Reigning 🔯World SX GP and AMA Supercross champion Ricky Carmichael and former AMA champion Chad Reed will lead a growing list of riders switching from a 250cc two-stroke to a 450cc four-stroke for the 2006 indoor season.

Traditionally, both riders have run the lighter two-stroke machine for the tight Supercross circuits, then the more powerful four-stroke for the outdoor AMA Motocross championship - but both head ꧟to Saturday's Toronto World SX GP season opener having made the decision to switch to the four-stroke full time.

"Well I think everybody knows (the four-stroke) is a better bike on the hard pack ground, because it has so much torque and the throttle connection is better to the rear wheel, so wheel spi🎃n isn't a problem," said Ricky of the difference between the machines. "But (the four-stroke) is a little harder in the tight stuff and in race situations sometimes it's hard to push that little bit extra on the 450, as you could on the 250.

"(The four-stroke) is definitely a little different and that's why I'm excited to race it - that's the main motivation for this year; it's going to ওbe something new with everyone racing four-strokes, so I'm excited about that. It's going to be a lot different but I still think at the end of the day it'll come down to tꦬhe same couple of guys at the front - although I'd like there to be more up there for the fans."

But how much pressure was there from Suzuki to switch to⛎ the four-stroke?

"None really, it's in my contract that I have the decision to race whatever I want," stated Carmichael. "They don't try and persuade me to ride any certain bike - they just want me to be on the bike I have 🍌the best 💜chance to win on. There's no pressure - the upper management lets me do what I want to do, and that's nice... at the end of the day they want to win."

Meanwhile, for Reed, the four-stroke decision was cause🧔d partly by a mid-Motocross season injury.

"Halfway through the natiꦰonals I had some problems with my hand, I planned to wait the season out and take care of it, but then leading up to Washougal I a really big crash at Glen Helen, hit my head and hit my hand again," explained Chad. "I weighed up all my options and I had nothing to gain by staying in the series, so I decided to get it fixed, have a break and regroup.

"After I go♊t hurt a lot of things changed. We had a plan to go in and race the US Open with a bike we knew, the two-stroke, and then start testing the four-stroke after that. But the injury changed things fast," he continued the Yamaha rider. "When I came back riding I just started riding the four-stroke and was quite amazed by how different the new bike was. Previously I'd been riding a bike that wasn't really up to racing standard, for us, and so I just wasn't really having fun on it and I didn't really believe in it.

"But when I first rode the new (four-stroke) I was kinda amazed by it and I said 'hey let's give this thing a try' and things just worked out. We started testing it and then th♉ree of fourไ weeks later I rode my two-stroke again. I rode it for maybe two hours then put it on the stand and said 'let's leave it on the stand' - and that was pretty much the end of my two-stroke days."

Reed, runner-up to Cওarmichael in the AMA championship last season, agreed with the #4 that the switch to four-strokes by the leading title contenders won't make much difference in terms of race winners.

"We have new bikes, but nothings going to change - (the four-strokes) are still bikes and they're꧒ all the same riders on them," he said. "The (four-stroke) isn't going to make a whole lot of difference, other than it may change the racing and the tracks a little, but thatꦅ's really about it.

"I think it's going to be fun. The four-strokes have changed a lot, they're not tough to start like they once were and just a whole lot of things. They've become modern and fun🐭 for us to race on," Chad concluded.

But the final word goes to man-to-beat Carmichael, who warned his rivals that he's feeling more relaxed than ever heading in𝓀to the new SX GP season.

"Last year was probably the most pressure I've felt in a long time, I really felt that I needed to get the Supercross title and that if I didn't get it there would have been work left undone," admitted Ricky. "This year I feel ♚really good going into the season, I don't feel that I'm in a must win situation and I'm really happy with what I've accomplished.

"So it's nice to be going intﷺo a series and just going out and racing, having fun a♈nd doing your best... I'm happy."

Kawasaki's James 'Bubba' Stewart, 🔯the third pre-season title contender, is also tipped to race a four-stroke in the 2006 World SX GP♏ and AMA Supercross series.