"The General" - Ryan Sipes

Note: This transcript is machine generated and may contain spelling and grammatical errors.

[00:00:17.110] - Dave

Hello, everyone. Welcome to Pit Pass Moto, the show that keeps you up to speed on the latest in motorcycling and brings the biggest names in the motorcycle industry right to you. I'm Dave Sulecki.

[00:00:27.900] - Dale

I'm Dale Spangler. And this week our guest is motorcycle riding jack of all trades, Ryan Sipes. This episode is brought to you by Moto America. Moto America is the home of AMA Superbike and North America's premier motorcycle road racing series, with some of the best motorcycle racing on two wheels. Rewatch every round of the 2022 series and catch all the action from each race with the Moto America Live Plus video on demand streaming service. Or visit the Moto America YouTube channel for race highlights and original video content. Look for a complete 2020 free schedule coming soon at motoamerica.com. And be sure to follow Moto America on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for realtime series updates. Well, Sulecki, welcome back to America after spending your week well, I guess I don't know if you spent a week or a weekend in Italy at the Ikema trade show. I'm sure you got some jet lag going on.

[00:01:25.300] - Dave

Yeah, still trying to dig out from underneath that. It was a weeklong ordeal. I think we left on Saturday, came back the following Friday, which was great. Always good to go to Italy and check out the motorcycle scene. Man, it was great.

[00:01:37.450] - Dale

Yeah, it looked like that show was just absolutely massive this year. All I saw over the weekend, actually, probably all last week too, was just tons of new model intros. Looked like there was a lot of brands bringing out some EV models. I saw where Kawasaki introduced a hybrid ice alternative. So, yeah, I'm interested to hear some of the cool stuff that you saw over there.

[00:01:59.520] - Dave

Right on about the attendance. It was packed as of Thursday. On they go public. First two days are generally trade, but once they open to the public, then the floodgates open. And I know they get north of a million people through the place, through the entire venue over the course of the whole event. So sure felt like it when we were there on Thursday, but just a great vibe. Real positive, very up. Everybody's very excited about the industry and the new models that came out. I lost count. I just saw so many new model introductions walking around there. And Kawasaki's hybrid, I think, to me was one of the more interesting vehicles because I think that's a really cool solution to the EV question, to have something kind of in between. So that one was pretty cool to me.

[00:02:45.210] - Dale

Yeah, because step in between, instead of going straight to EV, I thought that was really interesting. And I even saw where they had some kind of an experimental hydrogen powered engine on display or something like that that they're working on as well. It sounds like they're really working on a lot of different options as opposed to just going straight into an EV.

[00:03:03.670] - Dave

I think Kawasaki kind of threw down the gauntlet on the whole EV thing when they came out with that statement a couple of months ago about having all EV by 2035. I think it was. The fact that they're focusing on other technologies and kind of including those things is pretty cool. And I think it's kind of a punch in the nose to some of the other manufacturers because they just want to throw their weight around because they are big. So that one was interesting and those were concept vehicles. So maybe in the next few years we'll see something road worthy, I guess maybe out of that, who knows?

[00:03:32.100] - Dale

Yeah, it just seems like a pretty smart idea to have that hybrid version where we're not really quite there yet, to where we can go full EV. They don't have quite the mileage, the distance you can go. So being able to kind of have something that is able to you're able to use both, I mean, it seems like a smart sort of transition before we get into full EV.

[00:03:52.990] - Dave

Good compromise all around and a lot of other exciting vehicles. Honda launched the new Fire blade, the CBR 1000 R and their 750 Transelp. And I saw a new vehicle from Royal Enfield. I thought you might be interested in hearing that deal.

[00:04:06.780] - Dale

Yeah. At the 650.

[00:04:08.250] - Dave

Yeah, it's a super meteor 650. So they launched the 350 last year. Now they have a 650 version. So that was cool. And Dakoti was obviously you're in Italy, so Dakati definitely was on the Gas with new models, with a new Diablo, a new Pana Galley V, four R at 240, some horsepower, the multistrata and then a new Scrambler line. So Dacotti definitely, I think, likes to be the centerpiece of that show as far as new models. And they did a good job of that.

[00:04:34.380] - Dale

Yeah, I even saw where I think Aprilia intro to an EV. I don't know if it's like a full production eventually or not, but then even rise you which, if some of our listeners aren't familiar riju is kind of like the old it used to be Gas Gas. And then when Gas Gas got bought by the KTM Group, they renamed it Rajun because it's kept there at old technology and it sort of kept moving forward. And so I saw where they even introduced an offroad EV bike, so I was completely surprised by them. They're a Spanish company and so lots of just big surprises from what I saw. And then I even saw where I don't know if you got to go, Sulecki, but it looks like they had some racing going on outside the venues as well.

