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 recognized 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 was 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 AWARD is recognized during the riders meeting at the following National and is awarded with a custom-designed trophy.

While the team's riders have been saddled with far too much adversity at such an early stage of the season, the BBMX KTM squad is surely proud of the resiliency showcased by its two racers at the opening two rounds. One week after Fredrik Noren overcame a last-place in the opening 450 Class moto to nearly secure a top-10 overall finish, Benny Bloss showed of his mental fortitude at the Carson City Motorsports Hangtown Motocross Classic. The Missouri native found himself mired deep in the field to start the afternoon and emerged from 35th place to begin the opening 450 Class moto. Despite the hard luck, Bloss dug deep and did all he could to climb his way back up the running order and back into the top 20 on a very challenging track. When all was said an done Bloss had done just that and fought his way into 17th by the end of the moto, surpassing 18 riders. He followed that up with a 16th-place effort in the second moto to finish 16th overall for the afternoon. By virtue of his hard-nosed performance in Moto 1, Bloss earned INTENSE RC HARD CHARGER AWARD honors at Hangtown to complement the reception of the award by his teammate one week prior.

Hangtown Motocross Classic: 
#73 Benny Bloss / Oak Grove, Missouri / KTM
+18 positions in 450 Moto 1 (35th to 17th)

2022 INTENSE RC HARD CHARGER AWARD Recipients

Fox Raceway I National:
#61 Fredrik Noren / Lidköping, Sweden / Suzuki
+26 positions in 450 Moto 1 (40th to 14th)