Budds Creek

Hamblin races from dead last to 11^th in first moto; teammate Jason Lawrence runs in the top ten for both motos, but a couple mistakes relegate him to 15^th overall

CORONA, Calif., (June 19, 2006) – ROCKSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Hamblin let it be known in the first practice session that fans at Budds Creek were going to need to keep an eye on him. Hamblin blazed out on his RMZ450 and put up the 4^th fastest time behind Ricky Carmichael, Chad Reed and Kevin Windham.

Hamblin didn’t let up when it counted either, rebounding from a dead last place start in the first moto to finish 11^th and rallying from a couple mistakes in the second moto to take 14^th. Overall on the day Hamblin finished just outside the top ten in 11^th overall.

“Something I can build on for sure,” said Hamblin of his best Nationals finish on the year, which moved him into the top 20 overall in points. “Looking forward to keeping it going in a couple weeks at RedBud.”

In the Lites class New Jersey native Jason Lawrence suffered a couple mistakes that kept him out of the top ten. His starts weren’t happening in either moto, forcing him to play catch up from 20^th place. And having to play catch up led the young prospect into a couple lapses that moved him out of 6^th and 7^th place in the motos to where he’d eventually end up (14-10 for 15^th overall).

“I should have gone 5-6,” said Lawrence. “I think I’ve hit the ground at least once in every race other than Southwick. Speed’s definitely there, my fitness level is better than it’s ever been, now it’s just eliminating the mental errors and I’ll be right up there in the top five to six spots.”

Running into some worse luck on Sunday was defending Budds Creek 125 class champion Mike Brown. Brown, the subject of a feature story in the Maryland Independent prior to the race, suffered an unfortunate mechanical issue with his bike while in 7^th place in the first moto and was unable to finish.

ROCKSTAR Suzuki athletes – led by Hamblin, Lawrence, Brown and Ryan Mills - return to action for Round Five of the 2006 Toyota AMA Motocross Championship at RedBud in Buchanan, Mich. (July 2^nd).

Team ROCKSTAR/Suzuki would like to thank its sponsors:  Bill’s Pipes, Alloy, Moto Metal Custom Wheels, Dunlop, Renthal, Renthal Chain Wheels, Torco, K&N Filters, One Industries, 661, Sunline/ARC, RG3, Moto-Master, Hinson, UFO Plastics, Quiksilver, AC Racing, PPG.