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AMAIChevy Trucks 250cc U. S. Motocross Championship Series Round 1 2: Steel City Raceway Re COMPLETES THE FAULTLESS SEASON most importantly, he made the state- . ment that he is "un-arguably' the best motocross racer the U.S. - and perhaps the world - has ever seen. "If someone would have told me that I was going to accomplish this at the beginning of season, 1 would have laughed,' Carmichael said. "I never thought I would go undefeated; I really stepped it up this season. I basically just wanted to defend my title and win another one for Honda. It was a hell of a year. After about the sixth supercross [earlier in the year], things have really been going my way, and 1 wouldn't trade this year for anything in the world.' In what could've been a boring end to the 250cc series, Carmichael's streak kept things interesting. His fans were hanging over the Steel City fencing, cheering him on in hopes of seeing the champ accomplish the seemingly impossible. Friends and fans came from all over to see him do By DAVE DERINGER PHOTOS BY STEVE BRUHN DElMONT, PA, SEP. 1 I"llWhen the 2002 outdoor series l!AY kicked off in May at Glen Helen, there was little doubt as to who would be in the running for the championship. Several names graced that short list, and more often than not the name Ricky Carmichael was spoken most likely to succeed. Five months later, that name did prevail as the champ, but no one predicted that the Floridian would nail his third 250cc National title in such a dominating fashion. Not even Carmichael. In front of over 18,000 fans at the Racer Productions Steel City National, Carmichael accomplished what nobody has ever done before - win every round, and every moto, of an AMA National MX Series. The 23year-old won all 24 motos, and set many records along the way, but 14 SEPTEMBER 1 1. 2002' cue I e n e _ s it one more time at Steel City, and he did not disappoint. So, will a perfect season ever happen again? "I'm going to give it a try next year, but I'm not sure that it's real possible,' Carmichael sajd. "Unless Bubba [James Stewart] stops winning; he's going to break all kinds of records, so I'm going to keep pumping away for now. I doubt if this will ever happen again.' But Carmichael wasn't the only rider making news on this day. Team Yamaha's Tim Ferry came home with second overall after struggling a week earlier at Broome-Tioga. Ferry kept Carmichael honest (more so in the second moto) and finished second in both motos. He also wrapped up second in the points standings a whopping 160 points behind Carmichael. (Perhaps that margin is a record, too.) Having scored no wins on the season, Ferry was down a bit at the It's a done deal: Ricky Carmichael won every moto in this year's 250cc outdoor Nationals. He capped off the 2002 season with a sweep at Steel City. end of the day, but he knows that finishing second to Carmichael is an accomplishment in itself, and that he will be joining his fellow Floridian in California with the honor of representing the U.S. at the upcoming MX des Nations. This will be Ferry's first appearance at the prestigious race. "I had a good year, even though I had no wins," Ferry said. "1 put everything I had into it this year, but so did Ricky. I had some races where I crashed too much and just needed to be more consistent at times. I had a lot of seconds, but we'll give it a go next year. Now I want to focus on the des Nations. I'm really looking forward to going to California to show the world that we are the best.'