Interview: Ricky Carmichael

On selected Saturday evenings we see analyst Ricky Carmichael in the NBC broadcast booth alongside play-by-play colleague Jason Weigandt. His hair combed and dressed up in a sport coat and collared shirt, Carmichael utilises the knowledge and wisdom he gleaned from racing to 15 AMA Pro Racing championships and 150 race wins during his Greatest Of All Time career to keep all of us tuned in on the goings on in the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. All this withstanding, during the recent NBC broadcast of the Glendale Supercross, we fired a text over to Carmichael to see if the greatest racer in motocross history would be up for an interview to get us up to speed on all of his goings on in the sport. As we expected, RC hit us right back and shortly thereafter, we were in front of Carmichael with the recorder on and talking racing. Take it away Ricky.

“Man, life is good,” said Carmichael from his home in Florida. “I have no complaints. I’m just doing my NBC analysis for supercross and the SMX Playoffs. That’s 21 races right out of the gate each year. I’ve got another year on my contract with them. That will take me through 2027. And then with my partnership with Triumph, both from the production side and the marketing side and the race team side, that has been very, very fun. It’s something that I love and want to continue to grow. And then I have my brand ambassador roles with Monster Energy and Fox Racing. I’ve also got some great endemic partners in Quad Lock and a number of others. Yeah man, it’s very good. It’s fun. The balance  is pretty good. You know sometimes I feel like I need to dial it back a little bit. I have no complaints, man.”

With the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship now fully up and running, Carmichael is looking to Seattle, Washington and Saturday night’s race set for Lumen Field.

“On every Wednesday we have our content calls and leading up to those calls we send in to our producer story lines and thoughts that we have going into each race,” explained Carmichael. “We just get some content going there in case we need to expand on the racing itself. I think Mother Nature is the big question mark every time we go to Seattle. You just never really know what’s going to happen. So with that being said, that’s kind of what the question mark is and the moving target for me.

“It’s been a fantastic 450 championship,” furthered Carmichael. “Assuming that the weather is going to be inclement in Seattle, I believe it is going to be more about who can just get through and survive and maximize the points. I don’t mind going to Seattle. It’s a long flight, but I enjoy it when I’m there. It’s always produced great racing, whether the weather is good or whether it’s not. And Haiden Deegan will be there. Talk about an incredible athlete. It has really been a lot of fun to watch him and just watch his craft grow. It’s also fun to watch just what kind of antics and fun stuff he’s going to do whether it’s during the race or after the race or sometime during the day. He always gives us something interesting to talk about. We’ll just see if he can continue the dominance, or if guys like Levi Kitchen or Cameron McAdoo or someone from his team can step up and challenge him for a win.”

Five races into the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, there have been four different winners. A toss-up of a championship?

“It is a toss-up,” answered Carmichael. “That’s a great question, Eric. I feel like the biggest thing is can these guys stay healthy the whole way. It’s been a lot of fun. There have been some surprises. The biggest bummer, and not just for himself, but for the sport as well, is Jett Lawrence going out. Whether you hate him or love him, the sport needs as much parity and as many of these superstars lining up every single weekend. He’s a valuable asset to the series and I’m bummed to see him out. At the same time I think about Eli Tomac. I mean what an incredible story that is. It was awesome just how things worked out and how he ended up on the team that he is on. For him to come out at his age and just look like he’s at mid-season form already is amazing. He looks like he’s been on that bike for five years. He really does look that comfortable. That’s been really fun to see. And last and the biggest thing for me is just what in the world is going on with Chase Sexton? Over the last four years, this will mark his third manufacturer that he’s been on. We hear a lot of complaints and challenges with the bike, but it just smees like it’s the same story everywhere that he goes. I feel for him because I feel like he’s plenty capable of winning. I feel like with all of the bikes that he’s raced – and that’s including his new team Monster Energy Kawasaki – I think that bike is plenty capable of winning. We’ve already seen it. I just don’t know how he can’t continue to do it week-in and week-out. I hope that someday he can figure that missing link out.

“Yeah, I also think that Hunter Lawrence is doing great,” furthered Carmichael. “I love that story. And you think about his 450 career and it is very similar to his 250 career. This is a guy who got beat and banged up and was contemplating retirement and just giving it all up and then now look at him. He misses winning the SMX World Championship by a mere few points. And that was against one of the most talented riders I’ve ever seen ride a motorcycle and that’s his brother. That guy doesn’t get the credit that he deserves. He’s very sneaky and I feel like that if you turn a blind eye to that guy, he might be the Monster Energy Supercross champion this year. Outside of that, no real surprises and no real letdowns.

“And I feel like our sport has a lot of energy right now,” continued on Carmichael. “It’s raw and it’s real. I really feel like we’ve got some good momentum. For me, personally, I don’t feel like I’m trying to build some type of narrative for anyone or anything because the racing is that good. The story is there. I put all that in my notes this week. I wrote that I’m just going to sit and watch and talk and analyse what’s on the TV screen because that’s how good the racing is. I don’t need to build any type of narrative or any story because the story is being written right in front of ours.”

And Carmichael sees the racing in 2026 being every bit as fierce and competitive as the racing back is his day as an all-conquering rider.

“Oh, absolutely. And I mean this respectively. I think with the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and with the SMX World Championship and where they are both at right now, I think the depth and the parity of the racing is as big as it has ever been. And I mean that respectively with the racers that I’ve raced against. I think there is just more depth of guys that can realistically win on any give night. And listen, I’ve raced the best guys in the world, you know? Let’s start with the king of supercross, for example. I mean he’s got more wins and supercross championships than anybody will probably ever have. And that’s saying a lot. I also think that’s why we are in a great place.”

And the beauty of the sport is that it’s about the guys actually participating. It’s the guy on the motorcycle who makes all the difference. Carmichael explained.

“Yeah, 100-percent it’s about the guy,” said Carmichael. “That’s what is so cool. You’re exactly right. And that’s what is so fun to watch in SMX. I love Formula 1 and you know that I love NASCAR racing and all four wheels, but the human element in our sport is still the biggest factor. You’re not relying on aerodynamics and things of that nature. All of these bikes are capable of winning on any given night. And again, the human element is what is so special.”

Having officially retired from the sport in 2007, it has been virtually 20 years since Ricky Carmichael called time on his extraordinary racing career and the body of his work that came with it.

“Dude, well first off, that makes me feel really old!” mused Carmichael. “It also makes me feel experienced. Man, I tell you, time flies. Whenever I sit back and think back about my career and what it was like, I say, ‘Holy shit! This is 20 years ago!’ Clint Bowyer just sent me a text today and he’s at Daytona for the season opener of the NASCAR series. In the drivers’ meeting room there are pictures of Daytona race winners throughout the history of Daytona International Speedway. There are pictures of NASCAR, IMSA, Supercross and the Daytona 200 and you name it. There is a picture of me back in 2002 on my first year on Honda and it’s me in the first corner coming off the holeshot. I’m in the lead. I said to Cint, ‘Holy crap, dude! Thanks for sharing that. That was 24 years ago!’ Clint had the same response, Eric! Clint said, ‘Holy crap! I can’t believe that was 24 years ago!’ Yeah, man, it seems like yesterday! Time is rally a thief. The older we get, yeah, the years turn into days. Man, I’ve been really, really blessed with a fantastic life and I’ve had some fantastic opportunities come my way. It seems like yesterday. It really does. And my body of work I feel has been good. I’ve touched a lot of things and I’ve been able to accomplish a lot of things and make no mistake about it. It’s all because of the opportunities I got from tis great sport. Anything that I’ve been a part of is because of the Monster Energy SMX World Championship.”