My name is Darrell Ricks Jr., but I am known around the track and amongst my friends as D.J. Ricks. I have been riding bikes off and on since I was 5yrs old. I am now 36yrs old and I have been road racing for about 7 yrs now. I have always wanted to be a road racer but living in Louisiana there were no tracks here and really there were no avenues that stood out to put me on the path I needed to be on in order to race. When the track was built here in Louisiana(No Problem Raceway) I pieced together a 96’zx-6r and took it to the track. Just as could be expected I was instantly hooked. I will never forget that first race. I crashed in practice on Friday and broke my collar bone and cracked my hip. I returned to the track on Saturday to qualify for the race on Sunday. On Sunday, I had to have my brother (Chris) help me onto my bike so I could race. I finished the race in 10th. I felt like I won that race just being that I waited so long to have that opportunity.
Well after several different bikes and doctors’ visits, here I am racing with CMRA, WERA, CCS, and my first year in the AMA. I am planning on making my first AMA appearance at the Heartland track in Topeka, KS. I have financed my own racing career much the same as everyone else. I didn’t come from a wealthy family or a racing family with a big name. I worked my butt off to finance every race weekend, most of the time living from pay check to pay check. As for my equipment supply…in order to race I would use one set of tires to endurance race on and one set to sprint race on for the whole weekend. Money has always been the biggest hurdle to over come and finding a way to still be competitive has never been easy. It’s been a struggle and a fight, but that is what defines us as racers.
Since there is a track here in Louisiana I am taking advantage of the situation to help all of the guys and girls here in and around Louisiana who is trying to get into racing and need guidance to make the right moves without learning the hard way like I have. I have opened my own race school named Milestone Racing School. It is licensed through CCS at the present time and will be moving forward to other organizations in the future. It is the only road racing school in Louisiana. The school is affordable and has great benefits to offer. One of the instructors that help out is MSF certified. She is there as a great asset to offer assistance to those who are looking to simply learn how to ride, or improve their riding skill and need to process the information at a slower pace. Please check out our web site for more information at www.milestoneracingschool.com.
It is with the help and admiration from guys like Jim Cambora, Wayneand Lee with Komodo that have shown me what is possible. These guys go to the track and devote their time and efforts to anyone who needs it. You can find Jimmy C normally on pit lane during the practice sessions while riders are coming and going continuously after suspension changes done by him on pit lane. The one thing you won’t see on pit lane is Jimmy C charging people for this service. He is there to help race weekend after race weekend. Racers see what kind of a person he is and they will go out of their way to do business with him because they know he not only knows what he is doing with suspension set up, engine modifications, etc… but he takes pride in everything he does.
Wayne and Lee with Komodo are very similar to Jimmy C. They are at the races promoting their products, keeping race suits, gloves, knee pucks, boots, and other safety gear on hand to help anyone who needs quality gear in a hurry. They not only promote their products, they stand behind them. I recently crashed in my Komodo race suit and the zipper broke and needed to be repaired. This wasn’t the first time I crashed this suit…and Wayne took the suit, had it repaired, and didn’t charge me for it. It wasn’t a fault of the suit, but he took the suit and went beyond what would ever be expected.
My sponsors are not just sponsors. These are people that I believe in, deal with, and trust my life with. I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to answer my questions and lead me down the road I have traveled to get where I am now. My journey is far from over and there will be more questions that will need be answered I just hope to keep finding people like Jimmy Cambora with Raceworx, and Lee/Wayne with Komodo along the way. Last but not least I would like to thank Keith and Shane with Tiger Track Days here in Louisiana for renting the track at NPR and taking the risks of losing money out of their own pockets so the guys and girls around here will have a place to practice, or simply a safe place to ride.
It is with the help from people like I have mentioned earlier that makes it possible for guys like me to push forward and accomplish things that otherwise would remain a dream, a goal, or simply a thought. I would also like to thank my wife for not only supporting me but actively participating in all that I do. Thank you Renée for your devotion and your love.
INTERVIEW WITH D.J. RICKS & KOMODO GEAR
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w1AUqfEsE4
