It's often been said that you have to watch out for the quiet ones as they can be the most unpredictable. Well, in the case of Ryan Linderman, it's quite the opposite—when it comes to off-road racing that is.
Even though it’s his first year riding in the pro class, this 18-year-old has been a consistent top 10 finisher in the 2013 Kermaxx Off-Road Provincial Series in Alberta and the Royal Distributing Canadian Cross Country Championship - West (CXCC). In fact, at the final round of the CXCC, Linderman went home with a seventh-place finish and enough points to secure a sixth-place position in the final pro standings.
“He’s a great hard-working kid . . . ” said Lee Fryberger, manager of the Corner Grass Racing Team—the team that supported Linderman’s efforts in the CXCC this year.
Linderman, who was born and raised in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, started competing when he was five years old but he was immersed in the racing culture long before that. Having two uncles who were experienced off-road racers to guide him, Linderman quickly moved up through the ranks—earning himself five amateur championships in Alberta and two Western Enduro championships along the way.
RidersWest recently caught up with Linderman to get his thoughts on going pro as well as his plans for the rest of the season.
This year, you moved up from the A class to the pro class, so how did you find the transition? It was easy, just something I had to do. It’s definitely a little harder. (There are) more butterflies when you’re on the line with all the bigger pros.
What bike were you on this year and what do you think of it? A 2012 Husaberg 300. It’s really good. I’ve been riding it for two years now and it barely ever breaks down on me.
Who does the wrenching on it? I do most of that myself because I work at a mechanics shop—Arctic Edge Motorsports.
Your last race was in Grande Prairie but the day before the race, you broke your wrist. How did that happen? I was helping out the little kids and I just came around a corner and there was another guy coming the other way and his handlebar hit just above my handlebar and then my hand.
What are your plans for the rest of the summer? If I’m healed up, there’s one race on the September long weekend. I’m going to try to get to that one. It’s here in the Pass at Racehorse Creek.
What keeps you busy in the wintertime? Working, and we go sledding lots. We do quite a bit of performance work on sleds here and then we get to go and test them out. We work on quite a bit of race cars (too), like drag cars.
Well, we hope you’ll be back racing soon. Any shout-outs or thank yous? Just my sponsors: Husaberg Canada, A&E Racing & Marine, Gamma Sales, Fly Racing, Dragon Goggles, Emperor Racing, Dunlop Tires, SIDI Boots, Motorex, Riders Edge Suspension, Arctic Edge Motorsports, Top Gunn Mechanical and Powersports, Atlas Brace Technologies, Pro Moto Billet, FMF, Warp 9, TM Designworks, USWE Sports, Shorai Batteries, Matrix Concepts, Ryno Powersports Supplements, Fasst Company, Motorex, HiTech Bracing, PG Graphics, Rekluse Canada, Omega Transport, Advanced Pavement Tech and Twin Air.
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