Lone Stars: Grant Langston and Ryan Villopoto come up big in Texas - The eleventh and oh so important round of the 12 round AMA Toyota Motocross Championship took place on Sunday, September 2, 2007 in Texas, and in the volatile and wildly inconsistent 450F class, Team Yamaha’s claimed the top step of the podium. Using a strong and consistent combined score of 2-1, Langston also now enjoys an eight point lead in the title scrap over rival Andrew Short with only one National left to be run — at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California next Sunday.

“The points lead is so tight and I knew I needed to win to take control of the championship,” commented Langston after the Texas dust had settled. “Obviously I got a little extra cushion for next weekend, but it doesn’t change any strategy. I like Glen Helen I’ve always done well there. I’m definitely looking forward to it and hopefully I can finish this off and win a championship.”

Fellow championship contender Mike Alessi placed second overall in Texas with a 3-2, but despite the fact that his results were solid and quite consistent, he finds himself 15 points behind Langston heading into The Glen. Moreover, Team Kawasaki’s Timmy Ferry, seemingly a front runner for the title, could only muster up 4-3 scores. The Floridian is now 13 points behind Langston heading into the show stopping Glen Helen round.

Meanwhile, at Freestone County Raceway in Texas, Team Monster Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto used a double moto sweep to place more daylight between he and teammate Ben Townley in their epic fight for the 2007 AMA Motocross Lites National Championship. Rolling Eastward towards San Bernardino, California, Villopoto now celebrates a 19-point gap on Townely, who could only string together 6-2 scores in the Lone Star State. Team Yamaha’s Broc Hepler used 3-3 moto scored to snag the second step o the podium. Team Kawasaki teamster Brett Metcalfe was fourth on the day, while rookie Trey Canard of the SoBe/No Fear/Samsung/Honda team used super-stable 5-5 moto scores for a fine fifth overall.