For years Southwick has provided some of the greatest racing on the outdoor motocross calendar. The ever-changing landscape of The 'Wick's sand keeps lines different throughout the weekend, bike-sized breaking bumps appear out of nowhere, roost in your face, it's gnarly.

2007's Race proved to be more of the same, consistent battling we've come to know from year's past, though it would be tough to beat Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart's battle in 2006.

Here's how the podium stacked up in '07:

Lites Class
1. Ben Townley
2. Ryan Villopoto
3. Ryan Dungey

Motocross Class
Ricky Carmichael
James Stewart
Grant Langston

Invite - 3min 26sec
The week before the National, a group of invited riders show up to put in some laps at an invitational race. In this short video we hear from Josh Grant and a very young Jake Weimer.



Rider of the Week - 3min 29sec
Gavin Gracyk makes this weeks ROTW heading in to Southwick. He was a privateer and returned to racing after a very tough year personally. Making sure that one of our brothers gets back up when he's down, the Mototalk and Racer X community stepped up and helped him out quite a bit.



Test Day - 2min 14sec
Checking in with Davi Millsaps and Tommy Hahn during testing day. They had already put in some laps on the infamous circuit and had a few things to say before heading into the weekend's event.



Pre-Show 19min 52sec
Jason Weigandt and Davey Coombs check in on "move-in" day and talk about the scenery and how the track is turning out. After weeks of racing on the hard pack of the West, the racers are definitely in for a treat in the soft stuff.

Coming in to Southwick Carmichael and Stewart were close in points. Out front in the Lites class was Villopoto even without an overall win for the season yet. Leticia Cline sweeps the pits and checks in with Ryan Dungey, Ricky Carmichael and Johnny O'mara.



Post-Show - 26min 14sec
Ben Townley makes his American presence known in the sand with a 2-1 finish for the overall. Closely behind was Villopoto and Dungey. An exciting race.

Stewart put out an early lead in moto one, but Carmichael was very interested in reeling him in. RC and Stewart threw down again but it was RC who had the extra gear this year. Carmichael turned it on after about 20 minutes and really showed how fit he is. Grant Langston also shows some grit in moto two and pulls off something only a few in the world have done, pass James Stewart.



Buckley Berm - 1min 36sec
Maybe one of the most photographed turns on the Southwick circuit, the Buckley Berm is named after photographer Paul Buckley who has been shooting this track for ages. It's as fun to rail through this turn as it is to shoot photos of.

You've already re-lived round one of the 2007 Toyota Motocross Championship from Hangtown, now let's jump into our swayback machine again and revisit round two, High Point. Remember, these are the good 'ol days of the James Stewart and Ricky Carmichael Premier class battles, Ryan Dungey getting dialed in on the Lites class, Windham still looking young and spry and Josh Hill was still a face in the front of the pack. Round one of the Monster Energy Triple Crown of Motocross kicked off at High Point as well, so mucho dinero was on the line.

High Point's podium shook out like this:

Motocross Class
1. Ricky Carmichael
2. James Stewart
3. Davi Millsaps

Lites Class
1. Josh Grant (1st AMA overall outdoors)
2. Ryan Villopoto
3. Jason Lawrence

Pre-Show - 13min 10sec
Davi Coombs and Jason Weigandt open the pre-show from High Point with a great rundown of the differences between round 1 and 2 of the 2007 Toyota Motocross Championship.

Out in the pits, the shockingly beautiful, and currently very much missed 2007 Ms. Motocross Leticia Cline is interviewing Rob Buydos about the vintage race happening throughout the weekend. Weigandt picks Millsap's brain while he warms up for practice and pulls a few interesting tidbits about High Point while at it.



Post Show - 16min 03sec
This Post Show features a montage of scenes from around the facility and a lot of familiar, but shockingly younger faces. David Pingree and Jason Weigandt chase down the details of the weekend. In the Lites class Grant ran strong out front with a familiar duo in Villopoto and Lawrence behind him.

In the Premier class Ricky Carmichael was airing out the finish line single well beyond what anyone else was capable of which helped him put some distance between him and the pack. There was some exciting racing going on between the GOAT and Stewart but at the end of the day, it was all RC4.



Coming up on Wednesday is Southwick, stay tuned! Until then, here's a preview of the action from the sandbox:

2007 and 2008 were great years for outdoor motocross. We still had Ricky Carmichael (at select rounds) and James Stewart cruising around our tracks, the economy wasn't totally in the pot and things were exciting. We decided to dig up the old video footage from when Motocross.com and Racer X ran the Motocross Show as a sort of off-season nostalgia trip down Motocross Lane.

Throughout this series you're going to get a glimpse at how far motocross media has come, but realize that this industry is still the same. Each weekend dedicated athletes, mechanics and investors from all over the country make sacrifices for the sake of moto.

We hope you enjoy re-living these races as much as we had shooting them.

Up first, Hangtown.

Post-Show 15min 41sec
You couldn't talk about Hangtown in '07 without covering the Lawrence and Villopoto scurmish during practice, so there's plenty of footie in here from that. Charging forward the winners from each race gets the chance to sound off from the podium. Hear a young Ryan Dungey (running number 62) talk about his time in the Lites class, Villopoto cover his angles and more from Hangtown.



