What a day Friday was! My phone was ready to explode with calls from everyone. Let me begin by reminding everyone that I am a motorcycle racer...not a public speaker or professional press release author.

If there is one thing that I have learned in my career it is how important motocross fans are to me. I have made some mistakes with the fans in the past. I regret ever wearing that crazy cape and crown at the US Open a few years ago, and I regret not being able to tell everyone about the Honda deal when I signed with them in 2001until it was too late.

I have promised myself that I will do my best to keep you guys up to speed on what is happening in my career, hopefully you have noticed my efforts this past season.

Let's get right to it. Yes, I have signed an agreement to race with Team Suzuki beginning with the 2005 SX season. I am looking forward to working with Roger Decoster and will do my best to help put Suzuki back on top. I'm not sure which bike I will be racing but I know that I will have the option to test both the 2-stroke and the 4-stroke. I know Suzuki has a quality bike and is very committed to winning.

This past Thursday I got back on a motorcycle for the first time in months and it feels great. I am already focused on the outdoor season and winning another title riding a Honda. Please understand that my undivided attention will be with Honda until my contract is up. When I begin with Suzuki I will show them the same respect.

Honda hired me to win races and championships. Fortunately, I have been able to deliver 4 Championships to them as well as the only perfect season to date in 2002. I want to make sure that everyone understands that I have a really good relationship with Team Honda. The race team has done everything possible to put me on the best equipment available. My original intention was to finish my career at Honda. The bottom line is that Honda chose not to exercise its right to keep me for the remainder of my career.

Moving forward...I will do my absolute best to win another championship this summer. I know Honda is committed to winning, and I am sure they will continue to give me 100% of their support to meet this goal. I have made some life long friends at Team Honda and will always have great respect for them.

I know there are a lot of questions out there about who my mechanic will be in the future, etc. Please bear with me as my team works out all of the details over the next few months. I will do my best to keep everyone up to speed as things progress...please understand that my focus is on racing now and specifically on winning my 8th consecutive outdoor title.

Thanks for your support,

Ricky Carmichael