Hey! My name is Ryan Dragunas, and I’m a lover of all things engine related. I’ve been riding dirt bikes since I was 3 years old, and racing since the age of 5.
I must give a huge shout-out to my father for this as he was the one who got me my first bike, taught me how to ride it, and eventually got me into racing.
As a young child, my dad would put me on his lap and take me for rides around the yard, and I’d watch him do wheelies all the way up the hill – this made me naturally gravitate to dirt bikes.
We didn’t have access to training wheels when I first started riding, so my only safety (other than my riding gear) was a rope that my father tied around my waist.
He would run behind me as I was riding, and if I got too close to a tree – You guessed it! He would simply yank me off the bike. This probably sounds a bit harsh, but trust me – it worked.
My first Dirt Bike was an old white Honda Z50. It barely ran, but it was better than nothing. After getting used to the bike (and falling in love with the sport), my father knew that this was something I truly wanted to do.
Fast forward a few months, and on Christmas day I woke up to a fresh, brand-new Honda XR50 sitting in the bath tub (Santa or Dad, who knows?). I was absolutely stoked – this happiness was short lived, however, as the bike was stolen only a few months later.
After begging and pleading for what seemed like forever, my parents were able to scrape up enough money to get me another XR50 so that I could continue to ride and pursue my interest in racing. Since then – I have been absolutely hooked.
My Background
I was raised up racing dirt track and grew to be pretty darn good at it, but what I really enjoyed was riding motocross.
I’ve raced 50cc bikes all the way up to 250 4 strokes and 250 2 strokes (How can you not love a 2 stroke?). I’ve raced tracks all over the East Coast, but my favorite was always Budds Creek.
Motocross is known to be a dangerous sport, and I was no exception.
I had broken countless bones, and after my worst injury which dislocated my femur and broke a chunk off of my hip joint – I decided I needed to tone it back a bit.
I still have a passion for riding and always will, but these days I tend to ride more casually and race a lot less.
Outside of racing dirt bikes, I am an ASE certified Auto/small engine technician as well as a writer for various automotive and motocross sites. I enjoy modifying cars and drifting as well as fishing, cooking, lifting weights, or simply spending time with friends and loved ones.
