RYDER DIFRANCESCO

So, you broke your tibia and fibula training for Monster Cup last year and spent a significant amount of time off the bike. How’d that recovery process go for you? 

It was tough. I haven't gotten hurt in six years, so it was something different and I had a lot of time off the bike to hang out with friends and refresh my mind so I can go back to racing. I worked hard gettin' back 'cause it was super stiff comin' out of the cast and doing all this therapy. I went out to the beach a couple of times to see Doc. G a couple of times down south and he's pretty much the one that got me back to riding. So it was tough but we're back at it.

Was the silver lining in that to have that time to spend with friends and mentally refresh?

Yeah, I was hanging out with friends like different friends, too, not just motocross friends -- goin' fishing and kind of being a normal school kid, doing what normal people do. Yeah, so it refreshed me but as soon as I got back on the bike it kind of felt like I was where I'm supposed to be.

Was it tough mentally to spend that much time on the sidelines and miss out on all those races at the end of last year?

Yeah, for sure. I went to Monster Cup and watched and it looks so much easier when you're watching from the stands and looking down at everybody, but it was tough. The time off was good and when I got back to riding I went back to work -- I don't know, it just refreshed me and now I'm better on the bike even so there were little benefits.

What were you having to do in order to get your leg recovered and keep your fitness up while you were hurt?

I took a little bit of time off after surgery, just like two weeks, and then I got back in the gym and did upper body and kept the things that I needed to keep up. I was in the cast for like two months and once I got out of it, my leg was super stiff and I couldn't walk so that was tough. But Doctor G worked his magic and now it's even stronger.

Were you a little bit behind the eightball in terms of preparation for Supercross Futures at the beginning of this year? 

I had like almost a month (of preparation), but I felt good and I surprised myself getting back on the bike actually. Obviously I never forgot, but I surprised myself the first couple days and once I started getting back into motos and started working on technique I felt good. But racing...racing is just a whole different deal, so A2 was a little struggle but I knew where I needed to be and then Glendale got better and Oakland got better and then I raced last weekend at Glen Helen (for the Road to Mammoth Qualifier) and that was the best I've gone, and I think I can go even a little faster. So we're still building and it'll take time, but I think by spring nationals we'll be ready.

I saw the video you posted on your Instagram wheelieing down the street in Bakersfield, sitting on top of a shovel across the seat. Can you pretty much just ride out of your neighborhood into the hills?

Yeah, me and my buddies will hop on our pit bikes and go down the street to the local gas station. Bakersfield is a motocross playground; t's not just us riding around, there are twenty other guys riding around, too. It's pretty cool and yeah, Bakersfield's pretty funny.

I thought the comment from your dad about the #115 on the bike keeping you incognito was pretty funny... 

Yeah, and I usually don't wear my monster helmet either, just wear the stock Fox helmet. (laughs)

Your dad was a speedway racer back in the day, did you get a chance to watch him race when you were young or have you ever gone to any flat track events? 

Yeah, when I was born he was just in his prime and started not doing it as much as he used to. I looked up to him big time...when I would go to the races, sitting up in the stands and he'd be racing, I always looked up to 'em but now he'll still ride and anything. But two years ago he raced and that was pretty cool. I still look up to him a lot and yeah, he's a pretty cool dude.

I'm sure that's where the dream of becoming a motorcycle racer started for you, what made you choose motocross instead of flat track or speedway?

The decider was that I didn't like going left, my favorite turns were going right and speedway racers go left so that was the decider of going motocross racing. My dad rode moto, too, and when he was starting to slow down racing speedway he'd just go ride moto and I was just getting on a bike, so that was kind of it too -- just riding the little peewee track in the back.

You like left turns a little better now?

(laughs) Yeah, I kind of have to.

Although it’s a different discipline, has it helped you a lot throughout your career to have someone in your corner who has a racer’s mentality and has experienced the sport first hand?

It helps a lot. He knows a lot about the bike, gearing, how the track breaks down, and a lot of kids don't have that. Some dads didn't even race so I think it's a big help and it's cool having him on our side.

You’ve had some pretty unique opportunities throughout your amateur career through Team Green and Fox to do some promo shots and that sort of thing with legends of the sport like Jeremy McGrath and Ricky Carmichael. I know they were just a little bit before your time, but is that still a really cool experience for you?

Yeah, the day after during Supercross Futures Ricky will come watch and you watch the pros on television and he's announcing the race. So many people are watching and he's like the voice of Supercross right now with Ralph, too, so I look up to him a lot. And Jeremy, I got to ride at his ranch a couple of years ago, so I look up to both of those guys a lot. I go on YouTube every night and look up the old Bar to Bar videos and watch those guys go at it.

So Spring A Ding Ding is comin’ up here in about a month, you attended the first two races we’ve done down there at Underground MX in Texas. What’s your overall impression of that race? 

Yeah, that place is super fun. Underground is always a fun track to go to and the whole race is fun; there's a pit bike race at night and there's good racing, too. Long motos and usually a good pool of riders show up there. It's a super fun race and they do a great job putting it on.

We’re six rounds into the 2020 SX season and Roczen, Tomac, and Webb have separated themselves as the three main contenders in the 450 class. Who’s your guy? 

Tomac has to win the championship. I think I see him winning it this year but I think Webb has a good shot because he'll come in midseason. There are so many guys; I counted the other day and there are like fourteen champions in the 450 class.