Ben LaMay | End Of The Road?
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I walked into the Suttel Honda pit area at just before the last motos of the 2019 Paris Supercross were set to start. While the young competitors in the SX2 class waited in the staging area, Ben LaMay watched the big screen and readied himself for the SX1 Finale, one of the many overseas events in his decade-long pro career. “I did a lot of racing in the German Supercross and that stuff is really tight, kind of like Arenacross. The Paris Supercross is a lot bigger and it’s the one everyone wants to hit,” he explained. “When I raced in Germany, I was on Yamaha bikes and I won a lot, so they know my name.” When I what a guy that grew up in Alaska thought about being internationally known as a top racer, he admitted it was something that never crossed his mind. “It’s weird to think about and I never thought about it that way, so it is cool,” he noted. “I guess I took it for granted, that your name is known worldwide. My name isn’t the biggest and I’m not that good of a rider, but people know me and that’s cool to say.”
Don’t let the modesty downplay what LaMay has accomplished in his career, almost always as an independent rider. The past two seasons have been his best, thanks to a steady presence in the 450 class both indoors and outdoors. “Starting off in the Supercross season was great and I made every Main Event except for one when I crashed and hurt my knee that night (Oakland). Every race that I was in was great and I got three 12th place finishes, then got the MotoConcepts fill-in ride, and finished out the season 18th overall,” he recalled of the 2019 Monster Energy Supercross season.
LaMay carried the speed into the summer and earned points in 16 of the motos, but mechanical problems occurred at multiple rounds and LaMay often had to sort things out on his own in the short time between gate drops. “Outdoors, I had some awesome rides. At the end I was my own mechanic or I would find a buddy for a round or have my wife to do, but it was too much. I had some motor problems and bike issues, so it was too much for me to race and be prepared. It was a little bit my fault, I don’t have the money to afford a mechanic so I did what I could.” When something serious happened to LaMay’s bike, like what happened at Southwick, Team Honda HRC and Lars Lindstrom stepped in and offered much-needed assistance. “HRC was really cool and Lars was my go-to guy. I cannot say enough about the Honda guys and how much they helped me,” LaMay explained. “They saw my hard work and that I was there every race. I got the record of most starts outdoors, a record I didn’t even know about. They knew that I was there every time and that I am a hard worker, so that was what they liked to see on the track. They did what they could to keep me out there.”
Since LaMay has been a mainstay on the starting line for so long, I asked if things were expected to be much the same in 2020. LaMay’s answer wasn’t what I anticipated. “I don’t have a ride, so I don’t know if I’m even going to race next year. It’s too hard to do it myself,” he stated. “This will be my eleventh year of doing the full series. I feel like 2019 and 2018 were good results, I made almost every Main Event, and I was mid-pack in those races. And I don’t have anything more than what I had three years ago. It’s tough for me to go out there and show what I can do with things that hold me back. If someone wants to provide me with good support and something that can benefit me, I’ll race. But for now, I only have my setup.”
Looking back at LaMay’s career, it’s clear that he’s made every possible attempt to continue on in the past. There was time with multiple small teams, a short time in Arenacross, the aforementioned international races, and even a side-job as the EKS Brand goggle rep. He knows the ins and outs of how the industry works, understood where he ranked in the running order, and explained the situation without any sense of negativity. It was refreshing to hear in a sport where some feel like the world is out to get them. “My phone has been dead, no one has called. It’s a competitive sport and I could name five guys that deserve rides, so I’m not whining or complaining. I know that this is how the sport is and I just have to deal with it,” the veteran explained. “I could race if I wanted to, do what I have been doing, and make it happen. But I live off of my performance-based paycheck and if I go out to race and have a bike problem or whatever, I’m in the hole. It’s a tough situation to be in.
“Supercross is good, if you are making the Main Events and running within the top 15 to top 20. You can make a good living. But going into the race, you spend money on the entry fees, the flights, the hotels, and all that kind of stuff,” he continued. “You are negative a thousand bucks just going to the race and you have to see what you can do to make it back. Outdoors, that’s a totally separate question. For Supercross the risk to reward is worth it, but outdoors it is not.”
What is the plan should nothing come about before January? “I’ve already applied for jobs. I have to make money somehow. I’m a really good mechanic, I like training kids and helping them come up, so I’m looking for something. I’d like to stay in the industry but if nothing comes up, I’ll step out,” he shared (LaMay was a rep for Monster Energy in Texas in 2018 and said that a job on the Alaskan Pipe Line was one thing he has in mind).
“I don’t know what is going to happen yet, so I’m doing the overseas races to have fun and see if opportunities come up. I’m going to stay fit and be ready so that if a couple of rounds in someone gets hurt, I’ll be there. I have some cool stuff like running a marathon or long-distance cycling races that I’ve never been able to do while racing, so I’ll stay in shape. Whatever happens, happens.”
LaMay has a few more races on his schedule for the rest of 2019 and told me that he’s making sure to enjoy the moment with his wife in tow. “There is a lot of pressure off. It’s all or nothing and you can look at it two ways. Either, ‘I’m not going to race so what does it matter?’ Or, ‘Let’s give it my all.’ I’m just having fun and I like riding dirt bikes because I am a talented guy on one. If I have a good program, where I could afford a trainer and everything, I would be in the top-10. So now I’m just having fun.”
