Langston's heartbreak hands Brown AMA crown.

There were three main players in the 125 class yesterday at Delmont for the thrilling twelfth and final round of the 2001 AMA Motocross championship: Grant Langston and Mike Brown were gunning for the title - and 250 National Champion Ricky Carmichael decided to go for the all-time record for 125 outdoor wins.

The first moto saw Langston leading the early stages of the race, with Brown running in second. Brown did get past Langston for the lead. Grant is a smart rider and he knew he did not need to win to secure the championship, as he had a nine point advantage over Brown before the first moto began.

Brown went on to the moto victory, with Langston finishing second. Carmichael started the moto way back in the pack, but came through to finish third.

The second moto was ready to go with Langston still having a six point lead over Brown. Carmichael had the lead early on, and cruised to the moto win and the overall victory. However, there was plenty of action behind him.

Langston looked set to claim his first AMA championship - he was running in the top five, with Brown falling back into the pack.

But heartbreak would come follow - when the teenagers rear wheel started to break, forcing him to pull off the track and retire with just a few minutes left in the season!

Motocross can be a tough sport at the easiest of times, but few would have predicted such a rare mechanical failure at such a crucial moment...

With Langston out, Brown would finish the moto in third and clinch his first ever 125 National Championship (pictured).

Ricky Carmichael therefore broke two records at Steel City: With his overall win in the 125 class he's now the winningest rider ever in AMA 125 motocross with 26 overall victories.

He had already clinched the 250 championship last weekend in New York. He also broke the record for most wins in an entire season. He has 22 wins this year - 14 in Supercross and eight in Motocross.

The 250's wre always going to be quiet without RC, and Kevin Windham easily won both motos. The result confirmed that Suzuki star finished the season in second place behind Carmichael in the final point standings.

Tim Ferry rode to second overall and finishes the final point standings in third, while Mike LaRocco took the final overall podium place and he finishes fourth in the final points.

Honda riders Sebastien Tortelli and Ryan Hughes did not ride at Delmont after their earlier crashes.

125 Results:

1. Ricky Carmichael - KAW - 3/1
2. Mike Brown - KAW - 1/3
3. Branden Jesseman - HON - 7/2
4. Ernesto Fonseca - YAM - 4/4
5. Nate Ramsey - YAM - 5/5
6. Brock Sellards - KTM - 8/6
7. Nick Wey - YAM - 11/7
8. Rodrig Thain - SUZ - 6/14
9. Grant Langston - KTM - 2/32
10. Damon Huffman - YAM - 9/12

125 Final Point Standings:

1. Mike Brown - 458
2. Grant Langston - 444
3. Ernesto Fonseca - 335
4. Larry Ward - 332
5. Brock Sellards - 312
6. Travis Pastrana - 311
7. Nate Ramsey - 249
8. Rodrig Thain - 223
9. Branden Jesseman - 207
10. Scott Sheak - 201

250 Results:

1. Kevin Windham - SUZ - 1/1
2. Tim Ferry - YAM - 3/2
3. Mike LaRocco - HON - 2/3
4. David Vuillemin - YAM - 5/4
5. John Dowd - KTM - 7/5
6. Steve Lamson - HUS - 9/6
7. Stephane Roncada - KAW - 4/12
8. Travis Preston - HUS - 8/8
9. Clark Stiles - KTM - 10/9
10. Kyle Lewis - YAM - 12/10

250 Final Point Standings:

1. Ricky Carmichael - 490
2. Kevin Windham - 482
3. Tim Ferry - 439
4. Mike LaRocco - 411
5. David Vuillemin - 346
6. Sebastien Tortelli - 339
7. John Dowd - 326
8. Stephane Roncada - 305
9. Kyle Lewis - 228
10. Robbie Reynard - 227

Pictures courtesy of www.supercross.com