Ricky Carmichael debuts Triumph motocross bike at LA Coliseum

Over the weekend, the 250cc Triumph motocross bike made its public debut at the Los Angeles SuperMotocross.

The bike was ridden on the track laid out in the LA Coliseum for the final event of the three-round SuperMotocross World Championship play-offs, on which Jett Lawrence would later wrap up his second 450-class title of the season (after going undefeated in AMA Pro Motocross 450MX), and his 13th 450-class overall win from 14 starts in 2023.

Commentating on Lawrence’s feat (and that of 17-year-old first-year professional Haiden Deegan in the 250-class) for Peacock, alongside Leigh Diffey and five-time AMA national champion James Stewart, was Triumph ambassador Ricky Carmichael, who is now known in the complicated world of American motocross as a 15-time SMX (SuperMotocross) champion, despite having retired 15 years before the term ‘SuperMotocross’ was applied to a professional American dirt bike championship. (Carmichael won 10 national motocross titles and five national supercross titles.)

Carmichael has been involved with the Triumph motocross project as an ambassador since its announcement in 2021, and has played a lead role in the British manufacturer’s series of videos teasing elements of the bike before its full reveal, and so it made total sense that he would be the one to ride it out in public for the first time. 

Additionally, it was the first time we saw what is likely to be Triumph’s race livery, with Monster Energy sponsorship (Carmichael is also sponsored by Monster) and white and yellow highlights on the familiar black base paint. 

Carmichael was not alone in riding the bike, either, as he was joined on-track in the LA Coliseum by Jeff Stanton, himself a six-time AMA national champion; an achievement for which he earned the inventive nickname ‘Six Time’.

Alongside the on-track demo of the bike were two announcements. Firstly, that the full bike will be revealed on 28 November, just over one month before its first race at the 2024 Anaheim 1 Supercross on 6 January; and secondly the formalisation of Triumph Racing, Triumph’s new official racing department that will be responsible not only for its motocross competition involvement (including the MX2 and MXGP World Championship teams announced at last year's Motocross of Nations), but also that in closed circuit and road racing.

Ricky Carmichael said: “I’m so happy to finally show the fans what we’ve been working on for the past 4 years. The bikes feels great, it looks great, and it’s fast. I’m really pleased with what we’ve delivered and I can’t wait until we can share the final details on  November 28th.”

Jeff Stanton added: “The Coliseum is a special place for me, and to be back here on the Triumph is an absolutely honour for me. The new graphics look like nothing else in the paddock and give the bike a really sharp and distinctive new look that I think the fans are going to love.”