Ricky Carmichael Part III
Jeff Emig was the king of the 250cc class when Carmichael
first arrived on the 125cc scene. Emig was one of the few
guys who could beat McGrath in supercross and during that
1997 season when RC bagged his first AMA National 125cc
title Emig was both the 250cc supercross and motocross
champion. He too, has fond memories of RC.
‘It had to be a Loretta's when I first saw him ride. He was
just a kid, but the impression that I have of Ricky on a mini-
bike is much the same as today, on a big bike. All of the
proper fundamentals were there, plus the ability to hang off
the bike when necessary, to either stay on the throttle or
stay on the bike and never miss a beat … he just had an
incredible balance and natural feel for the lines on the track.
‘You know what stood out with RC too: speed. Period. The
kid could go fast. Throughout his career the learned how to
harness that speed and worked on becoming†a professional
athlete that was fit in mind, body and spirit. Thus performing
on†a level never seen before. He was faster, stronger and
smarter than any rider we had seen before. full story on
mxlarge.com
Ricky Carmichael ten days ago in practice at Anaheim2
pic from racerxill.com
"Ricky Carmichael" by Jeff Emig -ozzy go- mxlarge.com
RacerX Video - A Look Back: 1986 Anaheim Supercross -ozzy go-
1986 Anaheim Supercross top-10
1 David Bailey - Honda
2 Rick Johnson - Honda
3 Johnny O'Mara - Honda
4 Keith Bowen - Yamaha
5 Micky Dymond - Honda
6 George Holland - Suzuki
7 Broc Glover - Yamaha
8 Ron Lechien - Kawasaki
9 Billy Liles - Kawasaki
10 Jeff Leisk - Honda
1986 AMA SX Championship top-5
1 Rick Johnson - Honda - 6 wins
2 David Bailey - Honda - 4 wins
3 Johnny O'Mara - Honda
4 Jeff Ward - Kawasaki - 2 wins
5 Keith Bowen - Yamaha
The History of Supercross -ozzy go- supercrossonline.com
Gary Bailey had just done something completely unprecedented. He had
torn up the infield grass at Daytona International Speedway, churning the
sandy soil into the AMA's first artificial motocross track.
The whoops, stutter-bumps and berms that Bailey built, located in the
shadow of the famed speedway's east-end banking, snaked through the
infield on both sides of a culvert. In just hours on this day during Motorcycle
Week 1972, riders would take to that course on Maicos, CZs, Jawas and
Husqvarnas in a style of racing that would one day become known as AMA
Supercross.
History was about to be made. But Bailey had just one small problem: The
riders didn't understand the jumps.
"It's funny," Bailey says 26 years later. "That first track really had nothing
in terms of obstacles. There were no doubles, and everything was low to
the ground.
"So when they saw this little, 25-foot ramp jump over the drainage ditch,
we actually had riders looking at it saying, 'We're supposed to jump over
that?'"
These days, the only thing the pros wonder about when it comes to jumps
is which trick to pull while in the air; a Nac Nac, a Whip, or a Superman. But
motocross, even the outdoor kind run on natural terrain was new here in
those days. And the notion of bulldozing the earth into artificial obstacles
seemed truly radical.
"We actually had people riding into the ditch and coming to an abrupt stop
at the bottom, then going over the bars," Bailey recalls, chuckling.
"We had to do something in case that happened during the race," he adds.
"So we put in a 'chicken path' around it. Some of the riders were actually
using it during the race."
Fast-forward 26 years, and it's easy to see how far supercross has come
since those early days.
The sport now fills stadiums in major cities from coast to coast. The tracks
are intricately contrived mazes of doubles, triples, tabletops and rockers.
The starts sign big-money contracts with Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and
Suzuki. And they're the heroes of young fans around the world even in
Europe, where supercross once was considered nothing more than a
sideshow to the traditional sport of motocross.
AMA motocross was barely a year old in 1969, when Bailey, a racer
himself, staged what were very likely the first stadium motocross events.
He converted the venerable Ascot Park in California, long a venue for AMA
Grand National Dirt Track racing, into a motocross track, using part of the
half-mile track and even taking riders outside the oval on one section. The
man-made track was an attempt to make the European sport of motocross,
still quite foreign to America, more accessible for fans.
