According to a press release issued by American Suzuki this morning, reigning AMA Supercross and Motocross champ Ricky Carmichael has re-signed with the company for another three years. However, the upcoming AMA Motocross outdoor nationals will be Carmichael’s last full season of racing; starting with the 2007 Supercross series, Ricky will only race ‘selected events’.
What does this mean for Carmichael’s competitors? For Kawasaki young gun James Stewart, the news about Ricky’s semi-retirement can be seen as both good and bad. Good because with RC leaving the game (or at least the championship points race), Stewart will almost certainly become the fastest rider in the premier class – by a fairly large margin. However, James may see Carmichael’s move as a negative, especially if Ricky wins the AMA Supercross championship this weekend in Las Vegas. If that happens, Stewart will have missed his last chance to beat Carmichael ‘straight up’ in the indoor series. Even if Stewart wins the SX championship in 2007 (which seems likely), it just won’t mean as much if it doesn’t come with victory over Carmichael.
For hardcore Supercross/Motocross fans who live for tight racing at the front and tight points battles that come down to the last race, the news is not so great. We have to hope that Chad Reed, or one of the other premier-class riders, can step up to Stewart’s level and fight him toe-to-toe for race wins and championships. Otherwise, Carmichael’s retirement from full-season racing might signal the beginning of another McGrath/Carmichael-esque era, one where first place is always lonely and the only real racing and passing is going on way back in the rest of the pack.
