San Diego Supercross Event Update

Awesome shot by Austin White. Check out www.insidermx.com
for more of his work and race updates.

Ryan Clark Event Update

San Diego Supercross

Qualcomm Stadium - San Diego, CA

February 11, 2012

Round six of the 2012 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series rolled South to San Diego for the final event before heading East. I had a decent week of training, cut a little short by a broken radiator on Wednesday which left me scrambling and unable to ride on Thursday. I was able to repair the radiator before the weekend, and was really looking forward to a positive result. On top of that, Ross Miles lent me a hand with the mechanical duties and freshened up my trusty steed before battle.

Saturday was an early morning, as my family and I were staying in Huntington Beach with a friend. I got through tech inspection and sound with ease, and headed out to the track walk. The track looked fairly technical, with a really long whoop section and a few treacherous rhythms. I was excited to get on my 2012 Kawasaki KXF450 and get it dialed in.

Practice went a little better this weekend, and I was easily into the program with a 50.3 lap time. This left me with the 14th gate pick in the first 450cc Supercross Heat Race. I had a couple good laps in practice, but I was having a tough time finding a flow around the track.

The first heat started off great, with a solid jump off the gate and a great position around the first corner. Unfortunately, the guy ahead of me opted not to jump the rhythm section and I went from around fifth back to 12th in one fell swoop. It was really frustrating to be up that far and lose it all at once, but I guess I should have chosen a better line. From there, I was just off my rhythm, much like in practice. My lap times were okay, but I made mistake after mistake, and failed to make the transfer with a 14th place finish.

In the LCQ there were quite a few solid riders, so I knew I would need the start if I had any shot at the transfer. Out of the gate I was decent, but going into the first corner I got pushed wide and was near the tail end of the pack. I started picking off riders right away, but being that buried in the pack never leaves you a good line choice. I was able to methodically work up to eighth place by lap six, but that was six places shy of the transfer to the main event. 

I was extremely disappointed with my ride at San Diego. I felt that I had a really good opportunity in the heat race, and I was unable to take advantage of it. My arm is now almost 100%, but my mind is still struggling to get in the racing groove. I am hoping that a change of soil next week at Dallas will give me the boost I need to pick up my pace and get in the all-important main event.

Thank you to all my supporters for sticking with me through the injury and recovery. I am doing all I can to get back on track as quickly as possible.

All the best,

Ryan Clark

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If I Shave My Mustache, Hawaii Will Sink

Time lapse of me at 28 and 33.

Halfway through Movember and I am feeling pretty good.  I mean, at 33 years old, one would think that growing facial hair would be kind of an afterthought.  Keeping in mind I hit puberty around 28, this whole facial hair is new to me.  I had a pretty wicked pisser handlebar stache for the FLY photo in 2010, which is likely why there were no photos of me in the casual wear catalog that year.  That is likely one of the many reasons I wasn't asked back for the two subsequent shoots.  But seriously, my facial hair is a bit sparse, so I am fairly proud of what I have working right now.  I still have a solid 17 days of November left of grooming this baby into something that Tom Selleck would be proud of.

Tom Selleck is my facial hairowin.

I have been working quite a bit this week.  I feel spread pretty thin, however.  I can't really focus on one thing in particular, which is frustrating.  I spent a few hours on the tractor, putting some finishing touches on the new training area.  I am looking for some suggestion on what to name our new training facility, so if you have any good ones please submit to me for consideration.  If I choose your suggestion I will give you some shit that will blow your mind.  Promise.  My personal best thus far is The Moto Asylum, with the tag line "commit yourself".  I know, I am pretty awesome.  I am also upgrading our marketing proposal for Team Solitaire (read: me).  If you have some money burning a hole in your pocket and want to support the oldest guy in the Supercross Series, give me a call.  You may get some free perks from AARP or Good Sam travel vouchers for your next visit to Luby's Cafeteria.

My dog sleeps a lot.  She also smells a lot.  I will bathe her today.

Unamused by your shenanigans.

My kids and I have been having a lot of fun lately.  If you have kids, you can relate to just how amazing the little moments are.  Things like falling asleep while watching a movie on the couch, cuddling first thing in the morning, or cleaning up piss off the toilet seat.  Strike that last one.  They are also a lot more independent than ever, and this only leads me to believe that sooner than I am ready for, they will want to be at their friend's house rather than watch Despicable Me at home.  But for now, they are content playing in the backyard with broken beer bottles and dirty syringes.  Capricious youth.

I will leave you with something my dad used to always say to me, which has been my mantra over the last several days.  "All there is to it is to do it".  I am sure he stole that, the plagiarizing bastard, but it stuck with me.  Tomorrow I am buying a new Kawasaki KX450F from North Valley Kawasaki.  I am working on my Supercross track.  I am finishing this god forsaken proposal.  I am cuddling with my clean Boston Terrier.  I am updating my blog.

 Click this link to be dazzled by my performance in this video. 

