The game received favorable reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[5] Jeff Lundrigan of NextGen was positive to the game, but noted that its high level of difficulty would frustrate many players.[14] In Japan, where the game was ported and published by MediaWorks with the name Dirt Champ Motocross No. 1 (ダートチャンプ モトクロスNO.1, Dāto Chanpu Motokurosu No. 1) on January 6, 2000, Famitsu gave it a score of 27 out of 40.[8]GamePro gave three 4/5 scores for graphics, sound, and control, and 3/5 for overall fun factor.[11] One GameFan critic gave it a score of 69, and the other 70.[10]
Legacy
THQ's partnership with Carmichael would endure for several more years, resulting in three more motocross racing games that received endorsement from Carmichael: a sequel to the game, titled Championship Motocross 2001 Featuring Ricky Carmichael, followed by what would be the first two installments of the Championship Motocross duology's follow-up series, the MX trilogy: MX 2002 featuring Ricky Carmichael and MX Superfly featuring Ricky Carmichael. This new trilogy, released on sixth-generation platforms, would be a precursor to THQ's racing series, MX vs. ATV, a crossover with Sony's ATV Offroad Fury series.