Time with Ricky

 This evening I had the extreme pleasure of sitting down with Ricky Orlando for a formal interview. He was gracious enough to slot me some time and become a founding stone for this premier issue. After the interview I felt really good about my time spent with him, as he is a racing professional. Driving home in the car I played back the tape from the interview, and I was shocked at how good the tape sounded. This was the first interview to start off a new magazine, and I imagine I'll get a little nervous before each interview, but this went surprisingly well. Ricky was forthright, direct and cordial the whole way.

A little backround on Mr. Orlando for those not familiar with him. Ricky has been a mainstay in Colorado roadracing for a great many years. Age is a concern of course, but Ricky is one of those resilient types who continues to be competitive year after year -- competitive enough to qualify for World Superbike racing in 1998 at Laguna Seca. In the second round he managed to survive the crash fest and earn thirteenth place. giving him WSB points. He also earned AMA, Formula Extreme, and MRA points last season. Mr. Orlando is far from "over the hill" although as you'll see later, he admits his years in the sport are numbered.

As far as his "regular life" is concerned, Ricky works full time for Cycles of Boulder in Boulder, Colorado. Having been a part of their sales team for many years he has contact with the motorcycling public year round. In fact, Ricky is the one that sold me my current race bike.

Following is the transcript from the interview. It was my intent to bring out the point that Ricky Orlando is a high calibre rider with gobs of talent and experience. The second point I attempted to get from this chat is that Ricky is just one of the guys, always there for his fellow competitor and fan. Thanks again Ricky.

Kent: When did you start riding?
Ricky: Long time ago....age wise, pretty close to nine.
Kent: What was your first bike?
Ricky: A Mini-trail 50.
Kent: Did you ride a lot on the street before you started racing, or did you just dive into the racing thing?
Ricky: I did the dirt thing first, played in the dirt. Got a street bike at 15 (years of age), rode that a couple years, and started racing at about 18. (years of age)
Kent: Most of Colorado pretty much knows whoe you are..... are you from here or did you come from somewhere else?
Ricky: Well, I'm originally from Montreal, Canada and I got to Colorado via Miami, Florida.
Kent: Florida? How old were you then?
Ricky: Left Florida when I was about 18, started racing at West Palm Beach, Gainesville, Daytona, a couple of tracks down there --- did that about 1/2 a year. Got into the season... 75 (as in 1975) I believe, raced Daytona and then packed my stuff for Colorado.
Kent: All the time you spend at the dealership, All the time you spend at the track, what else is there.... I mean, I spied you at the lake last year with the Jet Ski's..... Just wondering what else you did.
Ricky: Anything with a throttel is fun, whether its a Jet Ski or a snowmobile, dirt bike, street bike or a roadracer. So, to get away from the bikes, well if that meeans getting on a Jet Ski... I'll take that as a break in the action. I look at it as cross-training.
Kent: You have a street bike -- right? -- the VFR? (Honda VFR750)
Ricky: Right
Kent: If money was no object, and you could get whatever you wanted to ride on the street, what would it be?
Ricky: Probably a new VFR. (Honda VFR800). I don't know, if I had enough room in the garage, I'd probably have a variety of different things. Maybe even a cruiser for plugging around town -- just for something different.
Kent: Looking back to through your racing, all the different classes you rode in, what do you think was the most fun?
Ricky: I've done so many different classes, and fun means like if there's contingency money, and if you win the class.... you win like $500.00.... to me that's a lotta fun. You know you're covering your bills, and hopefully at the end of the day, you're able to take your crew out to dinner -- So that's a lotta fun. Although, it does get kinda boring if you get out on the track and you're somewhat dominating, not dealing with any competition..... that..... if you have good competition out there where its a good dog fight... and you win.... that's even more fun.... especially if there's contingency. I hate racing for free, bands don't play for free... we put on a show for spectators, and I just have hard feelings about having to be a performer, which I consider all racers are for the crowds that come out.... yet we pretty much have to pay for the show.
Kent: Ok, as far as fun goes.... the one that put the biggest smile on your face, not necessarily the biggest paycheck in you pocket.... that would be what? Small bikes? Big Bikes? Or are you into a style of riding?
