You may already know that Sebastien Tortelli announced his retirement from motocross/supercross competition last evening at the Paris-Bercy Supercross event. Tortelli, of course, is a former World Motocross champion, and one of the few riders to beat Stefan Everts straight up for a World title back in 1998.
Tortelli appeared on his way to being Evert’s nemesis for the remainder of his career when he decided to come to the United States to race in the AMA championship series — both outdoors and supercross. Tortelli showed remarkable speed, particularly outdoors. Two things kept Tortelli from gaining an outdoor title here in the United States, including frequent injury and the arrival of Ricky Carmichael in the large-displacement motocross championship series soon after Tortelli came to the States. There were plenty of weekends when Tortelli was the second fastest rider outdoors (next to Carmichael), which means he was faster than every other AMA pro except for the almost super human Carmichael. Many people will forget this, but it is true.
Tortelli was also known for his good humor and polite, friendly approach with fans and media. He will be missed as a rider and a gentlemen.
