Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

...... ...... ...... ..... ~ 0.. < l2i£k l2yan ~n ~~§ §team wind By Tom Kolnowski Consider for the moment the following scenario: a 125cc National Championship MX Series round at Anywhere, U.S.A., in the year 1983. The win at anyone of the 11 events thaI comprised lhe series would gO'lO oneof the following heavy . . h 0' k hIllers. J 0 nny Mara, Mar Barnell, Jeff Ward or Ron 24 Lechien. But scan the result column from nearly any round and behind that group of names - nestled at or near fifth place - you would find the name Rick Ryan. That's not to say Ryan, 17, would be a shoo-in for the win without the "fast four" in his way. But with a record of consistency behind him, Ryan hopes to soon begin wedging his way into winner's circle. When Ryan celebrates his 18th birthday on June 7, he will have had nearly two full years of National competition under his belt. And his experience shows: Ryan is a very quiet, mature and skilled competitor. He lives with his father in San Jose, California, where he trains hard most'of the time alone - LO lessen the gap that exists between the lOP riders and himself. Riding under a Team Suzuki Sup· port package for 1984, Ryan has con· tinued to place well in the early out· door National and Supercross rounds. Ryan's riding style has evolved into one very similar to that of Mark Barnett's. Butas is true of many ofthe top motocrossers in the mid-80s, he has had a lot of time LO develop a style - he got hIS start at a very early age. "I got my start on motorcycles way back when I was five years old," Ryan began. "My older sister had a motorcycle and I told my dad] wanted to learn how LO ride it. He refused, saying that] was too young and too lillie to be doing anything like that. Not long after, my mom took mallers inLO her own hands and decided LO teach me how to ride. Even though she didn't know how to ride herself, some· how she taught me the basics about how to get around on a bike. "After] got used toriding the bike, ] got up enough nerve to tell my dad about il. Mom, Dad and I went out behind out house and Dad saw that] could handle the bike pretty well. They took me out and bought me my first bike, a 60cc Yamaha. "It was only two months later that we loaded up and went to a local motocross. ] entered the Novice class and I remember falling down at least 50 times that day. The club awarded me the rider of the day trophy, which went to the rider who fell down the most times yet still kept racing. It took me another six months or so LO get to where] could win the Novice class on a regular basis." After cutting his teeth on moLO' cross, Ryan decided to give another form of mOLOrcycle com peti tion a try. "Flat track racing seemed like it would be a fun thing to try," Ryan continued, "so that's where I headed next. Again, I started out in the Novice class on an 80cc bike, and it wasn't too long after that I started winning there, LOO. I moved up through the ranks into the Intermediate and then the Expert class. "Once I gOt up with the Experts, the wins still came prelly easy - butl didn't win as often. It seemed that every week it would come down to either me or Doug Chandler right in there for the win." Chandler, who stuck with dirt track racing, was crowned Camel Pro Series Rookie of the Year in 1983. But for Ryan, the early succes on dirt track was not enough to keep him there. "You had to spend all week trying LO get a faster and faster motor to sta), competitive," Ryan said, "and if you didn't do that you would get blown off the track. After doing it for a while, I decided to get back inLO motocross. " The transition back to the world of mOLOcross came in 1979. "I started out in the 125cc Novice class that time around," Ryan said. "After six months, they moved me up to the Intermediate class. The competition there was a Iittle tougher for me, and I spent a year and a half in the class. "Then it was up to the Expert division and I had just turned 14 years old. Things started out well for me there and I won my first time out, but it seemed that I slowed down a bit right after thal. It took me another year LO get LO where I could win again, but things were looking up." Theyear was 1982, and things were indeed starting to look brighter for, Ryan. After his success in the 125cc Expert class aboard a Suzuki RM 125, a degree of factory support came his way LO raise him a notch above the level of pure privateer. "Suzuki began supplying me with bikes early in the season," Ryan said, "and, after taking more wins in local races, I thought it was time LO try one of the Nationals. " After a cross-country drive from California to New York, Ryan found himself on the starting line of a .National MX at Binghamton's Broome-Tioga Sports Center. "I remember that Johnny O'Mara won