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

Team Solitaire/Kingdom/FLY Racing Honda Event UpdateAtlanta, GA
February 24th, 2007In front of a sold-out crowd of over 70,000, the 2007 AMA Supercross Series made its way into the storied Georgia Dome for round eight of the 16-race schedule. Team Solitaire/Kindgom/FLY Racing Honda was ready to do battle with myself representing in the 450cc "Supercross" class and 18-year-old Florida native Ricky Renner competing in 250F "Lites" division. This would mark his professional Supercross debut, so we all expected him to be a bit nervous.The weekend's festivities began on Thursday for the team, as Ricky represented us at press day on Thursday. Along with fellow Honda pilots Davi Millsaps and Thomas Hahn, as well as current points leader James Stewart, Ricky spoke with some of the local media and got a little track time to boot. This helped him get used to the course as well as his race bike on the soft Georgia red clay.Lites practice: Things looked good early in Ricky's session but soon turned bleak. On around the sixth or seventh lap he entered the whoop section fast and continued on to the triple that followed. Just ahead of him a rider had doubled the triple and then crashed right on the third jump. As Ricky left the face of the triple the red lights (signifying a rider is down ahead) began to flash, but it was too late. Already airborne, he could not change direction and clipped the down rider's bike upon landing. The rider behind him also was airborne and landed on Ricky's bike. He escaped with minor injuries, just a few scrapes and bruises, but his bike was damaged and he had to return to the truck. JR Boyd did an excellent job of restoring his steed to pre-crash condition by switching radiators, plastics, graphics and the main shift shaft. The second session went much more smoothly and Ricky easily moved on to the night program.Supercross Practice: I had a pretty good practice session at Atlanta. I set the 17th fastest time in session one and the 14th fastest in session two. I had a much better start pick this week, which is essential for position around the first corner.Lites Heat: Ricky was in the second heat race and the talent was deep. The East Coast seems to be the more stacked of the regions this season. Ricky pulled a good start from his position on the outside of the doghouse. He got pushed outside in the second corner but still emerged right around 7th place. By the end of lap one he was pushed back two positions to 9th, where he would have to stay in order to advance to the main event. With Tucker Hibbert nipping at his heels, Ricky crossed the finish line for the white flag in 9th place. In the next turn was a fallen rider, which advanced the duo to 8th and 9th, taking the pressure off both riders. Ricky finished in 8th position and was on to his first ever Supercross main event.Supercross Heat: I had a great start in my heat from the middle inside of the starting gate. Around the second corner I was into sixth and feeling pretty good. On the second lap I was going for the pass on Antonio Balbi when he lost his front end in a corner and fell inward taking me down in the process. I remounted quickly but my engine died, so it took about four or five kicks to get going again. Once back on the bike I rode great, but was too far back to make a run at the transfer position. I finished 14th and would have to go to the LCQ along with Thomas, Byrne, Sellards and other.Supercross LCQ: A start would be crucial in this race, as the field was stacked and only two riders would get the nod to the main. I had a good jump off the gate and was rounding the first corner inside the top five. The rider to my inside had the same idea of trying to shoot the gap that had opened and we locked handlebars and went down. That was most likely the end of the night, unless something was to happen up front. I remounted and began my charge immediately. It took me about a lap to catch the next rider, but once I did I moved through pretty quickly. On lap three I passed Michael Byrne, who had crashed battling for the transfer. Things were looking okay but I was still outside the top 12 with only a few laps to go. When all was said and done I finished in tenth, a far cry from the top two advancement positions. My only solace was in the fact that I ran a 47.9 second lap time on the final lap of the LCQ, which was in the top ten fastest lap times of the night in both the Supercross and Lites classes. So even though I didn't have the best of nights, I showed that I am capable of running the speed to finish inside the top ten.Lites Main Event: Ricky was fairly far outside for the main and got pinched going into the first turn. He was basically dead last after the dust settled on turn one. It took him about two laps to get into a rhythm, but once he did he began to ride great. He passed through several riders and made it as high as 13th place with a pack just ahead. On the final three or four laps he lost a little momentum and gave up a position to Billy Laninovich and Robert Kiniry. He finished 15th in his first ever Supercross and turned a lot of heads. He is excited to enter St. Louis top 20 in points and with a good shot of confidence.Summary: Everything ran very smooth in Atlanta despite the practice fire drill to repair Ricky's bike. Jesse, JR and Rick continue to do a fantastic job and make my life a whole lot easier. I believe that this was the largest Supercross race ever at the Georgia Dome, with over 70,000 fans in attendance and 26,600 fans visiting the pit area for posters, autographs and promotional giveaways. The autograph line was ridiculous all day and we gave out more posters than any event thus far in 2007. All in all, it was a great event.Next week we will continue our East Coast swing and invade St. Louis, MO. We are all looking forward to another fun and productive weekend of riding dirt bikes.All the best,
Ryan