[00:05:17.650] - Dave

They always do. They always have a lot of good interaction with the attendees. People can touch, feel and ride, so they do a good job of involving the people coming in and trying out new models. I just remember seeing Royal Enfield had a ride going on where you can hop on a bike and do lapse. So those are good things. I think it just really gets you in touch with the end users and they get to experience your vehicle. So they had a lot of those things going on. Me personally, being in the industry, I was kind of locked into the booth for a good part of the time I was there, but really just what I got from it was very good B to B type discussions in the industry and just a very strong vibe in Europe. Parts and Limited, I want to just mention, was there in Force and absolutely had the biggest presence of the aftermarket distributors. So had a good discussion with their chairman of the board, Paul Langley. Spent some time with Paul and Paul's always great because he's a Royal Enfield fanatic too, just like you and I.

[00:06:15.430] - Dave

And he's got a really, really kick ass big Boar 650 that I want to eventually one day get to. So he was good to talk to, but take away from that was just that parts of Limited Europe is on the gas and growing and their presence there was huge. I was really kind of blown away by that.

[00:06:31.770] - Dale

Well, that kind of goes into what we were discussing on one of our last shows, the last few shows about them signing back up for Aim Expo. And so you kind of had that idea that maybe he was a little bit behind it and that it sounds a little bit like that might be the case.

[00:06:45.550] - Dave

Yeah, he kind of squared that opinion. So no doubt that Paul is pro industry and their slogan, Support the sport, is something that he's behind and it shows. So that I took away as being a very positive thing. And a lot of the other presence of the aftermarket was very positive. Just a great vibe and proof that the industry is growing and strong, which I really like to see. Really the only negative discussions were discussions about energy costs and how that may affect the power sports world and the war. Of course, all of those things get into the discussion, but we're moving forward. Everybody's got a good outlook and I walked away from the whole event on a very, very positive mindset.

[00:07:25.960] - Dale

I feel like this is really just that one last confirmation that we're through all this pandemic kind of era stuff and the industry seems to be back in full force in some respects. And so hopefully that carries over into Aim, you know, next year here in the States. And I'm curious to know, though, was there any, like, what was one of the biggest surprises of the show? I know I'm kind of put you on the spot, but I'm just wondering if there's something that you're like, I didn't expect to see that here or just something that kind of blew you away.

[00:07:51.510] - Dave

Maybe really just the things we talked about, the big focus from all of the major manufacturers towards electric vehicles EVs to me. I expected some of that. I just didn't expect as much of it as I saw. And just a lot of discussion, which I think is a positive. I think we'll have to see over the next few years what that really turns into as far as vehicles on the ground and vehicles sold. But definitely that was my surprise takeaway, as I didn't expect so much of that as I saw.

[00:08:21.730] - Dale

Cool. Well, it's good to have you back. I'm sure it was a fun trip. As we talked before we came out, the food's pretty hard to pass up.

[00:08:30.400] - Dave

I hit the gym this morning, which was a good thing. I need to get some of those pounds back that I picked up eating all that nice food over there. To be in Italy that time of year and to just have access to that kind of food, it's almost criminal. But feeling better. Finally exercise. Maybe I can melt some of those pounds away.

[00:08:49.160] - Dale

Well, not too far from where you're at there in Milan, over in Paris. The Paris Supercross was back this past weekend and wow, some great action there. The track looked like it was amazing. Look like a full Supercross track. The crowd packed house at the Loud Events Arena in Paris. This is the new stadium that they're racing at for this Paris event. It used to always be held, the Paris Bursey Stadium, which is in downtown Paris, but this is kind of on the outskirts. But it looks like an amazing venue as always. That event is just kind of over the top with the entertainment value. They had mini bike races, they had all kinds of other contests going on and just free style riders. It looks like it's a long, grueling event. I know I actually was able to attend that way back in 1997 when it was in Bersey Stadium and it was grueling that it was three days of racing then. So for these guys, two days full schedule, three main events each night. And wow, Ken Roxton. What can I say, man? He looked absolutely amazing. Beats Eli Tomack for the King of Paris.

[00:09:52.540] - Dale

And pretty incredible. I think it's good science coming into Anaheim. One for Kenny.

[00:09:58.120] - Dave

It is good, and I think these events really favor Kenny. These oneoff special events, like we saw with World Supercross, he just seems to shine. And he definitely looked more comfortable and relaxed on that bike. Whatever they did, whatever they've done with that Honda to get it set up, he's in sync with it. And you could tell because where Tomac used to kind of really get in his head and beat him fairly easily, I would say it was the complete opposite this weekend. Just to see Kenny come back and pass Tomack and take wins on a track that Tomac actually liked because he was known to say that he thought it was technical but fun. He really liked the dirt, but just wasn't in the cards. So good. Uncanny, man. He looks smooth, comfortable, fast, all the things you need to be. So I can't wait to land a high, man. I can't wait to see what he's going to be riding because I think that's still somewhat of a mystery.

