Team Solitaire/Kingdom/FLY Racing Honda Event Update Unadilla, NY - Dirt Rider Magazine

Team Solitaire/Kingdom/FLY Racing Honda Event Update
New Berlin, NY
July 15th, 2007The grassy hills of Upstate New York came alive this past weekend and played host to round six of the 2007 AMA Motocross National Series. With a full roster of riders, Team Solitaire/Kingdom/FLY Racing Honda was raring to go and looking forward to a great weekend of racing action.Ricky Renner
Fresh off the best moto finish of his young career, Ricky was looking to better his performance yet again. He had solid practice times, just outside the top twenty, and was positioned well to step up when the gate dropped on Sunday's motos.Moto One: Ricky has really been struggling off the line lately, and this proved to be his downfall yet again. He cross the start/finish line in 34th position in a heavily stacked field of young talent. By the halfway point he was up to 27th, but just couldn't find the pace he had two weeks ago at Red Bud. He kept plugging away and crossed the finish line in 24th position.Moto Two: The second moto began a little bit better, as he managed 28th across the line. This still left quite a bit of work for him, and he was admittedly not too comfortable with the track and the soil. He still rode consistently and climbed past some very fast riders en route to 22nd place on the moto. His 24/22 moto tally awarded him 25th overall on the weekend.Jiri Dostal
After over six months of recuperating from injuries, Jiri Dostal was finally back on track and feeling strong. He has been training hard and kept in good shape despite being off the bike for such a long time. He was definitely happy to be back at the races this weekend.Practice: With the new timed-qualification session, only the top forty fastest times advance to the motos. Jiri looked very uneasy in the first session and was struggling to get comfortable. In the second session he looked much better and was charging hard and putting good laps together. Unfortunately, Jiri fell just short and was the 46th fastest rider in the Motocross division. He will work hard this week and put it in the motos come next weekend in Colorado.Ryan Clark
I had a renewed sense of confidence this weekend and was feeling great about race. My bike was working amazing and everything seemed to click much better for me from the moment I hit the track on Saturday. I ended up with the 12th fastest time and thus would have 12th pick on the gate for the motos.Moto One: The rain was falling as the gate hit the ground for the first moto. I had a pretty decent start, crossing the line in 16th, but was way too apprehensive in the slick conditions. I fell back to 20th for a moment before kicking myself in the shorts and picking up my pace. I rallied back to 14th at the end of the moto and, despite my first few laps, rode a great race.Moto Two: I gated a little better the second time around as I crossed the start/finish line in 15th. I moved up one position on lap four and was riding hard and picking up my lap times every lap. On the fifth lap I lost my front end going into a tight turn and crashed, stalling my bike in the process. When I remounted I was back to 18th, but put on a good charge and passed back to 14th by the end of the moto. I was riding well, but the mistake cost me some time and I was unable to make it back up in the end. My 14/14 moto tally would award me 13th overall on the day.Summary: It was a pretty good weekend for us. We have always had great fan support at the New York rounds and this year was no exception. The team is really working together well and we are all excited for the remainder of the season. Ricky is looking forward to Lakewood next weekend, the only track on the schedule that he has raced before. Jiri is looking for redemption next weekend and is very motivated to find his speed and show what he is capable of. And I, too, and looking forward to another chance to prove myself and, this time, keep it on two wheels all the way up to the top ten.Other Notes
Over the two-week break in the schedule before Unadilla, we opted to switch back to Showa components with MB1 Suspension handling the valving. Mike Battista went above and beyond to get us ready for Unadilla and we were extremely happy with our new set-up. I want to personally thank Mike for his hard work and for believing in our program and our riders. Due to the changes, the weekend started a little early, as all the riders and mechanics flew into New York on Wednesday to do some last minute tuning. Ricky, Jiri and I spent all of Thursday riding at a private track near Utica, NY working on our bike setup. Along with Jiri, Arthur Clinton returned to spin the wrenches on the #61 machine. Arthur hails from Hood River, OR and was actually a student of Jesse Black's (my mechanic) back when he was a Honda instructor at MMI. Thank you to everyone for your continued support and encouragement. See you at the races!Best regards,Ryan ClarkTeam 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, 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