Pro Diaries: 2007 San Francisco Supercross – Race Report – Ryan Clark – Dirt Rider Magazine

The fourth round of the 2007 AMA Amp’d Mobile Supercross Series visited San Francisco for a slightly damp, but extremely exciting weekend of racing action. The rain fell steady on Friday and then intermittently on Saturday, but by the time we took to the track for the first heat race of the night the track conditions were superb.Practice: Due to the moisture, practice was abbreviated to one session instead of the regular two. Being that your fastest lap time determines your place in the night show, there was no room for error. I put in some good laps early, but set my fastest time on lap 16 of the session. I would easily advance on with a good gate pick for the night show.Heat Race #1: I gated far to the inside for the heat and things looked good for a great start. I had worked on starts all week and felt very confident that I would be in the right position when the gate dropped. My reaction was solid and my CRF 450 pulled hard down the start straight putting me just where I wanted entering turn one. As I braked to pivot, a bike hit me from behind and knocked me into the inside course barrier and off my bike. Jason Thomas had crashed and took me down in the process. We both remounted in last with a large deficit. I began to work through the pack with Thomas hot my heels. We picked off several riders at a time, but eight laps was not enough to get myself back into the top nine. I crossed the finish line in 14th with Thomas still nipping at my heels.LCQ: Only the top two riders advance from this race, and with the likes of Vuillemin, Preston, Thomas, Lewis and 15 other worthy opponents, a good start would be vital. This time I was lined up a little further outside, but I still had a straight shot at turn one. When the gate dropped I had a small hesitation but still managed to beat the riders beside me. Down the start straight I jockeyed for position trying not to give an inch to anyone. This time it was the pileup to my inside that carried outward and landed squarely on me once again. There were several bikes in the incident, so when I remounted I was not in dead last, rather 15th or 16th. Over the next six laps I rode the best I had all night. My laps times, even through heavy traffic, were good and I felt very comfortable pushing myself through every turn and over every obstacle. I climbed up to 7th by the end of the race, but that would end my night prematurely yet again.Summary: I don’t really know how I keep putting myself in these bad situations, but I think these updates are starting to sound like a broken record. I know that I am on the right track with my training and preparation during the week, and I feel that my bike is right where it needs to be. I need a good weekend to break out of this rut that I have been stuck in for a few weeks. I know that things will come back around for me this season, and I will do everything in my power to make that happen. Here is hoping next weeks report has a fresh new look!Other Update: With the injury of Jiri Dostal, I was left with some decisions to make as to who would fill the empty spot under the big canopy until he returned. I kicked around several ideas and ultimately decided to field a 250F rider for the East Region Supercross Series. With the help of RideNow Powersports, we where able to get the bikes we needed to get things started very quickly. Ricky Renner, a very talented young rider from Florida, who recently graduated from the amateur ranks, will begin testing next Monday to prepare for the East Region Lites Supercross Series aboard a Team Solitaire/Kingdom/FLY Racing Honda. JR Boyd will be his technician and we are all very excited to have Ricky on board. For the remaining West region “Lites” races, we will also be supporting Brady Sheren, a young rider from Canada who is competing in his second season of Supercross. Brady has been working hard and is aiding in the development of our Honda CRF250R motorcycle, which is going very well.Thank you to everyone for your continued support through these changes. We will be back in Anaheim again next weekend to complete the three-race swing through Edison Field. I hope to see everyone at the “Big A”.All the best,Ryan ClarkFor more information visit http://www.teamsolitaire.com or http://www.myspace.com/teamsolitaireTeam 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.