"We were just looking for a way to get the average Joe Blow to watch the
races," Bailey says. "He doesn't want to go sit in the dirt and spend all his
time getting to and from the event. Why not put it in a stadium?"
Bailey approached the AMA with his idea, trying to get the Association to
sanction the event. But officials balked.
"The rule was that the track had to be natural and it had to be at least 20
feet wide," Bailey recalls. "Ours was only 15 feet wide in one spot, so we
didn't get the sanction." full story on supercrossonline.com
Johnny O'Mara (#5) in 1984
Jeremy McGrath (#2) & Doug Henry (#19) in 1998
pics from racerxill.com
2007 White Bros World Vet Championship -ozzy go- vitalmx.com
Glen Helen, San Bernardino, CA, Nov. 3-4, 2007
30+ Pro Sunday
1. Doug Dubach (Yamaha) 1-1
2. Graig Decker (Honda) 2-3
3. Gordon Ward (Kawasaki) 5-2
4. Cameron Taylor (Honda) 3-4
5. Joe Oehlhof (Kawasaki) 4-5
6. Bader Manneh (KTM) 6-6
7. Willie Surrat (Kawasaki) 11-7
8. Tony Amaradio (Honda) 10-8
9. Chris Young (Suzuki)) 8-10
10. Fernando Bua (Kawasaki) 9-11
30+ Pro Saturday
1. Graig Decker (Honda) 1-1
2. Willie Surrat (Kawasaki) 3-2
3. Cameron Taylor (Honda) 2-3
4. Robin Dohlman (Kawasaki) 4-4
5. Stan Finney (Honda) 6-5
6. Jason Fields (Honda) 8-6
7. Matt Spencer (Kawasaki) 10-8
8. Dave Duarte (Honda) 7-11
9. Chris Morgan (Honda) 9-10
10. Mike Chastain (Honda) 11-9
MX Legends Birthday: Greg Albertyn
Greg Albertyn (born October 13, 1973 in Johannesburg, South Africa), is a
former World Champion motocross racer. He is now a real estate developer in
Riverside, California.
Affectionately nicknamed "Albee", Greg won several South African and Dutch
national motocross championships before moving onto the World Motocross
Championship Grands Prix. Based in Europe, Greg and Belgian Stefan Everts
had a fierce rivalry in the early part of their careers, with Albertyn usually
getting the upper hand. Greg won the 125cc World Championship in 1992,
and moved to the 250cc class for 1993. Greg won that premier class in his
first attempt. He successfully defended his championship for '94. By that time
he was already fielding offers to race in America for the National motocross
and supercross championships.
Suzuki team manager Roger DeCoster hand picked Albertyn to return his
team to the top. Greg came over for the 1995 season. Supercross racing was
completely foreign to Albertyn, as he crashed his way through that series, his
injuries hampered him for the outdoors where he was expected to shine. He
did score and handful of podiums, showing his potential.
1996 was more of the same, with Greg only scoring a handful of top-tens in
supercross. However, he did manage to stay relatively injury-free, and by the
time the outdoors rolled around, Greg scored his first win at Unadilla and a
few more podiums.
Teamed with Jeremy McGrath on Suzuki for 1997, Greg greatly improved his
supercross technique, and had finally begun to adapt. He won the Supercross
season opener in Los Angeles, and scored many other podium finishes. He
won the Hangtown National and was very competitive outdoors, but DNFs
riddled his season. For '98, Greg improved his consistentcy to finish second
outdoors behind Doug Henry. full story on wikipedia.org - pic from RacerX
MX Legends Birthday: Bob Hannah -ozzy go- motorcyclemuseum.org
Bob Hannah will go down in history as one of the greatest American
motocross racers of all time. He won a total of seven AMA national
championships and when inducted in 1999, Hannah was one of only
two riders in the history of AMA motocross racing to win
championships in 125cc motocross, 250cc motocross and Supercross.
