Q and A with Ricky Carmichael

Ricky Carmichael is one of the top motocross racers of all time. He gave that sports up, though, to try NASCAR, and he’s in his second season at Turner Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series. He talked with Morning News sports reporter Lou Bezjak this week about his season, motocross and raising twins.

Morning News: You come to Darlington 13th in points. How would say your season has gone so far?

Ricky Carmichael: In Daytona, we were running second and led laps and we thought we were going to win the thing. We ended up eighth and it was nice to not be behind to start out the season. In Phoenix, we didn’t unload that great and tried to keep building and were able to get our lap back. We got up as high as 13th but then we were wrecked by (Parker) Klingerman. If we would have finished 11th, we would have left with the points lead, which would have been a nice feather in our cap. But it didn’t happen due to someone else’s carelessness, so we come to Darlington, which is a place that I really like.

MN: Is there more pressure on you to win this year? What would it be like to get a Camping World Truck Series victory?

RC: I wouldn’t say there is pressure, but it is a goal. I would say there are a couple of tracks now that I can go to with a shot to win. I always put a lot of pressure on myself to do good, but no more than any other year.

MN: Are you more confident going into this season than your rookie season?

RC: I am a lot more confident mentally than last year. I know what to expect and I can improve on the tracks I didn’t do good at.

MN: You hosted an event last weekend in Florida with the Ricky Carmichael University. What all went into it and is this a good way to give back to the motocross community?

RC: It was great. We had about 75 riders and we split them up into four sessions. That way, everyone got a chance to work on all the track. We also had seminars for the parents and had trainers, engine tech guys there and a homeschooling teacher. We wanted to knowledge the parents as well when the parents were learning.

MN: Is that event going to be a yearly thing?

RC: It was the second annual event and we would definitely like to keep it going for sure. I think it is valuable to the kids growing up and to the things they want to do. As long as they are learning and having fun, we definitely will keep doing it.

MN: You also are doing some analyst work for Speed on motocross coverage. How has that been going?

RC: It’s been pretty easy. We got the best seat in the house and it’s pretty easy to be in front of the camera. I really enjoy doing that. Motocross and supercross have given me more opportunity than I could ever want, and it is a good opportunity and way to give back whether it is doing commentary or showing up and signing autographs.

MN: You have a video game coming out for Apple and iPad. When is it going to come out and what are some of the things people can expect to see on it?

RC: It is coming out on the Apple format and called Ricky Carmichael’s Motocross Matchup. It is the first game in motocross where you will be able to compete head-to-head. If you have an iPhone or any Apple system, we could compete online. It should be released in the next few weeks, and I’m really excited about that.

MN: Is it tougher learning to drive in the truck series or chasing your 4-year-old twins around?

RC: Chasing the twins around hands down (laughs). It is tough, but you got to have a good support system and do the best you can as parents. That’s all we can ask.

MN: Will you want your son to get into racing?

RC: Yeah. I’d like to see him racing four wheels and maybe get him a quarter midget in the next year or so. I think it would be something great for him to try and learn at an early age.