Ricky Carmichael facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ricky Carmichael |
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Carmichael at Daytona International Speedway in 2020
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| Born | November 27, 1979 Clearwater, Florida, U.S. |
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| Achievements |
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| Awards | 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Most Popular Driver | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 races run over 69 years | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 position | 113th | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best finish | 84th (2010) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| First race | 2010 Kansas Lottery 300 (Kansas) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last race | 2011 Wypall 200 (Phoenix) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 68 races run over 3 years | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 position | 16th | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best finish | 13th (2010) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| First race | 2008 NextEra Energy Resources 250 (Daytona) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last race | 2011 Ford 200 (Homestead) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| Last updated on: June 13, 2020. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Richard Joseph Carmichael (born November 27, 1979) is a famous American former professional motocross and supercross racer. He is known as "The GOAT," which stands for Greatest of All Time. This nickname shows how dominant he was in his sport.
Carmichael won an amazing 15 championships in AMA Motocross and Supercross. This includes a record seven AMA Motocross 450cc titles and five AMA Supercross 450cc titles. He holds the record for the most motocross wins in AMA history, with 150 victories. He even had two perfect seasons where he won every outdoor motocross race in 2002 and 2004. He also raced for Team USA three times in the Motocross of Nations, helping them win several times.
After he stopped racing motocross professionally in 2007, Carmichael tried stock car racing. He competed in the ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series from 2008 to 2011. He earned many top-ten finishes before focusing again on motocross.
Today, Carmichael is still very active in the motocross world. He helps design race tracks and works as a commentator for supercross broadcasts. In 2021, he teamed up with Triumph Motorcycles to help create their new off-road motorcycles. This led to the release of the TF 450-RC in 2024.
Contents
Ricky Carmichael's Racing Journey
Motocross and Supercross Success
Ricky Carmichael had a very successful amateur career before turning professional in 1997. He joined the Splitfire Pro Circuit Kawasaki team. In his first Supercross season, he showed great speed and won several main events. However, some crashes meant he didn't win the championship that year. In outdoor motocross, he was more consistent. He won the first race and went on to win the 125cc title.
In 1998, Carmichael proved he could dominate indoors too. He won all eight 125cc East Coast Supercross races, plus the special "East/West Shoot-Out." Outdoors, he easily defended his title, even with early challenges from other riders.
For Supercross in 1999, Carmichael moved up to the bigger 250 class with the Factory Kawasaki team. He had some good results early on, finishing in the top five. But frequent crashes later in the season meant he finished outside the top 10 overall. For the outdoor season, he stayed in the 125cc class and won it easily for the third year in a row.
In 2000, Carmichael moved to the 250 class full-time. He became more consistent in Supercross, earning his first win in the top class at Daytona. He finished fifth overall that year. Carmichael again showed his strength in outdoor racing, winning the 2000 AMA Motocross championship in his first year in the class.
Before the 2001 Supercross season, Carmichael worked hard on his fitness. He hired former professional cyclist Aldon Baker to help him train. After some close races early on with the defending champion, Jeremy McGrath, Carmichael became the new leader. He won 13 out of 15 races and took the championship. He then continued his winning streak in outdoor titles, beating strong competitors.
Carmichael switched to a new team, Honda, for the 2002 season. Even after a big crash in the first Supercross race, he quickly recovered. He went on to win 11 out of 16 races and his second 250 title. In the 2002 outdoor championship, Carmichael did something amazing: he won every single race, taking his third 250 outdoor title in a row.
More Championships (2003–2007)
In 2003, Carmichael won both the Supercross and National titles again. He won seven indoor races, facing tough competition from Chad Reed. He also won the National title with nine race wins over Kevin Windham.
In 2004, Carmichael was injured and missed the Supercross season due to a knee injury. However, he returned for the Motocross season and had his second perfect season. He won all 24 races on his Honda CRF 450, which was his first time racing a four-stroke bike.
