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 Grant Langston
came into last year's Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open
with Lady Luck, but that relationship ended after he
cashed the $100,000 winner's check. Before the Rockstar
Energy Drink U.S. Open, Langston, who came to the U.S.
from South Africa, captured his first AMA Motocross
class championship.
Langston was
dealt a lucky hand when Kawasaki's James Stewart, who
won last year's AMA Supercross championship, pulled
out of the 2007 AMA Motocross championships at the Millville
stop due to an injured knee. The series' points leader,
Stewart handed the race to his teammate Tim Ferry, Honda's
Andrew Short and KTM's Mike Alessi.
  
At one point
during the summer Langston was as far back as sixth
place in the points standings with five races to go.
The Yamaha rider made a remarkable comeback, finishing
second twice and winning the final three races of the
season giving him the championship.
"James was
the guy to beat this year," said Langston. "After
he was injured there were four or five of us who could
have won the championship. I may never win a championship
again; I just left everything out there at the end of
the season."
Riding high with
confidence, Langston entered the Rockstar Energy Drink
U.S. Open, but odds makers had him 5/2 favorite behind
Kevin Windham and Reed. Reed, who won the U.S. Open in
2003 & 2004, did not compete in the AMA Motocross
Championship because of his supercross-only contract.
Even before odds
makers listed Langston as the third favorite rider to
win the race, some would say it's preposterous for Langston
to win the coveted Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open.
"I don't
think anyone really picked Grant Langston to win the
U.S. Open last year, especially with a healthy Chad
Reed in the line-up," said Racer X reporter Billy
Ursic. "Despite the fact that Langston does have
two regional supercross titles, he really wasn't my
pick for the win."
Reed made a statement
Friday night as he won the Progressive Holeshot and
rode off for the win with a huge margin of victory.
"I learned
a lot in my heat race," said Reed following Friday
night's race last year. "I pushed my way through
the first turn and that made the race easy for me. The
holeshot is very important, and I worked hard to get
up there. I am looking forward to tomorrow night. I
came here to win, and that is my plan."
Langston did
beat Windham and finished second. "Chad gapped
me early on," said Langston. "Also, I wanted
to stay cautious and ride consistent to put myself in
a good position for tomorrow night."
 Chad's win on
Friday night offered a sub-plot for Saturday night's
race. The three-part Trifecta bonus program pays
additional money to the fastest qualifier for each night's
event, a bonus to each night's holeshot winner and a
bonus for any rider that can complete the trifecta challenge
by being the fastest qualifier, getting the holeshot
and winning the main event. If any rider accomplishes
these feats on both nights, they will be awarded a total
of $250,000.
"I was extra
motivated to get the holeshot, and the big talk was
that no one was going to win the Trifecta," said
Reed.
Saturday night's
strategy for Langston was simple: beat Reed.
When the gate
dropped Saturday night, it looked like a land mine went
off in turn one as half the field tangled and dropped
to the floor of the MGM Grand Garden Arena, including
Reed, Langston and Ferry. Out front, Lites class rider
Jake Weimer led the pack. Reed's first turn crash eliminated
the hopes of winning the Trifecta, but it was the win
that he was after.
During Reed's
mad dash to the front, he crashed two additional times;
once with Andrew Short and once with Langston.
 
 When the chips
fell, Weimer took the win, Reed finished eighth and
Langston fifth. Langston's 2-5 finishes gave him 38
points while Reed's 1-8 finishes brought the score to
a tie. The tiebreaker was given to Langston because
his combined finishes were better than Reed's.
"I got a
little bit of luck with the way the start went,"
said Weimer after last year's race. "I wasn't worried
about the overall because I had a bad finish last night.
I just wanted to get the win."
This was the
first Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open win of his career.
"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."
A formidable
competitor, Langston raced to the win but it would be
the last stroke of good luck he would enjoy for some
time.
 "The U.S.
Open is a battle of attrition, and Langston was the
most consistent rider all weekend long, and it paid
off big time--to the tune of $100,000," said Ursic.
After luckluster
finishes at the first four AMA Supercross class races,
Langston withdrew from the championship due to a condition
that affected his vision. During his comeback to defend
his AMA Motocross Championship, he broke his collarbone
and will miss the first few races and will ultimately be unable
to repeat his championship run.
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