AMSOIL Swapmoto Live Race Series Profile | Richard Taylor

June 11, 2019

AMSOIL Swapmoto Live Race Series Profile | Richard Taylor

Age: 20

Hometown: Woodland Hills, California

Classes Raced: Open Pro Sport, 250A, 450A

Sponsors: Suzuki, Simi Valley Cycles, FXR, Bell, Eks Brand Goggles, Dunlop, Pro Circuit, Rekluse, K&N Filters, Guts Racing, UFO Plast, D’cor Visuals, ODI, Sunstar Sprockets & Chains, CTi Knee Braces, VP Racing Fuels, Gaerne, Tamer, FCP Racing

Richard Taylor Jr. is like family to the Swapmoto Live crew, and it’s been fun watching him grow up and gain speed and experience on a motorcycle. A one-time minibike tester for us in our TransWorld Motocross days, LRT is now a top contender in the pro classes at the Swapmoto Race Series. Son of our long-time test rider Rich Taylor, owner of EKS Brand Goggles, “Little” Richard won the 450 Pro class at our Glen Helen finale of the West Coast Open series, besting seasoned pro Alex Ray. We caught up with him after the day was done.

How long have you been an amateur pro? Can you tell me a bit about that journey?

This is my second year in the A class. Which is racing pro at all the amateur events and then this year I went through the road to Supercross program and earned my license for Supercross. So next year, I’ll be racing real Supercross and real motocross.

What’s the process of earning your license for Supercross?

Well, 2019 the first year they are doing it. They have amateur days the Sunday after certain Supercross rounds where they tone the track down and you have to finish a certain position in the Supercross Futures class to earn points towards your license. Then after earning a certain amount of points, you can apply for a real Supercross license and I earned that this year.

How many rounds are there and how many points are required to earn your license?

You only have to do it until you have all of the points. There were 8 rounds and you had to earn 6 points to get your license. It’s actually really hard to get the points. There are around 80 people who sign up for this stuff. You’ve got to qualify in the main events which is honestly the hardest part because the races are so short, the heat races are only 4 laps long, so if you don’t get a good start you’re screwed. Once you qualify into the main, if you get top 10 then you get points towards your license.

What does your training routine look like during the week?

I used to do a lot more stuff in the gym, but now that I’ve gotten so tall, I feel like I’m strong enough. So I just do lots of cardio, lots of running, the rowing machine, mountain biking. I think I’m going to start road biking more too, but I don’t do a lot of road biking right now. I just try to do something every day that’s cardio related.

Having a dad that runs a business within the motocross industry; do you help him out or feel like you need to take over the company when you get older?

I definitely help him out. I’ll go into the office and help him do orders sometimes and when I’m at the tracks and my dad isn’t at the vendor booth, I’ll help out. I don’t feel pressured to take over the business, it doesn’t seem like something I have to do if I don’t want to, but it is cool to have that there and be involved. I think it’s helpful for him too and the company because it gives him an excuse to come out to the track all the time and set up a booth to sell stuff if I’m racing anyway.

You recently made the switch back to Suzuki, can you explain that move?

I had a short run at Yamaha. I went to Simi Valley Cycles and they’re awesome. Dwayne, Gary, Gilly, and everybody at Simi Valley Cycles seriously helped. They got me a Yamaha to use for the year. I just wanted to try something new. I kind of plateaued, I was previously on Suzuki and just felt stuck. I went to Yamahas and honestly the bike is great. I just had some issues with some durability things with the motorcycle. The support level was awesome, but I wasn’t getting free parts or unlimited things from Yamaha at all, so it was getting really expensive. Lots of things kept needing to be paid for that we weren’t expecting. Chris Wheeler at Suzuki was willing to let me come back and he is still helping me a whole bunch. He’s helping me with bikes and parts. It’s just been a massive improvement from when I was on them previously. We’ve done a lot more new things with the motorcycle. I’m running a taller seat foam now. I’m running different engine mounts. Lots of different things to where I have the bike better now than I’ve ever had it before. I’m actually really really happy with the switch back and it’s more support. I love everyone at Suzuki, so it just works out.

What changes have you made to your Suzuki now that you’re back?

I’m 6’2″ and when I was on Yamaha, Guts Seat Foam sent me a bunch of tall seat foams to try. It was a massive improvement. I went to a taller bar bend and a taller seat foam, it was awesome. So when I went back to Suzuki, I brought that over with me. Guts sent me some more tall seat foams and I ran the tall bar. The combo honestly wasn’t as comfortable on a Suzuki as it was on the Yamaha, so I just messed around with things and I found that the traditional lower bar bend I like to run worked really well with the tall seat on the Suzuki. It really helps being a taller rider, I don’t have to lift my leg as high in all the corner, it doesn’t catch on the ground as much. Things like that really help me get comfortable on the Suzuki. I’ve actually gotten the bike to where I love it right now.

With your dad being an old pro, how much of his advice do you take and other times brush off?

My dad being an ex-pro is really good. He can definitely help with a lot of things, like line choice and technique on the bike. It’s funny though because sometimes when it’s your dad or someone in your family, it relates to everything. For example, sometimes its harder to listen to them even though I know he knows what he is talking about. when I listen and really focus on what he’s telling me it is super beneficial at the track. It’s always better when he is here.

Does your dad tag along with you to your races? Or do you drive solo across the country for big races?

Whenever I got to a big race, he is usually always there. During the week when I practice, I usually go by myself or with people I train with like Colton Aeck or Justin Hoeft, who I’m going to start to train with more. We ride together sometimes. He doesn’t usually come on practice days, but weekends, races, bigger races, whenever I travel, he is always generally there.

Since you’re a pro at the Swapmoto Race Series, how do you like the way we run the program?

I think it’s really cool the way the series runs with the classes on different tracks because it gets us out of here quicker. Today, it’s only 1:00 in the afternoon and I’m already done! I really like it. You guys listen to things we have to say about the track, like there was kind of a sketchy section that was on a jump face and they went out and fixed it.

With your experience of motocross tracks from Supercross to amateur races, what are your favorite track obstacles?

Since I’m only getting my feet a bit wet with Supercross, I think I’m really going to like Supercross whoops. I know it’s not something everyone will get to encounter, but already I’m not as intimidated by them as I feel like a lot of people are. My legs are really long so it’s harder for me to get into trouble in them. Then on a regular motocross track, I like big floaty jumps, there’s not a lot in California, but there are a lot of them in Texas. I like jumps and long deep ruts.