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/128315
RI: "to Mon5"ter Truck5! Z :I: :::l ill ~ t; Ricky Ca rmichae l skies Grave Digger on his Florida property. >lD '" (3 :I: c, Ten-time National champ Ricky Carmichael can now add drivinga Monster Truck to his already impressive list of accomplishments. "I'm still trembling," he told a TV crew after he got out of the ISOD-horsepower Graved igger truck brought over to his home trac k by the folks at USHRAand Clear Channel. The Monday after the Atlanta supercross , "Camp Carmichael" in Tallahassee, Florida, loo ked like any young man's dream. The Supercross Champion maintains a supercross trac k, a "national" motocross track and a sandy supercross track known as "the Daytona track " at the faC ility, and on hand was Yamaha of Troy's Mike Brown , Josh Hansen, Kelly Smith and Danny Smith, and Honda-mounted two-time 125cc MX Champ ion Steve Lamson. All were getti ng ready for Daytona , except for the injured Carmichael, of course. Carmichael is known to have some rally-style off-road fun o n the property himself. He and his friends sometimes buy old cars and rip around the property, then sell them as junk, but nothing like these Monster Trucks have ever been driven there. "Clear Channe l called and said in a couple of weeks the Monster Trucks would be in Tallahassee doing a show," Carmichael said. "They called to see if I would be interested in drivingone just to see what is would be like, and I said, 'Sure.' It had been a couple of weeks, and the next thing you know, they're out here. There were two trucks - the Blacksmith and Grave Digger. They gave me a great opportunity. It was fun." So what 's scarier, jumping a triple for the first time, or jumping a monster truc k? "Monster trucks, w ithout a doubt," insisted Carmichael. "With four wheels , you feel like you have no control whatsoever. I was terrified. I was so nervous and didn't know what to expect. You are just kind of in the dark, and you don't know wh at to look out for." Clear Channel's Bill Easterly made sure the usual safety precautions were beingtaken, just likethey would at any truck event - like keeping spectators far away from running trucks and keeping the remote-control ignition close by for safety in case things got out of hand. Veteran Grave Digger driver Pablo Huffaker was on hand to show RC the ropes. After giving him a brief tutorial, he demonstrated what big air really means in the Blacksmith truc k. Later, the two of them took to the trac k. Carmichael didn't mention any plans for a second career in trucks , but he said he could get used to it. "It was pretty simple, really," he said of the truck's controls. "It was nice and easy. They are hard to control because there are four wheels and t he ground is not perfectly smooth. It is tough. Like anyth ing, you cou ld " w hoal" RC w as all sm iles get used to it. The more you do it, the after the d rive, still sha k ing better you get. " from the a d re na line. To cast your vote, log on to www.cyclenews.com . no, and the team is ready to defend their world title. Even in the bike's new coloring, the San Marino nag shines on, proving the ever-growing interest in motorcycl ing in the Republic of San Marino, especially since Poggiali'sWorld Championship . "It was great, but from now on we will change," Poggiali said of last season. "I do not wish to remember anything from last year Iam still a beginner on the 250. We will all start anew, and we will therefore need to be at our best from day one of the championship - or even from the tests . We are the team to beat, but we are at our top, starting with our bike. which is growing and improving." The new RSW 250, as engineer Jan Witteveen explained , is very much similar to the 2003 one. "This year competitors are even more aggressive," Witteveen said. "This is good for us, as victory will be even more tasteful. This is why we prepared a new frame and a new fork, which, according to the riders, offers numerous advantages as far as comforts and timing on the laps." "It will be a very difficult and challenging year, but I am glad to face this upcoming season with Manuel, a very powerfu l guy full of passion - a pilot I wished could always stay with us," said Aprilia's president Ivan Beggio. WEb INSiYE Cyclenews.com r eader poll qu estion of the week ~ Wha t 's your reaction t o the Aaron Yat es/Anthony Fa nia Jr. inci dent during the Daytona 2oo? A. Yates lost his cool and should be dealt w ith according ly. B. The altercation after the crash has bee n blown out of proportion. C. Both are equally guilty for their inappro priate behavior. On-line poll r esults from la st w eek The World Super bike Cham pionship has been under the microscope and the subject of much preseason ske pticism, but whe n the talk stopped and the racing commenced, how do you think the act ion was? Excellent racing, it should be an exciting season. Good, not great, but definitely worth wa t ching. When does MotoGP start? 412 482 1009 (21.65%) (25,33%) (53.02%) Total Repl ies : 1903 www.cyclenews.com CYCLE N EWS . MARCH 17.2004 11 7