SUPERCROSS: World: Detroit round 15 pre-race notes

Amp'd Mobile Supercross Returns to Ford Field
AMA Supercross Lites Champion to be Crowned

AURORA, Ill. (April 17, 2007) -- Amp'd Mobile Supercross, the world's premier indoor off-road motorcycle racing series, returns to Detroit's Ford Field Saturday, April 21, featuring top racers Chad Reed, James Stewart and more. More than 500 truckloads of dirt will be brought into Ford Field for an event that brings a multi-million dollar economic impact to the city of Detroit.

In the previous race, Kawasaki's Stewart, of Haines City, Fla., picked up his 10th win of the season in the Amp'd Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series before a crowd of 41,635 at Texas Stadium. Kawasaki's Ben Townley, of Tallahassee, Fla., won the Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites main event.

"I'll take anything over last weekend," said Stewart in Dallas, referencing his poor start and come-from-behind win the previous weekend in Indianapolis. "The first two laps I was just kind of riding. The track changed a lot from the heat race to the main. I swept Texas this year (winning Houston earlier in the year) and that's big."

Stewart won his second consecutive Amp'd Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series race before 40,101 fans at the inaugural race at Ford Field last season. Honda's Josh Grant, of Riverside, Calif., won the AMA Supercross Lites main event.

"I got out and ran a good pace, saw those guys coming -- congrats to Ricky and Chad," said Stewart last year. "I got my pace on the first lap and really didn't change anything after that."

The Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites class will crown a champion in Detroit. Yamaha's Ryan Morais is the current points leader over Kawasaki's Ben Townley and Darcy Lange. Although Morais holds a three-point lead, he has yet to win a main event. Despite not finishing due to a mechanical problem at the opening race of the championship, Townley has bounced back, scoring three wins and a second place. If he wins the championship, he will become the first rider in AMA Supercross Lites history to start the season in last place and go on to win the championship.

Amp'd Mobile Supercross has a rich history in Michigan, dating back to March 27, 1976 when the first race was held at the Silverdome. Forty-six AMA Supercross races in total have been held at the Silverdome. Supercross legend Bob Hannah holds the all-time win record at the Silverdome with seven, including a four-race win streak. AMA Supercross Lites racing began in the Silverdome on April 13, 1986, and Honda's Keith Turpin collected his first of two career wins. Linden, Mich., native Brian Swink holds the all-time AMA Supercross Lites win record with three.

Tickets are available at www.supercrossonline.com, all TicketMaster outlets, participating Yamaha dealers, the Ford Field box office or by phone at 248-645-6666. Gold Circle seats are $50, Mid-Level seats are $40 for adults and $20 for kids; Treadhead seats are $20 for adults and $10 for kids; all seats are $2 more on the day of the race. Practice and qualifying begins at 12:30 and racing begins at 7:00 p.m.

The AMA Supercross class will air on CBS Sports Sunday, April 22, at Noon (EST). SPEED will broadcast the AMA Supercross Lites class Sunday, April 29, at 4:00 p.m. (EST).

-credit: supercrossonline.com