Hannah easily ranks as the most versatile motocross racer of his era
and perhaps of all time. During his 15-year racing career, Hannah
won nationals in the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc categories as well as
Supercross and Trans-AMA. When he retired from racing, Hannah
held the record for the most career wins in both the AMA Supercross
and AMA 250cc national motocross.
Hannah was born on September 26, 1956 in the rugged Mojave
Desert town of Lancaster, California. His father was a motorcyclist and
Hannah grew up riding on the handlebars of his dad’s bikes. When he
was 7, Hannah got his own bike and rode countless hours in the high
desert surrounding his hometown. The one thing Hannah did not do in
those early years was race. He explains:
"My father was against racing. He did not mind me riding, but at the
same time he didn’t want me getting hurt. So I never raced until I
was 18 years old and living on my own."
By the time Hannah hit the motocross tracks of Southern California,
he was more than ready. Even though he didn’t have racing
experience, he had practically lived on a motorcycle since grade
school and likely had more hours on a bike than any of his fellow
competitors. Hannah won his first and only race in the amateur ranks.
After his dominating debut, local racing officials told the young
Hannah he would have to move up to the expert ranks.
In 1975, his first full year as an expert, Hannah rode in just two
AMA nationals. His best finish was sixth overall in the AMA 125cc
National in San Antonio, Texas. Not bad for a rider with less than
a year’s racing experience under his belt.
In 1976, Yamaha took a chance on the 19-year-old Hannah, who
was largely unknown outside of the local Southern California
motocross circles. Yamaha signed Hannah to race the 125cc
outdoor nationals. He started out the year with some success on a
250cc machine in the AMA Supercross Series, but his real strength
was on the 125cc bikes at the outdoor motocross circuits.
The AMA 125cc National Motocross Championships were only two
years old when Hannah launched into his first full season in the
series. Honda and its rider, Marty Smith, dominated the 125cc
nationals for the first two years. Smith was gunning for his third-
straight title and he was the heavy favorite coming into the ’76
season. At the first round of the 125 MX series, the famous
Hangtown Nationals in Plymouth, California, Smith made the early
laps of the first moto look like a replay of 1974 and ‘75. Eight laps
into the relatively dull race the crowd came to its feet when
Hannah, on his No. 39... full story on motorcyclemuseum.org
pics from onthepiperacing.com
RacerX Number Cruncher: Larry Brooks -ozzy go- racerxill.com
Welcome to the Shift Number Cruncher. It’s a gnarly
week around here for me so I have a quick one for you
this time. If you recall Racerhead a couple weeks ago,
we ran a letter that Larry Brooks sent us expressing his
displeasure with our inability to remember him when we
ran some of the numbers he raced with during his long
and successful career. He did forget we ran him in the
#36 cruncher, though. Brooks has played a huge role
in the sport for the better part of the last three decades.
He was a super-fast racer and an even stronger team
manager for some of the biggest names in the sport.
We felt we owned him a little payback so we dug up
some pictures and history. This one’s for you, Larry!
click here for the full story on racerxill.com
The Greatest MX Prodigies
Ron Lechien (1983/16-year-old) AMASX250 victories
Damon Bradshaw (1988/16-year-old) Int.SX250 victory
Rick Johnson (1981/17-year-old) AMAMX250 victories
Tony Di Stefano (1974/17-year-old) AMAMX500 victories
Marty Tripes (1972/16-year-old) AMASX250 victory
Broc Glover (1977/17-year-old) AMAMX125 title
Travis Pastrana (2000/16-year-old) AMAMX125 title
James Stewart (2002/16-year-old) AMAMX125 title
Marty Smith (1974/17-year-old) AMAMX125 title
Ricky Carmichael (1997/17-year-old) AMAMX125 title
Brad Lackey (1972/19-year-old) AMAMX500 title
Brian Swink (1991/17-year-old) AMASX125 title
Ryan Villopoto (2006/18-year-old) AMAMX125 title
Mark Barnett (1978/17-year-old) AMAMX125 victory
Robbie Reynard (1993/16-year-old) AMAMX125 victory
Damon Huffman (1993/17-year-old) AMASX125 victories
Jim Pomeroy (1972/19-year-old) AMAMX250 victory
Mike LaRocco (1988/17-year-old) AMASX125 victory
Kevin Windham (1996/18-year-old) AMASX125 title
Dave Strijbos (1984//16-year-old) MXGP125 victory
André Malherbe (1973/17-year-old) MXGP125 title
Georges Jobé (1980/19-year-old) MXGP250 title
David Thorpe (1982/19-year-old) GPMX500 victory
Eric Geboers (1980/17-year-old) MXGP125 victory
Rob Herring (1987/18-year-old) MXGP250 victory
Stefan Everts (1991/18 year’s old) MXGP125 title
Jean Michel Bayle (1987/18 year’s old) MXGP125 victories
Sebastien Tortelli (1996/18-year-old) MXGP125 title
Grant Langston (2000/18 year’s old) MXGP125 title
Marc Velkeneers (early 80's) MXGP125 victories
Joel Robert (1965/21-year-old) MXGP250 title
Ron "Machine" Lechien in 1984
2nd of Ricky Johnson in US Outdoor 250cc
1st in USGP 250cc at Unadilla at 17!
