2006 AMA Motocross Series Kicks Off In The Rain
5/23/2006
Rancho Cordova, CA (May 21, 2006) - With a grey sky and an all-day rain, nearly 20,000 spectators showed up to the Prairie City OHV Park to witness the first round of the 2006 AMA Motocross Championships.
Once the gate dropped on moto one, it was Mike Alessi grabbing the holeshot and immediately opening a three second lead over Villopoto. Last year's champion, Grant Langston didn't get the start he was hoping for and found himself buried in the middle of the pack. After a few laps, the slippery and extremely choppy track was too much for Langston's already sore wrist and forced Langston to retire back to the pits where he called it a day.
Meanwhile, it was Alessi and Villopoto up front and pulling away from the pack. Just as Villopoto would start to gain ground on Alessi, he would make a mistake and allow Alessi to pull away. At the end it was Alessi, Villopoto and Josh Grant on the box.
As moto one of the Motocross division left the gate, it looked like Ricky Carmichael was going to start where he left off last summer by getting the holeshot. Carmichael's 27-overall win streak came to an end in the second corner when he went down and was forced to the back of the pack. Chad Reed took over the lead until mid lap when a slight detour off the track allowed Robbie Reynard to go by. Reed quickly regained the lead and proceeded to open a sizeable lead. By lap 10, the rain began to fall harder and Reed had to toss his goggles. Meanwhile, after going down on the second lap, James Stewart and Carmichael were setting a blistering pace through the pack. Around lap nine, Carmichael and Stewart brought the crowd to their feet as the two passed and re-passed each other before Carmichael had to toss his goggles as well. With Reed's vision impaired due to rain drops and roost from lappers, his pace slowed considerably and allowed Stewart to make a pass on the last lap for the win.
Second Lites moto saw a repeat performance from Alessi as he grabbed the holeshot and win. After a poor start and going down in the third corner, Villopoto charged through the field and made it to tenth by the end of the moto for a fifth overall. Chris Gosselaar put in a good ride in moto two with a sixth place performance for a seventh overall.
Motocross moto two saw Carmichael grab the holeshot and go on for the win. Reed came out of the gate around seventh but by lap six was in third until the end. Also having a good ride was THOR rider, Josh Demuth. Although a crash in moto one hindered his results, Demuth battled back in moto two with a ninth place finish.
Motocross moto one results
- James Stewart
- Chad Reed - Parts Unlimited & THOR
- Ricky Carmichael
- David Vuillemin
- Kevin Windham
- Travis Preston
- Nicholas Wey
- Robbie Reynard
- David Millsaps
- Ryan Mills
Motocross Lites moto one results
- Mike Alessi
- Ryan Villopoto - Parts Unlimited & THOR
- Joshua Grant
- Andrew McFarlane
- Brett Metcalfe
- Zach Osborne
- Steve Boniface - THOR
- Thomas Hahn
- Andrew Short
- Chris Gosselaar - Parts Unlimited & THOR
Motocross moto two results
- Ricky Carmichael
- James Stewart
- Chad Reed - Parts Unlimited & THOR
- Travis Preston
- David Vuillemin
- Nicholas Wey
- Jeff Dement
- Kevin Windham
- Josh Demuth - THOR
- David Millsaps
Motocross Lites moto two results
- Mike Alessi
- Brett Metcalfe
- Andrew McFarlane
- Andrew Short
- Billy Laninovich
- Chris Gosselaar - Parts Unlimited & THOR
- Joshua Grant
- Michael Brown
- Nathan Ramsey
- Ryan Villopoto - Parts Unlimited & THOR