Carmichael, Ricky
Name/Title
Carmichael, RickyTags
Motocross & SupercrossDescription
- The G.O.A.T. — Greatest of All Time. The most successful AMA Motocross & Supercross Champion ever, earning more than 150 professional wins across numerous racing categories - The only racer in AMA Motocross history to pull off an undefeated season, a feat he accomplished an astounding three times (2002, 2004 and 2005) - Five-time AMA Pro Athlete of the Year (2001-2002, 2004-2006) Few people in any endeavor — in sport, in business or in life — ever earn the title “Greatest of All Time.” Ricky Carmichael — universally acknowledged as the greatest AMA Motocross racer who ever lived — has definitely earned the “G.O.A.T.” title, and it’s unlikely that his professional racing record will ever be equaled, much less beaten. In total, Ricky Carmichael earned a combined 15 National Championship titles in AMA Motocross and Supercross competition, along with three team world championships in the Motocross of Nations (MXoN) and one individual FIM World Supercross Championship (SX1). He was named AMA Motocross Rookie of the Year in 1996, and logged his first full season in 1997, when he won the 125 Motocross Championship. In the nine years that followed, he won at least one championship every season and never failed to defend a title when he was able to ride (a knee injury sidelined him for part of the 2004 season). Breaking it down by the numbers, Carmichael has earned more than 150 combined professional wins, including 72 AMA Motocross races, 48 AMA Supercross main events, 26 AMA Motocross Lites overalls and 12 AMA Supercross Lites main events. Carmichael is the only rider in AMA Motocross history with an undefeated season at the sport's top level, a feat he accomplished an astounding three times, in 2002, 2004 and 2005. He was named the AMA Pro Racing Athlete of the Year five times: 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Over the course of his 11-year professional racing career, Carmichael became the most dominant rider ever in AMA Motocross. Impressively, Carmichael won championships riding for three separate brands — Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki — and his dominance spanned distinct racing eras. He won his earlier titles on the two-stroke machines he grew up riding, and he performed just as well on the four-stroke racebikes that gained prominence during the latter portion of his career. “I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve been able to surround myself with great people, at Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki,” Carmichael said. “They all gave me a chance to do well.” Carmichael capped his impressive career with a winning performance at the 2007 X Games Supercross along with a victory for Team USA at the Motocross of Nations in Budds Creek, Md., his last race. Though Carmichael was a fierce competitor on the track, he was typically gracious and humble off-track, preferring to let his riding do the talking. His attitude and work ethic won him fans both inside and outside the paddock. Following his retirement from professional motorcycle racing, Carmichael took up a career on four wheels, competing in ARCA late-model and NASCAR Truck Series events. In 2009, he was named the NASCAR Truck Series’ “Most Popular Driver”; the next year he earned nine top-10 finishes in the Truck Series and, in 2011, he earned his first pole position at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Ricky soon transitioned away from four-wheel racing and toward team ownership, launching RCH Racing in partnership with fellow racer and freestyle motocross legend Carey Hart and winning the 2016 AMA 450 Pro Motocross Championship with rider Ken Roczen in 2016. After ending RCH in 2017, Rickey settled comfortably into a high-profile ambassadorship role within the motorcycle industry. He’s frequently seen on television, where he serves as an on-air analyst for NBC Sports, discussing rider psychology and race strategy, and he’s also heavily involved in a variety of instructional roles with his Ricky Carmichael University racing school and his Goat Farm training and coaching properties, where he works with up-and-coming racing talent. “I like the position I’m in now,” he says. “I may be retired from racing, but I’m still very active with team ownership, and as a spokesman for the sport in general. I’m just trying to help make the sport bigger and better for the guys coming up. Carmichael ended his 15-year ambassador relationship with Suzuki in 2020 to make way for a new relationship with Triumph Motorcycles, where he played a key role as the lead development rider for the British manufacturer’s first-ever line of competition motocross bikes, including the TF 250-X and the TF 450-RC Edition. Carmichael was also instrumental in launching Triumph’s factory motocross racing program, which debuted in both the SuperMotocross World Championship and the AMA Supercross Championship in 2024. “I’m in a great position in that I can do the things I want to do, and not do the things I don’t want to do, which is a pretty good place to be,” Carmichael says. It’s good to be the G.O.A.T.Category
Class of 2013