RPW Column: Mid-Season Changes Helped To Make Ryan Bartlett A Better Racer In 2020

Column By: BOBBY CHALMERS / RPW – WATERTOWN, NY – Who knew that 2020 would be a different year in racing for Ryan Bartlett? I mean, seriously, who knew this season would be like no other?

Shocker I know, but from a shortened schedule, to engine and suspension changes, this past season was quite the roller coaster for the Can-Am Speedway driver. Even with the changes, every one of them had positives and helped to make the Watertown, NY-native a better racer.

From the moment the racing world stopped in March, though his final start of the season, Bartlett felt confident, in more ways than one, that he would be able to sit behind this wheel in 2020 and run well.

“I was optimistic from the start,” Bartlett said. “I knew that if we just followed the guidelines the government set in place that everything would work out for some weekly racing. Next year, I’m guessing, is going to look very familiar to what we just experienced.”

From the drop of the first green flag, even during a pandemic-plagued campaign, once Ryan strapped in, each race was just like the others. However, did he enjoy the success he had hoped for?

“I wouldn’t call 2020 a success for us, but I wouldn’t say it was a failure, either,” he said. “We tried a few different things that we’ve never run before. We were also one of the only cars still running a torsion bar rear suspension.”

One of the biggest changes the team faced this year might have come out of necessity.

“After a motor failure early in our season, we ran a W16 powerplant for the first time,” he said. “That was another learning curve we had to deal with.”

What did Bartlett feel were some of the differences between his built motor and the W16?

“That engine required a little more gear and it wasn’t as strong coming off the corner,” he said. “It also required, in my opinion to favor running the outside groove of the track to keep the momentum and RPM’s up.”

Being down a little bit in the engine department did have an advantage, though.

“It definitely helped who I was as a driver,” he said. “It made me become a smoother driver to try and get the most out of it.”

Will the W16 combination see time inside the frame rails of Bartlett’s race cars in 2021?

“We’re working on a couple different deals right now,” he said. “However, we should have the W16 as well as two other built motors in the rotation from Dan at Bedell Racing Engines.”

Another change the team put in place this year was the switch to DIG Racing Shocks in mid-August. Bartlett feels like that change really helped step his program up as well.

“I felt like the switch helped us to pick up some speed,” he said. “We haven’t had new shocks in a couple years. We just fixed the old ones when we’d have issues. DIG has a great product and wonderful hands-on track support. Brandon (Planck) was there with us for the majority of our races and really seemed to get us going in the right direction.”

Even with all the changes the Bartlett team was making in 2020, one thing that stayed constant was the chassis. While a majority of teams were either running or switching to the Bicknell brand, Ryan and his team stayed tried and true with Troyer.

“Overall, I was very happy with how our cars handled and they responded well to the changes we would make,” he said. “We were racing against and even stouter field of competitors with a large field of cars at Can-Am. If not for a couple mechanical failures, we would have been top 5 in points.”

The hard work the team put in helped to net Bartlett his best finish of the season, a second at Can-Am, in August. He may have been in victory lane if not for track champion, Mike Maresca, sneaking by him with just under 10 laps to go. Had he ever thought about straying from the Troyer Camp?

“We have tossed the idea around over the years, but believe in the Troyer product and the brand,” he said. “We want to continue to buy American and they have amazing craftsmanship.”

Will one of the chassis company’s new TD5 cars be in the Bartlett team’s stable for 2021?

“We’re in talks of possibly getting a new one and going the coil route,” he said. “Their production timeline is mid-February so we’ve got some time there. We’ll see.”

Now, Bartlett’s brother, Tyler is the owner of Can-Am Speedway in LaFargeville, NY. While Ryan doesn’t have any ‘direct’ job at the Friday night track, he does play a big part in the future of the speedway, and the sport in general.

“My only real responsibility at the Speedway is running the kart race program on Saturday nights,” he said. “I’m the race director and work to help develop the youth and foundation of the track for years to come. I really enjoy that part.”

Ryan Bartlett may be young, but he’s been around for quite some time, and been racing for many years. You could put the veteran tag on him and he’d be fine with it. He’s extremely capable of winning races and contending for championships. Don’t be surprised if you see that happen in 2021.