Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128375
"Ryan Clark: Making Ends Meet When you picture the true privateer racer, you picture working out of your truck, driving yourself to and from the races, writing your own checks, etc. You picture Ryan Clark. Clark, 27, has been following the pro motocross circuit for many years under the Team Solitaire banner. He makes 250 mains more often than not, but there are no guarantees for this well-known privateer from Albuquerque, New Mexico, who now resides in Waddell, Arizona. He's currently 20th in points, which is, for the privateer, a big deal, because when you are in the top 20, you don't have to qualify on Saturdays just to get into the evening's Supercross program. And that is a big deal to the privateer, since it means that you do not have to consume any more expensive race gas than you have to, and that you reduce your chances of getting hurt by not having to ride one, or maybe two, qualifiers. Hey, it's not easy being a privateer, but Clark seems to be enjoying it and making a living of it. We recently visited with Clark before the Seattle Supercross and talked to him about his racing program and his 2005 season thus far. cn: How would you describe your season so far? ryanclark: I'm not exactly content with where I'm at, but I'm happy that I'm healthy and making progress. Beginning the season didn't go the way I planned, with a broken collarbone and missing some rounds, but I've come back fairly strong and as of late cn: How much of your expenses come out of you own pocket? ryanclark: Everything comes out of my pocket. AJlthe money I get from sponsors or bonuses comes straight to me, and I pay straight out for my own plane tickets, my own fuel, and I lease my truck. put in some good rides. My starts are improving, my fitness is improving, and everything seems to be on the up. cn: So what is Team Solitaire exactly? ryanclari<: In a nutshell, Team Solitaire is my own personal race team, and it enables me to make a liVing doing this. I've been able to make a decent living with the support of all my sponsors, mainly Western Powersports and Fly Racing. From the get-go, they've supported it without question. cn: What is the hardest part about running your own program? ryanclark: The hardest part for me has been the business side of things and securing the sponsorship dollars to do it. I have to weigh it all out, and it takes a little time away from training and riding if I were to do the marking side of things correctly. But at the same time, when a company gives me money to represent them and put forth a certain image, I don't want to fall short on my end and answer to that at the end of the year, because then you're basically starting over every year with new companies. Iguess the big challenge is time management for me. I'd like to spend a little more time on my bike than I do. The more I can get out and ride, the better I'll be able to perform on the weekend. cn: How Important Is it for you to make the mains? ryanclark: When I make the main event, it's kind of a relief. I don't ever go there not expecting to make a main event, and honestly, I'm really upset if I don't. I don't think of myself as a rider that should just be barely making main events; I think of myself as a rider that should be qualifying out of heat races. I have the ability to do that. As of yet I haven't really done it, but I don't think it's because I don't possess that ability; I just haven't ridden to the level that I'm capable of. I don't think of those guys as being that much better than me. I know that Carmichael, Reed and Stewart are ultra talented and they're definitely faster than me, I'm definitely not challenging that, but I think I have a lot left that I haven't shown yet. I'm not saying that it's out of reach that I can be on the podium, obviously not this year, but if I keep working and keep improving, there's no reason why I can't eventually make it to the top of the sport. cn: How much does It cost to follow the entire Supercross and outdoor circuit? ryanclark: It costs, give or take, somewhere around $100,000 to do the season. It depends how big you want to go, and that's the Catch 22 for me: The more crew I have, the easier it is. I'll probably have better results and ultimately make more money, but I have to weight that between what you payout and what you make. It's a fine line to where I have to balance to make sure I come out in the positive. But I can't think of anything else I would be doing. I do okay, I can live and have a great life with my wife, but I have to realize that this isn't going to last forever. I have to plan for the future as well. cn: Recently, you switched from a Yamaha YZ4S0F to a Honda CRF4S0R. Why? ryanclari<: The only reason why is that I'm faster on it. That's cut and dry, it's just the truth. I went out and did lap times, and I'm faster on the Honda. I'm racing for a living. Based on the speed, I figured I should give myself every advantage to be on the bike I can be the fastest on. cn: You have a pretty good following for a prh(ateer. don't you? ryanclark: I've never had the meagainst-the-world mentality. There are so many people out there that are pulling for me through my website, the people that e-mail me and encourage me and tell me that I've inspired them to try something, all those things make me feel good. Yeah, I'm racing, but maybe I'm doing a little bit more than that, too. I'm fulfilling my dreams, having a great time and enjoying my life. I couldn't imagine myself doing anything but this: This is the best job in the world. I've got a long way to go, I've come a long way, and I'm going to keep working until I get there. Kit Palmer