South African takes AMA Chevy Trucks 125 U.S. Motocross title
PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Sept. 5, 2003) -- South African Grant Langston has
captured his first AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Championship.
Langston's title in the 125 class also marks the first AMA Motocross
title for Austrian motorcycle maker KTM.
The championship was sweet for Langston, who lost the very same title in
the final moto of the 2001 season when his wheel broke. At the same
time, it was bitterly disappointing for Langston's Red Bull KTM teammate
Ryan Hughes, who had closed to within 7 points of Langston and was
hoping to have a shot at winning his first title. The final round of the
series was cancelled due to excessive rains and flooding at the track
set to host the event, Kenworthy's Motocross Park in Troy, Ohio. That
race had already been postponed from July, and extending the season even
further was not possible.
"Winning the championship is awesome for me," said Langston, the 2000
125 Motocross World Champion. "This was my last opportunity for an AMA
championship on the 125, and it means so much to me after being so close
two years ago. All the best riders in the world are here; more so than
in the 125 World Motocross GPs. I think a lot of people still have the
opinion that a World Motocross Championship doesn't mean all that much.
Since I won that, this is really what I want - a U.S. Motocross
Championship. I wanted to be able to prove that I could do it!"
Langston had a year of solid consistency. He finished outside of the
top-five overall only once and scored three podium finishes. He does
become the first rider in the history of AMA 125 Motocross however, to
win the championship without having won a National. He and teammate Ryan
Hughes were locked into a three-way battle for the championship with Pro
Circuit Kawasaki's Mike Brown. Brown went down with a shoulder injury at
Washougal and aggravated the injury at Millville to drop out of title
contention. Late in the year Kawasaki's James Stewart put himself in the
championship picture by winning seven straight Nationals after missing
the first four rounds due to a broken collarbone.
In the end, it was Langston taking the title by 7 points over Hughes,
with Stewart 30 points back in third. Langston, 21, is in his third year
in AMA competition.
Langston's championship also marked an important milestone for KTM. The
Austrian maker has been involved in AMA racing since the mid-1970s and
has often been a leading contender, but never won the top prize. KTM
also becomes the first European maker to win the AMA 125 Motocross
title.
Langston follows in the footsteps of countryman Greg Albertyn who won
the AMA 250 Motocross Championship in 1999. Langston said he plans on
moving up to the 250 class for next season.