RYDER WREN
What’s your name and where are you from?
My name is Ryder Wren and I'm from Thorndike, Maine.
What classes do you race?
For the 2020 race season, I will be racing in 65cc (7-9) Limited, 65cc (7-9), and 65cc (7-11) on a 2020 CX65.
How did you get into motorcycles?
When I was two years old my brother got a CRF50 for his birthday. Mom says that I was glued to it. I would sit on it every day and would wrench on it with any tool I could find. I started riding it without training wheels at 3 and a half and Mom says I wanted to ride it at all times. Because my brother didn’t like it, it became mine.
Tell us about your first race.
My first race was in 2015 in Norridgewock, Maine at Back 40 MX. I was 5 years old on a CRF50. I raced in jeans and a jersey because I didn't have a full set of gear and my riding boots were three sizes too big and came up past my knees. I had never been on a race track before that day. I ended up placing 5th overall out of about twenty kids.
What other sports do you like?
Other than racing I enjoy playing basketball during the winter months because it's a good way to stay in shape.
Describe a typical day at the track for you.
A typical race day for me starts getting up early to head to the track. When we get to the track dad typically unloads the bikes while I get my gear on and my mom signs me up for the day. When mom gets back from signing me up she makes sure I eat a couple of frozen oatmeal balls and drink a smoothie. Then I typically head out to do a track walk with my friend Jacob (who goes to most in-state races with us). The track walk is important to me because it gives me a chance to check out the conditions of the track especially if it’s a new track or we had rain. After we walk the track its typically time for the riders meeting and then practice. Dad’s favorite thing to say to me before practice is “Ryder, remember this is practice, use this to learn the track”. After practice, we wash the bikes and get them ready for the first moto of the day. Typically both Mom and Dad go to the line with me. While Dad packs my gate Mom checks my helmet and tells me to have fun and ride smart then she leaves. Next, I say a quick prayer and wait for the gate to drop. As soon as the race is over we all meet back at the van and Mom gets me water while we all talk about the moto and what worked and what I need to work on (sometimes this can get a little tense depending on how the moto went). We pretty much repeat this for all the motos. My favorite part of race day is when I’m on the track, hitting all my marks and competing.
Favorite meal to have before you race?
My favorite meal to have the night before a race is grilled chicken, salad, cottage cheese, and bread and butter. On race mornings my favorite thing to eat is a couple of frozen oatmeal balls with a strawberry banana smoothie.
Best moment on a motocross bike?
My best moment on a motocross bike was when I crossed the finish line in the final moto at the Maine State Championship and won my first AMA plate in 2019 (something I have dreamed of since I was 5 years old).
Best road trip story.
My best road trip story is when we (me, mom, dad, my brother, my cousin, and my bamp) rented a fifteen-passenger van and drove from Maine to Vegas in 2018. We took out two seats in the back and loaded the bike and all our gear and headed out with a map. Some of the highlights of the trip were when Bamp went through a non-E-Z Pass toll at 50 because he didn’t know the difference, when we had to stop for the night in Missouri because of tornados (Bamp and I wanted to keep going so we could see a tornado but mom said no), driving through the Rockies (I was pretty sure I was never going to hear again because our ears were popping so bad from the elevation even the bags of chips and jug of oil we had exploded because of the elevation). It took us 3 1/2 days to get to Vegas. We planned this trip in about three weeks because I received an email saying that I had qualified to race the AMSOIL Arenacross finals. At first, Mom said there was no way we could ever make the trip but with my cousin Jacie’s help we convinced her to at least try, and with the help of our amazing community we pulled off some pretty awesome fundraising and did it!
What’s your favorite track to ride?
My favorite track to ride on a regular basis is MX207 in Lyman, Maine, but out of all the tracks I've ridden on Gatorback MX was the most fun.
Who is your favorite professional racer and why?
My favorite professional racer is Cooper Webb because of his ability to charge from the back of the pack to the front. I also like how tough/determined he is. For example, this year during the Atlanta SX when he charged from 13th with a bruised tailbone from a bad crash the weekend before all the way to 3rd for a podium.
Who would you like to thank for helping you out?
I would like to thank Mad Monkey Moto, Good Ol’ Boys Trucking, Blanchard’s Oil, Fun Factory Racing, @Work, W.C Tripp Forestry, Film EFX, 207 Braap Life, New England Auto Sales, H & R Logging, Depot Country Store, Unity ShopNSave, Mac’s Hardware, 1st Choice Property Care, Unity Pond Pottery, Browns Handyman services, FXR, Dunlop, Bell Helmets, 100%, LEATT, and my family.