DALLAS (April 22, 2006) – Yamaha’s Chad Reed picked up a pivotal win tonight before a crowd of 45,445 at Texas Stadium, tightening the point standings with two rounds remaining in the Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series. Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto won the AMA Supercross Lites main event. In the AMA Supercross main event, Suzuki’s Ricky Carmichael, of Havana, Fla., won the Progressive Direct Holeshot Award to start the 20-lap feature. Stewart advanced into the lead on lap four before trouble hit Carmichael, who went down in the whoops on lap five, eliminating any chance he had for a win. Stewart was starting to pull away from Reed when he too hit the dirt on lap eight, handing the lead to Reed. Once out front, Reed cruised to the easy win. Stewart charged back to finish second. Honda’s Nick Wey, of Dewitt, Mich., was third. Carmichael finished sixth. “It was a tough track tonight; you really had to be on your game,” said Reed, who registered his second win on the season. “I figured my line out in the whoops before these guys, and I was just sticking to it. Something was telling me it was going to get ugly. At this point I don’t even care about the title. I know if I put myself in good positions weekends then a title is possible.” Stewart leaves Dallas with a seven point lead over Carmichael in the standings of the Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP. In the standings for the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, Carmichael now holds a two-point lead over Reed, with Stewart trailing by 10 points in third. Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., won the Progressive Direct Holeshot Award to start the 15-lap AMA Supercross Lites main event. He shot to the front and began to build a sizable lead as series front runners Grant Langston, Clermont, Fla., and Andrew Short, of Murrieta, Calif., were stuck in the back after poor starts. Villopoto built an eight-second advantage and held off the late race charge of Short to take the first win of his career. Honda’s Short finished second and Langston was third aboard a Kawasaki.

ORLANDO (March 18, 2006) – Kawasaki’s James Stewart of Haines City, Fla., won his sixth Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series before 43,081 fans at the Citrus Bowl. Honda’s Josh Grant, of Riverside, Calif., won his second AMA Supercross Lites race of the season. Stewart won the $1,500 Progressive Direct Holeshot Award with Michael Byrne, of Menifee, Calif., in second and Suzuki’s Ricky Carmichael, of Tallahassee, Fla., in third. Carmichael moved into second on lap 1 and followed Stewart for the remainder of the race. Honda’s Nick Wey, of Dewitt, Mich., made a last lap pass on Suzuki’s Ivan Tedesco, of Murrieta, Calif., to finish third. Carmichael extended his points lead over Yamaha's Chad Reed to eight. “It has been a good day, all day,” said Stewart. “I felt very comfortable on the track today and wanted to win for Polk County where I live. I am the local boy at Orlando so I wanted to win for the fans. I had a scary crash last week in Daytona but put it back together for this week. I am going to keep my head down and see what happens the rest of the season.” Yamaha’s Bryan Johnson, of Cairo, Ga., earned the $1,000 Progressive Direct Holeshot Award with Kawasaki’s Chris Gosselaar, of Victorville, Calif., in second. On lap 3 Grant moved into the lead after he passed Gosselaar. Millsaps started mid-pack and moved into second place on lap 3. Grant held on for the next 12 laps to pick up the win. Millsaps was second and Gosselaar third. “I made my pass on Gosselaar in the whoops, which was a big for me because I have been working on riding the whops a lot lately,” said Grant. “My teammate Kevin Windham has been helping me in the whoops and it paid off tonight.” Tonight’s race will air on SPEED on Sunday, March 19, at 6:00 p.m. EST. A separate one-hour broadcast of the AMA Supercross Lites racing will air on SPEED on Saturday, March 25, at 6 p.m. EST. Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP Season Standings 1. Ricky Carmichael, Havana, Fla., Suzuki, 264 2. James Stewart, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 258 3. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha, 247 4. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 209 5. Nicholas Wey, Dewitt, Mich., Honda, 199 6. Michael Byrne, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 194 7. Jeff Gibson, Blacklick, Ohio,, Honda, 141 8. Ryan Clark, Waddell, Ariz., Honda, 134 9. Jason Thomas, Melrose, Fla., Honda, 133 10. Tyler Evans, Corona, Calif., Suzuki, 116 Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series Event Results, Orlando 1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki 2. Ricky Carmichael, Havana, Fla., Suzuki 3. Nicholas Wey, Dewitt, Mich., Honda 4. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki 5. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha 6. Travis Preston, Hesperia, Calif., Honda 7. Michael Byrne, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki 8. Tim Ferry, Largo, Fla., Honda 9. Kevin Windham, Centerville, Miss., Honda 10. Jeff Dement, Kingwood, Texas, Suzuki Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series Season Standings 1. Ricky Carmichael, Tallahassee, Fla., Suzuki, 237 2. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Yamaha, 229 3. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 214 4. