Pro Diary - Team Solitaire/MB1/Kingdom Honda Atlanta Supercross - Dirt Rider Magazine

Georgia Dome - Atlanta, GAFebruary 24th, 2008
Event Attendance: 67,429Partridge 12th, Clark 11th in East Region OpenerAfter seven weeks of West Region events, the 2008 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series moved to the red clay of Georgia for the East Region opener. Kyle Partridge has been waiting in the wings as Lites teammate Bob Kiniry posted impressive results on the opposing coast, and it was now his chance to shine.Kyle Partridge makes riding the bike look easy. At 6' 3", he towers over his Honda CRF250 like a giant. On top of that, he has a fluid style and demeanor that is pure poetry in motion. Kyle has posted good individual results in the past, but 2008 is his year to put the pieces of the puzzle together and make a run for a top five series finish.In his first qualification session, Kyle went out and promptly posted the second quickest time in his group. He had a productive second session and was ready to go when the gate was lifted for the big show.Lites Heat One was off and Kyle spun off the gate, then when he did get traction he had a big wheelie. He opted to stay low in the first corner but ended up on the ground when he clipped another rider's rear wheel. From a large deficit, Kyle clawed his way back into the ninth and final qualification position. He went back to the truck to get ready for the main event.KP was about six gates outside of the doghouse for the main event start. He looked about mid-pack after the first turn but then got held up going around a downed rider's bike, losing a few positions. For the next 15 laps he put in a solid performance, battling his way up to tenth position. He looked to have 10th well in hand, but a couple of mistakes on the final two laps allowed French import Benjamin Coisy and last year's runner up Ryan Morais by. He crossed the line in 12th and earned nine series points for his effort.Coming off last weeks improved performance, I was setting the bar high for myself in Atlanta. I didn't start off too well, having some trouble getting on pace in the first practice session. The second one didn't go much better, and I was sitting around 23rd going into the night show; not exactly the times I was looking for.As the gate fell on the first Supercross Heat Race, I launched out and grabbed gears down the incredibly long start straightaway. For a moment I thought I would emerge with the holeshot, but as we hit the first turn sand, the rider to my outside lost his front end and his bike took me down for a soil sample. I remounted next-to-last, but had kept my engine running so I wasn't too far back. I moved through the pack well, getting some help from crashing riders along the way. On the final lap I was tenth and needed one more position to get the nod. Through the final set of whoops I pinned it around the outside of Nick Wey and we were in a dead heat going into the final corner. Unfortunately, Antonio Balbi was just ahead and trying to protect his line as Nick and I approached. I hit Balbi hard enough to put a hole in my engine case. The contact knocked him out of the line and I turned and quickly crossed the finish line. Wey actually beat me across by a wheel, but I snuck by Balbi and was in the show with a ninth place finish.The Main Event was going to be crazy. The track was very technical to begin with and was getting extremely rutted, which would cause plenty of mistakes and crashes. Being fast and consistent would be a tall order, but I felt ready. I was far outside on the start, which didn't help my pitiful jump off the gate. At the culmination of lap one, I was 16th. I started moving forward and using a good line in the whoop section to make several passes. Low and behold, with two laps to go I was in 10th. I made a mistake on the section leading up to the triple and opted out of jumping it, losing the spot to Jason Thomas. I gave chase until the end but ultimately relinquished the position and had to settle for eleventh.Summary: Kyle rode well throughout the night, but he has a lot more potential and should be in top five shortly. I was pleased to keep moving things in the right direction with my finish, bettering my 12th place finish of one week ago. The pits were PACKED this weekend, as Atlanta has the largest crowd of the year with 67,429 fans in attendance. I think between Kyle and I, we signed posters for about half of them!Other Notes:Kyle arrived early to participate in press day on Thursday. He did some television and radio interviews for local ATL stations. This allowed a little extra time on the track, which is always beneficial.Congratulations to American Honda for a podium sweep in the Supercross Class this weekend. Congratulation also to Davi Millsaps, who picked up his first career Supercross Class win in Atlanta, as well as Trey Canard who also notch his first profession victory in his first attempt at Supercross.If you haven't already checked it out, you can keep up with the day-to-day happenings of the team and my life through my new blog at www.teamsolitaire.blogspot.com.All the best,Ryan ClarkTeam Solitaire/MB1/Kingdom HondaTeam 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.