It was at Unadilla one year ago that Kevin Windham stopped Ricky Carmichael and the longest winning streak in AMA Motocross history and this weekend the Factory Connection Honda rider finds himself heading into the event in a similar situation.
The 2003 Unadilla battle between Windham and Carmichael was one of the most exciting AMA Motocross races in the history of the series. An enthusiastic crowd of fans mobbed Windham after he took the chequered flag and the win.
A year later and Carmichael is again in the midst of another long winning streak and many feel that Windham is one of the few riders capable of stopping the defending four-times AMA 250 Motocross champ.
On Sunday the top motocross racers from across the country will converge on the tiny burg of New Berlin, New York, for the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Nationals, round six of the 12-race AMA Chevrolet Motocross Championship.
Carmichael is nearly halfway to matching his historic 2002 campaign where he went undefeated the entire season. Since switching to Honda’s four-stroke motocross race bike, the CRF450R, the Floridian has been even more dominant than he was two years ago on a two-stroke.
An example of just how strong he’s been since making his comeback from knee surgery this winter came at the last round in Buchanan, Michigan: RC won by margins of 42 and 30-seconds in the pair of 250 motos, but he still tries to find areas of improvement.
"Over the last two weeks, I just did my thing like these guys," Carmichael explained. "They're trying to pick up the pace, and so am I. I look at areas where I think they're better than I am, and that's where I try to capitalize. I'm always trying to improve."
Windham is coming off a runner-up finish to Carmichael and is in a heated battle with AMA Supercross champ Chad Reed for second in the series. Windham’s victory last season is still fresh on his mind and he’s looking forward to getting back to the hilly, natural terrain of Unadilla.
