SNOHOMISH – Bill Abrigo returned from a trip to France on Thursday. While he was there, the former professional motorcycle racer from Snohomish was flipping through a French motorcycle magazine and was surprised by what he saw. There in the pages of the publication was his son, Ryan’s, name.
Michael O’Leary / The Herald
”It’s exciting to see your own child being recognized like that,” Bill said. ”To see his name in a magazine in France, it was pretty amazing. It’s been fun for us.”
It’s becoming less and less uncommon for people to recognize Ryan. The 20-year-old Snohomish native is steadily working his way up the pro SuperCross ladder, and Saturday, he finally gets to show his hometown fans what he can do.
Qwest Field will play host to the first SuperCross event in Seattle in five years beginning at 12:30 p.m. (finals are at 7), and as the top-ranked rider from Washington in the circuit, Abrigo will be the local attraction.
”It’s going to be pretty cool, I’m pretty excited,” Ryan Abrigo said. ”I’ve been racing mostly in California and I don’t know anybody there. It’s going to be great to be racing back here. I’m going to have a lot of friends and family there and I think it’s going to sell out.”
The last time a pro SuperCross event was held in Seattle, Abrigo was 15 and one of 70,000 people in the stands of the Kingdome. He hoped that one day he’d be able to race against the big names of the sport, like Jeremy McGrath and Ricky Carmichael.
While he isn’t quite at that level yet, he’s getting there.
Abrigo got his first motorcycle when he was 4, and raced on local tracks until he was 12. By then, he was ready to move on to national amateur events. At 18, he turned pro.
”He always had ambitions to race in big stadiums in front of big crowds,” Bill Abrigo said. ”We used to take him along when I was racing and he was a toddler. We wanted to hold him off from racing for awhile but he wanted to get started right away.”
The first large-scale event Abrigo raced was at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., where he competed in front of over 50,000 fans.
”It was overwhelming,” Ryan Abrigo said. ”All the shows in California sell out, and everyone knows about the sport, so it was intense. I’m getting accustomed to it now that I’ve done it a lot.”
Abrigo found minor success his first two pro years, then had a breakthrough this season. He earned his first national number, 86, putting him among the top 100 riders in the world. He also signed a contract with MotoSport Outlet, based in Eugene, Ore. Getting on a team was huge for Abrigo’s career, as it pays for his travel, supplies him with a mechanic and bikes and works on his publicity. It also allows Abrigo to focus on racing without holding another job.
”Teams want their riders to be at the top and they do everything they can to help them get there,” Ryan Abrigo said. ”You can make a lot of money in the sport, but you also spend a lot. It also pushes you to want to do well, not just for yourself but for your team, because they invest so much in you.”
”He has great desire,” said MotoSport team manager Bill Tanner. ”You’ve got to have that desire without worrying about the consequences. You have to have the nerve to go out and do it, and that’s not easy. It’s a dangerous sport. But Ryan has that nerve.”
Indeed, with racers handling jumps 70 feet long and 30 feet high in tight corners, the chance at injury is great. Abrigo has broken his collarbone twice, two of his fingers, and had knee surgery just before this season to repair a torn meniscus.
”I worry a little, but he knows his limits,” Bill Abrigo said. ”Some of the stuff you see him do, and the way he throws himself into it, it makes you nervous. But the only time I really worry is on crashes. When he gets up, if he looks for his bike, he’s OK. If he looks for a bail of hay to sit on, he’s in trouble.”
Abrigo is currently running in what is essentially the minor leagues of the sport, the 125cc West Region SuperCross Series (there is also an Eastern series). The top riders graduate to the 250cc National Series.
”That’s the ultimate goal,” Ryan Abrigo said. ”That’s where you race the best guys, make the most money, get the most exposure. I’m still three or four years away from that, but that’s what I’m shooting for.”
For now, Abrigo wants to finish the indoor season strong. He started the year placing 19th in Anaheim and 21st in Phoenix. On the day of the Phoenix final, he came down with the flu, sapping his energy for that race and the next as he failed to make the main heat at Anaheim II or in San Francisco. He bounced back with his best race ever, running near the head of the pack at Anaheim III on Feb. 5 before a crash relegated him to 19th.
”I’ve had some bad luck, but it’s been going really well,” Ryan Abrigo said. ”I ran as high as fourth at Anaheim and got a lot of TV time. The biggest thing for me is just learning that I can run with the best guys out there. If you don’t have confidence that you can run at the front, you’re not going to do it.”
”He’s grown up a lot,” said longtime friend and sponsor Brent Davis. ”When you get on this stage, everyone has talent. It’s about who is in great physical condition, which Ryan is, and who has that killer instinct. He’s such a genuinely nice kid that he’s had to develop that. He had to get out of his shell and just go after it.”
Tanner said the team is thrilled with Abrigo’s development. Abrigo currently races for MotoSport’s developmental team out of its Hillsboro dealership, but Tanner said if one of the national circuit riders gets injured, Abrigo will be the first guy they’ll call up.
”We’re really excited with what he’s done for his first year,” Tanner said. ”He’s just a great kid with great heart who is going to go far if he keeps working at it.”
On Saturday, Abrigo is anxious to show fans how far he’s come, and his fans are anxious to see him.
”It’s a big deal for Ryan and for us,” Davis said. ”He’s pretty much the top guy from Washington so he’s going to be representing a lot. I know a lot of people are ecstatic that he gets to compete here, and I know he’s excited.”
”I’m just really glad that he’s doing what he loves to do,” Bill Abrigo said. ”He’s worked so hard at this, it’s great to see it pay off for him. I’m really proud of him.”
For Ryan, he hopes that what he shows Saturday is only a glimpse of what is still to come for him.
”It’s a great feeling to know I’m going to be riding in front of so many people who support me,” Ryan Abrigo said. ”It makes me really want to put on a good show. Hopefully I’ll get the chance to race here every year.”
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