Ricky: I've ridden so much, I started on an RD350 and obviously ridden the small stuff, TZ's for a period of time, but I enjoy 750cc and bigger. It seems to be a little more intimidating to the average rider, and to be able to conquer a 1000cc machine with 150 horsepower or more, is more of a challenge. That's why I'm into racing -- the challenge.    Kent: Do you consider yourself one of the smoother riders, or one of the more aggressive riders?
Ricky: Definately one of the smoother riders. People that watch me race... they make that comment frequently. When I race in the rain, smoothness plays a big part in it, and I'm usually pretty good in the rain.
Kent: To move on into this year's season, I've been watching all the races this year -- are getting the results you had expected or wanted?
Ricky: Pobably the results I most expected going into Race of the Rockies with a more or less stock motorcyle. You're supposed to better and better all the time, but it's a tough croud out there. Last year on the Raptor we rode in the 750 Superbike class, which was somewhat of a cakewalk. That was kinda nice because there was contingency money on it -- I won basically every race I entered. In Race of the Rockies, on the 750cc, it was certainly a challenge... so I kinda got my fill of both with a nice paycheck. This year on the ZX9, running in the Open Superbike, you basically run against the same people you run against in the Race of the Rockies. That's tough because that's basically where my paycheck is, in Open Superbike.
Kent: In your racing carrer, do you feel you've had an advantage as far as equipment is concerned?
Ricky: I think I've been on inferior machinery, as far as horsepoewer for sure. Whether I've been riding at the Nationals, which I go to and do an AMA Superbike National, I put a 750cc or a 900cc up against an 1100cc. My mechanic, Marvin, has always put a good bike together, but we're somewhat limited by funds. We've not gone out there and gone crazy. It's about getting the most bang for our buck and still putting on a good show, and having pretty good results.
Kent: You brought up the Raptor, and I wanted to get to that later, but last year the Raptor took you to the World Superbike Race, and we all made a big deal about that. How did that happen?
Ricky: Well, I had hoped to go a couple of years before... (Ricky had been to the first innagural race, World Superbike Race at Minnesota, 1989) It turned out to be a nice situation -- they didn't have an entry fee, and the purse money was pretty good. I thought it was kind of a neat thing getting back to Laguna, which is one of my favorite tracks, and having the Raptor. I kinda bought the Raptor as a 750cc, knowing that I was gonna do the world event. I couldn't do it obviously on a 850cc. So it was neat to go to --- it's so much a higher level of competition, a higher level of class and participation and so forth, from everybody involved that I knew I wanted to do it. Thereas I set myself up as hopefully not being the last guy on the grid. Unfortunately, it turned out that I had qualified last -- we had some problems, and I felt I could have done a little bit better if we had gotten around some front end chatter. But just being there, and surviving that race weekend -- it was certainlty a crash fest, and there were more flight for life's out of there than you can imagine -- so by surviving the weekend, we ended up 13th in the second event, earning points which are not easy to come by. I think I was the only rider to score points in a World Superbike event, AMA event, MRA event and Formula USA event.... so we kinda definately strung ourselves out thin hitting all the different races. But, going to Laguna and dealing with the competition level there -- it's a humbling experience. You think when you go to an AMA National and the guys are fast -- Then you go to a World Superbike. The difference is not really that the lead rider is faster, but that the difference between the first rider and the twentieth rider may be 10th's of a second, like where it's a couple of seconds easily at an AMA National.
Kent: Having gone that far, do you think or feel that a factory ride is in your near future, or do you feel that time is already passed?
Ricky: There's no factory ride in my future, as far as I can tell. I think age has a lot to do with it. The manufacturers are looking for younger guys. Rich Oliver, who is a guy I've ridden against and banged handle bars with many, many years is the older of the factory guys out there, which is really surprising they picked him up..... although, he dominated on 250's -- they couldn't really turned their heads on him, and he's done quite well..... no... I don't think that I'll plan on being a factory rider any time soon.
