If you’ve been to a Lucas Oil Pro Motocross race or Monster Energy AMA Supercross race, then you’ve likely seen the MicroBilt PRBC Yoshimura Suzuki Racing rig in the paddock setup, but you may have wondered who this “other” non-factory Suzuki team is, and you might be surprised to find out out that Ronnie Stewart not only rides for the team, he also owns it.
MicroBilt PRBC Yoshimura Suzuki Racing is owned by husband/wife team, of Stewart and his wife, Brooke, the latter taking on the role of Team Manager, hospitality coordinator, team chef, sponsorship coordinator, and just about every other hat you can wear when you own your own professional Supercross and Motocross racing team.
We caught up with Ronnie Stewart to learn about MicroBilt PRBC Yoshimura Suzuki Racing, one of the most unique teams in the paddock, as well as what it takes to own and operate your own team. A smaller team with big-time sponsorship support and a platform intended to help grow the sport, MicroBilt PRBC Yoshimura Suzuki Racing has a unique story to tell.
DirtBikes.Com: How did MicroBilt PRBC Yoshimura Suzuki Racing get started?
Ronnie Stewart: MicroBilt PRBC Yoshimura Suzuki Racing started with MicroBilt’s mission and objective aligning perfectly with ours. I always knew I had to separate myself off the track if I was going to be able to race. My attitude to excel in the pits matched perfectly with MicroBilt’s main objective, to host and entertain their customers.
DirtBikes.Com: How long has the team been around?
Stewart: We started a business relationship five years ago and since have grown to what is now MicroBilt PRBC Yoshimura Suzuki Racing.
DirtBikes.Com: How does a company like MicroBilt PRBC become a title sponsor for a professional motocross and Supercross team?
Stewart: The people at MicroBilt have very intelligent and unique ways to maintain and grow their customer base. They offer guidance and support from in-house employees to ensure they can receive maximum return on investment. With this, we are able to use the resources to leverage other sponsors and make the program successful. They are an outstanding partner, or title sponsor, for our team.
DirtBikes.Com: What exactly is MicroBilt PRBC?
Stewart: MicroBilt is the parent company of PRBC, and they have the world’s largest alternative credit database where they offer things like risk solution tools and credit protection for safe and effective lending. PRBC stands for Payment Reporting Builds Credit and they are an alternative credit score. You enter the bills you pay such as cell phone, insurance, satellite, rent, etc. and that establishes a free PRBC score which lenders recognize. They make it possible to get loans if you don’t have great credit!
DirtBikes.Com: You’re probably one of the most unique teams in the pits. What do you think makes you unique?
Stewart: We are unique because our value comes from what we do off the track. We provide a personalized VIP experience that leaves an impact on MicroBilt’s customers. We put our sponsor’s needs first and look at it as riding and racing is a bonus. That is what it takes to grow and maintain a corporate sponsor.
DirtBikes.Com: Why do you think teams like MicroBilt PRBC Yoshimura Suzuki are important for the growth of our sport?
Stewart: We are trying to create a new industry standard. It’s crucial we recognize small voids to fill off the track and to look outside the industry for sponsorship. We all need to find ways to create value without getting on the podium because there are only a handful of guys that can do that. My hopes are to open up the pathway for more teams to come into the space and to establish longevity by demonstrating it ourselves.
DirtBikes.Com: You’re not only a rider, but also a co-owner as well, correct?
Stewart: Correct, my wife and I have a lot of moving parts, and it’s on us to make the program work. Owning the team sounds really cool, but the harsh reality is you don’t have a team or a business without your sponsors, so I look at is as MicroBilt and PRBC are our partners in racing. You don’t see a huge RSR Racing LLC logo on the rig since we are not the financial source behind the team.
DirtBikes.Com: What is your favorite part about owning and riding for your team?
Stewart: My favorite part about owning and riding is just that, the riding and racing! The team gives me the platform to live out my greatest passion, and that’s really cool. It’s also cool to use the team to make a difference in other people’s lives as well, from riders, to fans, staffing, etc.
DirtBikes.Com: And co-owning with your wife, that’s definitely the most unique situation in the pits. Is there effort put in to separate yourself from work/team stuff and just be Mr. and Mrs. Stewart when you can?
