Ricky Carmichael is considered the GOAT of American motocross and while he might not be the king of supercross, he does have four championships in that field. An expert to say the least and also an important part of the commentary team for the AMA supercross championship. Below is what he thinks of the 2026 season and which riders he feels are just showing amazing performances.

Ricky Carmichael: The biggest bummer, and not just for himself, but for the sport as well, is Jett Lawrence going out. Whether you hate him or love him, the sport needs as much parity and as many of these superstars lining up every single weekend. He’s a valuable asset to the series and I’m bummed to see him out.

"At the same time, I think about Eli Tomac. I mean, what an incredible story that is. It was awesome just how things worked out and how he ended up on the team that he is on. For him to come out at his age and just look like he’s at mid-season form already is amazing. He looks like he’s been on that bike for five years. He really does look that comfortable. That’s been really fun to see. And last and the biggest thing for me is just what in the world is going on with Chase Sexton? Over the last four years, this will mark his third manufacturer that he’s been on. We hear a lot of complaints and challenges with the bike, but it just seems like it’s the same story everywhere that he goes. I feel for him, because I feel like he’s plenty capable of winning. I feel like with all of the bikes that he’s raced – and that’s including his new team Monster Energy Kawasaki – I think that bike is plenty capable of winning. We’ve already seen it. I just don’t know how he can’t continue to do it week-in and week-out. I hope that someday he can figure that missing link out.

"I also think that Hunter Lawrence is doing great. I love that story. You think about his 450 career, and it is very similar to his 250 career. This is a guy who got beat and banged up and was contemplating retirement and just giving it all up, and then now look at him. He misses winning the SMX World Championship by a mere few points. And that was against one of the most talented riders I’ve ever seen ride a motorcycle, and that’s his brother. That guy doesn’t get the credit that he deserves. He’s very sneaky and I feel like that if you turn a blind eye to that guy, he might be the Monster Energy Supercross champion this year. Outside of that, no real surprises and no real letdowns.