Sparkplug #4

On Sunday, May 22, 2005, the first shot will be fired in the war between Carmichael and Stewart, something the motocross world has been anticipating for a couple of years now. Here’s my take on what I think will happen:

Carmichael, 1 – 1. Stewart, 2 -2.

Now, I am a huge James Stewart fan, and I truly believe he’s the most exciting racer to watch, by far. But I am also a pretty big RC supporter as well; I will never forget the races I’ve seen him in: his first year on the 125 at the Perris Invitational Supercross, throwing out can-cans over 70-foot gaps like it was nothing. At Budds Creek that same year, wearing number 70, he was absolutely SMOKING the field, and everyone in the crowd was going “who the heck is THAT?” I watched him practicing starts at Glen Helen for his second year in the 125 class… the intensity that he brought to each and every launch made it clear that he intended to dominate that day and every day thereafter. Later that same day, I watched him hammer through the biggest ruts I’ve ever seen at Glen Helen (and that’s saying something!), and he would then dive into the turn at the end of the straight completely wide open, the engine note dropping only when the rear wheel slammed into the berm. Unbelievable.

Of course, Rick was the only motocrosser to ever sweep a season… and then he did it TWICE, for those that might have missed it the first time. In fact, as I write this, he’s still undefeated outdoors. The kid is fast, plain and simple (and here he is, courtesy Transworld Motocross, practicing for Sunday).

James Stewart is fast too, no question about it. I have stood at trackside and marveled at his speed many times, and I hope to do it many more times as well. Last year at Hangtown, sometime after he finally shook the minor threat from Stefan Roncada, Stewart was wailing down a particularly nasty straight SO FAST, that each time he went by, the people in the crowd would just look at each other, smile and shake their heads, as if to say “I can’t believe anyone can ride a bike that fast!”. And they repeated this lap after lap after lap. James is so fast, it’s almost scary, and you can be sure that Carmichael is well aware of his rival’s speed.

So why am I picking RC to win Hangtown? One reason: James is coming off of an arm injury, which will not help the arm pump that he has suffered at Hangtown the past two years. It’s probably due to nerves, and I’m pretty sure that he’ll be a little nervous knowing that he’s going to have to really hang it out there to run with Rick. So I’m guessing that James will get out there and scare himself a couple of times and end up backing off and cruising in behind RC; they’ll both be far ahead of third place.

However, for the title I’m going with Stewart. It’s not that I think James is the better man (or the worse, for that matter); I just don’t think they’ve fixed all the bugs in Rick’s new Suzuki thumper. Something as minor as a stall and a hard-to-start engine could be enough to lose a moto for Rick, and I’m thinking that they’re probably see an even more severe mechanical before the season’s over.

In any case, this year’s championship race will be one for the ages. It’s a great time to be a motocross fan! See you outdoors!