Given that Ricky Carmichael always found a way to win, even against other legends of the sport in his era, we asked the GOAT if he thought he could do the same now against the new generation in 2026.
A humble RC told us that while he would like to think he would figure it out, the current generation have more skill than him!
“Well, I like to think that I would find a way to win. At the end of the day, I feel like the best guys do find a way and that’s what makes those guys special. Cooper Webb is a perfect example. It’s not always about being the fastest guy. You know, you don’t have to be the fastest guy to win championships at this level. You have to be the most well-rounded guy. You got to be consistent. You got to risk management. You got to have some decent speed, but you just don’t. Being the fastest isn’t everything. And I think Cooper is really good at realizing that. He’s an ace on the mental game as well and a lot of the championship guys have to be really mentally astute. So, I’d like to think that I could find a way, but these guys have a lot more skill, I will say, than I ever did. I think the skill level from these riders is just absolutely exceptional.”
We also asked if Carmichael’s ability to race smart and not ride the edge and be willing to take a second or third maybe didn’t get the credit it deserved during his career because the perception was RC wanted to win at all times and would do whatever it took to do so!
“Not always,” admitted RC. “The media is tough and everyone’s got their opinions, but you’re exactly right. I knew when to take a second, I knew when to take a third. Now it took me some time to get there, right? Like I didn’t always make those decisions, those right decisions earlier on in my career, but it’s hard to win every race. From a big picture standpoint and knowing what you got to do and knowing where you got to be at round 17, round 18 and then now with SMX, you can’t get caught up in the week to week. You just have to look along, take your seconds and thirds and know when you can win and know when you can’t. And that’s what I was able to do and I wasn’t coached to do that. That was just kind of my mindset.”
Get the full interview below:
