1999 Steel City 125cc Moto 2 (Ricky Carmichael's Last 125cc Moto... Until 2001)

This is the 2nd and final 125cc moto of the 1999 Steel City Motocross in Delmont, PA.

In 1999, Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Ricky Carmichael was only 30 minutes and 2 laps away from concluding his 125cc career. For 2000 and beyond, Ricky was going to ride in the premiere 250cc class full time. During the 125cc Motocross season, Carmichael had won 8 of 11 overalls and 17 of 23 motos coming into this final moto of 1999. Ricky said that one of his goals before moving up to the 250cc class full time was to win at every National race track, and Steel City was the only track he did not win at, despite 2 prior championship-winning seasons in 1997 and '98. Carmichael secured the crown at Binghamton once again with a 1-1 sweep; it was Ricky's first overall win in 2 races after a 2-2 at Washougal (2nd overall) and a 10-1 at Millville (3rd overall); however, Carmichael's worst overall finish was a 6th in the mud at Budds Creek with a 22-1.

After a perfect 8-0 125cc East SX season in 1998 (9 including the shootout), Ricky Carmichael tried his luck on the 250cc machine in Supercross 1999. His rookie 250cc season was a complete nightmare. All Carmichael could show were 11 laps led, and no better than a 4th place finish (2 times), but Ricky's season was plagued with crashes; he crashed out of 3 events and sat out 4 races due to injury. Ricky showed he could battle with Jeremy McGrath, but conditioning and strength proved to be his downfall. Carmichael finished 16th in the final points tally. When the Nationals began, Carmichael dropped down to the 125cc class for one last season (a move that people thought he should've done at the 125cc East SX opener at Tampa, FL).

Coming into this moto, Carmichael had one last chance to tie history. In 3 125cc seasons, Carmichael won 24 career overalls and was one away from tying Mark Barnett's record of 25 career 125cc wins, which he set from 1980-'82. Ricky needed 10 wins to eclipse that record before moving up, but due to his 6th at Budds Creek, 2nd at Washougal, and 3rd at Millville, Ricky could only win up to 9 overalls, which would put him in a tie with Barnett at 25 career 125cc MX wins. One rider who was catching fire late in the season though was Primal Suzuki's #60 David Pingree.

At the last round at Binghamton, Pingree hit the podium in the first moto with a 3rd place; he faltered to a 9th in the 2nd moto for 5th overall. The 5th overall matched his best overall finish, which came at Kenworthy's. Pingree was searching for speed and good finishes in Motocross after ending the 1999 125cc West Supercross season with a win at the final round of the season at Minneapolis. Pingree bested that 3rd at Binghamton with a 2nd place in the first moto here at Steel City. Carmichael ran away with the first moto, but Pingree pulled the holeshot in moto 2 once again; Ricky got around Pingree shortly thereafter and cruised to his 18th moto win out of 24, and a season record 9th overall win of the season. Ricky's 9th win of the 1999 season was his first at Steel City, and his 25th career 125cc MX win, which put him in a tie with Barnett. Ricky would represent Team USA for the MX des Nations in Brazil, which was his last official 125cc race. It was a disaster -- he crashed out in moto 1 and DNF'ed moto 2; his 250cc teammates, Kevin Windham and Mike LaRocco didn't have the best of luck either.

In 2001, Ricky Carmichael would famously return for a cameo appearance in the 125cc class at this same race track. Riding a Pro Circuit KX125, Ricky would crash early in moto 1 and fight back from the 30s to finish 3rd behind Mike Brown and Grant Langston. In moto 2, Carmichael got away cleanly, but strict team rules meant Carmichael could not win the overall to help Mike Brown win the championship. Langston, who led by 6 points coming into the final moto, needed to finish near Brown to ice the title, but a flat rear tire and busted spokes forced him to the sidelines with only 3 laps remaining. Brown won the championship by 14 points, and he famously let Branden Jesseman by on the final lap for 2nd place. Carmichael won the overall with his 3-1 to Brown's 1-3 -- it marked a record 26th career 125cc MX win. His record would last until 2004 when James Stewart eclipsed that with 28 wins in 31 races.

Enjoy.

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