[00:10:47.340] - Dale

Yeah. Just a little bit ago, before we came on air here, I saw a social media post from Kenny where he went to Spain after Paris and is riding the Stark VAR on a super cross track. How cool is that, man? He just looked absolutely silky smooth on that thing. And of course it sounds strange hearing him go through whoops and all that, but he looked really fast on that thing right away. So next couple of weeks will be interesting for Kenny to find out where he lands. It sounds like there might be a good chance that he could end up on the team that he's riding for for World Supercast. The genuine Honda team will potentially ride for the American version of it, which is the Firepower Honda team. So it'll be interesting to see if they can work something out there and if he's that comfortable on the bike, obviously they've done something to make it work because it looked to me like the suspension was just working so well. He was incredible through the Whoops and pears.

[00:11:36.510] - Dave

Yeah, he was. And I think Tomack, because he rode the 2022 bike, should have been just as comfortable, but it just wasn't syncing up for him. He had a tough qualifier to get into that second night and I think he lost some gate positions because he came up short on a quad and he said he saw stars, so he hit pretty hard. That might have shook him for the night. Who knows? That may have affected them throughout the whole evening. But it'll be exciting to see when they line up for Anaheim how things are going to go because you've got a rejuvenated, highly competitive Kenny. Can he do it for a whole season? Because it's a long season? I don't know, but I'm excited to see it. I can't wait. And I got one last question about this before we talk about the 250 class, the SX Two. Why isn't this event part of World Supercross? It just seems like it would be a natural dovetail into that to expand that race into late November. I don't get it, but I don't control those things.

[00:12:30.120] - Dale

Yeah, I know. Like the people behind that event, eric Perinaard and some of his other partners. Like, I don't know if there's just maybe there's some talks because that makes absolute sense. It seems like the timing would be timing would be right too. You know, it's right around the same time. So I think it'd be awesome if they ended up adding it, but I guess only time will tell on that. But how about 38 year old Justin Brayton landed on the podium. The beat Cooper Web and Marvin Moosekant. He looked really good too. So, you know, Rox and Tomac Brighton made up the podium and pretty stoked to see Brayton on there. The guy just seems like he just keeps getting better as like a fine wine.

[00:13:07.510] - Dave

Yeah, he was in contention and I don't know, I don't want to over analyze and maybe go along with the message boards, but those KTMs look like they weren't doing as well as the other bikes out there. But, you know, your top five, you still have Weben and Marvin, but there seem to be, I guess, a little bit off the pace. The Whoops were maybe their weak point throughout the evening where I saw just rockson just run up on those guys and pass them. And Brayton too, give him credit because he passed Marvin late in that third Moto on the second night to get onto the box. So there's definitely something going on there. So we'll have to see how that develops into the new season.

[00:13:45.910] - Dale

Yeah, it's got to be frustrating for like, Webb. You could kind of tell there were some times where he would kind of mess up a section and almost kind of like just give up for a second and be like, man, I just wish I could get this figured out because it's just one thing after the other for him. But he's Cooper Web, so he's going to be a contender come a one in the American series. But how about a 250 surprise win?

[00:14:07.890] - Dave

Big time. Yeah.

[00:14:08.730] - Dale

I thought it was going to be Chris Blows. It was Chris Blows all the way on Saturday. He looked unstoppable, but then a little bit of bad luck on Sunday. Crashed in the third mane and it was the Matt Moss show. He said it was his first win in six years after he had a four year suspension from WADA.

[00:14:25.170] - Dave

I believe that it is the World Antidoping Association. You are correct, sir.

[00:14:29.970] - Dale

Yeah, him and his brother, I think both had a fouryear suspension, both Australian riders. And so he kind of disappeared for a while. And then it sounds like he landed this ride with Bud Kawasaki and he made the best of it. And he was super emotional on the podium. It was really cool to see him just kind of letting loose and let some emotion come out because, I mean, how can you do a better comeback than that?

[00:14:51.810] - Dave

Yeah, really. Go out and win and come back, go race and you win it. So he had a kind of an off night the first night too. It's like, okay, well, he's probably going to be a top three, but then he goes and just destroys them on Night, too. I was pulling for Jason. I'm a big Jason fan. I really like him in Arena Cross.

[00:15:09.090] - Dale

Yeah.

[00:15:09.540] - Dave

And he made a go of it in Super Cross. That's a big step up. I know, but he looked good, man. He just had some consistency, but just a little bit off the off the pace there to where he finished second on the weekend. But yeah, blows, man. That's a heartbreaker going down in the Whoops like that and kind of throwing it all away.

