104 SPANNER BY MIKE EMERY
GEICO HONDA’S RICHARD STERLING
Growing up in an area of California where motocross reigns supreme, it was only natural for Richard
Sterling to become a rider and racer. When he realized the dream to become a professional wasn’t going
to come to fruition, his buddy Dalton Bailey enlisted him to spin wrenches instead. Sterling—who knew
the basics by working on his own bike—jumped on the opportunity after taking a few business courses in
college. He spent a couple of years working for Bailey, then moved on to his next gig with Team 51FIFTY,
wrenching for Chris Plouffe. It was there that he credits engine builder Naveen Dassanayake for teaching
him the strong work ethic, effort, and skill it took to make it as a professional in the industry.
The next step was working for amateur Thomas Covington on Team Green Kawasaki, where he got to
work closely with the Pro Circuit staff. “I would look at pictures of Mitch Payton’s bikes and be like, ‘Okay,
this is how it needs to be done,’ and I would try to make my bike look as close to theirs as possible. A move
to N-FAB Yamaha to work for Chris Blose is where Sterling got to learn from Allan Brown. “Allan taught me
a lot and let me know I wasn’t just a parts changer,” says Sterling, who credits the time spent under Brown’s
tutelage as what propelled him to the next level of his profession.
Star Racing Yamaha called next, and Sterling was recruited to tune for Anthony Rodriguez. When
A-Rod suffered an untimely injury, Sterling was paired with a rookie pro named Jeremy Martin, and the
team went on to win the 250 National MX Championship. The two have been inseparable since, and
Sterling even agreed to accompany Martin to GEICO Honda this year. When asked about the success
between mechanic and rider, Sterling answered, “You’re half mechanic and half motivational speaker.
We always stay positive, and you learn your rider and when to push him. We have a bond that can never
be broken.” Read on for some details that Richard was nice enough to share about Jeremy’s number-6
GEICO Honda race bike.Hometown: Lake Elsinore, CA
Years Wrenching: 8
Rider: Jeremy Martin
Past Riders: Dalton Bailey,
Chris Plouffe, Thomas Covington,
Chris Blose, Anthony Rodriguez