PODCASTS

Ep. #26 24-0: Ricky Carmichael Made Lightning Strike Twice

August 12, 2023

By Brett Smith

This story is about Ricky Carmichael doing something even he thought wasn’t possible: a second perfect season. “I doubt if this will ever happen again,” Carmichael told Cycle News after the 2002 Steel City National when he completed his first 24-0 run.

The project you’re about to listen to started well over a year ago and began as a 20^th anniversary celebration of that 2002 season.

But the more Ricky and I chatted, the more we found ourselves riffing about 2004, his second perfect season, which was memorably more difficult. And the deeper we got into that conversation, the more we discussed his 2003 knee injury, missing the 2004 Supercross season, and signing with American Suzuki during the recovery.

That turned into “The Greatest Gamble in Motocross,” a completely different story, which got its own episodes.

This story, however, is about how Carmichael did the unthinkable again, how he returned from injury… and dominated.

This is the audio version. For an interactive experience that includes trivia questions, polls, photos and infographics, check out the print version at wewentfast.com

And for better bike graphics or decals, go with Throttle Jockey. Ricky Carmichael ran a number one plate exactly once in his three years with American Honda and it was Throttle Jockey’s Robert Davis who carefully applied those backgrounds.

That was September 12, 2004 and Carmichael was two motos away from the second perfect season of his career. If RC was going 24-0 again, Throttle Jockey sweated the details and left nothing to chance, even the application of the graphics.

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