Winner takes all...
By TMX Archives on 12th Oct 05
So that's that then. The 2005 season is in the books and it's been one to remember - although the reason for this is quite different from what we expected at the beginning of the year. So that's that then. The 2005 season is in the books and it's been one to remember - although the reason for this is quite different from what we expected at the beginning of the year. This was, of course, to be the year of the Perfect Storm when Ricky Carmichael, Kevin Windham, Chad Reed and the unquestionably gifted teenager James Stewart would battle it out for wins each week in an unprecedented frenzy of competitive supercross and motocross competition.What we got instead was quite possibly the most staggering display of alpha-male dominance this sport has ever seen. In a season which began with so many questions, so many possibilities, Carmichael was the only answer. With the competition stacked around him on all sides and the media questioning whether he could maintain his status at the top of the American racing game, he dropped the hammer.King of the hill, last man standing, a man at the absolute pinnacle of his profession. RC wrapped up all three major US titles - THQ AMA Supercross, World Supercross GP and AMA 250 Motocross - and added a winning individual and team ride at the Motocross des Nations in Ernee, France, as an exclamation mark. It's never happened before and may never happen again - unless Ricky himself does it again.If you've been reading this column long enough, you know that I like to squeeze in the occasional reference to English football. It's not some misguided attempt to ingratiate myself to an overseas crowd, it's a very serious thing for me. I'm a huge fan (and currently first place in my Fantasy Premiership league thank you very much) and while I know that many of you would rather I just stick to motorcycles on this page, something has been on my mind lately.The Premiership headlines of late have been about how boring the league seems so far. More and more clubs are adopting the dreaded 4-5-1 and the feel is that teams are more concerned with not losing that with actually winning. Compounding the misery is the fact that Chelsea appear to have locked up the title in October. Nobody likes the idea of a season-long battle for second place but, if things stay as they are, that's what we're all in for.That, however, is exactly what the entire 2005 season was in American motocross and supercross - and very few people seem to mind. That's to me a perfect illustration of the difference between team and individual sports.Sure, people complained about a lack of competition during the actual season - an assured winner is never something you want in a competitive arena. But even if Chelsea go undefeated this season - even if they win the treble - it will be no match for Carmichael's accomplishment.If a Russian billionaire had actually assembled Carmichael, Frankensteinovich-style, then perhaps we could begrudge him his dominance in our nation's series. But only Mr and Mrs Carmichael are responsible for his biology. The rest is down to RC himself. He realized long ago what it takes to be a true champion and he spends every waking moment in pursuit of perfection.One story in particular has always stood out for me. Back in May of 2001 Carmichael won the season-ending Las Vegas Supercross. The next day at 8.30am - just 12 hours before he was set to pick up his championship trophy at the AMA Awards Banquet - he was in the hotel gym doing cardio workouts with his good friend Johnny O'Mara. While the rest of the industry was still asleep (or, in many cases, still awake), he only had winning on his mind.That sort of dedication and mental discipline is almost frightening. After a long Premiership season you expect the boys to go a little crazy, blow off some steam, then spend a couple months on a beach in Spain boozing and getting fat (otherwise, they would have no excuses for being slow and awful through mid-September). But Carmichael knows there is no room for that now. There will be plenty of time for vacation after he retires.I sometimes wonder if it's even possible for the rest of us to have that sort of discipline, that perfect a grasp on the concept of delayed gratification. Surely if it's that simple we'd all be doing it, right? But that level of patience seems almost unnatural to most of us. Unless you're a Buddhist monk, or possibly Sting, you just don't have that kind of focus (I've been daydreaming ever since the bit about drinking on the beach in Spain which I wrote about an hour ago).So maybe that's my question. Do you have that drive, that discipline, that ability to be of one mind? Is it as simple as making the decision and sticking to it or is it something more, something almost spiritual that occurs rarely - almost by accident - in this most easily distracted of species?Even more impressive, Carmichael has become a master of motocross and supercross - two increasingly distinct disciplines - and few come close to him in either. It's like being a ninja and a samurai - playing the sax like Coltrane and the guitar like Hendrix. He is better at what he does than you or I will ever be at anything. When I watch him ride, I am fascinated, excited and more than a little puzzled. But I will never, ever be bored.Words by Jeff Kocan, courtesy Racer X Photo by Steve Cox