For those wondering whether Ricky Carmichael could ride a 450cc four-stroke, he certainly answered that question in the affirmative at Hangtown two weeks ago. Indeed, after listening to Carmichael’s comments after his 1/1 moto scores, he may just be scratching the surface of his potential on the 450. Certainly a scary thought for his competitors.
Carmichael is the master of the two-stroke. He won an unthinkable 24 out of 24 motos in 2002 — the only perfect season in AMA motocross history. He did this on a two-stroke Honda CR250R.
If the CRF450R actually gives Carmichael more “head room” to grow in speed, his dominance outdoors will continue. If you have seen Carmichael ride as many times as I have, you know that he looks “on the edge” much of the time. The big four-stroke could actually smooth out Carmichael’s style and allow him to up his pace. We will have to see how the rest of this season goes, but it is already easy to predict another Carmichael National championship in 2004.
