Langston rides into SX opener with championship momentum

By: RICK HOFF - Staff Writer | Friday, January 4, 2008 11:20 PM PST ∞

ANAHEIM -- Grant Langston is accustomed to winning.

Among his accomplishments aboard a motorcycle are a 125cc world motocross championship, a 125cc American Motorcyclist Association national motocross championship and back-to-back Supercross Lites championships for Kawasaki. So when the likable South African changed employers last year and moved up in class to the big 450cc bikes for the 2007 supercross season, more of the same was expected.

But it was not to be. A 20th-place finish in his first race at Angel Stadium of Anaheim was followed by a practice crash that resulted in a broken collarbone and a sprained right wrist. So much for his debut for Yamaha.

"Last year at this time, I felt a little bit alone," Langston said Thursday from Angel Stadium, the venue for tonight's AMA Supercross season opener.

With a new team and a new bike, the last thing Langston needed was down time.

"I only started riding the Yamaha about mid-November last year," he said. "My fitness was down, and I got a late start. Everything was new, the bike and all.

"I didn't have a lot of track time. We started off behind the 8-ball."

The layoff forced Langston to miss eight supercross races. When he returned to racing, on March 9 at Daytona Beach, Fla., he managed a seventh-place finish. The next two races also produced top-10 results, including a season-best fourth at Indianapolis. But Langston finished no higher than 12th the rest of the season.

Boy, how times have changed.

"I'm quite pleased with what we have accomplished since then," Langston said in a masterful understatement.

The AMA Toyota Motocross outdoor season changed Langston's fortunes. Riding a new YZ450F, Langston went on a tear after midseason and won the last three Nationals. Needing a big day in the outdoor season finale at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, the 25-year-old rider won the first moto and safely placed third in the second moto to clinch the 2007 AMA Motocross championship by 16 points over series runner-up Mike Alessi.

Following the outdoor season, Langston returned to supercross and continued his momentum last fall by winning the U.S. Open of Supercross in Las Vegas and placing second behind fellow Yamaha rider Chad Reed at the prestigious Bercy Supercross in France.

"I took about a week off the bike after the outdoors and went straight to the U.S. Open," Langston said. "Everything we've done has been in the right direction."

Langston, again, is one of the top riders as he enters his second supercross season aboard a 450. Defending supercross champion James Stewart is well aware of his challengers.

"Chad and Grant are both great champions," Stewart said Thursday as he prepared to defend his Anaheim championship. "They are great riders, and that's motivation in itself for me."

For Langston to remain at the top of his game, he knows he has to take the supercross season in increments.

"My goal for the season is to complete all 17 rounds," he said. "I've never finished a 17-race season, and I've got to learn to crawl before I can walk.

"First and foremost, I'm looking to keep the momentum I have behind me. Being with Yamaha is working well, and they know what I like."

Langston and his family, including wife Chelsey, son Devin and daughter Haley, split their time between Clermont, Fla., and Murrieta. Constant companions at Langston's races, the family celebrated the AMA Motocross championship on the podium together at Glen Helen Raceway.

Tonight, the family might need to bring the rain gear as soggy weather is forecast for the weekend in Southern California. The track at Angel Stadium was covered on Thursday, and practice time could be limited by the conditions.

"I always look at a mud race like a lottery," Langston said. "You could go down in a first-turn pileup, and that would make it miserable. I wouldn't say I love mud, but I don't dislike it. I've had great days in the mud and I've had terrible days in the mud, so we'll find out."

One thing is for sure, and that is every rider is tied for the points lead going into the season opener.

"I have no points right now and no supercross wins, so I can only go up from here," Langston said. "It's a long series, and my first challenge is to learn more about myself and minimize my mistakes."

And that should lead to more return trips to the podium.

Contact staff writer Rick Hoff at (760) 740-3545 or rhoff@nctimes.com.

Anaheim Supercross

What: Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship

Where: Angel Stadium of Anaheim

When: Today; qualifying starts at 12:30 p.m., main heats start at 7 p.m.

TV: SPEED, 7 p.m.

Tickets: $15-$75

Information: www.supercrossonline.com