Chris Barrett and Ricky Y...
Chris Barrett and Ricky Yorks
At Dirt Rider we use test riders of various skill levels, from vet novice up to the pros who make everything look so easy. Two of our testers are racing some supercross rounds this year, and they are great guys to seek out in the back recesses of the pits if you want to meet real racer, or just harass them with questions about how to become a DR tester yourself. But really, these guys have put in a lot of work to get to where they are, and even though neither qualified for the night show at Anaheim 1, they both showed considerable talent just to be out there in qualifying. I've seen both of these guys fly past me on the track, so I have an idea of how talented they both are.
Chris Barrett (#426 in the 450 class) is a DR coverboy, a regular for tests, shootouts, and Long Hauls, and an all around good guy. I got to pitboard for Chris' efforts in the 450 class at Anaheim 1, and I was amazed how calm and cool he was the whole day. I was definitely more nervous than he was, and all I had to do was write lap times on my pit board (provided by Motion Pro via Warthog Racing, thank you to my sponsors). He had a few crashes and at the end of the day (beginning of the night - see how that works), he didn't make the cut for the final night program, but he was healthy and happy and looking forward to the next round.
Ricky Yorks (#703 in the 250F class) is a 250F pilot with more enthusiasm for riding - and talking about riding - than anyone I've ever met. He's a talented rider who helped out with our 250F shootout this year, and I've coined the nickname "Fan Club" for him because of his stories as a kid where he always wanted people watching him when he tricked on his BMX bike or motocross bike. He's really fun to talk to and I want him to win selfishly so that my nickname for him will become popular. That's Ricky "Fan Club" Yorks, people.
I did the track walk with these guys, then spoke to them after Anaheim to hear why they're out there chasing the dream.
PP: What was your first SX?
CB: That would be back in 2001. I think I got one day of practice on a supercross TRACK before that one, and I was on an RM250.
PP: How were your results?
CB: I wasn't ready for supercross. I wasn't ready at all... I was struggling.
PP: Did you make the night program that first time?
PP: How many night programs did you make last year in 2008?
CB: All the races I did. All the west coast.
PP: How many mains have you made?
CB: I didn't make any mains in supercross, only Nationals. In supercross I've always been off by a couple spots. Always right there, but...
PP: Can you hear the fans when you're riding?
CB: Actually, when I first started racing supercross, I heard 'em a lot more than I do now. I don't even hear 'em now anymore. The first year, if I came up short on a triple, I could hear everybody give the 'Oooooh!' That was pretty funny.
PP: So you've already shorted a triple, how does it make you feel to hear all the people doing that? Is it embarrassing, or do you feel like at least everybody got entertained...
CB: A little bit of everything. Kind like, 'Ah, that was an idiot move.' But if you don't crash it's like, 'yeah, I pulled that off.'
PP: How many SX rounds are you racing this year?
CB: Just the west coast rounds, minus Houston.
PP: What are your goals for the year?
CB: The goal is to make a main. Gotta at least make one. I started right off in the 250/450 class, because I couldn't get a 125. All I had was a 250. Then the next year I traded that RM250 in for a 426, so in 2002 I rode a 426 that was two years old, and made all the night programs on that thing.
PP: What's the hardest part about being a privateer?
CB: In 2005 and 2006 I drove to all of 'em, and that's the hardest part. In 2005 it was me and a friend of mine who was my mechanic. And we pulled the trailer around in my Toyota T100 "White Lightning" and that was the hardest part because you leave from San Diego and drive out to Georgia, you can't get any practice in during the week. Maybe one day, if that. But it was actually a lot of fun. It was the hard part, drive all night, sleep in the Wal-Mart parking lot. I learned to love Super Wal-Mart.