With just two rounds remaining in the AMA Supercross series, Honda’s Ricky Carmichael has a 13 point lead over Yamaha’s Chad Reed. Two second place finishes by Carmichael would secure the championship with points to spare.
On the other hand, a crash by Carmichael could conceivably hand Reed the championship. With Reed riding a bit better than Carmichael at the moment, can Carmichael settle for second place in the next two rounds? Will he risk a crash and the championship by trying to beat Reed in each of the two remaining races?
Carmichael will tell you himself that it is not in his nature to accept second place in any single race. If Reed rides as well in the next two rounds as he did a week ago (when he came from behind to beat Carmichael in a flawless display), the smart move for Carmichael might be to throttle back into a comfortable pace, take second place in each remaining race, and take his championship. Of course, it probably won’t happen that way.
