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AMA Pro Racing press release

"I was patient and found a place I could make my move. Once I made the pass I was able to go a little quicker and hold on for the win."

Ray Gundy photo

Grant Langston enjoyed the proverbial icing on the cake Friday night in Las Vegas by winning the Supermoto Unlimited class of the AMA Red Bull Supermoto Championship. Langston, 21, of South Africa, took the win riding a Red Bull HMC KTM. Already the recently crowned winner of the AMA Chevy Trucks 125 U.S. Motocross Championship, Langston showed equal skill in supermoto. After battling with early leader Ben Carlson and European ace Kurt Nicoll, Langston pulled away late in the 14-lap final to take the victory and the championship in the winner-take-all format.

Langston, the 2000 FIM 125 World Motocross Champion, proved to be a quick learner in supermoto. After qualifying for the Las Vegas finale via a 10th-place finish at the Dallas round last month, Langston proved he would be a contender in Las Vegas after qualifying second to Nicoll in Friday's first heat race. In the final Langston got a great start and ran second behind Carlson. He said running behind his more experience KTM teammate gave him a great chance to make up a race strategy.

"Ben was a little faster in a few sections and I was faster in some others," said Langston. "I was patient and found a place I could make my move. I might have been a little too cautious in the early laps, but once I made the pass I was able to go a little quicker and hold on for the win."

Carlson finished a close second in the finale, a great performance for the 18-year-old from West Bend, Wis. Nicoll, former World Motocross star and manager of KTM's world championship racing effort, was frustrated after making a big error at the start of the race. "I made a ridiculous mistake on the first turn," said Nicoll, the winner of the opening round at Laguna Seca in July. "I found a lot of places to pass but just ran out of time."

Langston won the Supermoto Unlimited title in live front of a national television audience on the Outdoor Life Network. KTM riders swept the first four positions in the championship race.

Mike Alessi, of Apple Valley, Calif., won the Honda Red Riders Jr. Supermoto Challenge presented by the HRCA over Jamie Siever and Aaron King.

About AMA Pro Racing
AMA Pro Racing is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its properties include the AMA Supercross Championship, the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Championship, the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship, the AMA Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championship and the AMA Red Bull Supermoto Championship. Nearly 2 million race fans attended AMA Pro Racing events during the 2002 season. For more information about AMA Pro Racing, visit www.amaproracing.com.