Team Solitaire/MB1/Kingdom Honda Event Update
San Francisco, CA
1/26/08
San Francisco is one of my favorite cities to visit, so I was very excited
to be heading to round four of the 2008 AMA Supercross Series this weekend. The
Bay Area, known for its cultural diversity and excellent cuisine (among
other things), is also quite prone to less-than-ideal weather for holding
a Supercross event.
The rain fell steadily upon the already saturated soil on the days leading
up the event. Low and behold, the morning of the event arrived
and so did clear skies. We ran through an abbreviated practice
schedule and the night began right on time.
Bob Kiniry: Fresh off a sixth-place finish at
Anaheim 2 one-week prior, was looking to back up his performance and
get himself on the podium.
Lites Heat Two
Bob had a mid-pack start but got tangled up and crashed on the first
lap. He had trouble getting the bike to start and was out of
the running for qualification. He would move on to the LCQ.
Lites LCQ
Bob focused on the task at hand and pulled a solid second place start. He
passed into the lead early and rode on to take the win and transfer on
to the main event.
Lites Main Event
The main was cut to ten laps (instead of the usual 15) as the track was
now getting worse and the rain once again fell on the now exposed track
surface. Bob started in 12th and looked to be on his way forward. He
got a face-full of roost at the end of the first lap and frantically
grabbed for a tear-off. In the rush, he grabbed not just one
but all 28 tear-offs and was left with nothing for the rest of the
main. On the second lap he decided to ditch his goggles altogether
and just tough it out. He moved up as high as tenth but lost
one position with a few laps left and finished out the night in 11th
place.
Ryan Clark: I was somewhat excited about the
muddy conditions, as I feel that my mud riding skills have been improving. Mud
is the great equalizer so this could be just what I needed to make up
points and get myself back in the running.
Supercross Heat Two
I practiced my starts all week but it made no difference as I had a horrible
start in the heat race. I rallied up a few spots in the opening
laps but really rode tight and could only muster 11th place, two shy
of the transfer.
Supercross LCQ
My practice finally paid off with a huge holeshot in the LCQ. Troy
Adams pressured me for the first two laps but I pulled a comfortable
gap and won by six seconds.
Supercross Main Event
I had a great jump off the gate but got bogged down in the mud and went
into the first turn pretty far back. The rain was now falling
hard and the track was getting progressively worse. I was riding
very conservative at the beginning, and becoming frustrated with myself. The
main event was only 15 laps instead of 20, so time was of the essence. By
halfway I picked it up and was feeling better. I caught a few
guys but really didn’t get anywhere as a result of my early race floundering. I
ended up 17th in the main.
Summary
The track was tough, but I had a great time. Bob’s 11th place finish
moved him up to 15th in points, while my 17th place landed me in 26th
in the standings. Next week is another chance to improve on our
results and hopefully ride us inside the top ten.
Thank you to everyone for your continued support! See you at the
races.
Ryan Clark
Team Solitaire/MB1 Kingdom Honda is a privately owned professional
Supercross and Motocross race team based in Phoenix, AZ. Our
2008 marketing partners include: MB1 Suspension, Kingdom Clothing,
American Honda, FLY Racing, Dragon Optical, Pro Honda Oils and Chemicals,
DRD Exhaust, Vortex, Factory Effex, ASV, Dunlop, WPS, Sidi, Rockwell
Watches, DUS, OGIO, Applied, QTM/Brembo, RK Chain, EXCEL Rims, Hoy-Fox
Toyota, Boyesen, Hinson, Ready Filter, CoachSeiji.com, Cycra Plastic,
Element Sports, Sano Systems, AIMMD, Pivot Works, Hot Cams, Hot Rods,
Champion Tool Storage, Crank Works, CP Pistons, Cometic Gaskets, Ron
Davis Racing Radiators, DC Auto Wraps, Leatt Brace, Dirt Pro, JM Collision
Team Hawg Racing and Group D Manufacturing.
|
