Slaw Dog
First of all: Credit to Steve Matthes, he of PulpMX Hockey fame, for breaking this story over the weekend.
But this is one mind boggling to me….
I, like probably all of you, thought for sure Ryder DiFrancesco was locked into a pro deal with Mitch Payton’s Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki squad for next year and even beyond.
But that appears not to be the case. In an interview with the PulpMX Hockey founder after RedBud, site of his Pro Motocross pro debut where he finished 13th overall, Ryder D confirmed he doesn’t have a deal for next year.
“I will probably do Loretta’s,” he said. “My goal was to not do Loretta’s, but I want to finish out Loretta’s strong and do the last four strong.”
“Yeah, we are riding for a deal,” he continued.
Wow. Wow. Wow.
The Bakersfield, California native has ridden for Team Green Kawasaki squad since 2015 and has racked up six Loretta’s titles for the brand (he has eight titles overall).
He crushed in Supercross Futures this year and looked really good in his Pro Motocross debut over the weekend.
Side note: Looks like he’ll race Millville, then Loretta’s, then the last four rounds of Pro Motocross with Kawasaki.
Here is where the problem is arising. It appears as Mitch’s team is full next year, as he already has five riders committed for 2023: Austin Forkner, Cameron McAdoo, Jo Shimoda, Seth Hammaker and Jett Reynolds.
So, where does this put Ryder D? We don’t know yet. Maybe Mitch does find an extra spot? Maybe he goes elsewhere?
One thing I know: If I’m a factory team looking for a 250 kid, I’m making a call to Ryder D TODAY!
Main image: Kawasaki