RacerX Bench Racing Ammo: Team USA Rider Records -ozzy go-
We're just three days away from the 2007 FIM Red Bull
Motocross of Nations, which means Team USA's Ricky
Carmichael, Ryan Villopoto and Tim Ferry will carry the
red, white and blue around the Budds Creek racetrack as
the rest of the world chases after them! All three riders
have represented Team USA before, with Villopoto's
team record 1-0 (2006 at England) and Ferry 0-1 (2003
Belgium). The big surprise is Carmichael's record, a very
uncharacteristic 2-3 in five rides (England, Brazil, France,
France and England).
So who has the best record as a Team USA rider at the
MXoN? That's the question we put to our experts for this
weekend's Bench Racing Ammo. We went back to 1981
- the first year Team USA won – and we did not include
the now-extinct Trophee des Nations. Here's the team
records of all our boys, over the last 25 years. click on
ozzy go to the full story on racerxill.com
All Time US MXoN Winners - top-5 of 29 riders
Jeff Ward (Kawasaki) - 7 wins - 500cc, 250cc & 125cc
David Bailey (Honda) - 5 wins - 500cc
Johnny O'Mara (Honda) - 4 wins - 500cc & 125cc
Rick Johnson (Yamaha/Honda) - 4 wins - 500cc & 250cc
Jeff Stanton (Honda) - 3 wins - 250cc
picture: Jeff Ward's MXoN record is 7-0. Here he is at
Gaildorf, Germany, in 1985. photo: Jack Burnicle
RacerX Number Cruncher: MXoN Edition -ozzy go-
Welcome to the Shift Number Cruncher. It’s MxoN week so let’s run some
numbers surrounding the history of the biggest and longest running race in our
sport. I can still remember the enormous hype surrounding the 1987 event at
Unadilla. Everyone was so pumped for the race to be coming to America,
especially Bob Hannah who made no bones about wanting to compete and that
he would even do it, “on a stinkin’ 125!” I had only been racing a few years by
then but I knew that we had won it the year before. I watched every episode of
Motoworld and I can still hear Larry Maiers screaming about O’Mara flying
past King David Thorpe, and then seeing the images of Johnson and Bailey
riding across the finishline side by side doing a high five. I waited for that race
every year and couldn’t wait to get my Cycle News to see how we won and
everything shook down. After taking a glance at the new 2007 FIM Red Bull
Motocross of Nations program some cool numbers jumped right at me. Enjoy.
Some of the most heroic rides in American MXoN history have been put in by
riders wearing #2. Ricky Johnson, Jeff Stanton, and McGrath all raced on
winning teams at the MXoN with the #2 on the front of their Hondas. Now it
appears that our next great American hero has made the number all his own.
Two-time defending Lites champion Ryan Villopoto will be looking for his
second consecutive class championship in his second appearance wearing #2.
RV2? Hmmm… I guess that works.
Oh yeah, Jeff Ward looked pretty cool running the #2 in 1985, which was the
first year that the two races—Motocross and Trophee des Nations—were pared
down to one MXoN. Team USA won that race, on the heels of great rides by
Wardy, #1 David Bailey and #3 Ron Lechien. But the overall winner that day?