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 176 5. Nicholas Wey, Dewitt, Mich., Honda, 169 6. Michael Byrne, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 166 7. Travis Preston, Hesperia, Calif., Honda, 136 8. Ernesto Fonseca, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 125 9. Mike LaRocco, Corona, Calif., Honda, 108 10. Tim Ferry, Dade City, Fla., Honda, 84 Amp’d Mobile Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Event Results, Orlando 1. Joshua Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda 2. Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Honda 3. Christopher Gosselaar, Victorville, Calif., Kawasaki 4. Branden Jesseman, New Brighton, Pa., Yamaha 5. Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha 6. Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda 7. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Much., Honda 8. Dusty Klatt, Campbell River, B.C., Honda 9. Michael Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Honda 10. Josh Woods, Flint, Mich., Suzuki Amp’d Mobile Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Season Standings 1. Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Honda, 119 2. Joshua Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 94 3. Chris Gosselaar, Victorville, Calif., Kawasaki, 94 4. Jesseman, New Brighton, Pa., Yamaha, 86 5. Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 62 6. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., Honda, 51 7. Robert Kiniry, Lafayette, N.Y., Honda, 51 8. Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Honda, 48 9. Michael Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Honda, 43 10. Teddy Maier, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki, 39 Amp’d Mobile Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites Season Standings 1. Andrew Short, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 118 2. Grant Langston, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 116 3. Nathan Ramsey, Menifee, Calif., KTM, 107 4. Billy Laninovich, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda, 99 5. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 95 6. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 94 7. Brett Metcalfe, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha, 91 8. Paul Carpenter, Ithaca, N.Y., Honda, 78 9. Darcy Lange, San Jacinto, Calif., Kawasaki, 55 10. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Honda, 52

From ESPN.com - DALLAS (AP) -- The Kansas Jayhawks have only lost once in the last two months. Now that they've avenged that and won the Big 12 tournament, the KU kids are heading into the NCAA tournament believing they can do pretty much anything. With freshman Mario Chalmers scoring 15 points and fellow freshman Julian Wright making the game-turning steal and dunk in the final minutes, the 17th-ranked Jayhawks handled with ease the big-game pressure that rattled them in Austin two weeks ago and beat No. 8 Texas 80-68 in the finals of the conference tournament Sunday. "We finally proved to people that we can win tough games," said Brandon Rush, Kansas' "other" star newcomer -- the one who became the first freshman to make the coaches' all-Big 12 team. "We wanted to prove we were the best team in the Big 12. This gives us momentum going into the tournament " Kansas (25-7) rolls into the NCAAs having won 15 of 16 games. The surge earned the Jayhawks the fourth seed in the Oakland Regional and a first-round game Friday against 13th-seeded Bradley in Auburn Hills, Mich. Their only loss since mid-January was an 80-55 wipeout at Texas on Feb. 25 that players consider almost a fluke because so many things went wrong. This time, so many things went right that coach Bill Self called it "the best we probably played all year." Kansas won its first Big 12 title since taking the first three, a run that ended in 1999. The Jayhawks had only been back to the finals once, in 2002. More important is sticking around the NCAAs longer than last year, when they were bounced by 14th-seeded Bucknell in the first round. "If we play like we did the last few days we'll be fine," center C.J. Giles said. "We feel real confident. We're not going to settle for the Big 12 championship." For Texas (27-6), the loss didn't affect its spot in the NCAA field. The Longhorns still got the second seed they were expecting and a first-round game in Dallas. Playing in the Atlanta Regional, they open Friday against 15th-seeded Penn. "You're always going to be disappointed when you don't win," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "It's over and done with. Our No. 1 goal now is the NCAA tournament. We're one of 65 teams and we hope to be the last one standing." When the Jayhawks knew they were getting another shot at the Longhorns, several players said they were eager to show how much they've grown up in only a few weeks. They didn't need long to prove it. Rush, who was 1-for-8 with three points in the previous meeting, opened this game with two 3-pointers. Kansas went on to hit a season-best 12, on 24 attempts. Although the Jayhawks controlled most of the game, the Longhorns hung in until the end despite a poor game from big man LaMarcus Aldridge. Kenton Paulino led Texas with 19 points, including five 3-pointers, and conference player of the year P.J. Tucker had 16 points and eight rebounds. Aldridge already was struggling when he got into foul trouble. He finished with five points on 1-of-5 shooting, five rebounds and one block, after having 18 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in the previous game against Kansas. "That first game, he got the shots he wanted," Kansas' Russell Robinson said. "This time, we disrupted his rhythm and got him in foul trouble. We made him take shots he didn't want to take." The Jayhawks