Kent: That being said, what do you think it takes for a younger guy to get a factory ride?    Ricky: It takes a lot of effort, a lot of commitment... to go to a national, and do well enough to spark the interest in somebody there. You're not gonna make that happen racing in clubs like in Colorado, or some other states. California is where everything kinda stems from, and if you're at Willow Springs weekend after weekend and really dominating, because that's where the industry is, you have a good shot at it... but you really have to show up at a national and you really have to shine. Turn some heads. The way things are going now compared to when I was doing a lot of the nationals, there's so many more rides available. You have 20 or plus factory riders out there. When I was doing nationals full time, back in the 80's, you basically had five or six rides -- definately a tougher game, and I feel that if there was the type of factory participation then as there is now, I probably would have been a factory rider. I was real close to getting a factory ride back then, and that was one of the six or seven seats available then. With 20 seats available now, the level of performance I had back then, I would have been a factory rider.... but wrong place, wrong time I guess?
Kent: Is there anyone currently in the MRA that you think has the chance for a factory ride?
Ricky: You know, it's kind of ironic that as long as I've been racing in the MRA, the people that I'm still banging bars with, I've raced against in the MRA the last 10 or 15 years. It's the majority of the, I'd say, older generation.... the Turners, Josh Graham's been around for quite a few years, Shane Turpin.... the only up and coming new rider, showing some promiseis Bryan Chesser right now. He's on a ZX9 right now, and he's given me a hard time the last few races. I think he's the only guy out there that's really come up to our level, and being young enough with his parents behind him, if he can go out to the nationals and sparkle... there's a chance for sure. But it takes, like I said, a lot of commitment.... Kent: You mentioned the age thing. So as you get older, older and older do you plan on sticking with the MRA?
Ricky: I think my years are numbered. It's kinda wild that I can go out there, and I'm actully going faster than I did last year -- that might have to do with the equipment and tires, but as long as I'm not slowing down, I'm going faster and I'm still having fun and enjoying myself.... I'm not going to end this. A lot of people say "Ah, you should end it while you're on top, as opposed to letting an injury take you out". I do agree with that... I'd rather walk away, than have an injury force me out of it. That's one of the hardest ways to end your career in racing. As long as I keep getting sponsors and putting bikes together, I'll probably still be out there.
Kent: Do you ever picture yourself mentoring a younger rider?
Ricky: I'd like to stay involved in racing, even if I'm not doing the racing myself, and if that means quote/unquote putting a team together, working with a rider... it would be nice, but having gone racetrack to racetrack, and sleeping in vans.... I could only get involved in that if the money was right, we had financial backing, and we could get together and do it right.
Kent: Did you ever do any endurance racing?
Ricky: Yeah, I actually in 1989, when I was still doing a lot of national stuff, I sold a customer/friend of mine a motorcycle. He decided to build it into an endurance racer. Back then Feracci was still not a very well known name. He enlisted Eraldo Ferracci to build our bikes, and myself, Ferracci, George Fitz and another rider -- Deiter Lane would go from national to national and we were racing the AMA national endurance series. Actually, it seems there was always this little black cloud over the team. We would suffer mechancial difficulties, or a crash when we didn't have mechanical difficulties. So, we'd always be up there leading or in the top three when something mechanical would take us out. That was on the national level. I've done the Suzuka 8 Hour race about three or four years – too phenomenal, it’s something to behold – 200,000 spectators at a race. To talk about the level of participation and excitement there is just second to none. Then there was our famous Aspen 6 hour, won it once I think out of all our tries.
Kent: For me, it was my favorite type of racing and I really miss it. I was wondering if you missed it as well.
Ricky: No not really. We tried…the last endurance race the MRA had, myself and Ken Rogers ran and won it. Unfortunately, the interest from the membership isn’t what it used to be. When we used to do the Aspen 6 hour, it was something we looked forward to at the end of the year. When we lost the track at Aspen, it seemed like we lost the event with it.
Kent: You’ve been a Riders’ Rep with the MRA for a couple years running. What all does that entail?
