Kit Palmer | February 27, 2006
The following is an open letter from Ricky Carmichael to his fans regarding him being penalized 25 points for running illegal fuel at the San Diego Supercross:
I wish that I could write one of these things when I have good news. My schedule is so crazy when things are going good that I don’t get a chance to touch base. It’s amazing what can happen in a day. The last twelve hours has been crazy. I was completely blown away when I received a call from the AMA this morning stating that my fuel from the San Diego Supercross was not in compliance. I initially thought that it was a joke because EVERYONE is aware that the fuel gets tested and you would be crazy to push those limits.
We learned at the Motocross-Des-Nations that the bikes can be made to run really well with unleaded fuel. In fact the tests that were run on my fuel showed that we had the least amount of oxygen of anyone tested. I was also told that even though the fuel that was tested didn’t have any performance enhancing characteristics it was still illegal. I was also told that I would not be given a chance to appeal the decision but I am not accepting that. Everyone deserves a chance to defend themselves.
The most important thing that I want everyone to know is that we do not depend on illegal fuel to be competitive. I have always worked very hard to make sure that I am in the best physical shape possible and the team works just as hard to make sure that the bike is totally competitive and completely legal.
I stand in full support of my team and will be supporting their efforts in finding out why this situation has come up. We are making a formal appeal to the AMA and will also be testing the samples that we still have from the San Diego event to verify the findings.
My hopes for a 5th Supercross Championship have definitely dwindled a little but I can tell you that I will do everything in my power to get back in the title chase. Stranger things have happened!
Thanks to all of my fans for the continued support.
RC
Kit Palmer | Off-Road Editor
Kit Palmer started his career at Cycle News in 1984 and he’s been testing dirt and streetbikes every since – plus covering any event that uses some form of a knobby tire. He’s also our resident motorcycle mileage man with a commute of 120 miles a day.