Carmichael started the 2005 season as an underdog because of his knee injury from the previous year. He was now a Suzuki factory rider. This season was highly anticipated as James "Bubba" Stewart made his debut in the top 250cc class. Despite the strong competition, Carmichael won back his Supercross title with seven victories. Later that summer, Carmichael won all 12 outdoor events in the 250cc National Championship again, winning 22 out of 24 races. He also won the US Open of Supercross title and led Team USA to a big victory at the Motocross des Nations.
Carmichael raced the 2006 Supercross season on an RMZ450, his first time using a four-stroke bike indoors. It was a very exciting season with many lead changes and different race winners. Carmichael, Reed, and Stewart were all very close in points going into the final race. Carmichael finished second and won his fifth Supercross championship. He announced that 2006 would be his last full-time season, planning to retire the next year.
In the 2006 Outdoor National Championship season, Carmichael once again dominated, winning nine races and finishing second twice. He had already secured the championship before the final race. At the season finale, he had a bad crash and couldn't finish the race. He injured his shoulder and couldn't compete in the Motocross of Nations.
As planned, Carmichael only raced part-time in 2007. He competed in select events for Team Makita Suzuki while starting his new stock car career. Carmichael finished with two Supercross wins and six Outdoor National wins, winning every race he entered. He ended his career with a winning performance at the X-Games and a victory with Team USA at the Motocross of Nations in Budds Creek, Maryland.
X Games Achievements
Carmichael won a gold medal in Supercross at the X Games in 2007. He won another gold in the Step Up event in 2008. In 2009, he shared the gold medal in the same event with Ronnie Renner. In 2019, he earned a bronze medal in Real Moto.
Stock Car Racing Career
In 2007, Carmichael signed a contract with Ginn Racing to develop his skills as a stock car driver. This team later joined with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.. With help from experienced driver Mark Martin, Carmichael began racing late models across the country. With support from Monster Energy, Carmichael later moved to Ken Schrader Racing. He raced in a few events in the K&N Pro Series East, including a big race at Toyota Speedway.
In 2009, Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick chose Carmichael to drive the No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado in 18 races for Harvick's team, Kevin Harvick, Inc.. It was a challenging change, but Carmichael finished 22nd in the Truck Series points that year. In 2010, Carmichael and Monster Energy moved to Turner Motorsports. There, he earned nine top-ten finishes and ended up 13th in the points. Carmichael also made his Nationwide Series debut at Kansas Speedway, starting 12th and finishing 18th. Carmichael returned to Turner for 2011, sharing the No. 30 Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series with other teammates.
On September 2, 2011, Carmichael achieved his first career pole position at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the Camping World Truck Series.
Other Activities and Awards
Consulting and Broadcasting
On July 19, 2021, Carmichael started a partnership with Triumph Motorcycles. He and World Enduro champion Ivan Cervantes are helping to develop new off-road motorcycles for motocross and supercross.
He also works as a commentator for AMA Monster Energy SuperMotocross broadcasts on NBC. He works alongside Leigh Diffey, Jason Weigandt, James Stewart, Jason Thomas, and Will Christien.
Sponsors
Ricky Carmichael has worked with several sponsors throughout his career.
- Current Sponsors
- Fox Racing
- Monster Energy (since 2006)
- Triumph Motorcycles (since 2021)
- Past Sponsors
- Kawasaki motorcycles (1997–2001, 2020–2021)
- Suzuki (2005–2020)
- Honda Racing Corporation (2002–2004)
Awards and Recognition
In 2009, Ricky Carmichael was voted the 2009 Most Popular Driver in the Camping World Truck Series.
In 2015, he was honored by being inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
Images for kids
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Carmichael at Daytona International Speedway in 2020
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Carmichael in 2007
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Carmichael receiving a Key to the City of Morgantown, West Virginia ("Moto-Town") in 2007
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Carmichael's No. 30 for Turner Motorsports in the Nationwide Series race at Road America in 2011
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Carmichael's No. 4 for Turner Motorsports in the Truck Series race at Pocono in 2011
