Image: Supplied.

Following a 15-year association that included being a racer, team owner and ambassador, Ricky Carmichael has made his separation from Suzuki official via an open letter released today.

Carmichael has been a Suzuki rider since joining the brand in 2005, going on to clinch the supercross and motocross championships that season.

Regarded as the GOAT (greatest of all time), Carmichael delivered both premier class titles again in 2006, before announcing his retirement and campaigning a partial season in 2007, winning two supercross main events and every outdoor entered that year.

“After 15 years with Suzuki, I wanted to take this time to say thank you and express my gratitude to the entire staff at Suzuki of America, Suzuki Japan and to all of the other regions I have been fortunate enough to work with over the years,” Carmichael wrote.

“We were able to accomplish some great things together, both as a rider, and as a team owner and I am very fortunate to have made many great friendships along the way. As times change, I have been looking at other opportunities within the motorcycle industry and exploring options where I feel my experiences can best be applied to help grow our great sport.

“As everyone knows, I also enjoy challenges and seeing what a team of people can do to produce a great result when working together on new projects. As I continue to build upon my years of experience as a racer, I am now transitioning to enjoy other aspects of the motorcycle community.

“This hasn’t been an easy decision, but the future is exciting for me. My love of bikes has grown beyond just off-road riding and I am looking forward to exploring those opportunities more in the future. I will forever work to promote our sport and continue to give back to the up and coming riders who hope to see their dreams realized, just as I did many years ago.

“With that, I want to wish everyone at Suzuki continued success in the future. Friendships go well beyond working relationships, I am fortunate to have many of you as friends, and look forward to seeing you at the races and on the road!”

Most recently, Carmichael has been collaborating with Triumph Motorcycles and riding a mixture of adventure and scrambler-type models, documenting those experiences through his social media accounts during the past month.