Enjoy MFG

Team Solitaire - Ryan Clark

Buchanan, Michigan
RED BUD

July 1st, 2007

Red Bud is synonymous with great racing, outrageous fans and an unreal
track. 2007 would once again prove to be a spectacular event, as
facility improvements gave the course a “golf course” feel and more
than 20,000 spectators funneled in to watch Ricky Carmichael win his
final Red Bud event.

Team Solitaire was representing strong this weekend with myself in the
450cc Motocross class and Ricky Renner contesting the ultra-competitive
250F Lites category. It was shaping up to be a great weekend and we
were excited to take to the perfectly prepared track.

Ricky Renner: Ricky has been improving every time he climbs aboard his
JR Boyd-prepared Honda CRF250R. After a few impressive practice
sessions, Ricky was sitting with the 10th fastest lap time in the Lites
class. He had a great gate on the inside and was poised to post the
best finish of his young career.

Moto 1: The gate dropped and Ricky rocketed out of the gate on the far
inside. He didn’t have the best jump but kept it pinned through the
first few turns and emerged just inside the top twenty at the finish of
lap one. Over the next 30 minutes he rode the best I have seen him
ride all year, passing guys like Kelly Smith, Andrew McFarlane and
Joaquim Rodrigues. His lap times never wavered and at the checkered
flag he was all over Chris Gosselaar for tenth, but would have to
settle for a career best 11th place moto finish

Moto 2: Ricky was pumped between motos and was really looking forward
to backing up his first moto performance. This time his start was
really bad after getting caught up in some first turn carnage. He
looked to be moving through the pack quickly as he dropped out of my
sight. When the pack re-emerged Ricky was nowhere to be found. He had
caught his foot in a deep rut causing it to rotate outward. He pulled
out of the moto early and had Dr. John Bodnar, from the Asterisk Mobile
Medical Unit, x-ray and assess the damage. It turned out to be a
sprain, so thankfully no bones were broken. Ricky is starting therapy
Monday morning in hopes of getting back on the bike early next week.
Only time will tell if he will be in for Unadilla, but the initial
signs look good.

Overall: Ricky’s 11/DNF were still enough to secure 16th overall for
the weekend. Congratulations to Ricky for a hard-fought finish in moto
one. Very soon we will be seeing Ricky in the top ten.

Ryan Clark: I came into the weekend with a great attitude and looking
to turn my season around. My practice sessions went a little better
this week, but I was still only able to muster the 22nd fastest time,
thus awarding me 22nd pick to the gate. I usually ride better in the
races than I do in practice, so I was not worried.

Moto 1: I snuck a far inside gate but botched the jump and got pinched
out pretty early entering the first corner. Somehow, a nice hole
opened up and I shot through it passing probably half the pack. I
believe I was right around 20th in the third corner when I hit another
rider’s bike in the first lap chaos. The impact was hard enough to
bend my front brake rotor badly and slow the rotation of the front
wheel, along with taking out my ability to use the front brake. I rode
as hard as I could, but had a few close calls when the wheel would slow
up in the air over some of the bigger jumps. I finished the moto out
in 23rd and headed back to the truck to fix the damaged rotor and
prepare for the next moto.

Moto 2: I was again on the inside for the start but this time had a
much better jump off the line. I was following Antonio Balbi through
the first corner but he hit a soft patch of dirt and was ejected over
the bars. I was slowed for a moment and lost a lot of positions, but
rebounded quickly and tried to move back up. This would not be my day,
however, as I was just unable to make up time quickly enough to get
myself in a points paying position. I struggled with finding a rhythm
and made far too many mistakes. I was really disappointed with the way
I rode in this moto, as I love this track and have done well here in
the past.

Overall: My 23/22 moto tally awarded me 26th overall on the weekend.

Upcoming Events: We have another off weekend coming up before resuming
in Unadilla, NY on July 15th. Everyone has returned home and we will
be busy in the shop over the next week-and-a-half preparing for our
upcoming three race swing. As Ricky continues to improve and gain
confidence, I am expecting some big things from our rookie rider. I am
busy searching for the speed I had at Hangtown and will do my best to
get back up to top-ten pace for the rest of 2007.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support and encouragement.
Happy Independence Day!

Best Regards,
Ryan Clark
Team Solitaire/Kingdom/FLY Racing Honda