Between the Motos with Team Makita Suzuki's Ricky Carmichael
RC hasn't necessarily switched to the 450 in supercross for good; his main reason for using the 450 was that he got sick after France and hadn't had enough time on the new 250.
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Last year Ricky Carmichael came into the U.S. Open of Supercross on a brand-new motorcycle, with a brand-new team, and promptly raised a lot of questions with a 2-DNF ride against then-THQ AMA Supercross Champion Chad Reed. Fifty-two weeks later, he was back at the Open, this time on a bike that he's never lost a race upon-the RM-Z450 Makita Suzuki-and he put the finishing touches on the best season in the history of our sport. Of course, he won this time, adding the U.S. Open title to his 2005 AMA Supercross title, AMA Motocross title, World Supercross title, and Motocross des Nations triumph. What a difference one year makes!
Racer X: Ricky, congratulations, man. What a weekend!
Ricky Carmichael: Yeah, really! Weekend? Year! Pretty exciting-lots of drama with Bubba's deal. I was all amped up to see how it was going to be and looking forward to racing him. He was going to be on the two-stroke and I was going to be on the four-stroke, then something happened and the guy got sick. Hopefully he's all right. It was a hell of a weekend.
Do you know anything that nobody else knows about his condition? What's going on?
I don't know. I don't talk to Bubba really, other than at the races. I don't know what's going on. I don't ask much. I don't know what goes on in his personal life. I know something is up, just as an outsider, but he'll figure it out and I'll see him in Toronto.
About your own health-you weren't feeling too well before this weekend, right?
With an unprecedented five titles, 2005 was a clean sweep for RC
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No, I woke up Tuesday and I was sick as a dog. My throat was sore and I felt a fever coming on, and I got sick. I left the test track a little early and went home and took my temperature, and it was a 102.7, so I started taking some medicine. I got up Wednesday morning and my fever was 102.1, so I went to the doctor at his hospital, Doc Bodnar, and he gave me some IVs. I needed to go, though, because I was sick as a dog, man. So that was Wednesday when I did that. I'm just glad that I knew a doctor in California that worked at a hospital, or else I'd still be sitting in triage somewhere!
In general terms, are you feeling a case of burnout?
Not burnout, just tired, mentally more than anything.
You've been going wide open since Toronto last December.
Yeah, you know, it's a great spot that I'm in-to win titles-but it takes a lot out of you mentally. Sometimes it's mentally tougher than physically tougher, that's for sure.
Okay, back to this weekend. The decision to use the 450 was just based on the fact that you hadn't had enough time on the 250, right? So are we reading too much into it as far as what you will use in 2006?
Yeah, I'll let you guys know when I decide what bike I'm going to ride. There's going to be a lot of testing on both bikes. We want to make the right decision, and we want to know what's good. Suzuki makes a great two-stroke. I want to do what's right for 16 races, and we're gonna be doing a lot of testing on both bikes. I think I'm leaning more towards the two-stroke.
This U.S. Open track is so tight on a 450, everybody was a little surprised with your decision. Was it a little bit weird out there?
Yeah, it's just so tight, you can't ride it hard. The thing lets you know when you're over-riding it, as it did for me in my heat race on the second night. I knew instantly that I was riding it way harder than I should be.
Over the course of the weekend, you said your bike was significantly different from what you started with. What's the difference between the 450 you're leaving with and the 450 you started with?
We changed a whole bunch of suspension, changed the engine, just did a whole bunch of stuff. But I think you have to change your bike anyway, just for this race.
Are you ready for a vacation?
[Laughs] Oh, hell yeah! I wouldn't even necessarily say a vacation; I'm ready for just some time at home, man, and have no schedule.
Do you have anything going on up until Toronto?
Yeah, I'm gonna go to my beach house, hang out there. I'll have my party I always have [at Halloween], and I've got some fun things lined up, so it should be good.
So this race is a wrap for you, it's the end of this year?
It's done. This is the end of the year for me, other than sponsorship obligations.
What was up with Michael Byrne this weekend? What got into him? He was flying.
RC hasn't necessarily switched to the 450 in supercross for good; his main reason for using the 450 was that he got sick after France and hadn't had enough time on the new 250.
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Well, I think number one, he was on the 450, and I think it helped him, something new for him and he was motivated. And number two, I think if you looked into it, he was in good places and at good times, with the exception of the last moto.
In the heat race Saturday, I saw some of the 125-days Ricky Carmichael, especially when you were in that back section. You were trying everything to get around him - you weren't going to cut him any slack.
[Laughs] Yeah, I was kind of embarrassed with the way I was riding, but you know what? I learned quick. I learned from my mistake.
You backed it down?
Yeah. I adapted.
Got it. All right, man, thanks for the time, and I know you've got some well-deserved time off coming
Heck yeah! And you do too, I think.
Yeah, I think I've been to all these races, too, haven't I? I didn't have to ride, though. I was just watching.
That's all right; I think you spent more hours awake than I probably did.
All right, thanks a lot. Later, man.
All right, thanks.