I Didn't Say I Was Powerful, I Said I Was a Wizard

The last three weeks got away from me.  I am the first to admit that it didn't go exactly as planned.  The important stuff in life is grand.  My girlfriend is amazing (and very pregnant), my kids are the eternal holders of my heart and I am still feeling physically strong.  On the flip side, I am not amassing enough money to launch a serious push for 2012 Supercross or really begin to claw my way out of post-marital-monetary-debt.  I am also in mental purgatory.  I need to get a job to earn money to get to Supercross, but doing so would surely eliminate any chance I have at making Supercross my job.  It's a bit of a conundrum.  At this point I just have to believe in myself enough to go with my gut instinct, which tells me that if I just twist the throttle than all the other things will work themselves out.

My view over the last two weeks has looked like the photograph above.  I have spent many, many, many hours in everything from a Skid Steer to a Skip, a Water Truck to a Rubber Tire Loader.  I have built a new Arenacross track, rebuilt my Supercross track, pounded dozens of T-posts, set concrete poles, strung wire, graded roads and picked up trash.  All of this was done to improve our training compound in hopes of having a better facility to prepare for the rapidly approaching Anaheim 1.  The tracks are all but complete, the fencing is nearly congruent and the concrete for the new gate posts is set.  I am excited for this place, there is much potential.  Potential far beyond what I set out to create.

Vet Rider Clinic participants Chris Kelly and Michael Larance talk lines.

In between all day tractor sessions, I have been doing some group and private training sessions at Speedworld.  It is rewarding for me to see riders improve, especially when they may have been stuck in a bad habit that I was quickly able to correct.  Like anything, it takes consistent training and a lot of repetition to break bad habits, which is why I decided to focus on small group training as much as possible.  For $100 per month, you get two, three-hour small group sessions.  With continued training, we can address issues and keep focused on improvement throughout the year for a much more reasonable cost.  If you are interested in joining either the Vet or Young Rider group classes, please e-mail me at mxculture@yahoo.com.  We meet every other Thursday at Speedworld.

Colonel Clark commands his little sister's attention.

I will leave the best for last: my kids.  Although they wear me out, they also keep me grounded and focused on the future.  I realize how fortunate I am to have them, and how much motivation they give me to succeed.  Three years ago I loved them and enjoyed being their father, but I didn't exactly know what that meant.  Today, a little better for the wear, I understand the things they need from me as well as the things I get from them.  Every day I am thankful to know them and, hopefully, lead them toward their own successes (and failures). I am so excited to add to my family a new baby boy.    

I try to teach my children to reach for the moon.

Monster Moto

Monster Energy Cup Photo by Chris Ganz - Brown Dog Wilson

Well, the Monster Energy Cup has cometh and goneth.  I put down some solid preparation leading up the event, but I wasn't really sure what my expectations were going in.  It had been a while since I have lined up next to the best riders in the world.  I emerged pretty happy with my progress.

Good points: I charged forward in every race, despite taking a spill or two along the way.  I was very in the moment every time I was on the track.  This may not seem like a big deal, but honestly it has been a while since I have been able to focus my mind on racing and racing alone.  I was looking forward to each drop of the gate, where as for the last two or three years I was looking forward to just getting home.

Bad points: I need to pick up some speed between now and January.  I was about a second off from being a legitimate threat to make the main.  It was possible that I could have snuck in, but it would have taken a stroke of luck, or at least a great start.  I want to be to the point where I can pick off riders and earn my way in each week, regardless of my start.  I also had a few little fire-drills with my bike, from a broken fork guard/holeshot device to a small electrical issue.  We were able to deal with them quickly, but you never want that on race day.

Our M.E.C. set up.  Thanks to Kyle Defoe for use of his truck. 

Stunt bikes and drift cars ALL DAY LONG.  Drifting is stupid.  There, I said it.

After the race, we jumped in the truck and pinned it back to Phoenix.  Did I mention we left for the race Saturday morning at 5:30 AM?  It was a very long day for all involved in the Clark program.  We arrived safely back in Phoenix at 1:30AM Sunday morning.  Five and a half hours later, my alarm woke me up.  It was time to head to my soccer game.  I know, it doesn't sound like a great idea, but honestly, it seemed like a good idea at the time.  Plus, I really enjoy soccer and I didn't want to let my team down.  It was a good thing I ended up going because I scored on the best goals of my young career.  Of course, then I rolled my ankle so I probably should have just slept in.

Sunday was a sobering day for motorsports.  We lost four prominent figures in the same day.  Dan Wheldon, the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, lost his life at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in a horrific crash that involved fifteen cars.  In addition, Nick Hoffman, who was a fixture on the professional scene as a mechanic for Butler Brother MX, passed away.  He was engaged to be married next week.  Lastly, Rick Huseman (Off-Road Truck Driver) and his brother, Jeff, died in a plane crash just outside Barstow while returning home from the Monster Energy Cup on Sunday.  Such a truly sad day across the board.  It really puts things in perspective knowing just how fragile life can be.  You truly never know when your number might come up, so live each and every day to its full potential.

What is really important in life.

Looking forward, I have a lot of work to do in the next three months.  I hope to have you along on my journey.  It isn't going to be easy, but it is going to be worth it.  RC