by: Rachel Gutish
Tuesday, September 5, 2017 | 4:05 PM
As you might have guessed by his name, Ryder Reick and his family are motorcycle people through and through. Both his father and grandfather race motorcycles, and his mom rides as well. This seven (soon to be eight) year old from Pennsylvania first started riding at three years old, then started racing at four. His whole family comes to the races – his mom and dad, as well as his maternal grandparents – and they all split the work and maintenance on his machines… Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that he competes on micro bikes and micro ATVs? Pretty impressive for a third grader, isn’t it?! Ryder is currently tied for the lead in the ATV Open Senior class going into the last round this weekend at the one and only Unadilla.
GNCCRacing.com: So, I hear you were excited to go compete in a fairgrounds race last night that we had to reschedule your interview! Did you have a good time?
Ryder: Yep, I had a good time. It was at the fairgrounds and I got to ride my bike and my quad.
Since the little guys like yourself only do 6 of the 13 GNCC rounds, I bet you do lots of other races besides GNCCs.
Yeah, I do a lot of races around us. The fairground races and local hare scrambles mostly.
Another thing I bet you’re excited about is being out of school for the summer, because that means even more racing. Do you have a favorite subject?
I am excited! My favorite subject is art, but I would still rather be riding.
So, on to more enjoyable topics, tell me a little bit about last season. Your mom said that you did a really good job?!
I tied for first in points in the ATV junior class, and ended up second in the tiebreaker based on finishes. It was hard and there was a lot of competition, but I’m happy with how I did and I’m doing even better this year.
I noticed that your results tend to be a little better on the ATV than they are on the bike. Do you like your quad best? And do you think you’ll keep riding them both?
I kind of like my quad best because it’s fast, way faster than my bike! But I don’t know. We’ll see what happens.
Right now I see that you’re actually tied for the lead in the ATV Open Senior 7-9 class. It looks like it’s all going to come down to the last round at Unadilla, which happens to be on your birthday. Would you like to win a championship for your 8th birthday?
Yes, that would be an awesome birthday present!
So this Quinn Bergman kid you’re battling with – are you guys buddies or cutthroat competitors?
We’re competitors, but he isn’t my very favorite person to beat. That’s Geoffrey Eberly. I think he’s in third place right now, but I have a good lead over him.
Is your family the ones who got you into riding?
Yeah. Both my dad and grandpa race motorcycles, and my mom rides too. We all go ride together at the camp. [Note from mom: My parents have a house and acerage in the northern part of the state. He has a track up there he rides at. We call it the camp.]
Even the best of racers have people behind the scenes that help them succeed. Who all do you need to thank for helping you out?
I would like to thank my mom, dad, MiMi and DaeDae, the Smith family, the Parker family, Leatt, Dunlop, Maxxis, Twin Air, Precision Racing Parts, Hetrick racing and the Man above.
