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The 2006 Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross series is set to kick off on January 7 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.  If past years are anything to go by, then a rider's results in this first round are critical to his success over the entire season.  There's no room for mistakes, as losing 15 or 20 points right off the bat can be difficult, or even impossible, to make up over the course of the remaining rounds.  Yes, the competition is that good.  

There are several changes in this year's series.  Among the most important is the fact that the AMA decided to change the class name.  Instead of going with the familiar "250cc Class," the AMA has opted to call the premier class the "Supercross" class.  Is it redundant?  Yes.  Is it potentially confusing to new fans who have not had a lot of exposure to the sport before?  Yes.  But the AMA has staunchly defended its decision, so there's nothing to be done about it now.  

The second change is in the series title sponsor.  Video game producer THQ is no longer the Supercross title sponsor.  This year, Amp'd Mobile, a company headed up by the same man who founded Boost Mobile (an Australian cell phone provider), takes over the title sponsorship honors.  Many people inside the industry are very excited about the prospect of a fruitful partnership between the AMA and Amp'd Mobile.

The actual racing in the 2006 Supercross series should be great.  Usually, at around this time of the year, injury reports start to trickle in as riders go down during all-out practice sessions at their home tracks or at the factory test tracks.  This year is no exception, as at least one major contender, Kevin Windham, will be watching Anaheim I, and perhaps several more rounds, from the sidelines.  The three other big guns, Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart, and Chad Reed, should be good to go from the outset.  Let's take a closer look at some of the top contenders in this year's series.

Ricky Carmichael
The defending champ is back and ready for yet another successful title defense.  Carmichael has opted to stick with the 450 four-stroke, a move that has been echoed by many of his top competitors.  The Factory Suzuki rider comes into this season with his entire program intact.  Mechanic Mike Gosselaar will continue wrenching for him, his trainer remains the same, and he has retained the support of Fox Racing, the clothing manufacturer that has been a part of Carmichael's career since the beginning, as his primary gear sponsor.  Carmichael will also be wearing Oakley goggles and Berik boots.  

What does this all mean?  It means that Carmichael will be tough to beat.  While other riders will be dealing with new teams, managers, mechanics, gear, and bikes, Carmichael is coming into the season with the advantage of knowing exactly what to expect from his equipment and from the people around him.  That spells trouble for the other guys on the circuit.

Carmichael has traditionally been a quick starter.  His M.O. in the last couple of seasons has been to string together a series of wins right off the bat, and then to ride conservatively and "settle" for second or third place the rest of the way through the series in order to secure the championship.  That's exactly what he did last year.  After securing third place in the mud fest that was Anaheim I, Carmichael then reeled off five victories in a row to demoralize the competition and stake himself out to a sizable lead.  He then added two more victories over the next three rounds before rounding out the season with five second-place finishes and two third-place finishes to wrap up the title with 367 points to Reed's 342.  

James Stewart
Whereas Carmichael's program remains the same, there have been a lot of changes around the Stewart camp.  This seems like a good idea considering the rather disappointing rookie season that Stewart put together last year.  After a promising fifth-place finish in the mud at Anaheim I, Stewart proceeded to break his arm in a practice crash at Phoenix in week two.  He then missed the next 8 rounds before returning in Round 11.  That's where he earned his first-ever 250cc Supercross podium.  Then, he showed his real talent in Round 12 at Texas Stadium by putting in a great ride and getting his first career 250cc Supercross victory.  

But then things took a turn for the worse when the outdoor series came around.  Stewart had numerous mechanical problems with his bike, and suffered from a mysterious health ailment that caused him to miss several motos.  Unbelieving fans came down hard on the young Stewart, claiming that he was "mentally beaten" by Carmichael and didn't have what it took to dethrone the king.  

