Interview and Intro by Jeremy Ball
Photos by Chad Ruhl
Ryan Ruhl is silent. He doesn’t say much at all. Ryan looks like a stereotypical bmxer. Tight pants, Empire shirts, and Vans on his feet, but what he doesn’t look like is the stereotypical professional car racer.
Ryan has been described as “one of the most talented up and coming young racers in the Midwest.” What car racing fans don’t know is that he also a professional level bmxer who chooses to learn flairs on quarters rather than into foam. “I can’t carve” is his only response when asked about it.
Literally as I was typing this intro, Ryan walked in with both “Sprint Car & Midget” magazine (note midgets are a type of open wheel car…not what you were thinking) and Ride UK. He is a person who is more than deserving of some recognition, so I thought I would sit down with him and ask him a few questions.
Full Name, Age, and Place of Residency:
Ryan Nichalos Ruhl, 25, and Coldwater, Michigan.
How long have you been riding and what got you into BMX?
I have been riding for probably about 12 years. I saw the X Games on television once. It was one of the street courses I saw and it made me want to get a bike Dyno real bad. I didn’t realize that there were other bikes out there.
How long have you been racing cars and what got you into that?
I raced go-karts when I was little and have been racing Sprint Cars for 7 years now. I got into it because my dad would take me to races on Saturday. I thought it was the most bad ass thing I had ever seen. My dad was into car racing because he raced mini-sprints for a while and I guess it just transitioned into me racing when I got the opportunity.
I got my first car in the fall of 2005. It was a used rolling chassis. I built it up over the winter and went into racing thinking I knew a lot. I quickly realized how wrong I was. It has been a work in progress and it is for everyone. Now I’m in a place where I have solid idea of what is going. I’m a bit more level headed than before about what to expect and what to do.
Do the people who you ride with you know you race?
I think the ones I ride with all the time do, but other people are pretty clueless. They only know because someone else tells them.
Explain the idea of sprint car racing for people who don’t understand it or have never seen it.
The cars are just under 700 horse power, open wheel, no clutch, no transmission, and they are push started. The top speed on a half mile track is about 160 mph. The tracks are high banked clay ovals and turn left. The right rear tire is bigger than the left rear. There is a big wing on top and a little wing in front that puts around 800 lbs of down force onto the car to hold it to the track. During the race there are 20-26 other cars on the track as well. NASCAR drivers like Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart got their start racing sprint cars and continue to race them any chance they get.
Do you get the same sensation out of BMX that you do racing?
Sometimes, but it is on a smaller scale. I guess I just always wanted to race for a longer period of time than I have wanted to ride bikes. Right now, you can ride a bike at anytime really, but there is more of a build up to racing. At a race there literally are thousands of people there cheering you on, or screaming that they hate you, and watching everything.
Do you want to explain what your first win was like?
It was pretty radical. I passed my childhood idol who is a local track legend with 8 laps to go and then I passed the leader with four laps. I held on and the celebration began. I got hosed down with Busch Light and got to celebrate with my friends, which was cool. The crowd was cheering and I was pretty excited.
You don’t look like the typical person who would be into sprint cars and or hanging out the dirt track on a Saturday night. How do the people at the track treat you?
I get that a lot, but they treat me pretty normal once they realize I actually race. I think having a race car helps me get along though. They take me serious when they see the time and energy that I put into it.
What did you flip first, your bike or your car?
A bicycle. I’ve flipped my car now on three different occasions. The 2nd time was the worst though. That was the most expensive one. That crash cost me multiple thousands of dollars, which is no fun.
Who are your favorite riders?
Probably Danny Hickerson and Chase Hawk. Danny Hickerson is really smooth and can do so many complicated tricks. Chase Hawk because he goes so fast and makes everything look really good.
Who are your favorite racers?
Steve Kinser and Joey Saldana. Steve Kinser is the King of sprint car racing. He is the 20 time World of Outlaw Champion (the premier series in sprint cars). Joey Saldana is always on the edge and that’s what I really like about him. It always seems like he is going to win the championship but some freak accident always happens and he never does.
Last year you had some highs in the season and some lows. Care to explain?
I got to win my first A-main ever and win my first ASCS Sprints on Dirt race ever, so that was kind of a big deal. So those were definitely the highs. Unfortunately I destroyed my primary car last year, and wrecked by back-up car pretty bad three weeks later.
After that I got picked up to drive for someone. They were floating all of the bills, but the team owner was kind of hard to get along with. This year I decided to go back to owning my own stuff and having complete say over what goes on.
If you had the choice of crashing on your bike or in your sprint car, which would you choose and why?
I would rather crash a bicycle. It is a bit easier to get out of crashing a bicycle with fewer repercussions. It is also definitely less expensive. But I do hate getting shinners.
Any thanks or last words?
I would like to thank my dad, sister, brother, friends, and girlfriend Courtney. Thanks to The Union for putting this up as well. It’s all about hot, nasty, bad ass speed.
Check out RyanRuhl.com for more on Ryan!
