Langston Wins Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open $100,000 Check
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
1. Joey Crown, Metamora, Mich., KTM
2. Tristan Miller, Alpine, Calif., KTM
3. Sean Cantrell, Newbury Park, Calif., KTM
4. Shawn Lewis, Jackson, Ga., KTM
5. Bret Welch, Oklahoma City, Okla., KTM
6. Jack Flower, Dallas, Ore., KTM
7. Cobe Lehnertz, Lodi, Calif., KTM
8. Logan Chambers, Parker, Ariz., KTM
9. JJ Kepley, Laurel, Miss., KTM
10. Grayson Graham, Bainbridge, Ga., KTM
11. Skylar Demuth, Boca Raton, Fla., KTM
12. Dylan Bolinger, Corona, Calif., KTM
13. Christopher Boothe, Atkins, Va., KTM
14. Stephane Sum, Loretto, ON
15. Cody Purcell, Redondo Beach, Calif., KTM
16. Clay Woeste, Florence, Ken., KTM
-credit: ama/livenation