[00:15:30.360] - Dale

Yeah. Look like you heard himself a little bit, too. And I guess that's where I heard Mathis on the telecast talking about how they call him Zombie, because when he crashed, he just gets back up. Doesn't seem to phase him, but he looked like he was hurting a little bit on the podium there, holding his shoulder or something. A little bit. But overall, I think it was great. I think it was a really good precursor going into a one as to how things might settle. I mean, I know we got to have over a month to go, but with this track being so close to a real AMA supercar track, I thought it was a really good indicator whoops were deep. So I think it just really kind of showed where I think some of the riders are going to land. Here come a one.

[00:16:05.850] - Dave

Always does. It's a precursor to the new season, and it was cool to see. So that, I think, wraps up our Euro edition of the AllAccess discussion this week. Good times, though. It was fun to watch some racing and it was good to travel, but as I said before we went on the air, it's good to be home, too.

[00:16:23.950] - Dale

Yeah. Well, looking forward to this. Our guest coming on here in just a minute. Definitely an awesome all around jack of all trades, Ryan Sipes. The General looking forward to speaking with him, talking to him about his injury at the start of the year. How he's doing coming back from that. And so there we go. All right. We'd like to welcome to Pit Pass Moto Ryan, Syipz, the General How are you doing, Ryan?

[00:16:59.220] - Ryan

Oh, I'm pretty good today. How are you guys doing?

[00:17:01.680] - Dale

Well, it's been nearly a year since your over jump crashed there, Ryan, and how's the recovery coming along? I think I saw, unfortunately, where you had to go in back in for I think it might have been a third procedure. Just seems like it's been a tough year for you.

[00:17:16.480] - Ryan

Yeah, it'll be eleven months here soon since the crash, so it's been a tough, long year. But yeah, I just had my third surgery. The first two just didn't work for different reasons, but I'm hoping this last one is the one that will finally get me fixed up because, man, I'm tired of being on these crutches and not being able to do what I love to do and run around, play with the kids, stuff like that.

[00:17:42.180] - Dale

Yeah, because your dome is one of those. Probably one of the most active riders out there. Seems like you're always doing something racing different types of disciplines of racing and just enjoying it. But back to your injury though. It seems like to me from the outside looking in, the mental strength that it requires to recover from an injury like yours, it's traumatic, can message your mind. I mean, how have you dealt with this throughout the last eleven months? It seems like it's just had to have been tough.

[00:18:11.590] - Ryan

Yeah, I don't know, man. It's not all been happy times. I've had a couple of times that were not fun and got kind of down and stuff. But the biggest thing for me is I got to be here from a family. Whether I'm a motorcycle racer or not, and whether I can walk or not, and whether I'm in pain or not, I need to be here from a family. And that's one of the big things is I got to be positive and happy and not act like nothing's wrong. But you know what I mean? Still be there and still be a dad and a husband and all that kind of stuff. And that's more important than anything that I'm doing is kind of making sure I'm here for them.

[00:18:49.170] - Dale

Yeah, I was going to say, it seems like you have a massive support system in your family, your boys riding now. So I would assume that's probably kind of allowed you to refocus on something, kind of take your mind off of the injury and just think about motorcycles that we all love to think about.

[00:19:05.080] - Ryan

Yeah. Which he's been racing and stuff. So that's been fun, but also frustrating at the same time because if being on crutches and stuff, it's hard for me to work on his bikes. I can't load them into the van, I can't, you know, get the pressure washer out, stuff like that. That's just the frustrating little things. But the good thing is, like you said, I got a great family and stuff, so my dad comes over and helps out with that stuff. And it's actually been a good, cool teaching moment for my son because I'm like, hey, but I can't do this stuff. Like you got to help me out. And so teach him how to change old, teach him how to put an air filter in little stuff like that. So that's been cool. Just try to find the positives in it.

[00:19:49.090] - Dave

So I noticed, Ryan, where you've entered into the podcast world also with the Whiskey Throttle segment, the power of the mind that you do. Talk about how you got into that, what led to that opportunity?

[00:20:01.540] - Ryan

Probably too much time on the couch, but I was listening to Ping's, one that he was doing on the Whiskey Throttle deal where he would think the first one to listen to was maybe Brad Lackey or somebody like that. And it's like these guys that are already done racing. Older guys, or even some of them are recently retired. And it was so cool the way he went all the way back to basically the beginning. How did you get into racing? And he goes into so much detail, basically every race throughout their whole career. I don't go that far, but I liked hearing all that stuff. And then I believe that the racing and really your success in life and your happiness in life really has a ton to do with your mindset and how strong you are mentally or the condition of your mind. Like, if you let it kind of run wild or let it get toxic, it can be your enemy. But if you have the right support system around you and you train your brain the right way, it's your best friend because you can make a bad situation, you'll be fine because you have the right mindset.

