Ryder DiFrancesco | SuperMini Sweep

INSTAGRAM | @ryderdifrancesco199
INSTAGRAM | @foxmoto

Every generation has a standout. For the last few years, Ryder DiFrancesco has been that rider for minibikes. What other racer do you know that had AT&T make a cable documentary about their family, had management representation from NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick’s firm, or had logos for fast-food brands like Hunt Brother Pizza on their kits all before their 15th birthday? The Bakersfield, California, rider has long been a force and his run at the 2020 AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship cemented his legacy in amateur motocross.

DiFrancesco has had his share of ups and downs at the big amateur event. His first success came in 2011 with a 51 (4-6) AMA 1 Stock title, a championship he defended in 2012, but he was a bit off in his lone class in 2013 and missed 2014 completely. Overall wins in 65 (7-9) Limited in 2015, 85 (9-11) Limited in 2017, and Mini Sr 1 (9-12) and 85 (9-12) in 2018 proved that he was still one of the top young riders in the world, even if his title tally wasn’t adding up as rapidly as a guy like Mike Alessi.

But the missed opportunities past years didn’t matter much in 2020, as DiFrancesco entered this year’s race as the heavy favorite for SuperMini 1 and SuperMini 2 and was armed with a factory-built Team Green Kawasaki KX. Everything coming into the race looked to favor DiFrancesco and all eyes were on him when two of the most coveted classes in the week-long event hit the track.

It became clear quite early that DiFrancesco deserved the attention when he stretched out a double-digit lead on second place in Moto One of SuperMini 2 on Tuesday and led every lap in Moto One of SuperMini 1 on Wednesday. Results like that don’t happen by accident at The Ranch and after another win on Thursday in SuperMini 2, DiFrancesco started to realize what he was doing. “Every time I come here I try and put it down, but this year, when I won the first one, then the second one, and then the third one, I realized I was halfway there,” he noted to us at the end of the week. “I knew that I needed to put it down in the last three.”

Despite being a full-time racer and longtime attendee of Loretta’s, there are still some things that DiFrancesco has to deal with every year, particularly the full gate of 42 riders in each class. The marquee amateur events that dot the calendar are the few times a year that DiFrancesco lines up against guys like Evan Ferry, Gavin Towers, Jayden Clough, and Benjamin Garib, and the very different riding styles between this group makes for an even deeper field. “It’s different because I don’t get to race Evan Ferry and those guys week in and week out. It’s different coming here because you are racing different guys with different riding styles,” he explained. “I enjoy it and with five fast guys, it’s hard to win every moto.”

If Loretta’s is a stressful event for Ryder D, he doesn’t show it. The DiFrancesco camper was next to Kawasaki in the paddock and looked onto the start straightaway, which meant that there was little relief from the noise of the event. Instead, the family and their friends, including riding coach Ivan Tedesco, relaxed between races and joked just like everyone else on the property. The racer would pop over to the track to see key motos, lingered around the staging area in fresh Fox Racing gear and a pair of pricey sunglasses, and downplayed the fact that every photographer aimed their cameras at him once he wheeled the bike into the starting line.

Saturday’s finale was DiFrancesco at his best, literally. A convincing win in the last race of SuperMini 2 netted him his first title, while a 1:53.600 lap time in Moto Three of SuperMini was his fastest lap of the entire week, which helped him complete the six-for-six sweep and put another number one plate in his possession. He confidently coasted from the finish line to the cooldown zone, knowing that there was little way he could have been better. “I won all six motos and both titles. I had never done that before, but I put it down this week,” he quipped when it was all over. “I took it race by race and clicked them off. You can’t get any better than six for six and two titles.”

What comes next for 15-year-old Ryder DiFrancesco? “Whenever we get the 21 Kawasaki, I’ll be on one. The 250F is up next, in the B Class,” he boasted after the race. They grow up so fast.