went ahead for good on two free throws by Rush. On Texas' ensuing possession, the 6-foot-8 Wright met Longhorns guard A.J. forward at midcourt, reached around him and poked the ball away, then took it hard to the rim for an electrifying tomahawk dunk for a 67-63 lead with 5:40 left. "That was the turning point right there," said Kansas senior Jeff Hawkins, who made his first four 3s and finished with 13 points. "That's when we knew we had them." Actually, Texas already was falling apart. After a basket with 10:15 left, the Longhorns didn't get another until a dunk by Brad Buckman with 1:00 left. They missed seven shots and had three turnovers along the way, letting a 57-55 lead turn into an 11-point deficit. "That last five minutes, we didn't tough it out as we should have," Tucker said. Wright struck again with 36 seconds left, icing the victory with a 360-degree dunk in open court following a blocked 3-pointer on the other end. Chalmers had the honor of dribbling out the clock while his teammates were already celebrating. Eager to join them, he slammed the ball down with about a second left and ran over. Soon after, he was named the tournament's most outstanding player. Wright joined him on the all-tournament team, as did Texas' Tucker and Aldridge. The Longhorns lost for the second time in their last five games and fell to 0-3 in Big 12 tournament finals, having also lost in 2001 and 2004. Still, Texas will head into the NCAA tournament trying to follow its football and baseball teams as national champions; no school has ever held all three crowns at the same time.

Torrance, CA: On Thursday, March 9, Team Honda factory motocross racer Ernesto Fonseca underwent surgery to stabilize his spinal column. Due to the progress Fonseca has already made since his accident on March 7, doctors were able to operate much sooner than expected. The surgery took six hours, and was described as successful by his doctors. His doctors also noted that Ernie's tremendous physical condition, mental strength and positive outlook bode well for his recovery. Fonseca currently has movement in his arms, and his doctors are already planning his rehabilitation, which may take some time due to the bruising to his spinal column. Fonseca was injured while practicing on his private track on March 7, 2006. The Costa Rica-born rider suffered a fracture to the C-7 vertebra and bruising to his spine. Everyone at American Honda and all of Ernie'ss teammates are deeply affected by what happened, and our hearts and best wishes go out to Ernie, his wife Carolina and his family. Ernie has been a part of the Honda family for five years now, and during that time we'veve gained tremendous respect for his talent, his good nature and his determination. Like all top racers, Ernie knows how to fight and he never gives up, and it is this spirit and will to overcome challenges that will see Ernie through this difficult time. We will continue to provide updates on Ernie'ss condition as information becomes available. Those wishing to send cards and letters in support of Ernie can mail them to: Next Level Sports Management 28202 Cabot Road, Suite 300 Laguna Nigel, CA 92677

Torrance, CA: Team Honda factory motocross racer Ernesto Fonseca was injured while practicing on his private track on March 7, 2006. The Costa Rica-born rider suffered an injury to his spine, though it is not known at this time the extent of that injury. Fonseca is in good spirits and in stable condition at a hospital close to his home. Further updates will be provided as news of his condition becomes available. Those wishing to send cards and letters in support of Ernie can mail them to: Next Level Sports Management 28202 Cabot Road, Suite 300 Laguna Nigel, CA 92677

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (March 8, 2006) -- AMA Supercross racing’s ‘Big Three’ of Chad Reed, Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart will for the first time meet head to head in the prestigious Daytona Supercross by Honda this Friday night, March 10. The leading trio of the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series have battled all season long and are a close one-two-three in the points chase, but the spotlight will shine especially brightly on one of the best battles in AMA Supercross Series history when the series comes to Daytona International Speedway, one of the tracks from which Supercross racing originated. Reed has been a model of consistency this season, including a victory in St. Louis last month and as a result holds a one-point lead on Carmichael coming into Daytona, round 10 of the 16-race series. Carmichael missed the podium for the first time since January of 2003 at the Phoenix, Ariz., round, after a disappointing 20th place finish at St. Louis a few weeks back, and has been able to bring his Makita Suzuki up to second place in the championship. Stewart has shown the most speed of the three leaders, but has suffered a spate of crashes and as a result sits 17 points behind Reed in the standings. This will be Stewart’s first appearance racing in the main AMA Supercross class at Daytona. He won the 125 East class (now called Supercross Lites East) at the Speedway in 2004. He sat out last year’s race due to injury. Reed is riding a two-race winning streak at Daytona. He won in 2004 in Carmichael’s absence and then proved his first Daytona Supercross victory was no fluke when he defeated Carmichael and the rest of the field in last March. A third win in a row at Daytona would not only give Reed breathing room in the standings, but would also place him among the elite. Only three riders