Round 4 – San Francisco, Ca – AT&T Park – January 26th, 2008
ANAHEIM, CA (January 27, 2008) - One of the biggest storms to hit the California coast so far this year, drenched the track in San Francisco with more than 37,300 fans in attendance. But, that didn’t slow down Team San Manuel Yamaha’s Chad Reed as he went on to win his third Supercross race of the season.
Reed began the night by setting the fastest qualifying time with a 49.494 lap time, almost 1⁄2 second faster then his nearest competitor. San Manuel Yamaha team mate Nathan Ramsey also made the program by qualifying in the top 12 with a 53.475 lap time on the challenging track.
In the second heat race, Reed led seven of the eight laps of the heat and took a decisive win. Team mate Ramsey had a tough start and ended up in the LCQ where a strong third place finish advanced him to the main event.
Coming off a mid-pack start in the Main, Reed immediately started to pick off riders and move up. By lap four he was in third, and by lap six Reed was in second, and then powered on to take over the lead on lap seven. Reed led from that point forward, taking his third win of the season and extending his Supercross points lead to over 20 points.
“I did make some mistakes out there tonight, and I was able to get a little luck,” said Reed after his third victory in four starts this season. “I’m happy to come back after the bad start I had.”
Meanwhile, Ramsey was moving up from another challenging start. Having his troubles with the mud, he never gave up and continued to attack. Trying everything in his power, Ramsey was picking off riders one at a time in his quest for a top ten finish. With the race being shortened to 15 laps from 20, Ramsey fought up to 11th, and then bobbled in the mud and dropped back to 16th. He charged again, but ran out of time and laps, and finished a hard fought 16th on the muddy San Francisco track.
Reed, who won the Supercross opener in Anaheim, also won Anaheim II on January 19, 2008. If he wins Anaheim III on February 2, 2008, he will have won the Anaheim Supercross Triple Crown, a feat rarely accomplished even by the greatest Supercross riders of all time.
Both Reed and Ramsey and return to Anaheim, CA, on February 2nd, for the fifth round of the Monster Energy Supercross Series and for the third and final visit to Angel Stadium.
Team San Manuel Yamaha highlights – San Francisco – Round 4:
Chad Reed: Fastest Qualifier with a 49.494 lap time.
Nathan Ramsey: 12th fastest Qualifier with a 53.475 lap time.
Chad Reed: Winner Heat Race #2, direct transfer to the main event.
Nathan Ramsey: Third place in the LCQ, transfer to the main event.
Chad Reed: Winner Supercross Main Event, leading 9 of 15 laps.
Nathan Ramsey: 16th in Supercross Main Event.
Chad Reed: Supercross Championship points leader with 97 points, three wins and one second place finish in four races.
Nathan Ramsey: Ninth in Supercross Championship points with 43 points.
About Team San Manuel Yamaha
Team San Manuel Yamaha is Fueled by Fusion Energy and sponsored by AM PM, Nike, ProTaper, DID Chains, Yamalube, Akrapobic, Vortex, Bridgestone, One Industries, VP Racing Fuels, and GYTR.
About L & M Racing
L & M Racing was formed in 2006 by Owner/Team Manager Larry Brooks and partner Mike Kranyak. In its second year of operation, L & M Racing’s 2008 team, Team San Manuel Yamaha, consists of former Supercross Champion Chad Reed and former West Coast Lites Champion Nathan Ramsey. Led by Brooks, a key component in the Jeremy McGrath/ Chaparral Racing team’s three-year championship reign in Supercross; the first and only independent team to ever win the AMA Supercross Series Championship, L & M is positioned for another successful season in a race for the 2008 Championship.
About the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
The San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians is a federally recognized American Indian tribe located near the city of Highland, California. The Serrano Indians are the indigenous people of the San Bernardino highlands, passes, valleys and mountains who share a common language and culture. The San Manuel reservation was established in 1891 and recognized as a sovereign nation with the right of self-government. Despite challenges and hardships, the San Manuel tribal community has continued to progressively maintain and enhance its unique form of government – focusing all efforts on providing a better quality of life for its citizens. Through economic diversification, both on and off the reservation, the tribe has been forward thinking in its efforts to build infrastructure, maintain civil services and promote social, economic, educational and governmental units including the departments of fire, public safety, education and environment and continues to pursue opportunities for future generations.
