Pro Diaries: 2007 Anaheim 3 Supercross – Race Report – Ryan Clark – Dirt Rider Magazine

The final round of Anaheim was put to rest this past Saturday night. The track was fantastic, with longer lap times and a challenging layout. We were looking to improve on our previous results and put up some solid numbers in the final outing at the “Big A”. 18-year-old Brady Sheren would be joining the team this weekend to do battle in the “Lites” class and get himself in the all-important main event for the first time in his young professional career.Practice: I put up some solid number is practice but still didn’t feel 100% on my game. I would definitely have to step it up for the night show and master a couple of obstacles that were giving me grief. Brady put up his best numbers ever in practice, qualifying 27th and easily securing a position in the night show.Heat One (Lites): Brady had a mid-pack start but really made some good moves early and was up as high as 9th. He lost a few positions with some mistakes mid-race and slipped out of qualifying position. At the checkers he was in 14th, five spots shy of where he needed to be.Heat One (Supercross): I struggled with my start as well, but quickly moved up to ninth by the end of the second lap. I made another pass on lap three and then set out after Tyler Evans for seventh. I showed a wheel a few times but opted just to play it safe and not repeat my Phoenix mistake by throwing away the transfer. I finished 8th and would be in the main event.LCQ (Lites): Brady had a great jump off the gate but got pinched heading into the first turn. He was mired in a pack of riders for the entire four-lap race scrambling for position. He would finish 12th in the LCQ and retire for the evening.Main Event: My start position was a bit outside so I opted to cut under in the first corner instead of running it all the way to the tuff-blocks. After a couple of corners I was up to 14th place and moving forward. A few laps in I made a mistake and didn’t jump a rhythm section and got passed, which lead to more and more mistakes. Basically, I rode pretty badly for the entirety of the main event. The harder I tried to pick it, the more mistakes I made and the slower my lap times got. At the culmination of the 20-lap race I was in 17th place. Not exactly the turnaround I was looking for.Summary: We had a ton of people through the pits this Anaheim and signed a ton of autographs. Jiri Dostal was on hand to meet with his fans and is looking much better and well on the road to recovery. This was still not the result I was looking for in the race, but a step closer than the previous weeks. Next weekend in Houston should be a lot of fun and we are all really looking forward to leaving the West coast for a while.Thanks to everyone for your continued support!Ryan Clarkwww.teamsolitaire.comTeam Solitaire/Kingdom/FLY Racing Honda is an independently owned and operated professional Supercross and Motocross race team based in Phoenix, AZ. Our 2007 marketing partners include: FLY Racing, Kingdom Clothing, American Honda, Dragon Optical, WPS, Dubach Racing Exhaust, RideNow.com, Ohlins by Coppersmith, HoyFox.com, Michelin, Vortex, Team Hawg Racing, ASV, Coachseiji.com, Dirt Pro, Polisport Plastics, Enjoy Mfg., Ride Engineering, Boyesen, Pivot Works, Ready Filter, Sano Systems, Twenty20, Pro Honda Oils & Chemicals, RK Chain, Excel, Group D, DC Auto Wraps, Champion Tool Storage, Motion Pro, OGIO, Ron Davis Radiators, Crank Works, Hot Rods, CP Pistons, Barnett Clutches, Sidi Boots, RPM Science, NGK Spark Plugs, QTM/Brembo, Pro Grip, Hammerhead, IMS Products, USA Sport, Cytosport, Cometic and Lakai.