Between the Motos: Ricky Carmichael
Wednesday, July 11, 2012 | 1:15 PM
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When Ricky Carmichael stepped away from the sport as the winningest motocross racer of all time, he said he had plans to give back to the sport. Over the last five years, he's done that, hosting his RC University riding schools, the Ricky Carmichael Amateur Supercross at Daytona, announcing Monster Energy Supercross on TV, and plenty of other projects. Now he's going to do a little racing again at his old stomping grounds -- Loretta Lynn Ranch. We called him just before he was about to get in some motos.
Racer X: Okay RC, let’s start with Loretta’s. I know you’ve always said you want to come back and do it again, so what are the details? What class are you riding? And if you don’t win every moto, is it a disappointment, or is it just an experience?
Ricky Carmichael: I’m gonna’ race the 25+ class. That’s the plan. It’s almost like a fun race for me, you know what I’m saying? I’ve always wanted to go and experience Loretta’s and go there and race it and bring my family and just have a good time. When I raced it as an amateur kid, there was always so much pressure. I was expected to win. So I want to go there and enjoy a race because I really do like the track. I like the corners that it has. I like the layout. It’s just really, really fun. We’re bringing the family and I’m gonna bring a motorhome and just really make it somewhat of a vacation. I want my kids to experience it and I’ll do a little riding at the same time. Of course you want to win, but I won where it counted and accomplished what I needed to. So absolutely I want to win, but is it the end of the world if I don’t? Absolutely not.
So just 25+?
Yeah. Anything with “pro” in it, I’m over that. Unless it’s Pro Circuit! My days of doing it competitively like that are over and it’s strictly just a hobby. Obviously, I don’t take the time to prepare like I used to and that’s why I think the 25+ class is great for me. It’s for guys like me that don’t take it as serious as we used to.
Look for the #4 at Loretta Lynn Ranch later this month.
Ray Archer photo
But you know how it works at Loretta’s. You’re only running one class. You could get a flat tire, bike problem, first turn crash. It can rain. Something gnarly always seems to happen down there!
You’re 100 percent right. Anything can happen but, like I said, I’m going there for the experience and I enjoy going. I’ve always wanted to be able to do it this way and I get the chance to now and it’s gonna be fun.
If I remember right, your last motocross race was des Nations in ’07, and your kids were just barely even going at that point. So they’ve never really seen you race a dirt bike, have they?
No, they sure haven’t. Other than what they’ve seen me do up here at my track, that’s all they really know. They see trophies and this and that, but I don’t really think they know the magnitude of the kind of racing I did. It’d be cool for them. Even now, I don’t think they really understand it.
You just got back from hosting RC University in England. How was it?
Yeah, the RCU Europe. It was our first attempt at it. I’ve got to give huge, huge props to Monster Energy and Fox for being a huge part of it. Jamie Dobb as well. He did a lot of the work as far as organizing it. So I’ve got to give a strong shout out to him. Everyone at Fat Cat Motorparks, the track and facility that we had it at. They’re very accommodating. It was extremely, extremely good. And all the people that turned up, we had a great event. It was a two-day event. It was a success. We work hard at what we do. Everyone involved behind the scenes did a great job. The two Jeffs [Stanton and Emig] and I gotta thank Tommy Searle for coming the day after his GP. We work hard to make it an experience for everyone. As each group goes to their own section and a different coach, I think that’s good because sometimes they need to be exposed to different styles of coaching or whatever it might be. I hope that when they walk away from this kind of stuff, they had a good experience and got to learn and better their performance. To me, that’s what it’s all about, really taking the time with them and learning. That’s our goal and we’ve got a good program and we work hard at it.
And you do have another RCU coming up for the riders in the United States, right?
Yep, we’ve got one the Monday after the Lake Elsinore outdoor national. After hosting it in Daytona for the last two years, by popular demand, we needed to have one on the West Coast. So we figured this would be the perfect time. I’m looking forward to doing that. Hopefully we’ll have another good turnout. I love giving back to the sport and helping people achieve their goals. We try and have it set up for them where they can work every single obstacle on the track. That’s our goal. It’s fun. I think we’re building something really good and we’re going to keep doing it.
Try and give us an example of something you see a rider do, then you helped them with and they got better at the end of the day. It’s not just fantasy camp. They’re really getting info.
