The change of scenery was a welcomed one as we moved 1500 miles east to Reliant Park, deep in the heart of Houston, TX, for round seven of the 2008 Monster Energy AMA Supercross. The weather was dismal, but thankfully Reliant is a covered stadium. The track, which was designed by fellow rider Kevin Windham, provided a nice mix of obstacles and a change from the routine tracks of California.
Fresh off the first podium finish of his career, Bob Kiniry was back on the track and ready to do battle in the fiercely competitive Lites division. He put in two solid qualification times and had great position when the gate fell on the second Lites heat.
Lites Heat Two: Bob launched from the starting line to pull yet another holeshot on his JR Boyd-tuned Honda CRF250R. He led for two laps before relinquishing the lead to current points leader Jason Lawrence. He made a few small mistakes in the six lap race and slipped back to fourth position at the checkered flag.
Lites Main Event: Bob could not repeat his heat race start in the main, and was buried mid-pack. In the opening laps he moved forward quickly, making quick work of the riders around him. At the halfway point he was up to tenth, but Bob is a strong closer and there were several riders within reach. In the closing laps, he made more passes and notched a solid seventh place main event finish for his efforts.
Ryan Clark: After six weeks on the west coast, I was looking forward to a change. I was hoping that the new soil and scenery would be what I needed to turn my season around. I was pleased to see that my qualification time was enough to award me eighth, and a great gate position on the gate for heat race two.
Supercross Heat Two: I pulled a solid jump off the gate and rounded the first corner in seventh. I quickly moved past four riders in the opening lap to get myself into third. I ran third for a couple of laps, but also made a few small mistakes and lost three positions to finish sixth.
Supercross Main Event: I had a great gate, but just didn't have the start I was looking for. I was around 16th in the first corner but again had a solid first lap and moved up to 13th. I made it as high as 11th before having a near crash in the whoops that left me a little spooked. For the next couple of laps I tightened up and lost two places. Down the stretch, however, I took one of those positions back to finish the main event in 12th.
Summary: Bob had a solid ride this weekend to finish off the seven-week stretch. His efforts have moved him in to eighth in points with one event left in the West Region, which will take place in Seattle in late April. I was happy to have found some speed and posted points on the board. I have built some much-needed confidence and am looking forward to the continuation of the series next weekend in Atlanta. Atlanta will mark the first race of the East Region Lites Series, and team rider Kyle Partridge is excited to test his skills.
Thank you for your support and see you at the races!
Team Solitaire/MB1/Kingdom Honda
Team Solitaire/MB1/Kingdom Honda is a privately owned professional Supercross and Motocross race team based in Phoenix, AZ. Our 2008 marketing partners include: MB1 Suspension, Kingdom Clothing, American Honda, FLY Racing, Dragon Optical, Pro Honda Oils and Chemicals, DRD Exhaust, Vortex, Factory Effex, ASV, Dunlop, WPS, Sidi, Rockwell Watches, DUS, OGIO, Applied, QTM/Brembo, RK Chain, EXCEL Rims, HoyFox.com, Boyesen, Hinson, Ready Filter, CoachSeiji.com, Cycra Plastic, Element Sports, Sano Systems, AIMMD, Pivot Works, Hot Cams, Hot Rods, Champion Tool Storage, Crank Works, CP Pistons, Cometic Gaskets, Ron Davis Racing Radiators, DC Auto Wraps, Leatt Brace, Dirt Pro, JM Collision Team Hawg Racing and Group D Manufacturing.