The Glendale Star
14
February 3, 2022
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Supercross’ Raper, Blose anticipating local race BY BRENDAN MAU
Glendale Star Staff Writer
The Valley’s Deven Raper and Chris Blose will hit the dirt on their home field for the Monster Energy Supercross Championship tour at State Farm Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 5. “It’s super fun,” said Blose, who graduated from North Phoenix High School in the Paradise Valley district. “So many fans and friends and family come and watch me do what I do. And something I get to enjoy with everybody.” The Glendale appearance marks his last tour in his storied career. The 34-year-old started racing Supercross in 2006 and earned a bronze medal at the X Games, a ninth-place finish at the 2019 Western Regional 250SX Class; a 2019 Australian Supercross SX2 championship the 2016 AMSOIL Arenacross Championship runner-up; eight AMSOIL Arenacross overall wins (250AX Class); six Monster Energy Supercross 450SX Class top 10 finishes and 13 Monster Energy Supercross 250SX top 10 finishes. Last season, he landed in 11th place overall on the tour with four top 10 finishes. “Since this is definitely my last year, I’m trying to enjoy all the moments,” he said. “When I sit on the line, I see all the fans around me. It’s those little moments that I’m trying to take in. I want to do the best I can and have it be my best year yet. I want to go out with a bang.”
This season has a different meaning for the 31-year-old Raper, a Red Mountain High School graduate. It’s his first tour since suffering a broken pelvis and two broken vertebrae in a preseason crash in November 2019. “That was one of the biggest injuries you can have in motocross for sure,” Raper said. “It was a bad one. And I always thought if I had a big injury like that, that I would probably just call it. But I didn’t want to let it go, I wasn’t ready yet. So, I worked hard to get back into shape and it took me four months of doing physical therapy every day to be able to just walk alone. Once I healed, I went back to racing, but it was still a very big mental block to kind of open back up and go to speed.” Raper, who has been racing professionally since 2009, has had his best season start. “In years prior, I’ve haven’t peaked in the season until after the halfway point,” Raper said. “So, with Phoenix being the fifth round in (of the tour), it’s pretty soon, but I’ve got everything kind of lined up. And I think this year is the year where I can make my first main event in my hometown race, so I’m really looking forward to it and really just work-
Deven Raper
ing towards it every single day.” Blose and Raper come from motocross families. Blose started pushing the pedals at age 3, while Raper started at 8. Raper’s father and older brother are professional riders. However, Raper has financially supported his efforts, and that motivated him. Qualifying for the main event in Phoenix may seem like “doing the impossible, but (something) I’ve done before” being a privateer on this stage. A privateer is a racing entrant who is not directly supported by a manufacturer. He strives to use this platform to influence the next generation. “I want to find somebody who has the passion and the talent to go as far as I have just being a privateer with a small budget with the best in the world,” he said. “I would love to be in a position to make a living running a team and giving someone else like me as a kid the opportunity.” Blose is considering what he’s going to do next. “I’ve been doing this since 2006, so it’s definitely taken its toll on me,” he said. “And now I have a wife and two kids, so I want
Chris Blose
to be home more and experience that life with them. I started my own dirt bike suspension company just recently on the first of the year. So once the season’s over, it’ll be full on with that.” Like Raper, Blose wants to inspire upand-coming riders. “When I’m at the practice track, I really tried to talk with people and be friendly and just be like a normal person in their eyes,” he said. “I might be someone who might race supercross and kind of who they look up to, but I just tried to be a normal person that can sit down and talk with them and have fun. People always ask me, ‘What do you tell people to make them be better? What can I do?’ “Honestly, just have fun. We all started racing dirt bikes and riding dirt bikes because it was fun. If you’re not having fun, it’s not worth it. So, it’s just to stay safe and have fun with it.” Raper is proud to be one of two pro riders from Arizona. “My whole family is there,” he said. “This race is an annual thing, and my title sponsors are from Arizona. Kelly’s Kawasaki is a bike dealership in Mesa. And then RJC racing, my sponsor Dale, is a general contractor out of Mesa as well. He owns restaurants, and we always have a get-together at his restaurant the night before the race, and it’s a cool feeling. I’m stoked that we get to race in my hometown, because it definitely brings a lot more energy than any another one.”
Monster Energy Supercross
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 5; gates open/practice and qualifying starts at noon; FanFest from noon to 6:30 p.m.; opening ceremonies at 7 p.m.; and racing starts at 7:30 p.m. WHERE: State Farm Stadium, 1 Cardinals Drive, Glendale COST: Visit website for information INFO: seatgeek.com, statefarmstadium.com