Whether I’m in a corner section, helping guys with their corner entry, or even some of the guys that don’t have as much experience, or a kid coming up on a 65 that needs to learn how to use the clutch a little bit better at that level, just being able to watch them progress from the beginning of the day when they first go out and ride, to the end of the day at the open practice session when we have really put the whole track together, that’s what’s cool to me. I love watching the first open practice, then as each rider comes through my section and I get to help them, then at the end of the day, being able to ride with them and watch them and see how they’ve progressed in just five hours, it’s pretty cool. That’s an example for me, what I like to see. I like to watch the beginning and then at the end, it’s pretty amazing.
In the intermission stuff, we do Q&As with everyone and it’s a fun time. That’s what it’s about. We try to make an event and an experience so when they walk away from it, they got to learn and have a hell of a good time.
Between his RCU events, the Monster Energy Cup and preparing for Loretta's, RC is one busy man these days.
Ray Archer photo
I know you always said that you were going to give back. Is it full moto for you? Is there a chance we’ll see you on four wheels at some point again? Is that something you’re still working on?
Yeah, I mean, I’ll always be moto, I’ve always been pretty vocal about that. That’s the home for me. Obviously, I think I have some unfinished business on the four wheel side and NASCAR, whether it’s the Nationwide side or what have you. So my people are working hard on that, trying to get some sponsorship going and, if not, no biggie. We’ve got some fun stuff in the works and I’m always busy, especially with how well the RCU has taken off and with my amateur supercross that I do down in Daytona. That’s going to be exceptionally big again next year. So it’s good. Then with the supercross stuff and the commentating that I do and autograph sessions for Monster and Fox and everybody, it keeps me busy and it’s all fun stuff. It’s stuff that I like doing. So if the car stuff doesn’t pan out, which I think it will, I’ve got plenty of stuff that I can do on the two wheel side, without a doubt.
One other thing. Are you putting together track designs for Monster Cup too?
Yep. I’ve been getting ready for the Monster Energy Cup, putting track designs together for that and working together with the boys at Feld. I’m really excited about that. I think we learned a lot last year and we’ve got a little more involvement this year. I should be there for part of the building of the track while it’s actually going up. So I’m looking forward to that. We just need to make it good for TV, obviously. If we make it good for TV, then it’ll be good for the riders.
You’ve got a lot of irons in the fire, that’s for sure.
That’s what happens when you retire. Everything that you used to say no to, you can do that now. I like my position and where I’m at right now.
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Wow! Even though RC is working out he is still 2 times the man Emig is......on second thought, I guess he always has been even when he was thin!!!!
RC, come ride washougal amatuer days.That would be epic! A great warm up for lorettas. Come on man, bring jeremy mc with you. Ok, sorry, im dreaming.
Yes but even when carmichael was an amateur he was always chubby but know one could beat him, then he matured got some bulk & leaned for the big bike and was the machine GOAT!!!!!! I knew a kid like that growing up No one would come close to the guy. He could really twist the throttle
I think its great that racers can go to Loretta's for the week of fun but I think the AMA should create a seperate class for a Retired Pro to race. The race is an Amateur National; I think retired Pro(s) should respect that and want to compete in their own seperate class. I would also think that many other retired Pro(s) would be motivated to compete their as well....THAT WOULD BE REALLY COOL.
GO RICKY....GOAT!
I have to agree with Retired-Pro : Ricky racing the 25+ plus class robs some poor true amateur out of his glory . Ricky should run some kind of pro class or open pro class something where they are taking it serious because what he is doing is just like cherry picking at a local race.Ricky certainly has them covered at LL and with minimal effort could place at a national .....Not Fair.... now I will have to settle for 2nd place.
@Retired_Pro,, I also agree with you a little bit. One time I was at Lorreta's when Mark Barnett was riding the +25 class. We even camped with him. He had works suspension on his Zuk 250. Now that was unfair...
Always great to hear what the GOAT has to say. Such a solid dude. I really admire his humility. Laughed my @ss off at his comment that the 25+ class was for "guys just like me that don't take it as serious any more". There ARE no guys just like him. He truly was the Greatest Of All Time.
Loretta's has 3 pro classes: 250a, 450a, and open pro sport. A national pro can only race the pro sport class. Ricky tried to qualify for it, but he wasn't ready for the intensity (which has massively elevated since he last raced Loretta's). He decided to pull out of the real pro class and race the vet class
I couldnt agree more, the loretta lynns' AMATUER' nationals are a money making scam.....
@mxfans, That may be true, but thats where a rider gets the recignition. You must race against the best, and Ponca and Loretta's is thee place for amatuer riders.