[00:21:13.030] - Ryan

So started thinking about that and got extra time. Right now, it's not like I got a ton going on. I just wanted to get into that for me to learn while I'm down, I might as well be learning, so when I come back, I can be even better or as good as I once was, whatever. And so I thought, man, I want to get into this to learn. But then I thought, I think I can help some people too, because people go through tough times where there's injury or family stuff or financial burden, whatever, and your mindset has a lot to do, whether if you're going to get through that okay or if you're going to let it get you down. So my favorite part is hearing because we all deal with things differently, but all these guys that I've had on are all former racers or current racers and how do you deal with the pressure and how do you deal with failure, how do you deal with injury and all that kind of stuff. It's awesome for me, like for me personally to learn it, but I've also had so far a lot of people saying that it's helping them or they like it at least, which has been gratifying and makes me want to do more and I'm having a good time with it.

[00:22:20.130] - Dave

So kind of with that in mind. I mean, you've done some riding schools with AJ kittensiro, and does that give you that opportunity now to take this perspective about, I guess, say, the mental side of racing and help educate young racers in a different way? Where typically you're teaching skills, you do this on a bike. This is how you break, this is how you jump. Does this give you that opportunity or avenue and to kind of inject some knowledge that you have now from a mental side, how to prepare for the sport?

[00:22:49.120] - Ryan

I haven't done much of that yet. My plan is once I am done racing, I'm not done yet. I want to come back and race again. But once I am done, I want to get into the coaching side and try to help riders learn how to go faster, ride safer, all that stuff. And if I do some one on one stuff with guys like that, definitely if they want to hear it, I would tell them all the things I've learned on the mental side. But on the clinics we did this summer, you only got a few hours a day. So it's like we're just kind of focusing on the technique and stuff like that. But if I can help somebody to get through a bad, you know, bad time a little bit easier, like, yeah, that sounds great to me, so I'm all for it.

[00:23:35.080] - Dale

I think I even saw where you gave yourself the nickname the crutching instructor you having to hobble around.

[00:23:41.160] - Ryan

It wasn't me. Somebody else might have. Or maybe it was me.

[00:23:44.760] - Dale

Maybe.

[00:23:44.980] - Ryan

I don't remember. I don't know.

[00:23:46.360] - Dale

It's probably Cat and Sarah or somebody like that.

[00:23:48.700] - Ryan

Yeah.

[00:23:49.330] - Dale

Back to you. I'm just really amazed with the versatility of your riding. I feel like no matter what you've got on, whether it's a flat track bike, you're racing Irsberg, GNCC, you've always done, you've excelled. I mean, where did this come about, this sort of challenge to try all these different disciplines? I was thinking maybe it had something to do with gas. Gas? Did it seem like it sort of came about when you connected with them, but really cool idea, and it's just fun to watch, you know, as a fan.

[00:24:17.820] - Ryan

Well, thanks. No, it actually started 2018, so I quit doing super cross fulltime after 13, and then I went to GNCC for four years. Did that for a while, but I was kind of just getting burned out not enjoying it that much anymore. And my last year full time GNCC. GNCC, it's 3 hours of just torture. I mean, you're riding as hard as you can through the roughest track and trees and everything else. It's hot. I mean, there's 800 other riders on the track. There's lappers everywhere, and it's 3 hours long, and then at any point, your bike could break, you could crash, whatever. It's a brutal sport. It's a brutal discipline of dirt bike racing. But I was just kind of over it, not really having a lot of fun anymore. And I went and did this fun little they called it a 125 dream race at the time. It was 2017 in Colorado, and I told my team that I was racing for in GCC. I'm like, I need to do something different. I need to get out of the woods and just go have some fun. They're like, yeah, sounds good. So I went over there, did that race, and I should have won that race.

[00:25:27.860] - Ryan

I won the race, but I should have won. I was the best guy there, and it wasn't like I was racing Elatomach and Ken rocks and. It was some good guys, but I should have won. But I won. And then, like, the magazines went nuts. I got pictures in every magazine, interviews with people all over the websites and stuff. And I go, I am doing it the wrong way. I'm racing, you know, doing all these GNCCS to get just no publicity at all compared to doing this silly little 125 race. And I get all this stuff. So I'm like, well, what if I just do a bunch of everything? Like, what if instead of trying to get, say, it's, 60% of the GMCC crowd to pay attention to me? What if I got 20% of them, 20% of moto, 20% of flat track, and it's on and on and on. That's going to add up to a whole lot more. And at the time I was writing for myself, basically, I was putting all my sponsors together by myself and making all my money deals and stuff. And that's worth more to sponsors than just struggling to get on the podium at GMCC.

