Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128135
Cycle NeJIIIs Rider 01 the Year Ricky Carmichael By KIT PALMER AND CHRIS JONNUM PHOTOS BY KINNEY JONES AND STEVE BRUHN n Ricky Carmichael's immediate circle of friends and advisors, the champ is often jokingly referred to as "the angry elf," a handle alluding both to the Floridian's diminutive stature and his tenacious competitiveness. Is the handle apropos? Well, there's no arguing the fact that Carmichael has the physical stature of an imp, and the ferocity with which he attacks the track can easily be interpreted as rage. Still, when one sits down and speaks with Carmichael one on one, "angry" is about the last adjective that comes to mind. In fact, if there's one knock against him, it might be that he's not angry enough. Rare is the derogatory comment that escapes RC's lips; even when baited with loaded questions about controversial topics, Carmichael is reluctant to utter a mean-spirited word, to the point that his apparent complacency can become downright frustrating to a press and public hungry for dirt in both its literal and figurative forms. (For exhibit A, one need look no further than this past season's number-one hot-button issue: Carmichael's discussions with and signing for Team Honda - a topic on which the champ steadfastly refused to comment, despite almost universal recognition of the story's veracity.) It's tempting to conclude that Carmichael is just being politically correct, stubbornly bottling his criticisms inside even when his critics are more candid. That indictment surely contains a nugget of truth, as even the most placid among us is bound to , experience the odd feeling of exasperation, but that explanation only goes so far. Unlike many of his counterplHts, Carmichael is not about image - certainly not to the extent that he would spend much effort in a campaign to sell himself as someone he's not. Quite the contrary, in fact: Though few have ever had more justification for displaying the many adornments of supremacy, Carmichael humbly declines to wear such prizes as the number one that comes with a series championship, and the hokey emperor attire pushed on him by race promoters. Upon careful consideration, it becomes evident that Carmichael has other concerns than trash-talking and aura-bolstering - not that there's anything inherently wrong with those aims, but they're just not the concem of this story's protagonist. Carmichael wants to win for the sake of winning, and while it may not be the most complex or subtle goal one could imagine, there is something noble and elegant to its simplicity - especially when one I 8 JANUARY 2,2002' cue •• n.""s