Are you guys kidding? Robbing someone of there glory? I would much rather get second place racing with RC than beating a bunch of other no namers. Thanks for giving back to the sport by coming out and racing with these guys, what an awesome opportunity for the +25 guys at Lorettas.
really people??? I bet about half of the guys on the line at lorrettas in the 25+ have held an AMA pro racing credential at some point if not more.. Technically they would be retired also.. So it kinda is like racing their own class.. and when your racing vet classes your not there for any glory, you know your place in the sport.
What a great dude.....bag the car stuff...stick with moto...we need you in this sport....anywhere he races is good for attendance and thats good for the sport...hes the damn G O A T man......
Dear Ricky, I have another great idea as in how to give back to the sport, how about putting on an outdoor national somewhere in the south..........maybe a Gatorback type`ish event. please!!!!!!!!!!!
My comment wasnt about Ricky, LL is a true amateur National Final but also has lots of family fun activities that everyone enjoys. Ricky is a true ambasador to our sport and continually gives to the community. The AMA should do something for old retired PRO(s) that want to come back and experience the LL Amateur National with other retired Pro(s). Perhaps just a class signup at the race, a qualification shouldnt be necessary unless it becomes wildly popular. It would be the ultimate legends race.
Also, Ricky isnt just a retired PRO, he is the GOAT with national championship numbers likely no one will ever come close to catching and he retired in his prime.
@ mx437 Its comming to NC.GA. or AL soon !!!!!!!!!!!!! That all I can say
Ricky paved the way for all PED users, but hey, if cheating gets you GOAT status then word to lack of integrity :)
You got something to back that up or did your cousin's baby mama's hair dresser's nephew hear some shit one time? Ya, drop THAT bomb in a Racer X comment section. Brimming with credibility...
RC didn't win on his first try on a big bike though.. He crashed his brains out and finished no where.. 99' sx. His first championship came on his 3rd try, 2000 outdoor's. Now I would hardly call myself a Stewart fan, but if I'm gonna go all John Blaze in a comment section, I'm pretty sure I would get my facts straight first...
Recognize.
@looper--He said MOTOCROSS Titles, NOT Supercross, get your facts straight..
And lets not forget, When The GOAT won his title in 2000, Tortelli and Vuillemen, both beat Stefen Everts in thier past, they were VERY fast..
@retired_pro, I'm with you. Loretta's is an amature national.
Olympics is a laugh also !!!!!!!!
LL pro/vet thing - You should all know that there is no lasting glory in racing. Even after two undefeated seasons on the biggest stage in the world, his kids just see Daddy when they look at the little guy farting his way over to the coffee maker in the morning. Let him have his fun.
Hey Scrub-This, how long would it take Stewi to LAP you at any national track? Nuff said. Why does almost every topic someone feels compelled to mention Stewart? Racism? I used to hate Stewart with him not racing nationals and his tv show, but after reading all the hate spewing from these blogs, I like him more and more. I love watching him battle. The last person on earth that needs to be defended is RC, so why even try.
lil Scrub, forget trying to explain mx, you are pathetic & ruin every story, stay off the site, nobody is interested in anything you have to say, i hope racerx blocks you!
Where in his post does it say he was talking about motocross, explain to me..
@ retired- thumbs up. The title IS Amateur National. For those calling the racers there a bunch of "no names", maybe so. But many have a lot of blood, sweat, and tears invested in making it there. In the great white north they have the Kold Kutter Shootout at the Amateur Ice Racing Nationals for the pro(and retired pro) guys. I appreciate the fact that RC wants to go out and have fun, but where's the fun for the up and coming wanna be(who's almost over the hill) losing another spot to the GOAT!(?) DISCLAIMER-Sorry for the typos, I am not an english or moto major, but I love riding, and have a lot of respect for those guys doing it every weekend. REDBUD last weekend was incredible and extremely demanding of all who competed. Cheers to all who are passionate and positive about riding!
Good ol RC.. takes me back to the good ol days of moto
I'm a fan of Rickys but giving back with his university days, I heard that he was charging £400 for the day at his one at Armthorpe. He's not short of a few quid, I wouldn't class charging that sort of money as giving back. Still got loads of respect for him and a fan watched him at loads of MXdD's and Glen Helen been a proper treat, just saying.
