Ricky Carmichael shows he is the boss

Ricky Carmichael put the dramatic events of this weeks fuel controversy behind him and got back down to the business of winning supercross races. The Team Makita Suzuki rider was at his best when he overcame a lackluster start to win round 8 of the AMA Amp‰Ûªd Mobile Supercross series at Atlanta, GA. Honda's Josh Grant took his first win in the East Coast championship. "With everything that's happened this week I don't know what I can say," Carmichael told the 70,000 fans at the Atlanta Georgia Dome. "All I know is I am going to try and make it bitter sweet for my team, the have nothing to be ashamed of and did nothing wrong, I wish I had a chance to defend myself. I showed everybody tonight that I am the real guy". "Maybe I will go an test some cars or something next week since I'm out of the championship," he added. After a crash in his heat race with Ernesto Fonseca sent him to qualify through the semi, Yamaha's Chad Reed hit the first corner of the 20 lap main with a vengeance, taking the holeshot and stamping his name on the number one spot. His closest rival in the championship James Stewart once again never made it through the first turn and had to pick his bike up and take up pursuit after once again crashing in turn one. Carmichael did not get the start he was looking for either and floundered in 8th position. Reed owned the front running for the early laps but Carmichael had begun to work his way toward the front passing Ryan Clark, Fonseca, Michael Byrne and his team-mate Ivan Tedesco before he slotted into second position. James Stewart progress through the field was a little slower, although he did have a lot more riders to pass, and by mid race had moved to seventh. Carmichael made his move into the lead on 11th lap and started to settle in, Reed was never to far away though and the Australian never gave up the chase, sitting closely behind, following and looking for an opportunity to retake his previous position. On lap 17 Reed's hopes of taking the lead back vanished when he lost the front end, although he didn't crash he did lose momentum and Carmichael was assured the victory. Stewart had gotten passed the ever improving Ivan Tedesco on lap 15 but, with a gap of almost 30 seconds to second placed Reed he settled in for the lonely rider to the last step of the podium. After finishing less than three seconds behind Carmichael, Reed was all smiles after the race, "I am happy, it was a rough night and I am glad to have gotten a holeshot, lead some laps and be up here on the podium, said the former champion. "I worked to hard to get here so I was not going to throw it away by pushing to catch Ricky after the bobble near the end," he added when asked about whether he could have taken the lead back. For Carmichael though there was not much to take from the whole weekend and he vented his anger at the AMA in the after race press conference. Sounding very downbeat he said. "I have never been in this position before and it sucks, Chad can virtually cruise to Vegas; where is the fun and entertainment in that. To hell with supercross I am just going to start working towards the outdoors from here on." As far as th AMA decision to deduct 25 points for an illegal fuel sample the 4 time champion said. "I am still beside myself, you just send your gas of and somebody said it failed. I am disappointed for the team. We all put to much time , training, work, and way to much money to be sitting here on the sidelines and watch these two guys go at it". "I don‰Ûªt think it's fair to any of us riders and we should stand up together. They are changing the tracks to try and make the racing better, do this and do that, why don't the AMA buy the fuel and we will pull up like NASCAR does and pump your damn fuel right into your bike and then go out, if it comes back failing the we know somebody tampered with it between here and the starting gate. Their (AMA) are changing the track trying to make it a great series, but they just wiped me out!" Ominously he added, "If they don't let me appeal; maybe I will just see everyone in Sacramento (The opening round of the Motocross)" In the Supercross Lites class Grant won the Progressive Direct Holeshot Award to start the AMA Supercross Lites main event. He held the lead in the early stages and avoided a cluster of crashes that kept series front runners KTM‰Ûªs Josh Hansen and Honda's Davi Millsaps out of contention. Grant cruised to his first victory ahead of Millsaps and Martin Davalos who finished third for his first career podium.