AMA Motocross National Series - Dirt Rider Magazine

Team Solitaire /Kingdom/FLY Racing Honda Event Update
Washougal, WA7/29/07The AMA Motocross National Series ventured to the great Northwest for round eight of the 2007 campaign. The usually sleepy town of Washougal was awakened with excitement as over 26,000 spectators invaded to watch their favorite riders do battle. Team Solitaire/Kingdom/FLY Racing Honda was represented by Ricky Renner in the Lites division and Ryan Clark in the Motocross class. Below is a summary of the weekend through the eyes of the riders of Team Solitaire.?Ricky Renner
Practice: I rode decent in the first practice, even though I was having a tough time with the slick track. I ended up 32nd fastest, but I knew that as the track dried out from the early rain I would get faster.Moto One: I got cut off right out of the gate so I went into the first corner pretty far back. The first lap was hectic, and was around 34th by the time we completed lap one.? I had a tough time passing on the track, and could only work up to 27th by the end of the moto."Moto Two: I had a good start heading into the first corner but just kind of got run high and had to check up. I climbed up into the top 30 by the end of the first lap and got into a good rhythm. By lap four I was close to top twenty, but I lost the front end coming out of rut in a tight s-turn section. Unfortunately, it took me a long time to get my bike to start so I was way back. I started riding pretty fast again but then I caught my foot on a bank lining the track and hyper-extended it. It was the same one I hurt at Red Bud. I pulled in for the moto."Ryan Clark
Practice: "I really struggled to get up to speed on this extremely slippery track. In the past I have done well here. But I think it has been due more to consistency than speed as I just couldn't do much out there. I qualified 29th, which is probably my worst qualification of the year."Moto One: "The first moto was sort of an extension of my practices. It started off with a first turn pileup that claimed about seven of us. I was frustrated and struggled to find lines to get by slower riders.? The roost was pelting me and I just kind of wimped out on a few passes because I couldn't take the rocks and roost on my neck and arms. Once things stretched out a bit and I was able to set up passes on particular sections I began to ride much better. Still, I only managed to finish 22nd in the first moto, two positions out of the points."Moto Two:"I had a good jump off the gate in moto two, but somehow still had a pretty poor start. This time I had equipped myself with some extra padding and was able to stay close enough to make passes happen quickly. I moved into to the top twenty by the second lap and started picking off some riders as the laps wore down. I was able to displace both Antonio Balbi and Jeff Alessi on the same lap and climb up to 15th place for the moto. I rode much better this time around and at least proved to myself that I was able to ride the slick stuff with decent speed."Summary: Ricky's 27/34 awarded him 37th overall. His ankle is sore but he is walking on it fine and should be fine after a few day of recuperation.? My moto tally of 22/15 awarded me 17th overall on the day.Other notes:
We are proud to welcome Go Fast! Sports to the Team Solitaire family. Go Fast! Sports will be partnering with Team Solitaire for the remaining events on the 2007 schedule.We have a week off from the Nationals next weekend before returning on August 12th at Millville, MN. During the off weekend Ricky will be attending Loretta Lynn?s amateur national to support his girlfriend Leah Cantrell.I am currently an alternate for the X-Games Super X competition next weekend in Carson, CA. I should find out this week if I will be in or not.Destry Abbott had a bad crash in practice this weekend and was unable to compete in the national. Here is wishing Destry a speedy recovery.Thank you for your continued support and see you at the races!Ryan Clark
Owner/AthleteTeam 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, GoFast Sports, Dragon Optical, WPS, Dubach Racing Exhaust, RideNow.com, MB1 Suspension, HoyFox.com, Michelin, Vortex, Team Hawg Racing, ASV, Coachseiji.com, Polisport Plastics, Enjoy Mfg., Ride Engineering, Boyesen, Pivot Works, Ready Filter, Sano Systems, 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, Sidi Boots, QTM/Brembo, Pro Grip, Hammerhead, USA Sport, Cytosport, Cometic, Flyin Kolors, IMS and Lakai.