Lites Class Racer Weimer Wins Main Event
LAS VEGAS (October 13, 2007) – Yamaha’s Grant Langston, of Clermont, Fla., won the Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open at the packed MGM Grand Garden Arena tonight finishing 2-5 and winning $100,000. Honda’s Jake Weimer, of Rupert, Idaho, won the main event.
“That was the craziest race of my entire life,” said an elated Langston. “I was hit about 15 times out there tonight, and I hit 15 people myself. I didn’t know where I was at, so I kept looking at my pit board. I never gave up tonight.”
Last night’s champion, Chad Reed, needed to win the Progressive Holeshot and the main event tonight to win the $250,000 Trifecta Bonus Award. Earlier in the evening, he captured the superpole, which put him one step closer to the jackpot.
When the gate dropped, the field of 14 riders sprinted to the first turn. Reed, Langston and Tim Ferry tangled in turn one, ending all hopes of winning the $250,000. Weimer won the Progressive Holeshot with fellow Honda rider Josh Demuth, of Keller, Texas, in tow.
“I never gave up after that crash,” added Langston
On lap 11 Reed and Honda’s Andrew Short, of Smithville, Texas, collided and crashed. Upon re-entering the race, Reed crashed again with Langston. Weimer held on for the win, Demuth finished second and Suzuki’s Mike Alessi, of Victorville, Calif., finished third.
“That was an awesome race,” said Weimer. “I crashed last night and made up for it tonight with a great start.”
Last night Reed led all 20 laps of the main event, beating Langston and Short respectively.
“I was going for the holeshot and went down,” said Reed. “Timmy (Ferry) had a bad night last … we race with a lot of emotion and things happen.”
Although Langston and Reed tied in overall points, Langston was awarded the victory due to his fifth-place finish over Reed’s eighth-place finish tonight. In the two-race format, the results of the second race take precedence over the first race.
Honda’s Mike LaRocco swept both nights of racing in the Alpinestars Rematch race. LaRocco, who won the 2002 U.S. Open championship, and Jeff Emig, who won the 1999 U.S. Open championship, traded positions several times in tonight’s main event before Emig stalled the bike in the corner, allowing LaRocco to run away with the win.
Open Class Results Overall Results
1) Grant Langston, Clermont, Fla., Yamaha, 38pts, 2-5
2) Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Yamaha, 38pts, 1-8
3) Josh Demuth, Keller, Texas, Honda, 37pts, 6-2
4) Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Honda, 36pts, 10-1
5) Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 36pts, 5-3
6) Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 34pts, 3-7
7) Dan Reardon, Australia, Honda, 32pts, 7-4
8) Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, KTM, 28pts, 8-6
9) Tim Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki, 27pts, 4-12
10) Michael Byrne, Newnan, Ga., Suzuki, 22pts, 9-11
Alpinestars Rematch Race Overall Results
1) Mike LaRocco
2) Damon Huffman
3) Jeff Emig
Open Class Results, Saturday
1) Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Honda
2) Josh Demuth, Keller, Texas, Honda
3) Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki
4) Dan Reardon, Australia, Honda
5) Grant Langston, Clermont, Fla., Yamaha
6) Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, KTM
7) Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
8) Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Yamaha
9) Heath Voss, Mico, Texas, Honda
10) Jason Thomas, Melrose, Fla., Honda
Alpinestars Rematch Race, Saturday
1) Mike LaRocco
2) Damon Huffman
3) Jeff Emig
KTM Junior Supercross Challenge Results, Saturday
- Joey Crown, Metamora, Mich., KTM
- Tristan Miller, Alpine, Calif., KTM
- Sean Cantrell, Newbury Park, Calif., KTM
- Shawn Lewis, Jackson, Ga., KTM
- Bret Welch, Oklahoma City, Okla., KTM
- Jack Flower, Dallas, Ore., KTM
- Cobe Lehnertz, Lodi, Calif., KTM
- Logan Chambers, Parker, Ariz., KTM
- JJ Kepley, Laurel, Miss., KTM
- Grayson Graham, Bainbridge, Ga., KTM
- Skylar Demuth, Boca Raton, Fla., KTM
- Dylan Bolinger, Corona, Calif., KTM
- Christopher Boothe, Atkins, Va., KTM
- Stephane Sum, Loretto, ON
- Cody Purcell, Redondo Beach, Calif., KTM
- Clay Woeste, Florence, Ken., KTM
Open Class Results, Friday
1) Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Yamaha
2) Grant Langston, Clermont, Fla., Yamaha
3) Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
4) Tim Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki
5) Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki
6) Josh Demuth, Keller, Texas, Honda
7) Dan Reardon, Australia, Honda
8) Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, KTM
9) Michael Byrne, Newnan, Ga., Suzuki
10) Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Honda
Alpinestars Rematch Results, Friday
- Mike LaRocco
- Jeff Emig
- Damon Huffman
KTM Junior Supercross Challenge, Friday
- Tristan Miller, Alpine, Calif., KTM
- Sean Cantrell, Newbury Park, Calif., KTM
- Logan Chambers, Parker, Ariz., KTM
- Cody Purcell, Redondo Beach, Calif., KTM
- JJ Kepley, Laurel, Miss., KTM
- Clay Woeste, Florence, Ken., KTM
- Joey Crown, Metamora, Mich., KTM
- Shawn Lewis, Jackson, Ga., KTM
- Christopher Boothe, Atkins, Va., KTM
- Skylar Demuth, Boca Raton, Fla., KTM
- Cobe Lehnertz, Lodi, Calif., KTM
- Dylan Bolinger, Corona, Calif., KTM
- Grayson Graham, Bainbridge, Ga., KTM
- Stephane Sum, Loretto, ON
- Bret Welch, Oklahoma City, Okla., KTM
- Jack Flower, Dallas, Ore., KTM
About The Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open
The 10th-Annual Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open is an invite-only indoor off-road motocross race inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena October 12-14, 2007, featuring the world’s top supercross/motocross racers. Live Nation is the world's largest live music company. Our mission is to inspire passion for live music around the world. We are the largest promoter of live concerts in the world, the second-largest entertainment venue management company and have a rapidly growing online presence. We create superior experiences for artists and fans, regularly producing tours for the biggest superstars in the business, including The Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Madonna, U2 and Coldplay. Globally, we own, operate, have booking rights for and/or have an equity interest in more than 160 venues, including House of Blues® music venues and prestigious locations such as The Fillmore in San Francisco, Nikon at Jones Beach in New York and London’s Wembley Arena. Our websites collectively are the second most popular entertainment/event websites in the United States, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. In addition, we also produce, promote or host theatrical, specialized motor sports and other live entertainment events. In 2006, we connected nearly 60 million fans with their favorite performers at approximately 26,000 events in 18 countries around the world. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol “LYV.”
About AMA Racing
AMA Racing is the competition arm of the American Motorcyclist Association and is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its professional properties include the 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, the AMA Supermoto Championship and the AMA Pro ATV Championship. In amateur and pro-am competition, AMA Racing sanctions over 4000 events in 24 different disciplines and supports over 110 thousand active members. For more information about professional racing, visit www.amaproracing.com. Accredited media outlets can also access an on line Press Room at www.amaproracing.com/pressroom. For amateur racing information visit www.amadirectlink.com/amrace/amasports.asp. |