ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FEB 24: James Stewart picked up his sixth win of the season at round eight of the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, tonight. A record crowd of 70,649 watched on as Stewart took the lead on the opening lap of the main event and then maintained a safe distance over the pack as Ricky Carmichael kept the factory Kawasaki rider in sight, but could never quite get close enough to make a difference.
Carmichael finished second, with San Manuel Yamaha’s Chad Reed taking the final podium spot after running second, falling, and then coming back to pass Carmichael’s Makita Suzuki teammate Ivan Tedesco for the position, late in the race.
“James rode well tonight,” said Carmichael. “In the early part of the race, Chad was in front of me as well as James, so I knew I had to make my move early. I tried to reel James in, but he was going so fast in the rhythm section tonight.” “Ricky kept me honest tonight,” said Stewart. “It was a great race, but I was getting caught up with some of the lappers. Every time I went through the rhythm section I was scared.”
In the Lites division, Ryan Dungey proved that Suzuki made the right choice by signing him early, as the Makita Suzuki-backed pro rookie passed veterans Mike Alessi and Ben Townley on the opening lap of the 15-lap main event and then pulled away to a relatively easy win.
KTM’s Mike Alessi won the $1,000 Progressive Direct Holeshot Award to start the Lites main event, and was quickly engaged by the Kawasaki-mounted Townley. However, as the two front-runners battled for the lead, Dungey sliced to the inside and immediately pulled a gap.
Dungey held off a mid-race charge from Townley to take the win, while Townley eventually dropped out of the race with a mechanical failure. Kawasaki’s Darcy Lange made a late charge to finish second while Yamaha’s Matt Goerke, of Lake Helen, Fla., was third.
“This felt so good,” said Dungey. “I really want to thank Roger DeCoster and Team Suzuki for giving me this opportunity. It’s been a great experience working with my teammates Ricky Carmichael and Ivan Tedesco. I look forward to the rest of the season. Getting this win makes going into St. Louis a little easier.”
Supercross Final:
1. James Stewart (Kaw)
2. Ricky Carmichael (Suz)
3. Chad Reed (Yam)
4. Ivan Tedesco (Suz)
5. Kevin Windham (Hon)
6. Timmy Ferry (Kaw)
7. Bryan Johnson (Hon)
8. David Vuillemin (Hon)
9. Heath Voss (Hon)
10. Jeff Gibson (Kaw)
Supercross Lites Final:
1. Ryan Dungey (Suz)
2. Darcy Lange (Kaw)
3. Matt Goerke (Yam)
4. Ryan Morais (Suz)
5. Branden Jesseman (Yam)
6. Justin Brayton (Yam)
7. Zach Osborne (KTM)
8. Matt Boni (Kaw)
9. Ryan Sipes (Hon)
10. Kelly Smith (Suz)