The Incident - 4min 53sec
After Jason Lawrence and Ryan Villopoto tangled in practice they were both given a fine and sent on their way. Lawrence also received the last gate pick for the weekend and didn't have a very successful ride. In this post-race press conference, the AMA addresses the issue and gives both riders an opportunity to tell their side and apologize.



Montage - 4min 59sec
Just some good lookin' b-roll from the weekend. Enjoy


Ok, that's it for Friday. See you next week in High Point!

START: 18th
FINISH: 29th

A rookie move by a veteran driver brought an early end to the day for 15-time AMA Champion Ricky Carmichael and his Monster Energy Chevrolet team in the CampingWorld.com 200 at Gateway International Raceway.

Carmichael was immediately comfortable with the truck his Turner Motorsports crew brought to Gateway in his practice sessions and, though he knew it wouldn't bring him a high-qualifying position, he was very excited to get behind the wheel for the start of the race. A power outage at the track delayed the race, causing the driver and crew to face sweltering heat and far different track conditions than they originally planned for, but Carmichael was solidly prepared to make his second start at Gateway.

When the first caution flag of the day flew at lap 12, Carmichael had gained four positions and reported to his crew "this thing is awesome - the truck is really good. The only thing we need right now is track position."

Carmichael continued to pick up positions, often running lap times faster than those drivers ahead of him and, by the second caution at lap 49, had broken into the top-10.

Carmichael brought his Monster Energy Chevrolet to the attention of his crew for four tires, a very minor air pressure adjustment and fuel. Unfortunately, a pit road error involving the fuel can leaving the pit stall forced Carmichael to bring the No. 4 back down pit road to serve a penalty. Crew Chief Mike Fritts opted to top him off with fuel and send him back out, well prepared to race his way back into contention. He re-started the race on lap 56 in the 18th-position.

The caution was displayed once more 16 laps later. In an effort to regain valuable track position, Carmichael took right-side tires only. He endured minor contact with the No. 88 on pit road, but was assured by his spotter and team that there was no damage. Confident in his truck, he re-started the race on lap 77 in the 13th-position, poised to continue to move his way up the leader board.

His strong run was short lived as Mike Skinner turned him into the wall on lap 81, completely demolishing the rear end of his Chevrolet. With little banking at the track, Carmichael rolled back down and received a hard hit from Jeffrey Earnhardt, causing both trucks to go to the garage. The Monster Energy team was left with a 29th-place finish and a determination to start racing the competition the same way they are raced.

The bikes are being tested and the tracks are being groomed as the anticipation builds for what is sure to be one of the most memorable seasons in the history of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. With the season-opening Rockstar Energy Hangtown Classic just around the corner, MX Sports Pro Racing and Ricky Carmichael announce the return of the Ricky Carmichael Hard Charger Award for 2010.

Named for the most successful rider in American Motocross history, the Hard Charger Award recognizes the one rider who emulated Carmichael's never-give-up attitude across both the 450 and 250 classes during each round of the 12-race season.

While the Greatest of All Time (G.O.A.T.) continues to develop his stock car racing rsum by competing in the NASCAR-sanctioned Camping World Truck Series, his legacy is forever enshrined in motocross history by giving the now prestigious award to the rider who passes the most competitors in a single moto each weekend. It's a nod to the man who won 102 AMA Motocross races, captured 10 straight AMA Motocross Championships, had three undefeated seasons, and two perfect ones where he won every single moto-all AMA Motocross records. He also added 48 wins in AMA Supercross and took five titles there, giving him career totals of 150 wins and 15 major titles, records that will likely never be broken.

"I think the 2010 series is shaping up to be one of the most competitive seasons in a long time, and it's awesome to know that MX Sports Pro Racing has decided to continue the tradition of this award," said Carmichael, who drives for Turner Motorsports. "It was an honor that they created such an incredible award in my name and I'm always eager to find out what rider overcame the most adversity each round. It takes a true competitor to battle his way to the front during a 35-minute moto and I look forward to seeing which 12 names will hang it out most this season."

"Since introducing the Hard Charger Award during the 2008 season, it has become one of the most warmly accepted accolades in the sport," said MX Sports Vice President Davey Coombs. "Ricky set the standard for having the will to win every single time, be it in triple-digit temperatures or in deep mud-and always with 39 of the world's fastest riders breathing down his neck. It takes a special kind of determination to be successful in motocross, and Ricky Carmichael exemplifies that better than anyone."

As mentioned above, Carmichael is the winningest rider in the history of the sport and the most successful AMA Pro Motocross champion ever. The G.O.A.T. retired from the sport after never losing a single Lucas Oil AMA Motocross title, from the time he was a rookie in 1997 through his decision to stop racing full time in 2006-and he still came back and won every national he entered in 2007. Carmichael is currently building upon a very young four-wheel racing career and is in the midst of his sophomore season in NASCAR's champion-building truck series.

The Rockstar Energy Hangtown Classic commences on May 22 from Rancho Cordova, Calif., showcasing the most talented riders in the most prestigious series on the planet. This is where motocross starts and it is where the world will be in just over a month's time.