Ep. #26 24-0: How Ricky Carmichael Made Lightning Strike Twice

We Went Fast

This story is about Ricky Carmichael doing something even he thought wasn’t possible: a second perfect season. "I doubt if this will ever happen again," Carmichael told Cycle News after the 2002 Steel City National when he completed his first 24-0 run.

The project you’re listening to right now started well over a year ago and began as a 20th anniversary celebration of that 2002 season.

But the more Ricky and I chatted, the more we found ourselves riffing about 2004, his second perfect season, which was memorably more difficult. And the deeper we got into that conversation, the more we discussed his 2003 knee injury, missing the 2004 Supercross season, and signing with American Suzuki during the recovery.

That turned into “The Greatest Gamble in Motocross,” a completely different story, which you can find in episodes #24 and #24 of the We Went Fast podcast.

This story, however, is about how Carmichael did the unthinkable again, how he returned from injury… and dominated.

For a more interactive experience that includes trivia questions, polls, infographics and photos, check out the print version at wewentfast.com.

Support We Went Fast

• shop.wewentfast.com – Find your next favorite t-shirt or piece of artwork.
• Leave a 5-star rating and review!
• Tell a friend about We Went Fast. Share this podcast.
• Follow @wewentfast on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Threads, YouTube