Five Minutes with Ryan Marmont

Andy Wigan

With JDR/KTM announcing they’d be winding up their Australian race team at the end of 2012, season 2013 was always destined to bring big changes for 27-year-old Ryan “Doggy” Marmont. But after his second-place finish in the Australian Supercross Championship (behind America’s Gavin Faith), the former Lites-class national MX and SX champ sure hadn’t expected to be left on the shelf. Over the Christmas holiday period, however, Ryan Marmont’s racing future remained anything but certain. Much to Doggy’s relief, the new year brought new opportunities, and just a day after the quietly spoken Wollongong resident inked a deal with Raceline Pirelli Suzuki in later January, we spoke to him about his expectations for the season ahead.

Transmoto: After such a strong result in the 2012 Supercross and the widespread knowledge that JDR KTM was shutting shop, were you surprised more team managers didn’t approach you?
Ryan Marmont: Yeah, I was. And it was a bit of a shock to be honest. I think it points to the fact the industry is still facing a tough time.

So how did the deal come about with Raceline Pirelli Suzuki?
Well, once I heard that KTM was going to be an Open class-only team in 2013, and that there wasn’t going to be much support going for the Lites class, I got in contact with a few teams. Quite a few, actually. John Tisdale from Raceline Suzuki put together a great package for me, and I believe the team has a lot to offer. I’ve known the Tisdale family for quite some time now. They’re super-nice people who are always keen to go racing, so I think the team is going to be a really good fit for me and my teammate, Geran Stapleton, who’s also new to the team for 2013.

The team’s had quite a bit of success in the past with guys like Lawson Bopping, and then with Errol Willis winning the Under 19s MX and SX titles in 2011…
Yeah, they’ve definitely had a lot of success and the team’s been around for a quite some time now – more than 10 years, I think. They’re a team who’s been consistently there every year and proved they can build great race bikes and win titles.

Word on the street is that you’ve ‘stolen’ your big bro’s mechanic, and that he’ll be your Team Manager and mechanic…?
Yep, that’s right. Benny Lane was Jay’s mechanic this past year at Kawasaki and won the supercross title with him. Benny did have a deal on the table to work with the Factory Kawasaki team in Europe, but it was going to involve a big lifestyle change and it was a bit of a risk for him. He really wanted to boost his personal profile, and one of his aims was to become a team manager or a top technician. So when the Raceline Pirelli Suzuki spot popped up, I thought of Benny straight away. Of course, it would have been great to have Danny Apro with me (_Doggy’s mechanic for the past five seasons – Ed_), but he has a good thing going where he is, so Benny was my next pick. I saw the way he worked with Jay last year and his work ethic is great. I don’t think it’s going to be a really high-pressure kind of job, but it’s definitely a big step up from what he was doing. Benny has already relocated the team up to his hometown of Toowoomba, where they’re fully set up and got everything they need to go racing competitively.

So let’s get this straight – you stole Jay’s mechanic from right under his nose?
Yep, just like that. Boom! (_laughs_) As far as I know, Jay’s sorted for a mechanic next year anyway. He’ll be fine.

What’s the team’s primary focus for 2013? Solely the Lites class, yeah?
Yep. We’re focusing on that next step, and being a really strong Lites team. With a lot of factory teams opting to drop their Lites riders at the moment, it’s created a good opportunity for a team like Raceline to gain some solid factory support. You’ve got to be able to prove that you’re up to it and can justify that level of support, and I think we’re capable of doing that. We’re aiming to bring more professionalism and a higher standard to Lites racing.

After two injury-affected seasons, you came on strong in last year’s ASX series. So what are your goals for 2013?
My goal this year is simple: to win more championships. I’m healthy and my body is back to where it needs to be, so we’ll be going in on an even playing field with everyone else. Last year, we were playing catch-up and it just got worse and worse, so I think season 2013 will be much better. The switch from a Kato to a Suzuki will be interesting, too. It’s like getting a new girlfriend. Actually, I shouldn’t say that – let’s just say it’s like finding a new place to take my wife for a holiday (_laughs_). Seriously though, it feels good to be able to start a season with a clean slate.

Aside from 2009 when your JDR team had those black Yamahas, you’ve raced KTMs since way back in 2001, and you’ve won two supercross titles and a motocross title with KTM. Was it tough to turn your back on that orange chapter of your life?
Definitely. It was a hard thing for me to deal with, and it was probably an even harder decision for Jeff Leisk (_KTM Australia’s General Manager_) to make. Jeff feels like family to us, and it wasn’t a decision that he wanted to make. I tried to do everything I could to stay with that brand, but we left on good terms, and if there’s ever a position available in the future, I’m sure Jeff would have me on the radar. I feel that loyalty is a great thing in our sport, and the last thing you want to be doing is burning bridges with people. That said, Raceline Pirelli Suzuki has also been very loyal to their sponsors and they’re a family who goes racing. So I look really forward to cementing a good relationship and racing career with these guys.

So are you saying you’re a career Lites rider? Cos just two years back, you won an Open-class moto at Appin and proved that you could run with the big boys. Is a 450 ride on the cards for 2014?
Anything’s possible, mate. I feel that as a rider, I could race both classes. I’ve chosen the Lites primarily because of my smaller-than-average build. But it’s also fair to say that it’s harder to land a good ride in the Open class.

How have you adapted to the RM-Z250? Towelling up Jay around your practice tracks already, are you?
Mate, the bike looks trick on the back of my ute – that’s about all I can say right now because I only just took delivery of the RM-Z today. I’m that eager to get out there and have a go. Yeah, it’s a bit of a late start, but our season this year also starts a bit later than normal, so I’ll be fine.

Thanks for your time, Dog. Drop us a line after you’ve smashed your practice track lap record aboard the Suzi, and we look forward to catching up at Raymond Terrace come April 14.
All good. Will do. Yeah, can’t wait for the season. Cheers.