However, Stewart shook off that criticism and maintained his focus during the offseason.  First and foremost, he visited medical specialists to get his health taken care of.  Next, he dropped the nickname "Bubba", which he has had since he was a child.  He wants to be known simply as James Stewart now -- a new man with a new identity.  To further distance himself from his past, Stewart also dropped the familiar #259 that has graced his bike's number plates for his entire professional career.  As a former 125cc National Champion, Stewart was eligible to choose a number in the top 10.  He went with number 7, which he hopes will indeed be lucky for him this season.  Finally, there have been rumors that Stewart hired a personal trainer and is on a rigorous training program.

All of these changes have already paid off for the likable young man.  Stewart won the first two "warm-up" rounds in Canada, easily beating Carmichael by several seconds in each race.  Let's see if his success continues when the AMA portion of the series begins.

Chad Reed
Chad Reed, the 2004 AMA Supercross champion, spent most of his offseason on crutches.  He was hobbled by an ankle injury that required surgical repairs, and according to several informal reports out of his native Australia, wasn't able to spend as much time on his bike as he has in seasons past.  But Reed has enough natural talent, drive, and fitness that the lack of offseason testing should not put him too far behind Stewart and Carmichael.  

Reed comes into the season as the number one hope for Factory Yamaha.  The departure of former teammate David Vuillemin means that Yamaha will be able to focus most of their personnel and parts resources on getting Reed's #22 bike back out in front.  This comes after a frustrating outdoor series over the summer that saw Reed have several mechanical problems, including one that caused him to leave his bike in disgust and head back to the team semi on foot.  Last year's problems have caused some people to speculate that Reed might not have as much confidence in his bike as the other riders, which, if true, would of course put him at a competitive disadvantage.

However, Reed is an experienced rider and a true professional.  He has shown that he has what it takes to win, and he can definitely run with Carmichael and Stewart when the chips are down and the championship is on the line.  Look for Yamaha to expend every effort humanly possible to accommodate the only superstar in their stable, and look for Reed to respond with an effort worthy of a champion.  You can bet he'll be in the thick of things when the series comes down the wire in Las Vegas in May.

Kevin Windham
As mentioned earlier, Kevin Windham will be sidelined for at least a few rounds of the series due to a broken arm he sustained while testing his Factory Connection Honda out in California.  The Supercross veteran, who is no stranger to injuries, reportedly had surgery to put a couple of plates and screws into his arm.  But because Windham is expected to miss at least the first round, and who knows how many more, his championship hopes are, for all intents and purposes, out the window at this point.  There's simply no way you can spot riders such as Carmichael, Stewart, and Reed 25+ points and then hope to catch back up to them.

Nevertheless, when Windham does return to the series, he'll definitely be a front runner, and you can expect him to be near the head of the pack, mixing it up with the leaders.  He has won several Supercross main events in his great career, so we know the speed is there.  It's very possible for Windham to play the role of spoiler and get in between a couple of riders and taking away valuable points from the other contenders.  

Ivan Tedesco
This season marks Tedesco's debut in the premier class.  He is coming off the best year of his career.  In fact, 2005 saw Tedesco's Pro Circuit/Monster Engery backed Kawasaki take the championship in both the 125cc West Coast Supercross series and the 125cc National series.

Tedesco was rewarded for his outstanding season by being selected to represent the United States in the prestigious Motocross des Nations event.  He turned in a couple of spectacular rides that helped the U.S. come away with the victory.  Then, Tedesco signed a lucrative contract with the Makita Suzuki team.  That means he'll be testing and learning from two of the best champions the sport has ever seen:  team manager Roger DeCoster and teammate Ricky Carmichael.  Having those two around on a daily basis would work wonders for anyone's career!

Tedesco has exercised his privilege as a national champion by choosing to wear #9 as his permanent number.  He has raced the first two rounds of the World GP series in Canada, and has shown excellent promise so far.  He placed fourth -- behind only Stewart, Carmichael, and Reed -- in the Toronto round on December 3, and then followed that up with another fourth-place behind the same three big guns on December 10 in Vancouver.  Look for big things from Tedesco this season.  It seems like he has adjusted to the new bike quickly and is ready to surprise some people.