2004 Glen Helen Chevy Trucks 250cc AMA Motocross Championship (Final Round)

This is the 12th and final round of the 2004 Chevy Trucks 250cc AMA Motocross Championship from Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, CA. This is the final AMA Motocross broadcast on ESPN2.
Returning contenders like SX champ Chad Reed, Kevin Windham, Sebastien Tortelli, Sean Hamblin, David Vuillemin, WSXGP champ Heath Voss, Michael Byrne, Nick Wey, Ernesto Fonseca, defending 125cc champ Grant Langston, 2002 runner-up Tim Ferry, and 4-time defending 250cc MX champ Ricky Carmichael battle it out for the 2004 Chevy Trucks 250cc AMA Motocross Championship. This series is dominated once again by Ricky Carmichael. This is Ricky Carmichael's final season with Team Honda after announcing he would be riding for Team Suzuki for 2005. This race marks Ricky Carmichael's last race with Team Honda, and he runs the #1, which is the first time since Greg Albertyn at the 2000 Steel City finale that the #1 has been run in an AMA Motocross race, and since Steel City 1999 on a KX125 that Ricky runs the #1. Watch as he goes for his 2nd ever perfect Motocross season (1st in 2002).
Enjoy.

[@jamesrobert7155]

Man I almost forgot just how wicked RC was. He ride on the ragged edge but he did it so well!

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

Yep. He got away with a lot of big swaps and crashes with that riding style, too. At the time, beating Carmichael was like trying to beat Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Tiger Woods all at once at golf. It seemed like once Ricky jumped on a 450cc 4-stroke, you could only beat him if he crashed.

[@terryrambo9981]

I have every sx and mx race from 1996 to 2003 on vhs...fun to go back and watch

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

Lucky you. I have select races between '98 and 2002, but I have just about every race from 2003-2017.

[@michaelknabusch6011]

nice video man love your content

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

Thanks man.

[@jamesstuart5580]

21:10 cracks me up: "You better pack a lunch and bring your sister cuz I'm coming on through"

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

lol.

[@kroc419]

Cool. Thanks

[@riotmaxxx1984]

man, those were the days when honda dominated the sport of motorcross... and also, they had the most dominant rider... miss to see team honda win some championships again...

[@jamesstewart7224]

Tortelli just hooks up .like jm Baile did

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

I'll say. Tortelli did an outstanding job coming back from injury, and riding against at least 50-70% of the field on 450s.

[@hits.productions]

I've seen the entire 1995 Supercross season from another user. He didn't have San Jose. I looked for months for that race. You won't find it.

[@hits.productions]

Do you have 2005 125 Glen Helen? Where Alessi stood on Tedesco's bike?

[@pressrolls]

Weak competition and riding a 4-stroke, did you think there could be any other outcome than a "Perfect Season"? It was a slaughter.

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

I was thinking it might be another perfect season for Carmichael after he got win #100 at Budds Creek. I might've had a doubt after round 1 at Hangtown, but after Ricky showed he was the same Ricky Carmichael we have seen for 7 years straight, I erased that doubt. I enjoyed seeing Ricky dominate, but I also wanted to see Chad Reed run with him, and he did at times, but just not enough to beat him unfortunately. Kevin Windham was the best chance to beat Ricky after how 2003 went, but when Ricky hopped on his 450cc Honda, I think everyone knew that beating him would be twice as hard.

[@ryanbarker4422]

Copper raced through 95 on and off.

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

Just not in AMA Motocross or Supercross. I admit his 21st place overall in the 2002 series (at 40 YOA) was VERY impressive.

[@cmv1810]

Man, poor chad Reed, the guy had to race against Carmichael and then James Stewart all those years in his prime, could have had so many wins and championships without those 2 around. He could give them runs but man, Ricky or James in their prime were so hard to beat. Chad is way more competitive with Villo, Dungey, etc than he was with those 2, hell he even beats them sometimes, and he's not even in his prime anymore, which is why I firmly believe that in their prime speeds Carmichael and Stewart were the fastest 2 riders to ever swing a leg over a bike.

