Following his penalty of a 25 point deduction for running illegal fuel, Rick Carmichael has issued
the following open letter to give his thoughts on the situation.
"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"
Carmichael's fuel was measured to have a lead content of .017
when the legal limit is .005
I looks highly likely that, as in the Chad Reed case from May 2005, the AMA will not hear an appeal that Suzuki has submitted.
"I am trying to appeal it. I gave them the form this morning and they returned it to me later. I posted the $500 required for the appeal, but it was returned to me an hour later. They said they did not want to accept it. So we basically cannot defend ourselves." said team boss Roger DeCoster.