[00:26:34.950] - Ryan

Like, what if I could do this all this other stuff? And it was a shot in the dark, it was a risk. And to be honest, most of my sponsors at the time were like, we don't know. We'll stay with you one more year and let you try it. Which they were awesome that they did, but they weren't sold on it whatsoever. But then about halfway through the year, Red Bull called and they're like, hey, what you're doing? We like that. We want you to come ride for us and do it. So that's how that all started.

[00:27:01.390] - Dale

That's so cool. It's almost like you flipped the script and then just said, I'm going to do things that are fun to me and then sort of like, the rest will follow. And it kind of goes back to that power of the mind again. It's such a difference when you get on a motorcycle and you have that I'm going to have fun mindset as opposed to just doing it as a job or it's a chore. I feel like that has come across in your videos and all the stuff you've done. And of course, like you said, it just blew up to where everybody was wanting to see what you're going to do next. And so is there any of these disciplines that you've done that really kind of stand out as something that surprised you and just had an absolute blast?

[00:27:37.360] - Ryan

Well, yeah, first of all, it is a lot of fun doing all the different stuff. It's a challenge. It's a real challenge. And I think the main reason is because you can only write if you're doing four different things. Like, say it's moto and flattrack and hard enduro and whatever else. Say it's only three. There's only so many days in a week, so it's not like you can get in this groove. Like if you're only doing supercross you do it three or four days a week and that's all you do. Where if you're doing three, it's kind of like, yeah, and do that one day and this one day, and this one day. So it has been a challenge, but super fun. And there's always a learning curve, which is actually just said Zach Osborne on the other day, and he said that that was the fun thing for him, too. After such a long time in Moto, you don't see gains anymore, or you might, but it's half a percent here and there where if you jump into something you've never done before, you're obviously not very good at it to start with, but you might see a 5% or 10% gain in one day.

[00:28:42.600] - Ryan

And that's a really fun kind of thing to do.

[00:28:46.210] - Dale

It's exciting, too, to learn something new like that.

[00:28:49.230] - Ryan

Yeah, it's a blast. And it's scary to jump into something you've never done because you're probably going to suck at it and you're probably not going to be that good. But it's a freeing feeling, too, like there's no pressure to go do well, so you almost do a lot better just because there is no pressure and you're trying to have fun, you're trying to learn, you're there to just do the best you can, if that makes any sense.

[00:29:15.300] - Dave

No, it makes perfect sense. And I think I was checking out some interviews with you where you're talking about flat track racing. And what you said about flat track racing, I think was forget everything you know or think you know about turning on a dirt bike and just forget about it, because it's completely different when you jump on a flat track bike. Is that true?

[00:29:36.670] - Dale

Oh, yeah.

[00:29:37.360] - Ryan

Flattrack was surprisingly the most fun before I did it. The first time I did it was 2017, 1st time I ever rode one, anything. And I thought it looked fun to slide around, but I thought it would get old quick because you're just going in a circle, there's no ruts, there's no bumps, there's no jumps. I'm like, this is going to be cool, but I'm not going to do it a lot. But it's like addicting. It's so fun to slide around like that. And it doesn't look like you're doing much. There's so much going on. And yeah. To your point on the technique, everything you know about turning a dirt bike, motocross track, it's all different on the flat track. Some of it is total opposite. That's the other kind of tricky part about doing a little bit of everything is so today I'm riding the Moto track, tomorrow I'm on the flat track. Well, if I just carry these techniques I worked on today on Moto over the flat track, I'm doing it backwards. I got to go stop and think, nope, this is the things I need to do on this type of racing.

[00:30:40.090] - Ryan

It's different than the other types and it's the same way since you mentioned it with, like, national enduro. And I do some woods racing, too. Forget everything you know about turning because you can't lean. There's a tree in on the inside of the corner. You know what I mean? But that makes it fun. It used to frustrate me when I didn't know how to do things, and I wasn't very good at it, but now it's like, it's such a challenge, and it's so fun to go. I'm not any good. I better figure it out now, like, real fast. So that's been a fun part, too.

[00:31:10.410] - Dave

And on the flat track side, you've got some good teachers, I guess. I think I heard that your buddies with JD. Beach, and there's no better guy to learn from, especially on a 450 on a flat track. He's one of the best in the business, no doubt.

[00:31:24.880] - Ryan

Yeah, JD's awesome, and he's been a really good friend and teacher to me. He's the one that got me into it. I met him and went and rode with them the first time, and after that first day, I was like, yes, I'm coming back. And he's the one that talked me into racing my first flat track, so that's been good. And Johnny Lewis also, he's been a big help to me when I'm down in Florida, so it's nice to have fast friends, I guess, whenever you're trying to get into something that you don't know what you're doing for sure.

[00:31:53.140] - Dave

Now it's some of those guys, they like to get on the road, race track, too. Did anyone try to talk you into that?

