Ryan Morais looks for first Supercross win
1/16/2010
Story and photos by Shan Moore
Ryan Morais was a stalled engine away from winning the AMA Supercross Lites East Championship in 2007, eventually finishing second in the series after killing his bike in the main event of the series finale. In 2009, Morais joined Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki and was a consistent podium finisher, ending the East Coast series in third overall. This year, Morais joins the Rockstar Suzuki Canidae Motosports team in search of his first overall win and championship title.
Ryan Morais finished a solid third at the series opener in Anaheim
Q: You made the jump from Pro Circuit Kawasaki to the Rockstar Suzuki Canidae Motosports team for 2010; how did that come about?
A: Yeah, in 2010 I’m riding for Rockstar Suzuki Canidae Motosports and I’m excited. We’ve done a lot of testing and Mitch Payton has helped out a lot. He’s been really good to me, even though I’m not still on his team.
Q: Even though you’re with a new team, it must be helpful to you that the team is getting help from Pro Circuit, the team you rode with last year.
A: Yeah, for sure. It made the transition so much easier, just because Bones is so good with suspension stuff and I already knew my setting. So it just made the transition so much easier.
Q: How long have you been on the Suzuki?
A: Just about six weeks, which is not really very long, but everything has gone smooth and Pro Circuit has done a great job of getting the bike set up right out of the gate.
Q: In 2007 you were in a really close battle for the East title.
A: Yeah, it was a surprising year. That was my first year that I had a good year – it was my first healthy year. It’s just crazy to look back at that and see I almost won the championship that year and I only got on the podium twice. It was just one of those years where there were a lot of ups and downs. And then last year I was on the podium seven out of eight races and had the most podiums out of the Lites guys and ended up third in the championship.
Q: You seem to have the confidence now that you can run up front.
A: For sure, I know where I belong. Where last year I didn’t really know where I belonged, I came off a really bad year and this year I’m definitely farther ahead than what I was this time last year. I feel confident now that I can run up front and put in some good races.
Q: What’s it going to take to have a shot at the title this year?
A: I think the most important thing is starts. You gotta put yourself in position right out of the gate, and with only 15 laps in the Lites class – this class is pretty deep and everyone goes pretty fast – it’s hard to come through the pack, especially with the tracks these days, they’re pretty fast and one-lined. I think the main thing is going to be the starts.
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