have been able to win the grueling Daytona event three times in a row. They include Jeff Stanton, Mike Kiedrowski and Carmichael. Stanton and Carmichael each won four consecutive years. “Daytona has been good to me the last couple of years,” Reed said. “With the tight points races every time I turn a wheel on the track it counts in a big way. Daytona can make or break your season. I feel confident going into the race that we can come out on top.” Carmichael comes to the 2006 Daytona Supercross by Honda a man on a mission. The 26-year-old Suzuki rider from Havana, Fla., will attempt to become the first rider to win five times at the historic event. If Carmichael wins the 36th running of the race he will pass former Honda great Jeff Stanton as the all-time wins leader of the race. Stanton won at Daytona four years in a row from 1989 to 1992. Before the race Friday night, Stanton will be honored for his inclusion of the Goodyear Legends of Daytona. “Daytona is a special race and one I think every rider would love to win during their career,” Carmichael said. “I’m fortunate to count myself among the winners of the race. There’s no doubt it’s going to be tougher than ever to win there this year. It’s a battle not only with the other riders, but with the difficult elements that the track always throws at you.” Stewart has had a rash of bad luck, getting caught up in pile-up crashes. Despite the crashes Stewart has been able to come from behind and turn in good finishes. Indianapolis last week served as a perfect example. He crashed in the first turn and charged all the way to second by the checkered flag. The Kawasaki factory rider is looking ahead to this Friday’s race. “I’m looking forward to going back to race in my home state of Florida, and I love racing at Daytona. I hope I can put everything together and get a win there.” In the AMA Supercross Lites East series, Davi Millsaps earned his second win in three races at the Indy Supercross. The Honda rider’s victory extended his lead in the series standings with 72 points, while Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Chris Gosselaar moved into second overall with 54. Yamaha of Troy’s Brandon Jesseman dropped to third with 52, followed by Josh Grant in fourth with 47.

Round 9 - Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series Indianapolis, IN RCA Dome March 4, 2006 Team Makita Suzuki Racing’s Ricky Carmichael celebrated his second consecutive Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross victory before more than 56,000 enthusiastic fans at Indianapolis’ RCA Dome on Saturday night. Teammate Ivan Tedesco continues to have a stellar rookie year and took home an impressive fourth-place finish. “To be honest, it was pretty uneventful for me,” said Carmichael of his fifth win of the season, which put him in second place in the AMA Supercross points chase. “I got a really good start on my Makita Suzuki RM-Z450, I think I was in second. And then I got up front and I just tried to keep an eye on Chad (Reed) and James (Stewart) and mark them on the track. Then I just tried to do the best that I could and put in some good laps.” This Indianapolis victory follows the announcement that Carmichael regained the 25 points that he’d lost when the AMA penalized him for use of illegal fuel at the recent San Diego round. The AMA rescinded the points penalty earlier in the week. “I’m happy to get the points back,” said Carmichael. “Now I have a chance at the championship. I think that this experience will help everyone in the long run and as the defending champion, I want to help the sport.” Carmichael started the night by taking the holeshot in his eight-lap heat race and then finishing second. In the 20-lap main event, he again got a great start and was in the lead before the end of the second lap. Carmichael rode flawlessly and pulled away from the field. Although he lost some time among the lapped riders, he charged hard on his Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 to the checkered flag. “I don’t go out and try to be aggressive,” said Carmichael. “That kind of riding only gets you so far. Tonight with the state of mind I had, I just wanted to get a decent start and let it come to me.” Tedesco, meanwhile, got a mid-pack start in his qualifying race and eventually finished fourth to advance to the main event. Like Carmichael, Tedesco got a pretty good start in the main and had worked his way up to third place before settling into fourth. “I struggled with the track all weekend,” he said afterward. “It seems like for the past two weeks I’ve had a rough time in practice and the heat races and then I’m able to pull it together in the main - not where I’d like to be, but all right. Tonight the track was really hard to pass on, but I managed to get into fourth.” This week, the Makita Suzuki crew travels to Florida to prepare for next weekend’s race at Daytona International Speedway. For Carmichael, this is a hometown race. For Tedesco, it’s a brand-new venue. Without a doubt, they’ll be testing all week for the motocross-style race. “I’ll definitely put more time into training for Daytona this year,” said Carmichael, who finished second there in 2005. “I don’t want to go out there and get my ass kicked. I’m looking for a little revenge.” Added Tedesco, “It’s supposed to be the toughest race but I’m feeling really fit right now and I’ve never raced there, so I don’t have any real expectations. But I’m looking forward to the race.” In the Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP, Carmichael still leads the points chase and Tedesco remains in fourth position overall.