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

I tend to agree, but Chad did show he had the will to be competitive with Ricky -- even to a point where he won 6 straight to end the 2003 Supercross season. Not to take anything away from Chad, he turned his 2003 season from a shaky start to being full-on competitive; if it weren't for a few bike dissatisfactions, I'd have to say that Chad would've had at least one more championship on his mantle (along with the '06 title that I still felt slipped away from his grasps to this day). He did also show a side that Jeremy showed in 1997 -- consistency and consistently getting on the podium, which kept him in contention. I really felt he should've won the Supercross titles in 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, and this year had he not gotten hurt.

[@cmv1810]

Yeah, 2006 he had that shoulder injury for about 2-3 races and it hurt his chances, though Stewart and Carmichael somewhat let him back in to that one with all their crashes that year, not to take anything away from Reeds consistency though. 2009 he could have easily had if not for that Kyle Chisolm incident at salt lake city where he was trying to pass james and got messed up by that asshole. 2011, man that was bullshit all together, he was the most consistent but a shitload of horrible things happened to him that weren't even his fault and ended up losing it by four to poto. (aka, the incidents between him and stewart in atlanta and dallas). 2012, he was on fire, and got a bad luck kick when he was going for it in texas. This year he was doing great and I believe his consistency could have earned him the title if not for the crash in san-diego. The guy has had some shitty luck, no doubt, kind of like Dungey always seems to when he gets close to poto. (the 2 mechanical issues he had in the 2011 outdoors and the one in sx 2011.) Unfortunately some people just don't get good luck like poto does though.

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

cmv1810 For sure -- the 2006 championship was staring at him right in the face and he didn't get it when all he had to do was finish ahead of Ricky :(. As for 2009, I strongly agree that he had another shot at it, but his 7th at Seattle pretty much forced him to surrender that one -- Chisholm's BS move only made things worse. In a sense, I agree with you that Reed's chance of defending his title from '08 was decimated due to Chisholm. As for 2011, yes, that title also stared at him in the face and he never got it -- even with Stewart on an 8-race drought, but as for the Atlanta incident, I can't say I would've done anything different than what he did -- it was a ballsy move (and likely something I'd have done, too if I were in his position), especially when it was the last lap, too; as for Dallas, that was purely Stewart's own doing -- I was HOPING he would DNF the race after smoke started spewing out of his Yamaha after the contact with Reed (which I felt he should've been hit with a penalty to this day). 2012 was definitely the worst when Dallas came around and he crashed out -- after that, the season wasn't even worth watching; 2013 didn't go much better. This year was probably 2nd worst after he ended up pulling out of practice after the crash at San Diego. Yes, Reed has had some terrible luck lately, but I strongly suspect he'll win another championship before his career is over. He doesn't have 3 Supercross championships (1 125cc East in 2002, 2 450cc Supercross in 2004 and 2008), and a Motocross championship in 2009 for nothing after all. With stats like that, I strongly believe Chad should be the new G.O.A.T. and not James Stewart since he was slacking off for so many years.

[@brianbooher7318]

I don't believe they'd beat Ricky Johnson in his prime which is unfortunately were his career ended Ricky would a won numerous more championship had he not killed wrist hell he had a nut won the 89 superctoss when his season was ended .he even come back an won his first motocross race in 1990 after a year off but unfortunately the next weekend he crashed an broke the same wrist again an from what I been told he had no buissness even being outheir cause his wrist was so screwed up that he couldn't hold on so the tied it to handle bars an he still beat the best. Johnson wpulda rode their asses till they a mistake. An he would a put it to them at that point an that would a killed their. Confedense as they watch Johnson just ride away from them an they isn't anything they coulda done.johnson was a beast an people forget that an alto ID put carmicheal an Stewart in top 10 all time probably top5 they'd never touched Johnson in his prime an I don't think either one wpulda touched David bailey people don't mo how dam good that. Bailey was qn he was taken in his prime so I'm not shure we even no how goof he truly was cause bailey had something in him few ever have an that was determination that we still see to this day when he hopps in that wheel chair an does things 99 percent will never do like completeing the iron man an this guy is in a wheel chair.bailey is a tiff guy that I admire so much

[@riotmaxxx1984]

yup, you're exactly right.... its a physically demanding sport and mentally as well, they just have to pull it together in order to win races and eventually to win a championship...

