Swapmoto Race Series Profile | Luke Frye

Swapmoto Race Series Profile | Luke Frye

Age: 38

Hometown: Pheonix, Arizona

Classes Raced: 30 Pro

Sponsors: AEO Powersports, Flow Motorsports, All Sport Dynamics, Advance Landscape, Onyx Gloves, Pro Circuit, McMullen MX, MTR

Luke Frye is one of our regular contenders in the Vet Pro class, and his dedication to racing is unquestionable as he makes the drive each round from Phoenix, Arizona. We caught up with Luke in between motos at Los Angeles County Raceway.

You’re a regular at our series and you drive from Arizona on the regular, what keeps you coming back for more?

Just the competition and the whole vibe of the place. We know every time we come out that we’re gonna have good people to race with at these smooth-running series. We can get home at a decent time on Sunday night after the five-hour drive. It’s just a good series!

You’ve been a Vet Pro with us, did you have a regular pro career when you were younger?

No, I didn’t start riding until my early 20s. I raced BMX. I got my first dirtbike in 2004. I haven’t picked up a BMX bike since!

I’ve talked to someone else today that was the same, BMX into motocross. Is it a natural transition?

Oh yeah, most definitely. It goes hand in hand! It’s just all balance, it’s the same exact thing. I think motorcycles are a little bit easier to be honest cause you have the motor to keep you upright. So, they do definitely coincide for sure.

During the week what to do you? We’re all vets, we all have jobs…

I own a landscaping business, I don’t ride, I work my ass off. Then I ride on the weekends. Every weekend, though, I get seat time. No training program, just a shovel! Since it’s my business, I work hard and that’s my training.

Is it hard to just race and not get to practice during the week?

Yeah, it is. It makes it a little difficult, but I make it work. In Arizona, there are no tracks to ride during the week or I would probably make time, you know? We just don’t have anything. We have one track that’s open and it’s not even worth riding.

Is moto the only thing you do for play?

Moto is life! I used to wakeboard and snowboard constantly, but I’ve just gotten away from all of it. Since I turned pro and turned 30, I’ve just focused on this 100%. It’s landscaping and moto. That’s it.

As a Vet Pro, what does mean for you? Is it just a fun release?

It’s both. It’s therapy for me honestly and it’s the competition. I live, I thrive, to be better at something, so it’s something I can work at every weekend to try and get better. That’s why I come out here. It makes practicing and all those weekends at home worth it. That’s the bottom line, you know? It’s all worth it. All the money I spend and all the bikes, most definitely.

You’re on a ’19 Honda CRF450R. How is it and what have you done to tune it to yourself?

Honestly, I like my old ’17 better. They’re different. It’s crazy what they did with the chassis and the swing arm. I put some Factory Chassis Lab motor mounts on. I put some head stays on it. The ’19 is just a lot different than the ’17s. I think they’re super rigid. Honestly, my old ’17 that had over 100 hours on it worked better than my brand new ’19 just because of the time and the flex. I way 120 pounds, so that doesn’t help the setup. It makes it a little harder to set up when you’re tiny. I’m not slow, but I ain’t fast. It’s got 11 hours on it and I’m finally starting to feel comfortable on it.