As Ricky Carmichael more firmly establishes himself as the fastest motocross/supercross rider in the world, people are asking why he is so much faster than the competition. Jeremy McGrath has had a good, close look at his rear fender lately (well, maybe not too close), and McGrath says it’s cornering. Carmichael is simply faster through the corners than anyone else alive.
Why is he so fast through the corners? That’s a hard question to answer, but it does appear that he can lay the bike over flatter in ruts and berms than anyone else, indicating he can hook-up and find traction at higher speeds. Why? Who knows, but it certainly has something to do with the training he has done since he was a young boy. Maybe, it also has something to do with his short stature. Someone out there might remember and let us know, if maybe Jeff Ward was particularly quick in the corners.
But Carmichael “holds it wide” just about everywhere. Outdoors, he is definitely faster on the straights than pretty much everybody else, as well as in the corners. In a stadium, they say that the obstacles equalize speed on the straights (although, the whoop sections are a good place to pick up or lose time). We’ve seen Carmichael creatively attack rhythm sections, as well.
Anyway you look at it, Carmichael has taken this whole thing to a new level. McGrath is trying as hard as he can to respond, but so far doesn’t have the answer (Carmichael simply keeps motoring away from everyone week-after-week). With seven straight AMA 250 Supercross wins (second only to an earlier McGrath win streak), a healthy Carmichael will take the championship. That is now a given. The only questions now are how many more races can he win this season, and will the Outdoor championship (starting in May) be a let down for Carmichael after an intense Supercross series. We’ll see.
