With an unprecedented 102 career wins and a record 10 career titles in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, Ricky Carmichael remains the standard-bearer of success in American motocross, and it’s why he’s affectionately known as “The G.O.A.T.” (Greatest of All-Time). In honor of Carmichael’s legacy, the Pro Motocross Championship has made an effort to recognize the most determined rider at each respective National for more than a decade with the Ricky Carmichael Hard Charger award. This accolade rewards the one competitor at each of the 12 rounds on the schedule who overtakes the highest number of his fellow racers in either 450 Class moto.
With a rich heritage of its own that now spans nearly three decades, INTENSE CYCLES has long been a standard-bearer of its own in downhill mountain bike racing. The California company has long held a crossover connection to the sport of motocross, with a who’s who of team athletes that also became familiar figures within motorcycle racing. Passion and ingenuity were the driving force behind INTENSE’s ascension in mountain biking, and those same traits became integral to the brand’s development of its first electric bike, the TAZER MX. When it debuted in 2018, the TAZER integrated the refinements of traditional downhill mountain bikes with emerging electric technology, and even some elements of motocross, for an innovative design that remained true to the man-powered nature of the experience. The seamless transition into the e-bike segment further cemented INTENSE’s status as an elite manufacturer, much like how Carmichael’s sustained decade of dominance competing aboard three different brands of motorcycles proved he’s simply the best there’s ever been.
Each recipient of the INTENSE RC HARD CHARGER is recognized during the riders meeting at the following National and is awarded a custom-designed trophy.
With a new team and a renewed outlook on his season prospects, Sweden’s Fredrik Noren came into the season-opening Honda Fox Raceway I National with tremendous optimism and confidence. However, Noren’s afternoon couldn’t have started much worse after he found himself on the ground to start the first 450 Class moto and began the race as the last rider in the 40-man field. Never one to quit, Noren got back on his KTM, put his head down, and went to work. The veteran racer was on a mission to fight his way back into contention and was able to claw his way up to 14th place by the end of the moto, passing an incredible 26 riders along the way. The resiliency Noren showed was the embodiment of what the RC HARD CHARGER represents and the comeback effort gave him the momentum to finish the afternoon strong with a 12th-place result in the overall classification (14-11).
Fox Raceway I National:
#61 Fredrik Noren / Lidköping, Sweden / KTM
+26 positions in 450 Moto 1 (40th to 14th)
