Almost Perfect
RACE WATCH
ALMOST PERFECT
Welcome to Ricky Carmichael’s world
DAVEY COOMBS
RICKY CARMICHAEL SAT COVERED IN A SWEATdrenched towel inside his state-of-the-art motorhome at the Southwick MX 338 racetrack in Massachusetts, cooling off from a moto win. It was a Sunday afternoon in June and the 21-year-old Floridian, who was recently crowned the 250cc AMA EA Sports Supercross Champion, had just sent out a friendly reminder to his factory-team rivals that he was also the best outdoor motocross rider on the planet. In a little less than 35 minutes of racing, he had rolled out a 25-second lead on the rest of the premier 250cc class.
Outside the tinted windows of Carmichael’s Mobil Vision/Fox-provided American Dream Home, the rest of the motocross world went about another day at the races. Inside sat some of those within Carmichael’s close circle of friends and advisors. Among them was Carmichel’s mentor, Johnny O'Mara, himself a former Supercross champion, as well as current 125cc World Motocross Championship points-leader James Dobb, who was visiting from Europe while the Grand Prix series was on hiatus. Boo Suber, an old friend from Ricky’s Tallahassee neighborhood who drives the motorhome from race to race, and Fox Racing’s Scott Taylor went about the business of getting their rider’s equipment ready for the second moto.
They all quietly listened as Carmichael discussed his first-moto win. Only the occasional crackle of a nearby motorcycle broke through the muted thrum of the motorhome’s air conditioner as Carmichael calmly soaked in the victory with those around him.
In the midst of a sport known for its glamorous lifestyle and frantic pace, Ricky Carmichael has built a wall of tranquility and familiarity to protect himself from his own fame and fortune. He has five major championships to his credit—1997-99 AMA 125cc National MX Champion, 2000 AMA 250cc National MX Champion and now 2001 AMA 250cc SX Champion-and he’s won each one with less flair than purpose. Not bad for a guy who’s only halfway through his fifth season of professional racing. Of course, Carmichael already had a record nine AMA Amateur National titles from his formidable days at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch, and he is rapidly closing in on the professional record of eight career titles, held by Jeremy McGrath.
Once a freckle-faced mini-cycle prodigy with a mischievous side, Carmichael has become a stoic, mature champion as a young man. His fierce desire to win rarely comes across in his post-race interviews, though the temper tantrums he sometimes throws after defeats betray his hunger to succeed every time. His heart is his greatest asset, the moto gods having given most of the natural talent to the likes of Jeremy > McGrath, Kevin Windham and Travis Pastrana.
And then there’s “The Streak.” In case you missed it, Carmichael rode into the record books in May when he won his 13th straight 250cc main event at the Supercross series finale in Las Vegas, matching McGrath’s remarkable run through the first 13 races of the 1996 season. As the wins piled up every week for Carmichael, so did the weight of that continuing success.
“My confidence grew with every win, but the pressure was building up at the same time,” remarked Carmichael of the run that carried him to his first 250cc SX title. “I was trying to just win the championship first, but then the streak kept going and going. It was fun, but it was also really stressful, and it started to get tough on me. The Supercross championship was the one that I didn’t have, and that was the most important thing to me.”
The addition of the Supercross crown completed what is now being called “The RC Slam” by motocross fans. For the first time ever, one rider holds the titles for AMA 250cc Supercross and National Motocross, the Motocross des Nations, which Carmichael won with Team USA last September in France, and the U.S. Open of Supercross. And just for fun, he added “The Tonight Show Cup” when he beat McGrath on a makeshift Supercross track that ran from Jay Leno’s stage out into the NBC Studios parking lot and back.
“It’s hard to explain exactly what it’s like,” said Carmichael of his sudden rise to the top. “Everything has happened so fast that it’s hard to really grab hold of. It’s something I noticed in this year’s Supercross races-winning all of> those races was fun, but it happened so fast that I never had time to enjoy it. I don’t think I ever expected to do this good coming up, or at least not this soon, but I’m really happy about how it’s all turning out.”
Carmichael’s Southwick setup is a microcosm for how he lives his life now. While most top riders either come from or migrate to Southern California, where the motocross industry is anchored, Carmichael remains in Florida. When he does venture Out West for testing and racing, he takes up with O’Mara, who has been a friend of the Carmichael family since Ricky was a minibike prospect.
