Ryan Floer: Always On The Go
Ryan is no flash in the pan. He's shown this kind of talent since he Ryan was a sensation in the karting ranks. Climbing to higher levels of competition, until it was time to move on from the tracks of British Columbia. He began to travel across North America pitting himself against the continent's best young racers. Ryan was now a little fish in a big ocean and soon discovered hard work and skill could only get you so far. Money was now the big factor and there was no shortage of parents willing to hire race engineers, data analysts, tire specialists and mechanics, buy new karts, new engines and new tires for every race. Budgets of $30,000 per race were common. Ryan and his dad were outgunned. They decided to enter a handful of races and do the best they could. Ryan scored three top-five finishes including a win in California.
After taking the CASC-OR F1600 Championship in his rookie season, Ryan was again stalled by budget issues. Ryan had all the skills and attributes needed to become a successful racer... but he wasn't rich and needed sponsorship. Undeterred, Ryan rolled up his sleeves and took on two jobs to help fund his racing endeavours. He took courses in public speaking, media and public relations in order to make himself valuable to sponsors. He also spent extra time with his race crew learning more about the mechanical side of racing.
Having achieved so much in his first year of sprint car racing, Ryan would love to parlay success into an oval racing career with an eye toward NASCAR. While Ryan is looking forward to the challenges of oval racing, he has by no means closed the door on road racing. Ultimately, he loves to race... and is very good at it. "I'm fortunate to have opportunities available to me in both oval and road racing," said Ryan. "This opens doors to sponsors interested in marketing via either of those disciplines." "They target slightly different markets, but if I get really lucky," he adds with a grin, "Perhaps I'll find a sponsor that likes both kinds of racing." Whether he's winding his way around a road course or a blazing around a bull ring Ryan simply loves the moment and has an innate ability to extract a car's maximum performance. |
What the Experts Say |
Ryan Floer burst onto the Sprint Car stage in 2007 competing in the Wilroc 360 Sprint Car Series. Having cut his teeth road racing in karts and cars, Ryan came to race sprint cars after making a huge impression during a test for Aggressive Motorsports and the team jumped at the opportunity to take advantage of Ryan's pace and understanding of race machinery. Assembling a new team and building a new car for Ryan, the project was put to the test when the 2007 season got underway. Success came quickly as the former road racer quickly learned the tricks of oval racing and set a blistering pace, establishing new track records at Vernon SunValley Speedway and Calgary Race City Speedway. The highlight of the season came when Ryan was victorious at the Billy Foster Memorial Championship race. He went on to become the 2007 Wilroc 360 Rookie of the Year and took fourth place in the Championship.
first climbed into a racing kart when he was twelve. Even then he'd already proved himself comfortable with speed being a competitive downhill skier since he was eight. Truly competitive to the core, he's raced snowmobiles and mountain bikes, competed in track & field, played on basketball teams, and was a baseball pitcher. Racing could easily have just been another sport and another trophy collection, but something remarkable happened when Ryan went kart racing. Joining the Vancouver Island Kart Club, he quickly shook the established winners from their perches. Not only did he claim the Rookie of the Year title en route to second place in the Championship, he set a new track record and was voted the club's "Best-Liked Driver".
As soon as he turned sixteen, Ryan began racing cars where, at least at the budgets were manageable. He started out attending the Jim Russell Racing School where he was, of course, the fastest driver. He then entered the very competitive CASC-OR (Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs – Ontario Region) Formula 1600 Championship. Despite his age, rookie status and the fact that he was 3000 miles from home, his performances were astounding. in ten races, competing against many experienced and successful drivers, the BC high-school student scored four wins and four seconds, set the fastest race lap at seven races, claimed the championship and took Rookie of the Year honours.
Ryan's shift to oval racing occurred following a sprint car test in 2005. His immediate pace and understanding of race machinery led to a team to undertake an ambitious programme to take full advantage of this new-found talent. A two-year project was undertaken to build a car and assemble a team while Ryan logged thousands of test laps.
While studying Civil Tech Engineering at Camosun College, Ryan maintains an active outdoor lifestyle. He skis, takes karate lessons and has races in the Wilroc 360 Sprint Car series. He further satisfies his need for speed by racing mountain bikes downhill in the BC Cup. Widely recognized as a top competitor, he's scored many top-three finishes riding for DangerBoy Components. He's also a top contender in Extreme Free Riding. Taking on 40-foot vertical drops and pushing the limits of technical stunts, Ryan is one of the riders responsible for taking free riding competition to new levels.