King David Thorpe, running #7 for Great Britain. Sure, he got beaten the next
year by a 125, but so did everyone else; on this day, with his 1-2-1 in three
motos. On that day, he was the King of the entire Motocross World. click on
ozzy go to the full story on RacerX
RacerX Great Race: The 1993 Motocross des Nations -ozzy go-
That was one intimidating day,” said Skip Norfolk looking at the “Team USA
– as Usual in Austria” article in Cycle News. With a dateline of
Schawnenstadt, Austria, September 12 was about Team USA’s 13th
consecutive victory in the Motocross des Nations. That afternoon on the
fairy tale-like lush green hillsides of the Central European nation, the
American team, consisting of Jeff Emig (125cc), Jeremy McGrath (250cc)
and Mike Kiedrowski (500cc), narrowly defeated team Belgium by a single
point. And while all is well that ends well, for one particular U.S. rider —
namely Jeremy McGrath — the 1993 Motocross des Nations was actually
more gut-wrenching than it was heartwarming.
On January 23 of that same year, at the then-named Anaheim Stadium,
the 250 class rookie McGrath won his first 250cc Supercross. For all intents
and purposes, he never looked back, winning nine of the next 13 races
and the 1993 Supercross Championship. Team Honda sent McGrath out on
the 125 in the 1993 National Motocross Championship Series. And while he
won the opening won a couple of rounds, McGrath was not on the same
pace as class leaders Doug Henry and Jeff Emig.
But for the first time ever. a fan voting process was utilized to choose the
1993 U.S. Motocross des Nations team. McGrath, the sport’s new superstar,
was voted to represent Team USA on the 250. All well and fine, but the
truth of the matter was that McGrath was a great 250cc supercross rider,
not necessarily (at least at the time) a world-class 250cc outdoor rider.
Painted into a corner and realizing that McGrath might be in over his head
come September and Motocross des Nations time in Europe, the American
powers that be suggested that McGrath ride the 250cc U.S. Grand Prix at
Budds Creek. And while a young Belgian rider named Stefan Everts won
the race, McGrath ran towards the front and acquitted himself as the
people’s choice for the 250cc seat in Austria... click on ozzy go to the full
story on RacerX
Racer X Files: The Untouchables -ozzy go-
The Untouchables: 1986 Team USA September 18, 2007
Team USA's astonishing performance at the 1986 Motocross des
Nations in Maggiora, Italy, was the peak of American motocross
dominance. Eric Johnson wrote about that glorious day in American
MX history in a feature called "The Untouchables," which ran in the
July 2002 (Volume 5/Issue 7) issue of Racer X Illustrated. click on
ozzy go to the full story
1986' US MX of Nations Team: David Bailey, Rick Johnson & Johnny O'Mara
The Legendary show of Johnny O’Mara (3) on this CR125cc
David Bailey (1) holeshot the 500c/125cc moto ahead Dave Thorpe (42)
Maggiora, Italy, September 21, 1986
'86 Motocross of Nations
500/125: 1. David Bailey - 2. Johnny O'Mara
250/125: 1. Rick Johnson - 2. Johnny O'Mara
500/250: 1. David Bailey - 2. Rick Johnson
Racer X Files: When We Were Kings -ozzy go-
We're less than a week from the 61st running of the Motocross of
Nations, so that's pretty much all that's on our minds here at Racer X.
So for this week's Racer X Files, we pulled out one of the very first
issues of Racer X Illustrated. It's the September/October 1998 issue
that you can't get your hands on because we're sold out! But inside
this issue is an epic story of four young American racers who forever
changed the balance of the world motocross power. Eric Johnson
takes a long look at the greatest moment in U.S. motocross history,
when Team USA won this epic event for the first time. click on ozzy
go to the full story on racerxill.com
Johnny O’Mara (54) rides for the first time in 500cc class at the '81 Motocross of Nation in Bielstein, Germany
Team USA/Honda/JT Racing USA at the Trophy of Nations: Danny Laporte, Donnie Hansen, Johnny O'Mara & Chuck Sun