Pro Diaries: 2007 Houston Supercross - Race Report - Ryan Clark - Dirt Rider Magazine

For the first time this season, the Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series moved East to the great state of Texas for round six of the 2007 campaign. Held inside the recently constructed Reliant Stadium, Houston provided a great track and an excellent facility in which to showcase the amazing sport of Supercross.The whole team has been hard at work and we were looking forward to a solid showing in Houston. Brady Sheren was riding for Team Solitaire again this weekend in the "Lites" division, and new team member Ricky Renner was also on hand to sign autographs and get a feel for what the race weekend at a professional Supercross consists of. Ricky will begin racing at Atlanta in two weeks and will be contesting the entire East Region "Lites" Series.Practice: Both Brady and I felt very comfortable on the soil and track layout, which is similar to one of the Team Solitaire practice facilities back in Phoenix. Brady put down a solid lap time to secure his position on the gate in the night show, being seeded just inside the top 30. I had some solid times as well and held down 17th position heading toward the evening program."Lites" Heat Two: Brady got a great jump and rounded the first turn just outside the top ten. Within a few laps he had worked into ninth, which is where he would have to stay to advance to the main event. On lap four, Brady was overtaken by Josh Hansen and then by Logan Darien. He would finish 11th, two spots shy of the transfer position. He would have one more chance to close the deal in the LCQ."Supercross" Heat Two: I gated one spot outside of James Stewart and had a solid jump off out of the hole. I was in pretty good position around the first corner but was perhaps a bit hesitant through the first few corners and ended up in tenth at the end of the first lap. Within a couple of laps I was into eighth and putting pressure on the riders just ahead while also feeling heat from Heath Voss behind me. On the final lap Voss showed me a wheel in the corner after the finish. I proceeded to botch the next rhythm section pretty bad, almost crashing and allowing Voss by uncontested. There was a large margin back to tenth, so I rode it in for the final transfer position in the heat race."Lites" LCQ: Brady would have to get it done here if he wanted into the main event. A bad start and first lap would not help him accomplish his goal, and he would have to settle for 12th in the LCQ and retire to the stands for the evening."Supercross" Main Event: I was a little far outside for the start but had a good jump and managed to squeak through the first corner near the top ten. I was scrapping back and forth and vying for position as the first and most chaotic lap came to a close. On the second lap I came together with Nathan Ramsey at the end of a rhythm section and high-sided pretty hard. I stood up seeing those little white lights for a moment, collected myself and jumped back on my slightly mangled bike. It took me about ten kicks to restart it, so when I did I was at a large deficit to the tail end of the pack. For the next 18 laps I rode pretty good, picking off a few riders and ultimately making my way up to 16th. It was difficult to ride at 100% because within a few laps of picking myself up from the crash the leaders were already coming around to lap me. I tried my best to stay on my pace without hindering or interfering with the lead pack. I felt that I rode a much better pace than I have so far this season and I am happy to make progress, albeit only a little bit, this weekend.Summary: Brady came very close to making his first main event through his heat race this weekend. With a little more work and a better start I believe that he can make that cut very soon. Next weekend's race in San Diego will be his last race with the team before heading home to Canada to prepare for the Canadian Nationals this summer. I felt much more comfortable this weekend and am excited to start riding like my old self again. I need to put a whole race together at San Diego and start making up for the points I gave up earlier in the season.Thank you to everyone for your continued support and encouragement. Team Solitaire marches on.Sincerely,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.