Brandon Clarke
Vincent Varola, better known as Slade, was practically born with a throttle in his hand. Some kids grow up with baseball gloves and soccer cleats, but for the Varola family, dirt bikes were as normal as Saturday morning cartoons. Slade’s journey started at just two years old, twisting the grip of a PW50 in the desert, surrounded by a neighborhood where everyone rode. It wasn’t just a pastime, it was a way of life. Even his mom and sister were in on the action, and family trips meant loading up bikes, not beach chairs.
Despite being fully immersed in the moto world, racing wasn’t initially the plan. That changed in a way only fate could orchestrate. As a kid, Slade tagged along to the Mammoth Motocross amateur national to support a friend, but when the gate needed more riders, the community pitched in to cover his entry. He lined up on a KTM Mini Adventure and somehow crossed the checkers in first place. The following weekend, during a tee-ball game, he walked off the field mid-inning and declared, “This is dumb, I want to race my dirt bike.”
From that moment on, it was all about moto. But Slade wasn’t just some kid skipping school to chase a dream—he graduated high school a semester early with a 4.0 GPA. He balanced racing with academics, making seven trips to Loretta Lynn’s in nine years, all while staying true to himself. He had the drive to race and trained hard, but fun was always the priority.
Post-high school, Slade turned up the intensity, going bar-to-bar with heavy hitters like Haiden Deegan, Jett Reynolds, Stilez Robertson, and Ryder DiFrancesco in the stacked SoCal amateur scene. While many of his peers crisscrossed the country chasing the amateur national circuit, Slade and his family kept things closer to home, picking their battles wisely. Mammoth, Cal Classic, a few select Spring Nationals, and of course, Loretta’s. But when he realized he had serious potential on big bikes, he doubled down.
“It’s always your dream to go pro in whatever you’re doing,” Slade said.
In 2023, he signed with the Stan Benson Racing Kawasaki team and made an immediate impact in the A Class. His first taste of Monster Energy AMA Supercross came at Anaheim 2 in the Futures class (now SMX Next), where he showed promise. At the SMX Playoff finale in LA, disaster struck in qualifying—his transmission let go. A Pro Circuit mechanic took one look and told him his motor was done. With no backup except for his practice bike with a tired-out engine, the team scrambled to swap it in. Minutes later, Slade ripped the holeshot and landed P3 on the night.
The result was solid, but after a handful of “atta boys” and a $1,000 payout, Slade had a serious conversation with himself: Is this worth it? He took a step back, enrolled in community college, and put racing on pause. But like any true racer, the itch never fully went away. After a semester in the books, he asked his dad about racing a few rounds of AMA Arenacross in Boise. The response? “Heck yeah, let’s go do it.”
That weekend reignited the fire. Slade made the A main on night one, proving to himself that he wasn’t done yet. Not long after, Michael Bonacci from ClubMX called with an opportunity—was Slade ready for Supercross? The answer was an easy yes, even if he hadn’t had much seat time. Mike B connected him with Matt Bell at HBI Kawasaki, who had a fill-in ride available. A long interview and a few nerve-racking days later, the deal was done. Slade was officially making his 250SX West Division pro debut.
At a mud-soaked San Francisco round in 2024, Slade punched his ticket to his first-ever main event straight through his heat, finishing 14th. He followed it up at A2 qualifying for the Triple Crown with a top 20 finish. He ran the full SMX series with HBI, but when the team transitioned to a 250SX East-only program, he found himself right back where he started—Stan Benson Racing. New sponsors, new brand of bike, same dream.
Now, as the season rolls on, he’s inching closer to making it back to the main event. The back-to-back Triple Crown rounds and the East/West Showdown haven’t made life easy, but Slade is hungry for another shot. Seattle, with its traditional format, presents the perfect opportunity. Whether he makes the main or not, one thing’s for sure—Slade would rather be twisting a throttle than sitting in a lecture hall.
Main image: mrpsbrracing