Stewart: Doing this journey with my wife is awesome! Creating a lifetime of memories and living our dreams together is something I’m incredibly thankful for. It can be hard to separate work and being husband and wife because it consumes our whole world, in a good way. I’m loving the ride, but we have to make weekly efforts to drop SX and MX and do and talk about other things in life!
DirtBikes.Com: What’s the most challenging part of living out of an RV for the majority of the Pro Motocross season?
Stewart: We travel with the Pro Motocross series in our second rig, which is a freightliner Motorcoach. The most challenging part is the limited refrigerator space. We provide team dinner and meals for the crew Friday night and Saturday’s so it’s always a challenge to have enough room for food. We must be strategic with our shopping and meal plans.
Stewart: We absolutely strive for results on the track, but we wouldn’t stand a chance to show a real return from just what we do on the track. We grow and acquire sponsorship through hospitality, fan activation, social media, website, trade stops, being approachable, and being positive role models. We provide value for MicroBilt by providing their clients complete access to our team transporters, riders, staff members, and sometimes things like track walk, etc. We treat them like total VIP’s. We have marketed our trucks and pit area to where our VIP’s have a clear image in their minds of MicroBilt, and associate this experience with them. We ensure they leave totally happy and then hope this makes the difference with brand loyalty and company spending with MicroBilt. After our meet and greets and entertaining, they see the best show out there. It’s hard not to have a great time at Supercross and Motocross events!
DirtBikes.Com: You’re not quite a factory team, not quite a privateer.
Stewart: Yes, we don’t have factory support, but we don’t like to consider ourselves a privateer effort. I feel like when people reference privateer, it’s a way to say “poor me,” or “I don’t have a lot of support”, or it just seems a little down in general. So we like to think we are just a running team that holds a high standard for professionalism and work ethic. Teams like MicroBilt PRBC Yoshimura Suzuki Racing are important to grow the sport. We welcome new fans each week to and that helps grow the sport.
DirtBikes.Com: If there were one “Factory Team” resource that you could have that you don’t yet have access to or sponsorship for, what would it be?
Stewart: One factory resource would be the ability to have equipment in multiple places. California is the best place to be December through the end of January. Then when the Supercross series is on the east coast it’s best to be in Florida. In between Supercross and Motocross it’s best to be back in California, and then back to Florida for the summer during the outdoors. This would mean you need equipment in both training locations and on the race hauler for racing. You would need two places to live, etc., so it’s not just one thing. You couldn’t give one rider just one thing and expect them to improve dramatically. It’s an entire program and process to progress in our sport. We can travel around since we are mobile in the RV, but sometimes the time it takes to travel decreases riding, training, and resting time.
DirtBikes.Com: What goals do you have for the team for the second half of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship season? And for 2018 Supercross? And in 5 years?
Stewart: The goals I have for the team in the second half of the motocross season is to have Cheyenne [Harmon] healthy and back racing, to exceed sponsor expectations, and for me to keep scoring top-20 results in motos and overall finishes. Our goal for 2018 is to add more partners so we can continue to grow as a team. If we can expand on our team model, we can create longevity and be able to run well into the future. It would be great to continue our relationship with Suzuki and offer a place for RMARMY riders to go.
DirtBikes.Com: How do you like to spend time in the off-season?
Stewart: I like to spend time with friends and family in the off-season. My goal is to spend more quality time with my wife since sometimes that falls to the side when we are so busy. Then of course do everything possible to be at Anaheim I with a strong and healthy body and team!
DirtBikes.Com: Anyone you’d like to thank?
Stewart: I would like to thank my wife Brooke, MicroBilt, PRBC, Yoshimura, Suzuki, Liberty Elevator Corp., H&S Enterprises, Ecstar Genuine Oil, ISC Racers Tape, 50 Yardline Sports Bar, RG3, Strikt, Hinson Clutch Components, DeCal Works, Hellbound Racing, 6D, Novik, Motostuff.com, Sunstar, DT1 Filters, Dubya, Kite Parts, Works Connection, VP Fuel, Von Zipper, and Matrix Concepts.
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