the 125ccclass that day, but I was very happy to finish where I did - eighth overall," Ryan continued. "Every time I could come away with a good finish, Suzuki would give me a little more help." Ryan competed in two more Na· tionals in '82, and proved he could consistently ride well enough to break the LOp 20 with a 15th in Washougal, Washington, and an II th at Carlsbad, California. In 1983, Ryan again attacked the 125cc Nationals as well as Supercross events. Consistency was again the byword for his performances in the Nationals, with his best finish fifth overall in Buchanan, Michigan, and another six finishes well within the top 10. Supercross turned out LO be more of a challenge for Ryan, and more often than not he found himself having to ride the Last Chance Qualifier to get a starting slot in the final event. Going through the process of getting acquainted with 250cc machinery, and due in part LO the more intense level of competition in Supercross, the best finish Ryan could manage in a final event was a ninth at the Foxboro, Massachusetts round. For 1984, Ryan's backing from Suzuki has progressed into a full Support contract - something that is very hard LO come by with many of the manufacturers trimming back or . cbmpletely eliminating their support programs. "The deal with Suzuki amounts to bikes, parts and expense money," Ryan explained. "They also have me on a bonus program, but there is no salary paid. I do get the privilege of flying LO all ofthe races." But there are other benefits that came along with the package - not the least of which is a well equipped race van identical LO the unit from which Barnell and tuner Jeff Clark base their operation. Ryan; too, has a personal tuner on hand at all times at the races, in the form of Chris LowiLZ. Ryan seems to have most of the benefits of the factory riders except one - money. In re ponse to a question as to how much money he earned during the 1983 season, Ryan laughed and said, ''I'll tell you exactly how much money I made last year nonel With the deal I had,] spendar more than I made from bonuses and winnings. At least for me, racing hasn't been profitable at all until now. I've had some good finishes so far in '84 (a ninth in the Seallle Super· cross, a fifth at the Gainesville National and an eighth in the Daytona Supercross), and I'm starting to make some money." Even with the close ties with the Suzuki facLOry team, the machinery Ryan rides is basically stock. "They won't let us change a thing over the stock RM 125 for the Nationals except for a higher set of footpegs," Ryan said, "but that's not really all that bad since the bikes are actually prelly fast right out of the box. They let me put a different set of triple clamps on the 250cc bike I ride in Supercross. I had to get my weight farther back, and with the stock triple clamps the bars had to be setLOo low. Other than that, they're strictly production bikes. "I'm still at a disadvantage in the Nationals when it comes to suspension, especially against the works machines Johnny O'Mara and Jeff Ward are riding. I watch them go through a really rough section and I can't see how they 'can go that fast without crashing. When I go through, my bike kicks me all over the place, so I'm forced LO find the smoother lines or slow down." With Barnell moving up to the 250ccclass for Nationals, Ryan admits there is a bit mor.e pressure on him LO do really well in the I25cc division. "It seems that Suzuki wants me LO do really well this year, but they don't want to actually put enough money into the effort. It's going to be hard LO LOp O'Mara and Ward out there, but I'm willing to give it all I've got." As any motocrosser will tell you, going fast is not always enough to win - it's mandatory to be in prime physical hape. Ryan's program begins early every morning Monday through Friday. "] get up at 7 a.m. and start out by running a few miles," Ryan said. "After breakfast, I load up my practice bike and go riding. I try to run fi ve gallons of gas through the bike and that takes me most of the day. Then I'll either do a bunch of stretching exercises or work out on the Nautilus machines, and there isn't much time left to do anything else. "It's ride, run, work out and race for the entire season, and I don't have the free time LO just take it easy. But after the season is over,] get into fish· ing and water skiing. I've also tried to learn how to surf." For the most part, you'll find Ryan is all business when it comes to moLO' cross. He also has some definite goals in mind. "I would really be happy to win an outdoor National Championship," Ryan concluded, "and after that I'd like to take the Supercross title. Depending on how'things go,] might even chase the World Grand Prix ti tie some day." •

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