Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

~[J)J[r~BZZWD~W Cycle News Rider of the Year: Ricky Carmichael Series, I would've felt like there was some un-left work that needed to be finished. But I feel like I've accomplished [everything) I wanted to accomplish. Everything now is just icing on the cake. Since my injury, couple of years ago, I think I've grown to appreciate what I do a lot more as Iget older. I have enough self-motivation to keep me motivated. I just feel I definitely want to win. I prepare for every race in the off-season now like I did last year, but at the same time, I don't feel the pressure, and that's kind of nice. I don't feel any pressure, but I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. This is a common sight at Carmichael's practice tracks. Do you feel that you get the respect that you deserve? (Long pause.) I think our sport, and other sports, too, that there's a lack of respect [in general], and that's the bummer part. I don't think you have to like a person or hang out with them, but I think you have to respect what they've done, and I think there is a lack of it in our sport. And I'm sure it's like that in all sports. Actually, in the last year, though, from my standpoint, people have come around, and I think, for the most part, they respect me, but there is sometimes disrespect, for sure. biggest single race you can win. There's no other race out there that beats the MX des Nations, if you just go to the one race. It's so hard to explain, you just have to be there. There was some controversy about the selection pracess as far as who gets to go to the des Nations. What are your thoughts on that? I think that whoever is in the points lead when they want to pick should go, but I do think they should pick the series champions, and the second-place guy should be prepared to go. That's the way they should do it. They should have the people get ready and make the call after the championship stuff. Getting back to Supercross, do you feel that changes could be made to make the racing better? After all, many races were blowouts. The only thing we need to do now to get closer to NASCAR is make the tracks a little easier for the other guys, the guys who have less chance to win. Until they make the tracks better and more "raceable," there are still going to be guys getting hurt. That's where we are now. I think the field isn't deep enough, and I think the only way to do [make the field deeper] is to make the tracks better for the other guys. Yeah, it makes it tough on guys like myself, Chad, or Bubba, or Kevin if the tracks are easier, but at the same time, the best guy is always going to win - whether it's easy or not. But you can't have the tracks so gnarly to where, number one, it's basically like a competition to get around. The last I checked, we want to race, people want to see racing. You're not going to go to a football game if you know who's going to win, you want to see a damn game. You don't want to lap up to fourth. If your guy is Ernesto Fonseca, you want to see him have a good chance to win, not roll out a technical track or a dangerous track, then you know your guy is done. That's what I think. I'm no rocket scientist, but it's like you go to Daytona - a restrictor-plate race - and it's so good, because they're all side-by-side. I want the sport to grow and be better, and that's what I think it needs. The tougher you make the track 30 JANUARY 4,2006 • CYCLE NEWS the more people get hurt. I think we're the only sport where the bikes get faster and the tracks get harder. Every other motorsport is making things safer and slower, if you will. MotoGP is going to 800s in two years, and NASCAR puts more spoiler on there to slow it down. I would stay around a lot longer if we could go out and just race. Jeremy would probably tell you the same thing. We're there to race. I don't think it's a competition on who can quad this and who can go through mountainsize whoops... Hell, we need to get into stunts if you guys want to do all that. Hell, I like to race - set up two barrels and go around them on a motorcycle. People want to see racing, that's what it is. The field is so deep in NASCAR. Every week you have a different winner. You're going to have people that's going to whine "you got to make it gnarlier," but if you want the sport to grow, you have to have a deep field and you have to have good racing. Good racing is what brings people to the races, and in order to do that, there ain't but one way and that's to make the racing better. And to do that, you have to mellow things out a little bit and make it raceable. Until then, you're going to be hurting people. The one thing they have done to make Supercross better is having no more Friday practice. I love that. I think it's good that they did that, for as long as the seasons are getting. I think it's better on the teams, the truck drivers, the riders... there's less chance of getting hurt, and it's going to be better on Clear Channel, too. You do always seem to be a little embarrassed after running away with another win. I feel bad sometimes. It got to the point sometimes in the outdoors, I mean, I don't know what to say to people, because it's like, man, I'm doing my best, I'm winning, but at the same time, I hate it being a runaway. I want people to see a great race. After winning just about every title there is to win, some many times over, how do you stay motivated? I think definitely, if I wouldn't have won the past Supercross Why? I think I came in [turned Pro] at a difficult time. I beat Jeremy [McGrath], and then there was [Travis] Pastrana behind me, that was supposed to knock me off. It was tough, it's like Jeff Gordon beating [Dale] Earnhart nobody likes Gordon. For what reason? I have no idea. The guy is a great guy. I've talked to him, I know him, we're buddies - dude, the guy is unreal, but you dethrone the king and it's bad. It's funny, when you're racing, everybody wants you to beat [the "king"], but as soon as you beat him, it's like, "oh man," then they don't like you no more. I guess it's good for me lately. I guess you can say that I've been the guy since '0 I, in the 2S0 class, now there are all these guys coming up and beating me sometimes. Now if they beat me, they want me to win again. I think this year, Supercross, was great for me, because I sat out [last year], and I think the fans made a really warm welcome back to me. It felt great to go out for opening ceremonies every weekend. It was awesome. I had a great time, and I think everything has come around for me. And, finally, what does your future hold? I haven't made any decisions. I know that Suzuki is committed. I have a three-year contract, the third year being an option on my contract. I'm just waiting to see how Supercross goes, but, as of now, I plan on going. I plan on going another - 2006 and 2007. I feel that I have it in me. I really want to take Supercross and see how that goes and then make a decision. I have things that I want to do. I have some great opportunities to do NASCAR things and stuff like that. I'd really like to do that. I think it's something that I want to do, it inspires me - it looks like fun. I'm grateful for my opportunity, and I don't want to pass it up. I may not be able to do something like that, but since I have the chance, I don't want turn the chance down. It kind of motivates me, it's something new and I'm excited to try it. However, that's a couple of years away and, as much as I want to think about it, I'm still really focused on racing. You have to be at this level. We got a strong deal going on here, a great program, and we're always trying to find new ways to get better if you can. We're just trying to be the best at that you can be.

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