Houston Supercross race report

Houston, Texas. - It took a while for Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki's Ricky Carmichael to move into the lead that would result in his eighth-straight win in EA SPORTS Supercross. Team Husqvarna's Travis Preston pulled off his first 125cc supercross win in one of the most dramatic finishes ever.

Staring in fifth place in the 250cc Main Event, Carmichael, Havana, Fla., worked his way through the pack and captured his ninth win of the season and extended his series points lead to 32. Team Yamaha's Tim Ferry won the $1,000 SFX.com Holeshot Award. Kevin Windham of Team Suzuki led for six laps before surrendering to Carmichael. Seven-time supercross champion Jeremy McGrath worked his way through the field to finish second and Mike LaRocco finished third.

"I have been getting great starts but not tonight," said Carmichael. "It's always better to come from behind and get the win. This season is going great and I hope to continue this throughout the season."

The 125cc Main Event was in the bag for Team KTM/Red Bull's Grant Langston, who won the $500 SFX.com Holeshot Award, but a last lap crash placed him in a disappointing fourth place. The crash allowed Preston to move into the lead. Preston would hold on for his first 125cc Western Regional Supercross win. Greg Schnell finished second and Rodrig Thain third. Series points leader Ernesto Fonseca crashed at the mid-point of the race and finished 6th.

"I didn't even know I won the race," said Preston. "When I pulled off my mechanic told me I won, and I was so excited. I had no idea Langston even crashed."

Round 12 of EA SPORTS Supercross Presented by Speed Stick will head to St. Louis, Mo., at the TWA Dome. Tickets are available at www.sfx.com <http://www.sfx.com>, www.ticketmaster.com <http://www.ticketmaster.com>, or at the stadium box office.

The 16th Round of EA SPORTS Supercross will conclude in Las Vegas with the event being aired live on Pay-Per-View.

<pre> 125cc Western Regional Supercross Series Standings

1) Ernesto Fonseca      Costa Rica              Yamaha          123 pts
2) Justin Buckelew      Albuquerque, N.M.       Yamaha          103 pts
3) Rodrig Thain         France                  Suzuki          101 pts

250cc Series Standings

1) Ricky Carmichael     Havana, Fla.            Kawasaki        267 pts
2) Jeremy McGrath       Encinitas, Calif.       Yamaha          235 pts
3) Mike LaRocco         South Bend, Ind.        Honda           211 pts

-SFX