[00:31:58.440] - Ryan

I want to. That's, like, the last frontier for me, is doing something on pavement. I had an opportunity. I could have done some this year, but obviously it got hurt. But I'm not trying to go do moto America or anything like that. I don't think that that's not something you can just jump in and do, but, yeah, I want to at least try it before I'm too old and too scared to go that fast anymore. I want to go out there and just see what I got, go ride with some good guys and just see what it's like, because it looks like a lot of fun.

[00:32:30.270] - Dave

We'd like to take a break from the interview right now and pay some bills, and here's a word from our sponsor.

[00:32:36.260] - Dale

So tell us a little bit about the Red Bull imagination, because that thing just I can't even really wrap my head around that event. It just seems like it keeps getting bigger and bigger every year, and you're one of the guys that were there at the start, and so tell us about that experience. I mean, to be amongst those riders and hitting these jumps that are just next level.

[00:32:56.950] - Ryan

Yeah, it's big and it's scary and all that stuff that everybody thinks, well, first of all, it's way bigger in person than it is than it looks on TV. That's the first thing which it looks big on TV. So, you know, it's massive. Like, you got some of the best free ride guys in the world. They're going, I don't know about this one. Like, this is big. And these guys do this. That's their job. They're not scared of anything. And they're going, yeah, this looks gnarly, but I really enjoy a challenge, and I live for that challenge to go. How far can you push yourself or how good can you be? So when we go there, it's like, well, if he hit it, then I.

[00:33:37.260] - Dale

Could probably hit it, too.

[00:33:38.530] - Ryan

I just need to listen to his bike and listen to the revs and see what gear he's in and all that kind of stuff. And the best thing about that, well, number one, it's like the probably the most fun week I've had on a dirt bike because you're just doing the coolest jumps the entire time. You don't sweat. It's not rough. You know, there's no ruts. It's just perfectly shaped faces and downsides as far as you can see. And you get to hit all that stuff for a week. But it is scary. But it's actually pretty safe as long as you're kind of smart with like, I don't go and hit stuff first. I let Tyler berriman go hit it, and then I'll listen to his bike and I'll go hit it. Once he hits it, I kind of know if I got it or not. But the best thing with Jason Baker building all the jumps and stuff, you know that the face is never going to throw you weird or kick you or anything like that. And if Jason says, hit this, jump in third gear, half throttle, you know, you'll make it.

[00:34:36.550] - Ryan

Like he's that good that he's not jumped it, but he could build it and then tell you exactly how to hit it. So if we had a janky track builder, I would feel a lot more at risk. But with Jason doing that and then with all the riders, there, like Kobe and Axel and Tyler and all those dudes, it's a cool little group. Like, everybody gets along and we kind of, like, feed off each other. Like, once this guy jumps this one, and then so the next guy's like, well, yeah, I'm going to hit this one. And it's just a competitive environment, but you're just hitting jumps with your buddies, so it's super fun, too.

[00:35:13.260] - Dave

Yeah.

[00:35:13.500] - Dale

And like you said, you kind of feed off of each other. And it's not like the competition where you hide things. It's more of, like you share things where everybody's helping each other and stoke when somebody hits something first. And so it just seems like the camaraderie at the events, like that has got to be a fun part of the experience as well.

[00:35:29.610] - Ryan

And I guess another cool part of my job, or the way the schedule that I do is no matter what weekend it is, what I'm doing that weekend, I'm with, say, ten to 30 of the best dudes in the world at whatever we're doing that weekend. So this weekend I'm with the best flat tractors, and this weekend I'm with the best super cross guys. And then you got there that's the best free riders in the world. And so, you know, like, you're in the presence of some bad dudes, and it's always fun. Like, I always try to get some jerseys and stuff just because I'm still a fan, too. Even though I'm kind of in with them, I'm kind of part of it, but it's like I got a cool job, I guess I could say. You could say because I get to hang out with some really rad dudes.

[00:36:16.800] - Dale

So speaking of hanging out with some rad dudes, though. So let's talk about this event you have coming up november 28 through December 3 with Travis pastrana the Terrain Inferno hard Endural. This looks like it's going to be fun. And what's even cooler about it to me is the more we've been talking to you with your versatility on the bike, it almost seems like that's what this event is going to be, where you're riding these multiple different disciplines and then whoever's the best all around rider will win. So tell us about this thing, how the idea come about, and it just sounds like it's going to be a fun event.

[00:36:48.540] - Ryan

Yeah, this would be the perfect event for me if I were healthy, because it is a little bit of everything. I think the first race is going to be a moto race, but it's in and out of a quarry, so lots of elevation change, and I think going to be some really unique obstacles and stuff out there. And then it's going to go to a two hour day hard enduro. And they have some pretty gnarly stuff down there. They don't have a ton of elevation, but they have the rocks and stuff, and it's slippery, I think makes it pretty tricky. The next day is going to be a night hard enduro, so headlights, bike lights, all that kind of stuff. And then the last day is the beach race, and it's all those obstacles that you see the guys riding through the old World War Two bomber plane and then jumping up on the platform and going out on the bridge, out over the water into the wooden berm, all that stuff that's on the last day. And I think that's an hour or two hour race. It's a long race, but we've tried to get just kind of guys from every discipline and guys that are going to, I think, come down and make it fun and be competitive and because, you know, a moto guy coming down is going to do well, I think, in the first and last races.

