Dominant Carmichael still has motivation

Thursday, Oct. 9, 2003 | 1:49 a.m.

Ricky Carmichael has accomplished so much during his relatively brief professional motocross career that he seemingly has nothing left to prove.

And he's not even 24.

But that's not to say that Carmichael, a 10-time AMA national champion, has trouble getting motivated.

Since he won his first of four 250cc U.S. motocross championships in 2000, Carmichael has heard the talk in the industry about the next young rider who is destined to knock him off his two-wheel pedestal. As he prepares for this weekend's $300,000 Maxxis U.S. Open at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Carmichael said that kind of talk is what keeps him motivated.

"You know, it's so funny -- every year it's something new; somebody new is going to beat me," Carmichael said. "In 2002, when I defended my Supercross title, it was (David) Vuillemin ... who was going to beat me. Then, last year, it was Chad (Reed) was going to beat me and (Travis) Pastrana was going to do this and then next year, it's supposed to be Bubba (James Stewart).

"That kind of keeps me motivated. It's funny; this sport is gnarly because you are only as good as your last race. Yet, I kind of keep ticking away. There is nothing left for me to prove -- anything from here on out is icing on the cake. That keeps me going."

The "cake" that Carmichael referred to is a spectacular racing resume that includes four consecutive AMA 250cc motocross championships, three consecutive 250cc Supercross championships, a record for most AMA national wins in Supercross and motocross (96) and 67 amateur titles.

Last year, Carmichael followed his Supercross title by becoming the first rider in the history of the sport to win all 24 races in the national outdoor season -- a feat likely never to be matched.

Although he has been riding competitively since the age of 5, Carmichael insisted he still enjoys racing and has no immediate plans to retire.

"Right now, I'm having a lot fun," he said. "I want to do it as long as I can, as long as I know I can win and as long as I am having fun -- that's really important to me.

"It's hard to really say (how long I want to race); things can go really good one year and then things couldn't go good one year."

Carmichael's pressing concern this week is the invitation-only Maxxis U.S. Open, which is the richest event in motorcycle racing with its $300,000 purse and $100,000 first prize. Carmichael won the event in 2000 and 2001, but finished second last year to fellow Honda rider Mike LaRocco after falling in Friday night's moto.

Although the two-day pro event (amateur competition will be Sunday) is a prestigious race that offers a rich payout, Carmichael said he would use the U.S. Open to prepare him for his defense of the 2004 Supercross series, which opens Jan. 3 in Anaheim, Calif.

"I have worked on my bike a lot in the off-season," he said. "I think a lot of people will be noticing a little bit of difference. The U.S. Open is an important race in a way to me, but in a way it's not -- it's just kind of a gauge to see what I need to do in the off-season to prepare myself for Anaheim."

Although LaRocco is the defending champion of the U.S. Open, Carmichael said he expects his biggest challenge this weekend to come from Australian Chad Reed.

"I expect (Reed) to be the guy; I think it will be himself and me out there," Carmichael said. "I'm definitely looking forward to racing him to see if my new setup that I've been working on is going to pay off. I've got a lot of confidence from racing him in the outdoor -- I learned a lot from him there -- and I'm ready to go, for sure."