[@riotmaxxx1984]

that was really a bummer for reed... hope he have few more left in the tank to win some races again

[@ryanbarker4422]

Them mechanics are better then me, and I can do a top end in a half hour start to finish. That's half the motor with 2 of them working on it they could have knocked it out.

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

All I do is ride the bikes.

[@kroc419]

Do you have 2005?

[@riotmaxxx1984]

do you think a rider like, villopoto, or dungey can bring back the championship to honda if they acquire either of the two riders? i mean... just saying...

[@ryanbarker4422]

It wasn't Guy Coopers last race.

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

As a full-time racer, yes it was. Even though he returned for the 2002 season, it was just one whole season.

[@ryanbarker4422]

@@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames the way he made it sound was like done for good.

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

@@ryanbarker4422 To be fair, at the time, rumors were speculating that Cooper was going to retire sooner or later, and it turned out to be after 1993. Coop did return for the 2002 series on a 540 KTM and finished an impressive 21st overall at 40 YOA.

[@ryanbarker4422]

@@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames yeah I was racing then. He was going around before Nationals racing different amiture track's. For the Kenwortheys Nationals he went to Treaty City in Greenville Ohio right down the way.

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

@@ryanbarker4422 Hmm.

[@cintroberts6614]

Ricky should have stayed on a honda.

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

Well, some think so, but Ricky made the choice that he felt was best. I thought he would finish out his career with Honda myself, but he sure brought his dominance to Suzuki and brought a lot of winning back to the brand that had not seen a Supercross title in over 2 decades.

[@cintroberts6614]

Windham and Reed looked demoralized

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

Well obviously -- how would you feel if one particular guy just couldn't be beat? How do you think James Stewart felt -- even on a Kawi 450F??? The only times James won was because of a mishap on Carmichael's behalf. I still believe that Windham is the ONLY man to beat RC straight up, and not James Stewart.

[@RicardoSilva-qp4bb]

@@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames I believe Tortelli could also run his pace and outpace Ricky at times. He did it at Red Bud back in 00, and in 01 he should also have won there - apart a motorcycle failure) if I´m not mistaken. Tortelli was insanely fast at some tracks, but not regular enough for all season long, and so he couldn´t keep up with Charmichael´s insane overall pace. But he was also one of those few riders who beat Ricky straight up (although I believe Carmichael´s Kawi back then was overall slower than Tortelli´s Honda). In my opinion, of course. Thanks for all these great videos man. Apreciate them.

[@MathewVsSportsMediaandGames]

@Ricardo: I don't disagree about Tortelli either. He could run Ricky's pace, but bad luck just wouldn't leave that guy alone (I believe him running the #13 had a lot to do with that); you could say the same thing about Ezra Lusk, too. And you're right about the race -- Red Bud 2001, when Tortelli's CR250R ran out of gas w/ 3 turns to go. The only other rider I can think of with luck like that is Ryan Hughes. Unfortunately, when Ricky beefed up his training program and got to his elite status, defeating him was almost like watching a college basketball team get owned by an NBA team -- 9/10 times, the NBA team is GOING to win. Carmichael also had only 1 knee injury (November 2003) in his career, too, while Tortelli also had a knee injury from Anaheim 3 2003 that required 2 surgeries to fix and knocked him out until Red Bud 2004. As I said, I don't disagree about what Tortelli can do. Look at what he did to Jeremy McGrath in 1999 at Glen Helen. Granted Jeremy WAS going Supercross-only in 1999, Tortelli had 2 come-from-behind rides to make it a 1-1 sweep for his first ever AMA Motocross win. Chad Watts (Carmichael's former mechanic at the time) said it best, "Tortelli, when he's on, he's on." Unfortunately, that knee injury Tortelli had really took him off the radar for quite a while. Maybe Ricky's KX250 from 2000 the way it was might have something to do with Ricky's performance at times, but you'd have a hard time convincing me after Ricky won 9 races in 2000 (including the last 6 straight) en route to the 250cc MX title; maybe Supercross when Ricky only won Daytona.