[00:38:02.730] - Ryan

But he might struggle in the middle in the hardened row. I'm pretty sure Mario, Roman and Manny letting Bicker coming down, so they're going to probably struggle in the first and last one, but be great in the middle, too. So I'm looking forward to seeing how it all shakes out because it really is kind of who's the best all around.

[00:38:24.130] - Dave

Well, for sure, Ryan, we would be remiss if we didn't at least mention or talk about your place in Moto history as the first American to win the international six day Enduro. And we just wanted to take a minute and congratulate you on that because that is a monumental accomplishment in racing and you stand alone, man. What are some of your best memories from that event?

[00:38:47.410] - Ryan

Well, thanks. Yeah, I mean, that's probably my proudest achievement, I guess, in racing is just that because like you said, it never been done before. And it wasn't that I was the best on only one day. If you're the top individual router, you were the best guy for six days straight in the world. And that's like I'm not bragging or anything like that. I'm just saying that, you know, if a guy wins that, it's a legit dude. Like, some of the best enduro riders in history have been some of the ones that won that thing. So that made it really special for me. But it was, I don't know, like, day one, I won the first two tests and it was like, wait, I was just trying to be smooth. And then I learned real quick that that was where I needed to be because when I tried harder, I'm like, well, hey, if I want those watch this now, I'm going to go fast. And then I crashed everywhere, so I had to learn, like, where that line was. And then it's like day four, I really, like, buckled down and just tried to pull away and I did, and I got a bit this big lead, but then it's like day five, like, you still have to go fast, but you can't go too fast.

[00:40:00.640] - Ryan

You don't want to crash. And, you know, so learning to kind of manage that just like managing a championship, I consider it to be a championship because it is a long race and there's so much riding. We were on the bikes for six to 8 hours a day, so it's a lot to manage. And then final Moto should be the easy part. And I did I want it, whatever, but just the nerves of that and then being able to deliver and making it happen is, like I said, probably my proudest moment in racing and one of the best memories for sure, as it should be.

[00:40:37.110] - Dave

And definitely you've had a very huge and wide career, as I like to say, because you've just pretty much done it all, as Dale had mentioned. But your record definitely stands alone and you should be proud of that. So we wanted to take these last few moments. If there's people you want to give shoutouts to, sponsors and such, now would be the time to do that for sure.

[00:40:57.340] - Ryan

Red Bull is the biggest part of my program and I've been with them four years now and they've been the best sponsor I've ever had. They've been great. TLD gas, gas don Lop Rental alpine Star, Oakley There's a long, long list. And I'm just grateful and thankful that I've been able to make good relationships with these people. A lot of these sponsors for years have been around for 20 years now almost, so relationships matter. So the guys that I'm with now, they're sticking with me through the injury and all that stuff. So I'm just thankful to all them and it's been a fun ride and it ain't over yet. I'm going to come back and I'm going to race if any way possible, but I'm thankful for all the people in my corner for sure.

[00:41:45.270] - Dave

Awesome. Definitely. And best place to check you out on the internet or social media, Ryan.

[00:41:50.190] - Ryan

Instagram is the main one. It's just at our underscore sites and then I'm on Facebook and Twitter and stuff too. And then check out the podcast. Just search Whiskey Throttle Show on Spotify or Apple or anywhere and it's under that and it'll be called Power of the Mind with Ryan Syipes.

[00:42:09.240] - Dave

Awesome folks. Check them out. Definitely great podcast. I gave it a listen over the weekend. It was very, very good and enlightening and I enjoyed it very much. So Ryan, really appreciate you taking the time today with us and we wish you all the best with your recovery. Man, it's been a tough year and we can't wait to see you ride again, man.

[00:42:25.840] - Ryan

I appreciate it, guys, and thanks for having me on. It's always fun to come on and chat.

[00:42:43.910] - Dave

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow Pitpass Moto on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. If you have a moment, please rate and review our show. We'd really appreciate it. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and visit pitpassmoto.com, where you can check out our blog, listen to past episodes, and purchase your own Pit Pass Moto swag.

[00:43:05.980] - Dale

This has been a production of Evergreen Podcasts. A special thank you to Tommy Boy Halverson and the production team at Wessler Media. I'm Dale Spangler.

[00:43:15.570] - Dave

And I'm Dave Sulecki. See you next week on Pit Pass Moto.