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[ K. Windham | T.
Preston | J. Grant
| B. Laninovich
| J.
Weimer | R. Sipes ]
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Born:
October 4, 1984, Louisville, KY
Residence:
Vine Grove, KY
National #: 55
Began riding: 1986, age 2
First race: 1988, age 4
Training: Road bicycle, mountain
bike, running, gym
Hobbies: Guitar, pit bikes
Height/weight: 5’10”/160
pounds
Marital status: Single
Current race bike: Honda CRF250R
Mechanic: Mike Tomlin
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Click
on any of the photos below for a larger image.
Profile:
RYAN SIPES
At
the young age of 22, most people stand at the brink of independent
life, having barely tasted a hint of what the world offers.
For Ryan Sipes, 22 years have brought him nearly a lifetime
of experiences ranging from incredible success to the deepest
pain and disappointment, to remarkable good fortune. Welcome
to the life of an up-and-coming professional motocrosser.
Let’s
start with the good-fortune part of the mix, specifically
the move that brings him to the SoBe
No Fear/Samsung/Honda Team for 2007 to ride the championship-winning
Honda CRF250R in the East Supercross Lites series and Motocross
Lites. “I like the CRF250R a lot,” Sipes says.
“It’s the best bike I’ve ever ridden,
with the power it makes and the handling it offers. And
I’m just super-happy to be here on the SoBe No Fear/Samsung/Honda
Team. I like the team a lot; everybody works so hard to
be helpful, and the whole operation is run really professionally.”
Better
yet, Sipes finds he has walked into a cohesive team environment
that is supportive in every way imaginable, including sharing
in the deep pool of riding talent and experience that is
the hallmark of the Honda Red Riders. He explains, “I
ride a lot with Tommy Hahn, who moved to the American Honda
factory team. We share an apartment, and I ride with him
just about every day. Jake Weimer is out there often, and
Kevin Windham has been out there a little bit.”
Understand
that Kevin Windham, the veteran of the SoBe No Fear/Samsung/Honda
Team, was already an established motocross star back in
the day when Sipes was still an enthusiastic young spectator.
And now he can ride and hang out with a guy who was his
legitimate hero. “I always looked up to him; he was
one of my favorite racers, and now I’m riding with
him. It’s pretty cool. I actually first met Kevin
last year when he and I both taught at a motocross camp
at High Point for the FCA. But now that I’ve joined
the team I’ve really gotten to know him a lot better.”
So what’s
it like for Ryan Sipes to be out on the same track with
Kevin Windham? “It’s pretty cool. He always
comes over, and if we’re having a problem or whatever
he’ll say, ‘Hey, you need to be trying it this
way,’ or ‘You’re doing this wrong.’
And so we’re getting advice from him and that’s
a big help. I usually plan it out where my practice sessions
are not at the same time as his; that way I can watch him,
and then I go out there and ride and try out some of the
things I’ve spotted.
“He’s
just a super-technical rider with the way his body moves
with the bike. Supercross tracks get slick, and he’s
really good at figuring out how to get the best traction,
maybe wheelie a little or something to get a little more
speed, just little technical points like that. He’s
super-smart and articulate about riding. He’s not
just out there getting lucky and going fast. He’s
really analytical about it, and he knows what’s going
on with the bike and with the track.”
That
kind of assistance will go a long way towards facilitating
more success in Sipes’ riding career—one that
has already shown glimmers of brilliance. After first testing
the waters of professional racing at the close of the 2004
motocross season, Sipes entered the 2005 Supercross season
full of hope. And things soon started to look good—until
injuries set in. “Until I got hurt, my whole Supercross
season in 2005 was good. I had a podium, a couple top-five
finishes, and I was second in the points race when I got
hurt. So until my injury, everything was going well. It
was a little bit of a surprise. I didn’t think I’d
get up there that quick, but I was happy with it.”
Unfortunately,
2006 was rougher yet on the young gun. Sipes recalls, “I
broke my foot right before the second race in the Supercross
series. So I was out for four months with that, and then
I came back and rode for only two weeks and I broke my hand.
So I ended up racing only four races the whole year, but
it is what it is.”
“It
is what it is.” A brutally realistic assessment for
a young rider who has just watched an entire year of racing
opportunities go up in smoke. But such misfortune seems
to have only served to power the drive and determination
behind Ryan Sipes’ desire to reach the top. And now
he’s ready to race. “I was already in pretty
good physical shape by the time of the Steel City race in
September [2006], and I was getting back into good riding
shape too. Because I had been training a lot even while
my hand was healing, I had good off-the-bike fitness. But
because I wasn’t able to ride that much, my on-the-bike
fitness was not as good. But it’s all back now. I’m
feeling really good. I’ve been training hard. I’ve
got a good plan for 2007, a good training plan, and I’m
feeling good. I’ve been riding a lot, and I like my
new Honda. I want to go out there and show what I can do.”
Indeed,
Ryan Sipes is now fully prepared to show the racing world
what he can do aboard a proven winner, the Honda CRF250R.
Look for Sipes to push the limits throughout the 2007 season.
Statistics
2006
-35th AMA West Supercross Lites Series
(racing limited due to injury)
-23rd AMA Motocross Lites Series
2005
-8th AMA 125 West Supercross Series
-12th AMA 125 National Motocross Series
2004
-26th AMA 125 National Motocross Series
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