Catching Up With… Ryan Morais

elmo

• January 05 2009
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Ryan Morais has an all-new look for 2009. After spending two years underneath the Yamaha to Troy awning and almost taking home the 2007 East Coast Lites Supercross championship, Morais has found himself a new home with Mitch Payton and the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki family. After a forgettable season in 2008, Payton took a clear chance by hiring Morais, but with Mo’s second place finish at the season opener a couple of nights ago, it’s evident that Morais means business in 2009. We caught up with Ryan earlier today to chat about his hard fought second place finish this past weekend and what it’s like being a part of Payton’s program.

Photos by Swap

Taking a moment to reflect on the events of Saturday night, are you satisfied with the way things turned out?

Oh yeah! Saturday was awesome. I put a lot of pressure on myself to go out there and perform because of the team I am on and the reputation that they have. I really had a lot of reasons why I needed to perform to my full potential, so I was very excited with my performance on Saturday night.

How were things treating you during the practice sessions? Were you feeling comfortable?

(Laughs) Practice wasn’t too great for me. I rode really, really tight during the first practice, and I also rode a little tight in the second practice. I was in the first heat race, and I ended up pulling the holeshot. I am typically not the greatest starter, so I was excited to be out front. Honestly, I think that was probably the first holeshot I’ve had in my entire professional career. I ended up getting a little excited and got a little ahead of myself, which allowed Jake [Weimer] to move around me. However, it was nice to get out of the gate like that and show everybody that I have been putting in the time and that I am a contender. It was good for our team to go one, two in our heat race.

Did you do anything to loosen yourself up in between your heat race and the main event?

I watched the second heat race before heading back to the semi to relax. I spoke with my trainer, and we worked on my arms a little bit to get me relaxed. The heat race took a lot of pressure off of me because I was able to perform exactly how I wanted to. I was super excited and ready to go once it was time for the main event. After getting the holeshot in the heat race, I felt like I could holeshot the main event without any issues. I got a little too excited and had my bike revved up more than I should’ve and dumped the clutch (laughs). I definitely screwed myself on the start, but I was able to work my way through the first couple of turns and actually came around on the first lap in fifth, which is pretty decent for me (laughs).

Once you moved your way into second place, Weimer never pulled away from you. In fact, during the closing stages of the main event, you were reeling him in.

My trainer and I have been working on getting out of the gate and going fast during those opening laps, because I’m one of those guys who doesn’t always go too quick during the first few laps. Towards the middle of the main event I got into a really good pace, and I was flowing throughout the whole track. I soon realized that I was catching Jake, and I really wanted to win the opener so that I would be the big surprise. I know I wasn’t a favorite to win, and I don’t even think I was a favorite to get second, but I felt really good during the main event. I did get a little tight near the end of the race when we caught up to all of the lappers because I was trying to make things happen that I shouldn’t have been trying. Overall, though, I am really happy about my performance, and I was right there at the end. It wasn’t like I was a distant second place or that I lucked into second place, I earned my second place finish. This past weekend definitely took a lot of weight off my shoulders.

Did it make things easier during the main event knowing that you had your teammate in front of you and you didn’t have to worry about any thing dirty taking place?

Oh definitely! It was the same thing during our heat race. He ran it into me a couple of times, but I knew he wouldn’t do anything bad to me. It was nice to be battling with my teammate. It felt really good to have our team go one, two on the podium. For our team to sweep the opener was a big deal. We’ve been putting in a lot of work, and the team is just amazing. That definitely makes it all worth it.

Is there really a big difference between riding one of Mitch Payton’s bikes and what you’ve ridden previously?

Our bikes are really good! When we show up to the races on Saturday, I think people know that we have the best bikes in the pits. That is another reason why we should be doing what we did on Saturday. Our bikes are, without a doubt, at the top level.

How has it been working with Mitch?

It’s been awesome! In the short period of time that I’ve been there I’ve learned a lot from everybody. The team has really helped me out, and I think that showed this weekend. It is more than just a bike… Our surroundings and everything that the team does make it what it is and makes it so strong.

From here on out, what are you goals?

My goal for the first round was to be on podium. I would’ve been a little disappointed if I wasn’t on the podium, but I also would’ve been happy to be inside the top five. You can’t win the championship at the first round, but you can definitely lose the championship at the first round. Plus, the opener is always so crazy and exciting; everybody goes crazy at the opening round. I now know where I belong, and I feel as though I can be a podium contender every weekend. I also think this will be the year that I that I go out there and get my first win.