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Champions take center stage in Vegas

Las Vegas is a town filled with top talent, but tonight the stars of American professional motorcycle racing took center stage during the 30th annual AMA Pro Racing Awards Banquet held at the Paris Las Vegas Casino Resort. And Ricky Carmichael's star outshined all others this evening, when the motocrosser was named the 2004 AMA Pro Racing Speed Channel Athlete of the Year.

The event, hosted by sportscasters Jamie Little (left at podium) and Jerry Bernardo (left, on screen), honored the diverse champions of the 2004 season, including those of the AMA Hillclimb Championship presented by Pace American, the AMA Pro Star Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship, Arenacross, the AMA Progressive Flat Track Championship, the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship, the AMA Supermoto Championship, the THQ AMA Supercross Series, and the AMA Chevrolet Motocross Championship.

Highlights of the program included the recognition of the newly crowned AMA Supermoto Champion, Jeff Ward.

"I had a midlife crisis and went car racing," said Ward, who gave up motocross for Indy cars in the 1990s. "I'd like to thank the AMA for putting me back on a bike. My kids grew up watching me race cars. They haven't seen me race bikes until now."

But this was Carmichael's night. The 24 year-old Florida native beat out reigning Athlete of the Year Chris Carr, 2004 Superbike Champion Mat Mladin, 125 Motocross Champion James Stewart, 2004 Supermoto Champion Ward, and former motocross champion and current Supermoto contender Doug Henry, to claim the evening's top honor and an engraved Rolex.

Carmichael completed his second perfect AMA 250 Motocross Championship this year, despite undergoing major knee surgery during the off-season.

"It was tough last year," said Carmichael (below). "I knew my knee was blown out when I left the awards banquet -- I knew it was game over for at least four months."

The Honda factory rider spent the 2004 Supercross season recovering from the surgery, which repaired a torn ACL ligament damaged during training in the fall of 2003, only to return to sweep the '04 Motocross season.

"I never expected to win every race and every moto, but I took it one race at a time. That was the key. I only felt the pressure at the last race. I'm going to ride this train as long as I can."

Carmichael, who turned pro in 1996, also owns a record 11 AMA National Championships and, with 108 victories, is the all-time wins leader in combined AMA Motocross and Supercross competition. He currently leads the AMA 250 motocross category with 49 career wins to date--22 more than second-ranked Bob Hannah.

"I may never be up here again," said Carmichael. "To be a three-time winner with Chris Carr means a lot. The older I get, the more I appreciate what I can do. This is what it's all about."

Carmichael won the award in 2001 and 2002. This year marked his fifth nomination.

Other awards presented this evening included the Award of Mechanical Excellence, presented to dirt track frame builder Jeff Cole of C&J Frames, and the Sportsman of the Year Award, which went to Flat Tracker Johnny Murphree.