For 2002, Ricky Carmichael made a questionable switch to Honda. Some fans at first turned away, however as quickly as he began winning, Ricky was as popular as ever. Mid-season, Honda offered us the chance to ride the works CR250R two-stroke that Ricky utilized to record the Supercross champion that year. It had actually been on display screen at the Hard Rock Cafe considering that RC won Vegas. We likewise got to choose the brains of Honda teamsters Chad Watts and Erik Kehoe, mechanic and supervisor, respectively, for Team Universal Studios Honda. We got a peek into the choices of RC and just how much various his indoor sled is from his outside bike.
No doubt about it, Ricky Carmichael’s switch to Team Honda settled. In spite of his first-round DNF and another nasty get-off at Pontiac, RC had an outstanding Supercross season, winning 11 mains, 12 warms and his 2nd 250cc indoor title. He’s begun the outside season in controling style, too, winning 10 motos in a row. Yep, Honda needs to be delighted, winning its very first indoor title considering that McGrath did it in ’96. The break in between Mt. Morris and Southwick, was our chance to ride Carmichael’s champion bike.
“My really first lap on the Honda at my supercross track in the house,” stated Carmichael, “I set my all-time lap record. The bike is so steady I might go much faster without working as difficult.”
“Ricky took the bike home to Georgia,” stated Chad Watts, “and when it returned the bars were turned down, practically to the tank! The guiding head is taller on the CR, so Ricky desired the bars lower and even more back. It’s amusing, Ricky utilizes the # 999 McGrath-bend bars, and McGrath utilizes the Ricky bend.”
Sebastian Tortelli was RC’s colleague in 2002.
It likewise appears RC is a lot like previous Team Honda star Jean-Michel Bayle because, as soon as he discovers the setting that works, he stays with it. “He might desire a click on this link or there, however the standard setup does not alter from track to track, race to race,” states Chad.
When it comes to us, we had a challenging time even riding the # 4 Honda at Glen Helen’s Supercross track. According to check pilot Spud Walters. “It’s like riding the world’s fastest minibike. His bars and levers are so unusual that it in fact injure my clutch finger after a couple of laps. Really, if you turned the bars to the “typical” position, the levers would be ideal for old-schoolers. When it comes to suspension settings, RC is similar to MC because he likes his bike extremely low in the back and the fork stiff, that makes the bike seem like a chopper. And what could be more steady than a chopper?
Simply as McGrath likes his shock to settle and sit tight, Carmichael takes the concept to brand-new extremes. Offer the Carmichael bike the seat-push test, and it will move an inch then stop cold.