The 2007 AMA Rookie of the Year for Supercross/
Motocross, won the first two Anaheim Lites events and led the championship points chase for much of the season.
After a few tough rounds, however, the 18-year-old rider is currently in second-place overall with just one round remaining in the West Coast Region Supercross Lites class.
That final race is at Seattle's QWest Field and isn't scheduled until April 26, 2008.
"I'm looking forward to racing in the premier class," said Ryan. "Two months is a long break from racing and this is a new challenge on a whole different level. I've been testing the RM-Z450 and I really like the bike - the way it handles, the speed, it's a great package overall. I think it'll be a lot of fun and a great learning experience for me."
"Since Ryan struggled in the last few West Coast Lites rounds, we felt it would be a good idea to keep him busy and riding over the break," said team manager Roger DeCoster.
"Also, the team's been down a couple riders in the Supercross class with injuries to both Mike Alessi and Michael Byrne, and we owe it to our sponsors, Rockstar Energy Drink and Makita Industrial Power Tools, to be well represented in the premier class.
"So we are giving Ryan a shot on the RM-Z450 and, so far, he seems to have adapted well to the bike. We'll give it a try for a few rounds and see how it goes," DeCoster added.
