth, and I felt like I was riding well. I felt strong all night. Wasn’t the fastest guy tonight – Had a little bit of struggle with just flowing some of these corners, but man, I’m here and it feels great.
JIM HOLLY: You had the Leatt brace tonight. How did that work for you? We haven’t seen you wear that.
KEVIN WINDHAM: Yeah, I still have it on, actually. Up there on the podium there, just in case I trip on the way down. I think that with the amount of neck injuries that we’ve had in the sport, anyone who says that thought don’t cross their mind I think is probably lying. The thing doesn’t bother me at all; I rode one lap with it and I was like, man, I’m gonna start racing with this thing this weekend and everybody’s just super stoked with it and the Leatt guys really came through for me and helped get me set up for the weekend, so it feels great.
JASON WEIGANDT: One race and one podium tonight – That’s not too bad. Kevin, it’s kind of the same thing we said to Chad Reed – He doesn’t give up; he managed to take the win here. And I know you were kind of down at the beginning of the season as well and I know you’re a birthday boy this month and you’re gonna be 29 – or did you just turn 29?
KEVIN WINDHAM: No, I’ll be 29 on the 28th of this month.
JASON WEIGANDT: Okay, alright, just missed the leap year. But here’s the thing. You’re 29. I know you said that this might be the last contract of your career – maybe a few more years. As soon as the struggles came at the beginning of the year, you know what people are gonna say. They’re gonna wonder if you can bounce back or maybe we’ve seen all Kevin Windham has to give. Was there ever a point in these first six, seven weeks where you were thinking you might not see the podium again? Or was it never give up?
KEVIN WINDHAM: No, absolutely not. I feel like I’m at 29 young and I’ll put it, right now, right out here on the table – I’m gonna be back next year regardless of how things turn out. I’m enjoying what I’m doing. This year I’m feeling better now than ever as far as aches and pains and motivation. If you can be motivated through what I’ve been through through the first five rounds, you can be motivated through anything. This right here is not an accident. Of course James went down and I don’t want to start talking a bunch of smack now. I hate to be up here due to him going down but this is nothing but a bunch of hard work and a bunch of dedication from all of my team and my trainer. All I know is I’m gonna be giving a hundred percent week in and week out.
JIM HOLLY: Hey, Kevin, I’ve been there. A third is a third, man, no matter what happens.
KEVIN WINDHAM: Yeah, absolutely. I’m gonna take it. I’ll take it any way I can get it right now and like I said, I had some stuff to build on from Houston and I certainly had some stuff to build on tonight. I think I’ve kind of opened a new page and a new chapter in this ’07 season and looking forward to good weeks to come.
JASON WEIGANDT: Congratulations, man, we’re proud of you. Good job.
KEVIN WINDHAM: Hey, thanks. And I just want to let you know a little footnote. This is only one step better than actually being up there with you guys. One year ago, right? I was up there commentating.
JASON WEIGANDT: Yeah, you have gone downhill a little bit. It was pretty sweet back in those days.
KEVIN WINDHAM: Yeah, well, you know, some of us have to actually work tonight.
JASON WEIGANDT: This is fun for us.
KEVIN WINDHAM: Thanks, guys.
JASON WEIGANDT: Thanks, Kevin. Kevin Windham – always a great guest, always well spoken, and a great spokesman for this sport.
And now, to wrap our show, we have brought on the new champion.
JIM HOLLY: The champ – We saved him for last.
JASON WEIGANDT: Ryan Villopoto, welcome.
Thanks for coming up here on the show. Have you been celebrating the whole time? Has it been forty-five minutes of non-stop partying down there?
RYAN VILLOPOTO: Yeah, it’s been good. I’m just glad to get it over before the break and then going to home town this time of year. It’s pretty much a guarantee that it’s gonna rain for Seattle.
JASON WEIGANDT: How much easier does it make the next ten weeks for you? You had a big points lead but it still wasn’t wrapped up, I mean, it would have to affect everything you did. You could not afford to take a risk or get hurt at all.
RYAN VILLOPOTO: Yeah, I’m going to go home for a week and just hang out. Then I’m gonna start doing outdoor testing and just ride a little bit of Supercross right before Seattle and then Vegas. But, I’m pretty much gonna concentrate on outdoors until two weeks before the upcoming race in Seattle.
JIM HOLLY: Hey, walk us through the start that you had. I mean, it looked like you had that holeshot going in and then you saw a couple guys on the outside and you had to drive in a little deeper. Teammate comes underneath of you inside and grabs that thousand dollars from Progressive Direct.
RYAN VILLOPOTO: Yeah, after what happened with Jason last weekend. I didn’t want to leave the outside open. So, I had the inside for the first turn and I got off great. So, Josh went wide and so I followed Josh out wide and, pushed Jason out. I didn’t have any problems, with him but anything can happen. I don’t care with the racing stuff-anything goes unless it’s really bad and the AMA gets into it.
JIM HOLLY: I thought it was just good racing.
RYAN VILLOPOTO: Yeah, yeah, it was.
JASON WEIGANDT: Now let’s talk about – You got a big prize. Did I hear you got a new FJ Cruiser for this title? Is that what I just heard?
RYAN VILLOPOTO: Yeah, I’m sponsored by Toyota of Escondido, so they gave me a truck to drive and then we kind of worked out a deal where if I won the championship they’d give me an FJ Cruiser. I had talked about that since the beginning of the year and last year a little bit. They hooked me up a lot. I got a truck and then in two months, I’ll get another truck. I’ll trade the other one in because they want to put me in the full-sized four-door.
JASON WEIGANDT: There you go.
RYAN VILLOPOTO: So, now we have another vehicle and another car, so instead of just trucks and vans, now we have a car.
JIM HOLLY: You talk about next year already. I mean, you’re already looking forward to the Supercross next year, going into that East Coast. How important is it for you to learn those tracks over there before you make that transition to the Supercross class?
RYAN VILLOPOTO: Yeah, it’s gonna be different riding over there. I know its a little softer dirt than over here but I’m good at learning tracks real quick. So it’ll be interesting to see how they are.
JASON WEIGANDT: Alright. Ryan, congratulations on the title, man. I know they said it was on its way, but it was hard work and you definitely earned it. Good job.
JIM HOLLY: Good job, bud.
RYAN VILLOPOTO: Yeah, thank you guys.
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