Privateer Profile: The Drive

Ronnie, you didn’t qualify for a main event until Indianapolis, and then you were in every one from there. What clicked?
Stewart: I really think that it was a combination of a lot of different things. This was my fourth year racing supercross. First thing that started, it all started in November, and that was when I was able to put all of my sponsors together to be able to do a full season, to be able to have a trainer and good equipment. My practice bike and my race bike were the same. So that part was done. So then it was a matter of, “Okay, now let’s start doing the steps, doing everything I need to do to be there.” And then there are certain things that you can’t speed up. So I started in November; I had a good base. I’ve been there. I’ve almost made it. Last year I had two races where I was third in the LCQ when they took two. There were a couple races where I was really close.

So I knew I was close, if I could just work on my speed. I would say that the biggest thing is my mental game, separating how to focus your attention on certain things and being fully absorbed at the task at hand. That takes a lot of nerves out when you’re just worrying about what’s right in front of you. Timed qualifying, you’re not worried about the night show. When you’re in the night show, you’re not worrying about what’s going to happen on the second lap. You’re worried about what’s right in front of you—the gate right in front of you. My mental game definitely was a lot stronger, and I was practicing that for months and then it started to click. 

Then when I started to make it the first one seemed like it was the hardest. It seemed like it was almost impossible for me to get over that hurdle. The very first LCQ that I made it, I almost made it out of the semi, and I crashed. Then I went to the LCQ and it was the hardest four laps that I’ve ever done in my life because I just didn’t believe. Just who I am as a person I can’t lie to myself—I can’t give myself false confidence. So the confidence that I give myself has to be factual, real confidence. How can I tell myself to make this main event if I’ve never done it before? I did thirty-three races and I didn’t make one night show. Then I started to make them. 

What was the best supercross of the year do you think?
Stewart: For me it was MetLife. That was definitely my best one. My second best was in Houston where I finished sixteenth, but I was right on the guy for fifteenth. I made some passes; I was in a race the whole time. I was able to not let the lapper situation screw me up too much. Before I was a little bit too nice with the lapper situation, then I started to hold my own a little bit more. Just basically learning how the twenty-lap main event unfolds. That was a whole other learning experience, so to get that down better. I was able to start getting sixteenth, fourteenth, eighteenth, rather than a nineteenth or a twentieth.

Rusk: It was by far Seattle where I got sixteenth. Seattle’s my favorite race to go to. I always do good at Seattle, so I’m really bummed out about next year for supercross, them taking that out. I don’t know; I’ve just always done really good there. Every race I’ve entered at Seattle, I’ve made the main event there no problem. That was always my one that I was excited to go to because I knew I’d do good.

What was your worst supercross of the year for you?
Stewart: The worst one for me was when I blew up two motors in one week. I blew one up on Tuesday and one on Thursday. So, here we are on a Friday, Anaheim 3 is the next day, we had to actually buy a motor from Yoshimura. Yosh had an R&D motor where they were using for R&D. They actually sold us a motor. But they weren’t able to get it together until Friday night. So they delivered us a motor at 8:00. 8:30 is when I got the engine. So I put the motor in the bike and got it all together before practice. That was definitely one of the most hectic ones, definitely. 

Rusk: Indy supercross was tough. It was tough all day. Had a rough time in practice because the track was super soft. I got hurt in the heat race or the semi. It just wasn’t my day. 

Best outdoor national for you guys?
Stewart: The best national for me was the last one. I was very proud of the fifteenth place that I got at RedBud, but then when I crashed out in the second moto; that overshadowed it. So the last one was the best one for me because it was the second time ever I got points in both motos. And it was the last race and I had—I wouldn’t say every right—but I had every reason to be burned out or to just kind of give up on it. And I was really proud that the last two races I was able to bounce back. Because, starting at Unadilla, I started fading really bad, and physically I just didn’t have it. So I was really proud of myself. I got points in both motos. And I had my second-best finish in the very last moto. Then I felt a really good sense of accomplishment, and it was just great to end off the season for me. It made me feel awesome.

Rusk: Thunder Valley was really great. I always seem to do really well there, which is funny because people are like, “Oh, well, it’s your home track.” I’ve never ridden there as an amateur. Only time I’ve ever ridden it is when I’m there to race. So I’ve only ridden it four times. I think it’s one of those things that just having your family there, your fans, and that’s kind of like your hometown race. I think that kind of eases me a bit during race day. 

You qualified tenth too—that’s awesome. That was a good job on that.
Rusk: I really don’t know how I did that. I remember the first practice I was following [Trey] Canard the whole time. I was basically just railing around the outside of the track, and it ended up working really well.

What was the worst national for you guys this year?
Stewart: Unadilla is a local race for me. It’s only two and a half hours. It’s one that I really should be able to do well at and excel. I had so many family members and friends there, people that follow me. It was very disappointing, my performance. I just didn’t physically have it. I struggled so bad to where I got to the point where I was rolling around the track. I didn’t know what was better, to pull off or to just stay out there. And then to get lapped by people that I race with, I felt pretty defeated after that. I just mentally did not… I wasn’t very happy with myself after that. But then that’s what made it so nice to come back in those last two and prove myself. 

Rusk: I would say RedBud. I had some major issues there. In the first moto I got a rock stuck underneath my rear brake pedal. I ended up missing a corner and going over a berm into a fence. So I DNF’d that moto. I was like top-fifteen before that happened, so I was pretty bummed about that. Then second moto first corner, someone fell down in front of me and the back end of the bike popped up and I ran right into it. I thought I blew my finger off; it hurt so bad. We ended up just ripping my nail all the way out, and ended up stitching it back on and stuff. So I DNF’d the second moto. It was a DNF-DNF day, and that was definitely my most frustrating day. 

What do you guys think is the biggest disadvantage for a privateer?
Stewart: I think the biggest disadvantage that we have is our recovery time because your fitness is all about your recovery time. The quicker you can recover, the more you can work out, the more you can do, the more physically efficient you’re going to become. So the biggest thing is the energy and the other stuff that we have to do. That’s just the biggest disadvantage. You always wonder how those guys do more training, but they don’t have to drive—they don’t have to work on their bike eight hours before race day. So just having to do a more job than just riding, that takes away from some of what you can do. I would say that that’s the biggest disadvantage.

Rusk: I think just the suspension. I would love to just ride factory suspension for one day, just to know what I’m shooting for. For one, I’m a horrible suspension tester, but I don’t think there’s money out there that can buy you that kind of suspension. But I also think that it helps being able to ride their test track all the time, and they’re riding really good bikes throughout the week, totally like your race bike. And then you got your race bike—it’s totally fresh and it’s a whole different feel.