BREA, Calif. (March 3, 2006) – Team Makita Suzuki Racing announced today that defending AMA Supercross Champion Ricky Carmichael regained the 25 points that he lost when the AMA penalized him for use of illegal fuel at round six of the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series in San Diego, Calif., on Feb. 11, 2006 . "I'm super-pumped about the points -- not just for me, but for my Makita Suzuki team and the fans," said Carmichael . "I'm happy for my team because they've put in too much effort this year to just sit back and watch the other guys compete for the championship. Everyone in Supercross has been working hard to make the racing better for the fans and having the top three guys all going for the title will make the racing even better. Finally, the AMA and FIM's solution is fair for everyone and will help all the teams in the future." After the San Diego round, Carmichael led the points chase in the AMA Supercross series. The AMA’s 25-point penalty, however, moved him into a distant third place, strongly hindering the multi-time champion’s possibilities for a fifth AMA Supercross title. With the withdrawal of the penalty, however, Carmichael is back in the championship hunt. “Obviously we’re happy with the decision,” said Mel Harris, ASMC vice president of the Motorcycle/ATV division. “Suzuki feels strongly that the Supercross Championship should be decided on the track, by the racers.” According to an AMA press release, the points penalty was rescinded because of the differences in gasoline-testing protocols between the AMA and the FIM, the sanctioning body for the concurrently running 2006 Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP, which Carmichael leads. The AMA and the FIM agreed that imposing a points penalty on Carmichael would be inappropriate and instead fined the Makita Suzuki team $20,000, which will be donated to the Asterisk Mobile Medical Center and Riders for Health. “Of course we’re happy that we got our points back,” summed up Makita Suzuki Team Manager Roger DeCoster. “I am also happy that the AMA and FIM were able to come together and resolve this issue. Several unfortunate comments were made in the heat of the moment and I’m glad that cooler heads prevailed and a solution was found.” Carmichael and Team Makita Suzuki Racing will compete at round nine of the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series in Indianapolis, Ind., Saturday night at the RCA Dome.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (March 3, 2006) --The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) have announced a joint resolution to the points penalty imposed by the AMA on Ricky Carmichael following the February 11 San Diego round of the AMA Supercross Series and the FIM World Supercross GP. In a post-race tech inspection, the fuel in Carmichael's motorcycle was found to contain more lead than allowed under a standard jointly adopted by both sanctioning bodies beginning with the 2004 racing season. The AMA has enforced that fuel regulation in its AMA Supercross Series and AMA Motocross Championship for the past two years. However, this is the first time that testing has revealed a fuel violation affecting a competitor entered in both the AMA and FIM series, and while the fuel standard is the same in both rule books, the two sanctioning bodies call for different testing protocols. The AMA initiated an investigation into the fuel requirement and testing protocols. It then became apparent that this difference in testing protocols would make consistent enforcement of this standard difficult, and the two sanctioning bodies have agreed to cooperate in the investigation, with the goal of creating a unified unleaded fuel standard and testing protocol for the 2007 season. Meanwhile, the AMA and the FIM jointly agreed that, because of the disparity in testing protocols, a points penalty would be inappropriate in this case. As a result, the AMA has rescinded the 25-point penalty imposed on Carmichael in the AMA Supercross Series standings, and the FIM has said that it will not impose a points penalty in the World Supercross GP standings. Both sanctioning bodies agreed, however, that a penalty is still appropriate for this fuel violation, and the decision was made to impose a $20,000 fine on the Suzuki team for which Carmichael rides. The AMA and the FIM will equitably donate the fine to the Asterisk Mobile Medical Center, which provides trackside medical support to riders at all AMA Supercross Series/FIM World Supercross GP series and AMA Motocross Championship events and to Riders for Health, a humanitarian organization working in Africa for 15 years reaching nearly 11 million people with regular health care workers riding motorcycles. "It was clear that the differences in testing protocols raised serious problems for enforcement of this rule,'' said Steve Whitelock, AMA Motocross and Supercross Series manager. "We think this is a fair and equitable resolution of a difficult situation" said Wolfgang Srb, President of the FIM Motocross Commission. The AMA has announced that the fuel investigation will be conducted by the Southwest Research Institute's Fuel and Lubricant Lab, an independent consulting organization with nearly 60 years of experience. It is expected that teams as well as fuel suppliers, among others, will be interviewed in this process.