FAST AND FURIOUS: 5-MINUTES WITH RICKY DIETRICH

Team Monster Kawasaki’s Ricky Dietrich has not only come off an incredible year, he absolutely dominated the first big off-road race of the year. DB’s Tom Webb got with RD for a Fast and Furious Five minutes following the Arizona WORCS round.

• You had a great 08 season. What was the highlight? How about the low?
Yeah 2008 was a great year for me and quite the landmark in my career. I would say ISDE was the highlight for me. Getting 2nd OA in that event was way above my goals and expectations. I was hoping to get top 3 in E1 and in the end I got 2nd in E1 and OA. To do that well against the world was almost overwhelming for me and quite the accomplishment. The low point was probably loosing the WORCS race in WA when I took 4th. That was the start to a string of bad luck and me loosing the WORCS title.
• The first WORCS race is now in the books and you appeared to gain speed as the event got past the hour and half point. Can you walk us through your game plan, especially since Kyle started strongly and built up a decent gap? It appeared that you were relaxed, smooth and confident in the fact that you could reel him in. Is that true?

Yes indeed I was very relaxed out there. Off the start I was around 10th or so and kinda hung it out on the first lap to get near the front. I remember passing Abbott, Ritzman, Norman, Soule’, Woods, Weigand and maybe a few others all in just the first half of the track. I got into 2nd and could see Summers so at that point I backed off and let Kyle lead the posse. He was riding strong and very fast, but Phoenix is a brutal track and you have to be very fit to win that race. After about the half way point I really settled in and felt my grove and started reeling in Summers. He looked pretty tired when I caught him, made the pass and then later I would find out his bike broke after I went around him.

• It appears that Bonds and Summers are two main players. Where do you see your strengths, theirs? And weaknesses (if you want to talk about it)
Yeah it is pretty obvious that Bonds and Summers are going to be tough to beat. Bonds wants to keep that #1 plate and Summers packs a lot of speed and nothing to lose. And I know that the new team they are on is hungry for a win and to get them established as a top team. They are going to be tough to beat but I know I have everything it takes to beat them! I feel I have more experience than both of them, I got the best trainer in the business, and I know my speed right now is faster than ever before on the new 09 fuel injected KX450f.

• Your fitness level seems high. Are you doing anything different this year as opposed to last?
Nope! It is business as usual at Ryno’s house. I took maybe a week off over the holidays. Other than that I was working hard the whole time to make sure I didn’t finish the first round like I did last year!

• How much of your program depends on conditioning?
Everything! Besides just for my racing I want to be fit for life. I came to Ryno to be in shape for racing but after working with I have a new outlook on being fit and healthy just for living. Our program is so much more involved than any other trainer out there. It becomes a way of life.

• How’s the ’09 KXF and where is better than the ’08?
The new KX450f is sooooo good I can’t even start on how happy I am with the new bike! Last years bike was an awesome machine that won many MX and off-road championships, and the new bike is some how even so much better. I personally feel that the new bike out corners the old bike 100% better. It handles the corners and bumps like a 250f with the power of a 450f. And with fuel injection it never bogs. It’s gooood!

• Is there anything weird about your bike setup when compared to Damon and Destry? (Like power characteristics? Suspension-stiffer-lighter?)
Ummm actually our bike set-ups are very similar. I think for the most part we all like about the same feel in the handling of the bike. The power on our bikes is all exactly the same. The one thing I do different that I get made fun of a lot for is running my bars really far rolled back. Destry is a desert dog and he rolls ‘em up pretty high. But I’m more a moto guy and I have to have them rolled back so that I can corner well.

• How much time in the off-season goes into bike setup and testing?
We put in a lot of testing this year. Being the 09 450f was all new from the ground up we had to start over on all our suspension testing. GPR came out with a new dampener for us so I went back to a 996 bend of Renthal. And on top of that we were doing EFI mapping to find he best power curve that also uses the least fuel. We packed a lot into the off-season and we are still testing today to make the bike even better.

• Goals for ’09? What’s your race schedule look like?
Win everything! Ha, that is a big goal but after last season I know I can win everything I enter. I want to win the WORCS title back because running that #2 all year is embarrassing! Defend my EnduroX #1 title and also be the first American to win Six Days. Those are 3 very large goals but I have the trainer and the bike to do it. As long as the year goes as well as the first round, should be a good year!