Partridge hits new heights in Supercross

When sitting still on a dirt bike, most riders teeter from left foot to right foot to stay upright.

But not Kyle Partridge.

The Las Vegas native and Bonanza High School graduate will be the biggest Supercross rider Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium. At 6 feet 5 inches and 185 pounds, he towers over his competitors and outweighs most by 30 to 50 pounds.

“Guys always ask me if I play basketball,” Partridge said. “I’ll play at the gym with friends sometimes, but I never had time to work on it a lot.”

That’s because the 20-year-old has been flying across desert trails and Supercross tracks since he was 3.

Partridge has been using his height as an advantage in the whoops section, a series of close mounds where having longer legs can help absorb the pounding. But he said his height is a disadvantage when trying to carry speed through corners.

”It’s hard for me to lay the bike over because my legs are so long,” he said.

Partridge will be riding a Honda CRF250R for the MB1 race team Saturday in the Supercross Lites East-West Shootout.

He’s having the best year of his professional career despite running for a small Southern California team that doesn’t receive major support from a motorcycle manufacturer. He is 14th in the AMA Supercross Lites Western Region with three top-10 finishes and a best of sixth place in San Francisco in February.

Saturday’s race could help him earn more support from potential sponsors.

“(Factory teams) have unlimited parts, motors and anything they need,” he said, adding that he’s riding the same bike he started the season with.

Partridge said he had an opportunity with a well-funded team a few years ago but admitted he became complacent about getting a guaranteed paycheck.

“Now I’d rather have a contract loaded with incentives. That’s the best way for me to excel,” he said. “I’ve learned the harder you work, the luckier you get.”

Or at least until a week ago during a heat race in Seattle.

Partridge was leading late in his Lites heat when Martin Davalos made what observers believed was an overly aggressive move that knocked Partridge off the track and cost him an opportunity to win.

Partridge retaliated by clipping Davalos’ bike after the race, and an ensuing on-track scuffle led to both racers being disqualified from the event.

“My temper got the best of me,” Partridge said. “I apologized for what I did. It was out of character for me. I want to try to forget about it.”

The move cost him about $5,000 in potential prize money.

Partridge graduated from high school two years early to devote more time to riding. He moved to Southern California, where most of the major players in the Supercross industry are located. His success this year has allowed him to practice at Honda’s facility in Corona, Calif.

Partridge said he looks forward to Las Vegas visits to see friends and his parents, who live in Summerlin.

And he’s always willing to take a tip from his brother Jason, 29, who was an top prospect until a back injury stalled his career 12 years ago.

“We traveled all around the country going to races when we were kids,” Partridge said. “He’s been a big influence because he never gave up.”