Ricky: Riders are supposed to come to me, and give me opinions on how the club is running the show, and on changes they may want to see for to present them at the committee meetings. However, I don’t see that happening. I think most racers, now days, come and they race. They accept the way its going and they go home. They don’t want to put a lot of time and effort into it…. Helping the club, running the club. But as a racer, when the committee sits down and makes decisions, I think its important that the rider’s reps, both Jon Glaefke and I are there to help the committee decide which way to go, when we’re talking about our racers – whether its going to be something that’s changing on the racetrack, or something financial. When you have non-racers running a race club, they tend to loose touch with what the racers need. So I think it’s a very important position for me to be there and help guide those people.
Kent: When riders approach you, and they have a concern… do you usually find their concerns well based or kinda whimsicle.
Ricky: Oh, you hear different things, a bit of everything.
Kent: As far as your race classes go… How does that work for the normal rider that may want to get in touch with you?
Ricky: I do a more one on one. I don’t know if you would consider it a school, and a, sometimes when you get 20-30 riders on a track, you sometimes can’t get the individual attention I think a rider may need. I’m also pretty flexible. I can get out on the track about anytime as long as the track is available and I’m not working. It gives riders another venue, if they can’t get to an MRA school so that they can get out there on a racetrack. I also work with more advanced riders as well as the street riders. I’m pretty reasonable with what I charge, I pretty much try to cover my expenses, so it makes it more affordable for the average racer. So, if anyone was interested in becoming a racer, or just becoming a better street rider, I am more than open to taking phone calls and setting up a schedule. Provided they are a smooth and safe racer, knowledgable of the rules for the MRA I can recommend them. If they are erratic on the racetrack I generally tell people they need a little more time. I find that people that have the ambition to come out and race, they generally have a bit of a “knack” a built in natural talent…. There are few people that I work with where”Yeah, you shouldn’t really be on this bike”.
Kent: Last year you were able to introduce a fair amount of regional sponsorship to the sport. It may be a sore spot – since I don’t see it this year, so this may be your oportunity to explain how we may have ruined that.
Ricky: Well, I don’t think that it’s really how the racers responded to it, as much as I was unable to secure that sponsorship for myself. I feel that yeah, a couple of the racers took advantage, which really upset me. I laid out the plans at the beginning of the year. Anytime you bring money into a club, and there wasn’t a bunch of stipulations – it sorta became a sore spot here and there – but it was definitely the minority.
Kent: I know the novices that benefited from it last year certainly appreciated it. It was my interpretation that it may have been a lack of effort on the racers part (ie. Thank you cards or phone calls) that my have led to the end of the deal.
Ricky: I certainly think that if the winners or members of the MRA sent in some thank you(S) and acknowledged what was going on, the sponsors would have seen that the response to there efforts was much greater. So, anytime you talk to a sponsor, they want to know what are they gonna get out of you for helping you. If you have more people coming into your business and saying they saw your sticker on someone’s race bike and blah blah blah, that certainly helps out.
Kent: Regionally, do you think our standards are good enough… or do you miss the good ol’ days when it was just a small club?
Ricky: Nah, I feel it’s a show, a professional show. That goes to both ends, both the MRA as the promoter and the racers… how they present themselves. If it organized and well run, and they put on a good show for everybody, it’s a winning situation for all… but when you have an organization that doesn’t know how to organize – or racers that are whining or so forth… it just doesn’t look professional. When you click on a professional race, and see how things are done. You go “wow, that’s impressive”. The races start on time and they end on time, the racers know how to talk… to thank their sponsors, and display the product on their motorcycles cleanly, the pit areas are neat. The families come in and they have pictures to sign… it’s a whole complete situation from front to back. I don’t trhink people want to come out and see something that is done shabilly. When you go to an AMA National and you see twenty 18-wheel trucks with logos and brand names on them – its an impressive view. When you come out and see a couple of 1962 Dodge pickup trucks with dog leashes hangin off the sides… you know, flat tires and oil leakin… its just not as impressive as a show.
Kent: Other people I talk to mention of the series expanding to other states. The chance to ride with the MRA in New Mexico or Utah. How do you feel about that?