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (February 28, 2006) – Yamaha’s Chad Reed finds himself in the lead in the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series as the second half of the 2006 season gets underway at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis on March 4. After running third in the series just a week-and-a-half ago Reed is suddenly atop the standings after an unexpected series of events. First, rivals Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart both had a miserable night in the St. Louis Supercross on Feb. 18. Carmichael crashed and broke his Suzuki and was forced to retire. Then Stewart crashed and had a tough time restarting his Kawasaki and finished back in 17th. Reed took maximum advantage, won St. Louis, and took over the points lead. Then just before this past Saturday’s race in Atlanta, Carmichael was penalized 25 points after tests revealed the fuel in his Suzuki to be out of compliance at the San Diego round. Carmichael won in Atlanta, but the 25 points he lost to the penalty dropped him to third in the standings. Stewart crashed again on the first lap in Atlanta. He picked up his Kawasaki and charged back to third, but lost valuable points to Reed in the process. After the dust settled Reed, the Yamaha factory rider from Australia who won the 2004 AMA Supercross Series, finds himself holding a 19-point lead over Stewart. Carmichael has a hill to climb if he is to come back and defend his title but his Atlanta victory shows that he won’t back down from the challenge. The second all-time AMA Supercross wins leader is 31 points down to Reed. This sets up a second half of the season where Stewart and Carmichael will be scrambling to close the gap on Reed in the points chase, while Reed tries to preserve his newfound advantage. It all begins Saturday night in the RCA Dome. Reed and Stewart are looking for their first Indy Supercross victories. Reed was runner up last year and this will mark Stewart’s first appearance in the RCA Dome. He was slated to race in the Supercross Lites class (formerly called 125 Supercross) in Indy two years ago, but sat out the program due to a concussion he suffered during practice. While Reed holds the series lead, he realizes that he still has to try to win every weekend to build on his momentum. “I was a little too pumped from being out front early,” Reed said of Saturday’s race in Atlanta. “I wasn’t prepared to throw it down in Atlanta and be aggressive to battle Ricky, but I came out with second place and in the position I’m in right now I’m happy with that. I enjoy the remaining tracks on the schedule and am looking forward to the rest of the season.” Carmichael, Mike LaRocco and David Vuillemin are the three former Indy Supercross winners expected to take the green flag Saturday night. While the season is far from over, Carmichael is philosophical about his status. “I’ve never been in a position like this,” Carmichael said of the penalty he was assessed. “I’m disappointed. The championship is a long shot for me now. I’ll watch these two guys (Reed and Stewart) battle it out for the championship and maybe it will be a bittersweet victory for them if I keep on winning.” Hoosier fans will be rooting for home state hero LaRocco. This may be the final RCA Dome appearance for the 35-year-old South Bend native who took an emotional victory there in 2004. Last year’s Indy Supercross Lites winner Davi Millsaps has moved from Suzuki to Honda and is leading the series coming into round three. Millsaps will try to become the first rider to win back-to-back Supercross Lites races in Indianapolis since Mickael Pichon accomplished the feat in the mid-1990s. Boost Mobile Yamaha’s Branden Jesseman is second in the standings to Millsaps followed by Christopher Gosselaar of Monster Energy Drink/Pro Circuit Kawasaki. Tickets for the Indy Supercross are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, all participating Yamaha Dealers, at the Box Office, Karma Records or charge by phone at 317-239-5151. A special Family Section is also available in the RCA Dome for non-alcoholic family fun. When ordering tickets through Ticketmaster, request the Family Section for an alcohol-free atmosphere. The Indianapolis round will receive next-day coverage on SPEED, Sunday, March 5 at 6:00 pm EST. About AMA Pro Racing AMA Pro Racing is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its properties include the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship presented by FMF, the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship and the AMA Supermoto Championship. For more information about AMA Pro Racing, visit www.amaproracing.com. Accredited media outlets can also access AMA Pro Racing's online Press Room at www.amaproracing.com/pressroom.