He may have suffered something of a demoralising finish to the AMA Supercross series - claiming the title but struggling to take victory in the second half of the season - but Ricky Carmichael marked his Outdoor debut with Team Suzuki in style at Hangtown on Sunday; winning both motos on his way to an early championship lead.
Carmichael, who has switched to Suzuki’s 450cc four-stroke, led both 30-minute motos from start to finish, winning the first by 47-seconds from Yamaha’s David Vuillemin and the second by 25-seconds over Amsoil Honda’s Kevin Windham
The defending champion had been expected to face tough opposition from rapid rookie James 'Bubba' Stewart and - to a lesser extent - main Supercross rival Chad Reed, however neither would trouble RC on Sunday.
Kawasaki star Stewart fell several times on his way to sixth in moto one, then withdrew from the final outing after suffering dizziness in the searing heat. Meanwhile, Reed - who was racing despite a concussion sustained in a Saturday fall - claimed 3-3 finishes for second overall behind Carmichael.
Reed’s team-mate Vuillemin finished 2-4 to complete the Hangtown podium, while Windham was left just ninth overall after a poor first moto.
In the 125cc class, Grant Langston took overall victory after a spectacular last turn moto two collision with Mike Alessi. Both riders fell in the clash, but Langston remounted first and went on to win both the moto and the overall… despite sustaining a suspected dislocated ankle in the fall.
Meanwhile, Alessi couldn’t restart his KTM and after trying to push it to the line finally ignited his engine to claim a mere 15th place - allowing AMA returnee Mike Brown to claim the overall runner-up spot, behind Langston, after 3-2 finishes.
Suzuki’s Broc Hepler, who won the first moto ahead of Langston’s Kawasaki, finished third overall after claiming fifth in race two.