“The first time I went out to California to train and test, Johnny let me stay at his house rather than just somewhere on my own in the ‘909’ (area code for SoCal’s “Inland Empire”), so I wouldn’t get wrapped up in that whole scene,” explained Carmichael with a nod to O’Mara. “I think that got me started on the right track as a rookie. Of course, my parents have always been 110 percent behind me-much respect to them. Scott Taylor is from Florida, and he’s been helping me since I was on minis. And Boo is from my hometown and just watches out for me. It’s a good little team and we just do our own thing. We don’t get caught up in the scene. We just come here to race.”
Back home in Florida, Carmichael owns a modest house surrounded by practice tracks and willing riding partners: Team Yamaha’s Tim Ferry, Honda’s Ezra Lusk and rising amateur stars like James Stewart, Davi Millsaps and Jessica Patterson. Pro-Circuit Kawasaki rider Mike Brown stops in for weeks at a time to ride there. In fact, Carmichael just got a new neighbor: French expatriate Sebastien Tortelli, his nearest rival for this summer’s 250cc motocross title.
“The weather is hot and humid and a lot of people think that’s the key, but it takes a whole lot of things to win titles,” explained Carmichael of north central Florida. “I think some people just like hanging out there and others are looking for answers. Florida has definitely gotten popular-there’s even some talk that (KTM factory rider) Grant Langston might want to move there.”
Ricky has become more popular, too. With all of the attention of the media and the fans, Carmichael’s winning streak began to look like a two-wheeled version of Joe DiMaggio’s legendary 56-game hitting streak. Carmichael was able to insulate himself from it all
with the close circle surrounding him. He needed the filter, too, because the streak was amplified by the very man he was beating. Jeremy McGrath is beyond legend status-he is Supercross. In fact, Carmichael grew up with one of Jeremy’s race jerseys pinned on his wall. Did Ricky ever feel like he was David attacking Goliath?
“I think I was the underdog, sure,” offered Carmichael. “Jeremy was the king and I think nobody but me and a couple of people believed I could beat him in the series. It’s funny to say this, but deep down I always knew I could beat Jeremy. I just didn’t know when I could actually do it. I wanted to do it before he retired. Now that I’ve done it, I feel like that’s been my biggest accomplishment.”
So, does Carmichael still have that McGrath jersey on the wall? “I sure do! It’s hanging up at my mom and dad’s house in my old room, along with all of his posters.”
Before the Supercross season even ended, the “silly season” began when rumors spread like wildfire that Carmichael had been offered $6 million to ride for Team Honda next year. Carmichael dismisses the speculation with a “no comment,” adding that he doesn’t plan on making any official announcements about his future until after the motocross season ends. He does, however, admit that all of the speculation has weighed him down.
“I’ve had a lot of things come up recently that are business-related-not just what I’m riding next year, but personal stuff with me, too. It’s been tough, but now it’s all getting sorted out. I just need to forget about all that and get my head back into racing. Some of the business stuff that’s been going on probably contributed to my recent slump, that and some bad luck, but everything will be better soon.”
The “slump” Carmichael referred to was the three-straight 250cc MX Nationals he lost coming into Southwick. Each time, Carmichael crashed hard in the first moto and finished outside the top five, but then dominated the second moto to stay close to then-series leader Tortelli in the point standings. In fact, his first-moto win at Southwick got him to within 5 points of Tortelli, who placed fourth in the opening moto in Massachusetts. But even with the three losses, Carmichael’s all-time national motocross winning average at this point in his career is a mind-boggling 64 percent, having won 34 of the 53 outdoor nationals he had entered coming into Southwick. Those 34 wins put him just three shy of the all-time AMA record of 37 national wins held by yet another legend, Bob “Hurricane” Hannah.
“Motocross always came a little easier for me than Supercross racing, but I think I’ve got that down now, too,” laughed Carmichael.
And with that, a knock on the door of the motorhome broke the calm within. It was Carmichael’s mother, letting the boys in the bus know that it was time for another moto. The rider thanked the reporter and started to put his gear back on. After all, Ricky Carmichael came to Southwick to race.
Oh, and make that 35 wins out of 54 nationals. Carmichael won the second moto at Southwick going away.