@Scrub-This but what I can't understand is why you even brought up all that sh!te in the first place.. No one on here was even talking about JS7.. You must be pretty obsessed with the dude.. And even if people were on here talkin crap on here saying that JS7 was better than him why would you even waste your time arguing with um..? RC and JS7 battled for 5 championships and RC won 4 of um.. That speaks for itself! Was JS7 faster than RC? More than a couple times JS7 straight up spanked RC, was JS7 better? Hell no. 4-1 says it all.. No matter how many races JS7 goes on to win in the rest of his career in the back of his mind he knows RC was better.. So again, why even waste your time arguing with JS7 fans about it.. The records speak for themselves dude.
And we all know that JS7 was the greatest 125 rider ever, so why you threw that me is beyond me.. His records also speak for themselves.
For those saying RC shouldn't race LL. Give me a better reason than he is taking a spot from someother guy almost over the hill? He is racing Lorettas because he wants his kids to see him race. He picked a class that he doesn't have to give up his daily life to train for and be competitive in. So whats wrong with that?
I don't see anyone complaining John Dowd(46?) racing so his son can watch or Mike Brown(40) racing nationals to hang on to his National Earned Number.
I'd love to see RC 35 change his mind and train to comeback to race Nationals.
@Not4Show: but, Dowd and Brown are racing where they should be! In the Pros! That's the difference! RC should race the pro class at LL!!
He should race, he is a racer and always will be....be it cars, trucks or motorcycles. The AMA should have a PRO class for guys like Ricky, Dowd, Brown, Dubach or former Pro National Standouts or Champions, etc... He certainly isnt racing for bragging rights, trophy, money, etc.. He is there because its a great time. I dont think these former champions and top level racers should show up for an Amateur National Championship when they achieved what they have in this sport. They do because the AMA doesnt offer a premier pro class for them to race. If the AMA cannot provide a class, perhaps the AMA shouldnt include there finish in the results. Personally, I dont think they belong in the amateur classes, and likely they wouldnt want to race them either. What if, on accident they took a top amateur guy out and ruined his chance for an Amateur title...That wouldnt be cool at all.
The amateurs and their families that have made it there have sacraficed big time so they should receive the accolades, not a former pro or national champion.
mxpunker@
RC is no longer a pro, he hasn't raced pro in 5 years? I know when I stopped racing Mt. Bikes that after 5 years of non-competitive riding there was no way I was going to race pro, I didn't even race expert after that, I dropped down to sport and had a blast for my age group. Its basically what he is doing. I looked up his qualifying efforts for LL, he DNFed first moto in open pro and took 4th in 2nd moto. He didn't even bother with it at the regional. He is there for the family, yeah maybe he is sandbagging a bit, but there is no 25+A/B/C class. And there is no way he will run away with it. He is not willing to put in all the hard work required to do so. He'd need to drop about 20lbs and train everyday.
Retired_Pro@ Not letting these guys race would be the equivelant to telling the #15-40 at a national that even though you qualified you can't race because you might get in the way of the top guys and we don't want that. If it really is a top amatuer guy in the 25+ class his chance at a contract has long gone by and if he is really that good he should be racing one of 3 pro classes that are offered.
Its racing crap happens
@ Not4show
What state did you race Mtb in !!!!!!!!!! I had a lot of friends that raced a few years back in Ohio !!!!!!!!!!! I had one still do but did Tri stuff. I mize well of raced it every time we went out is was a race anyway, Ego's!!!!!!!
I'll guess California.........When I was a pro in Triathlon 86-96 my parents had a home out west still did some cross training with different folks San Diego,Boulder and Taho areas,did go to some big races with people I trained with that raced pro expert and sport, alot of fun back then
Why would anyone be against RC racing. If I was younger (and faster), I would love to line up against him. A few races out here I got a chance to line up against some pros such as Brad Lackey and it's just kinda cool. I don't even know what place I got. But it's still cool to do. But can you imagine if he goes down and you can say, "yea I remember when I beat RC." Life doesn't get much better for us mere mortals.
Who cares, he has raced at some level all his life. He has every right to race which ever class he qualifies for imo. Its not like he is racing c class or something, there will be some pretty fast guys in 25 plus.
To whoever posted about vet riders knowing their place, what that supposed to mean anyway? I'm sure not all Vet riders have talent or much speed but some of us riders that have been riding since we were little kids can still go pretty fast. So hell yeah I'd love to race LL and win a Vet B title. Yeah I know my place, i've been riding and racing since I was a little kid, I can still go pretty fast I can still win races I can even beat riders alot younger then me, I enjoy the sport I love.
dear Ricky im a very big fan and im just getting started on my cr250 and want to get better could it be possible if u had the mx class at competitive edge in Hisperia CA or can you give me any tips on getting better