Carmichael Discovers It Isn’t So Easy

Everything was easy for Ricky Carmichael. He looked so smooth on a motorcycle, gliding over bumps and jumps and hills, that the Florida wunderkind was tagged the next Jeremy McGrath.

There was just one not-so-small problem: McGrath . . . and a field of other supercross riders who, Carmichael discovered, weren’t so willing to step aside and let hype run its course.

Two years older and certainly better, Carmichael, now 21, finally may be making good on the projections that everyone had for him in 1999. Riding for Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki, Carmichael won his first 250cc supercross stadium race last week in San Diego, and will try to repeat that performance tonight when the EA Sports Supercross Series convenes at Edison Field for Round 3 of its 16-race series.

In a sport that can weed the men from the boys pretty quickly, Carmichael’s debut as a 19-year-old made him look like the boy that he was.

“It was real frustrating because I had always done real well, always found a way to win,” said Carmichael, who became the first rider to sweep the 125cc supercross series, eight races, in 1998.

“It was so surprising because I never expected it to be that tough.”

Everything had been a breeze to that point. Carmichael won three consecutive AMA motocross titles from 1997-99, and a 125cc Eastern Region supercross title in 1998.

“Being the next Jeremy McGrath wasn’t too difficult,” Carmichael said, “until I started racing 250s, trying to live up to everyone’s expectations.”

Carmichael’s confidence took a beating, and so did he, finishing 16th in his rookie season in the 250cc supercross series. And there was more to worry about than just McGrath.

“Other guys were doing the same lap times as me,” Carmichael said. “It takes the focus off trying to beat Jeremy. It was a struggle just to beat those other guys.

“When I saw that winning was so difficult, I set my goals to finish on the podium [in 2000]. That was a realistic goal.”

He got his first podium finish, third place, last season in Round 3, at Phoenix, and went on to finish fifth in the series.

So beating McGrath last week in San Diego in Round 2 was an important moment in Carmichael’s development as McGrath’s successor.

“Now that I’ve won, I think I can do it again,” Carmichael said. “[Like Phoenix], once you learn how to do it, you can do it again and again. . . . It was a big load off my back.”

Carmichael and McGrath are tied for first place in the series, each having won and finished third. McGrath is the favorite tonight, having won seven times in Anaheim, including the season opener two weeks ago. But if Carmichael can hang close through the first five weeks--including a race at Phoenix and a return to Anaheim on Feb. 3--he thinks he can make a serious challenge for the title.

“When we get back on the East Coast, I practice on dirt that’s similar to what we race on,” he said. “That will be an advantage. To win away from home is good.

“I just want to keep doing the best I can.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Supercross

* What: Third round of 16-event EA Sports Supercross season, and first leg of the Vans Triple Crown of Supercross.

* Where: Edison Field.

* When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Gates open at 12:30 for practice.

* Main events: 20 laps for 250cc final, 15 laps for 125cc support class.

* Defending 250cc series champion: Jeremy McGrath.

* Promoter: SFX Motor Sports Group, sanctioned by American Motorcyclist Assn.

* Tickets: $75, $40 and $25; 12 and under, $10. Available at Ticketmaster and Edison Field box office.

* Web site information: https://www.pacesupercross.com

* Noteworthy: Walk-up tickets are available at stadium box office at 9 a.m. . . . McGrath (Yamaha) won the season-opening race at Anaheim, his seventh victory at Edison Field, and Ricky Carmichael won last week at San Diego. . . . McGrath has won seven supercross titles, and 71 races. . . . Ernesto Fonseca (Yamaha) won the 125cc race at Anaheim, and teammate Justin Buckelew won at San Diego. . . . Danny Smith (Suzuki) finished second in the first two 125cc races and leads the series.