Perfect Again!

Ricky sport's #1 as he closes out another perfect season

Ricky Carmichael clinches another perfect season as he won the final two motos in the AMA 2004 Outdoor National Motocross Series at Glenn Helen Raceway today. 24 motos, 24 wins, 12 overall victories. Carmichael also switched numbers, using his national title number one, instead of his usual number four. In a press release earlier this week, Carmichael explained that he was doing it for all the good folks at Honda who have helped him during the past three years.

Carmichael was simply unstoppable in this year’s outdoor series. Some say it was because he didn’t race the Supercross series and had more time to test and rest before the grueling outdoor series. Others say it was because Carmichael wanted to come back strong from his injury; to prove he could come back and still be a championship contender. Still others say it was to show Honda, who earlier this year failed to reach an agreement with Carmichael to a contract extension, what they would be missing next year when he was riding for Suzuki.

Whatever the reason, Carmichael’s season proves why he is the winningest rider in AMA Motocross/Supercross history and the five time 250cc class champion. Carmichael rides with determination and discipline. Over the years his riding style has grown up from a flat out, full throttle, a bit out of control style, to a patient, smooth, hard charging methodology that is almost machine like. Rarely did we see even a bobble. He was all business and he got the job done.

Carmichael won’t have much time to rest, though. Soon, he will begin testing his new Suzuki RM250 that he is slated to ride at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas in October. Then a few more week and the Supercross Series starts. Many doubt Carmichael will have the same success on board the Suzuki. Thoughts go back to Jeremy McGrath’s departure from a winning career with Honda, only to be frustrated with Suzuki in 1997. However, Suzuki has come a long way since 1997. Their RM250 has undergone extensive redesign. Magazine test riders are giving the new, 2005 RM250, a two thumbs up rating, placing it at the top of the list of best 250cc motorcycles.

And so, it was a fitting end of a perfect season for a great champion. As Ricky road around the track for his final victory lap, the fans cheered him like never before. Dozens of fans poured over the fences to add a "high five" to the throngs of cheers. Unlike a few previous years in which the fans booed him, this year it seemed everyone has learned to love him. This year Ricky found a heart for the fans. He communicated a genuine humility and respect for the sport, the fans, and the other riders who had gone before him. When McGrath made a comeback appearance at Steel City, Ricky acknowledged that McGrath was and will always be the king. And in turn, the fans found a heart for Ricky.