Ricky: Well, I don’t think the MRA has really acceled at promoting the event, with scheduling and so on. I don’t think they should take on more, they need to refine what they have here. That’s not a cut against the MRA, as I am a committee member, and enjoy helping the club out. You have to realize that the people that are running the club are somewhat volunteers. You go to work and do you “9 to 5” job, then you come home and run the MRA. The club is on the fence now to expand and be run like a real business. Which means, they need to hire someone to do nothing but run the MRA, which I think is real, real close to happening. At this point, for the club to try and take on anymore – ie out of state events. There’s just not enough help and effort from the committee because their “9 to 5” jobs… people just don’t have the time to do anymore.
Kent: You’ve been around the country, you’ve been from state to state, you know how far other racers have to travel to get to their events. Do you feel the MRA racers have gotten spoiled?
Ricky: The MRA racers are definitely spoiled when it comes to travel time and entry fee. There is probably no other racing club, in the United States, that has access to 3 or 4 race tracks… all within a couple hours drive. Most guys are looking at a 6 or 8 hour drive just to get to a track and only having one or two tracks maximum, that are practicle to get to. With being able to run Second Creek in both directions, plus Mountain View and Pueblo – that’s four right there. Plus we get to run at Pikes Peak once a year. Unfortunately, we lost Steamboat this year. Entry fee wise, this club is probably the lowest in the country. When the Formula USA people showed up and they wanted $150.00 per class to enter, a lot of the racers did not enter because they thought that was too much money. When I enter a “National”, that $150.00 fee is common. When you can race for around $75.00 around here, yeah you think $150.00 is kinda expensinve… but its really more of a standard.
Kent: As racing facilities go, because we have so many places, and they are so close, do you feel they match up to say the East Coast locations?
Ricky: Yeah, when I started racing, in Florida, we used to do a lot of camping… there was a lot more room. Out here, we seemed to have been blessed / cursed with two very tight tracks. We don’t have the facilities to put on camping. Its kind of a bad thing, however the upside is that the tracks are so spectator friendly. You can sit in the stands and watch 90% of the race action. Most race tracks, if you sit down, you see one or two turns – so its kind of a pros and cons situation there. I think it would be neat if we had a bigger venue that was grassy and allowed people to camp out, provide bands, and make a special event. The venues up here are too small for that, and Pueblo doesn’t seem to be enticing enough to get the turn out there… so yeah, I think we may be lacking a bit in the sense that if we had a larger facility well….
Kent: What advice do you have for the new sportbike riders that you see on the street? Ricky: Street Riders? Uumm.. Be smart. It’s the same advice I usually give to most riders. Keep in mind that there are reactions to every action. There’s a lot of people riding on the street WAY too aggressive, which puts themselves in danger, as well as other people in danger. If you wanna ride that hard, the race track is by far the better place to make that happen. Getting into a class, mine or anyone elses, will get you more information. Getting on the racetrack, well if you got the need for speed, its just the place to do it. When I get out on the street, with people knowing me as a fast roadracer, they expect me to be tearing up the streets. I’m pretty mellow on the street, cause I get my ya-ya’s off at the track. Passing on double yellows… running loud pipes… you upset a lot of people. It just doesn’t do the sport or the industry any good at all. I like to be a “wild child” as much as anyone, but there are places to do that. In the publics eye, we’re all a bunch of Heathens anyway, so trying to keep it more sedate on the street is the right thing. The right riding gear is a big thing too. I kinda cringe everytime I see a newer rider get on a bike, and have no protective gear. No helmet, no jacket, no gloves… its funny, the longer you ride and the more time you spend in the saddle… the better rider you become. You realize the importance of safety gear. The riders that have been aroung the block a few times generally ride with more safety gear. Whereas the newer riders generally with less experience ride without (the gear). It really doesn’t make any sense.
Kent: Ok, we’re in the home stretch….
Ricky: Favorite Color?
Kent: blue
Ricky: Favorite Ice Cream?
Kent: Chocolate
Ricky: Banquet Meal….. Beef or Chicken?
Kent: 50 / 50 choice
Ricky: If women were classed like motorcycles, what would be you favorite model? Kent: Oh… probably a 125