Carmichael shooting for his sixth straight at Southern Maryland track
PICKERINGTON, Ohio (June 14, 2005) – Grant Langston admitted that even he was surprised to be back in title contention after scoring zero points in the second round of the AMA Motocross Championship presented by FMF, but as the series moves to round four in Budds Creek, Md., on June 19, the gritty South African finds himself second in the 125 standings to rival Mike Brown and with new hope for winning back the championship.
While Langston and Brown are set for another showdown in the 125s, Ricky Carmichael is off to another great start in the 250 series. Even though he lost a moto for the first time in nearly two years last week in Massachusetts, the five-time 250 champ just keeps winning in spite of a much ballyhooed challenge from Kawasaki’s young star James Stewart, which so far hasn’t fully materialized. Yamaha’s Chad Reed, however, is keeping Carmichael honest by beating the reigning champ in moto one last week.
Langston’s victory in the opening round in Sacramento last month proved to be a costly one. He made a last ditch effort to pass leader Mike Alessi on the final turn, but lost control of his Monster Energy Drink/Pro Circuit Kawasaki and both riders crashed. Even though Langston was able to remount his bike and cross the line for the win, he’d severely dislocated his left ankle in the process. A week later, Langston was forced to pull out of the race in Mt. Morris, Pa., after snagging his foot in a rut and again hurting the tender ankle.
So it was a shocker last Sunday when Langston came back to win at Motocross 338, considered to be the roughest track in the series.
“I have to say I was a little surprised myself that I was able to win at Southwick,