Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
We have now reached the May long weekend and in most parts of the country (other than Alberta), the weather has been nice. We have also reached that time in the week when we sit down with Ryan Lockhart to ask him some more questions about current and past topics in our sport. As you know, Ryan has been in this industry for over twenty years and during that time he’s been a rider, a mechanic, a riding coach, and most recently the Brand Manager over at Matrix Concepts Canada. Ryan knows a lot about a lot of things and he’s always a great guy to talk to. Here are this week’s 3 Q’s with Ryan Lockhart presented by Matrix Concepts Canada.
MXP: We got word that both Tyler Medaglia, as well as Burg Gilliomee, are going to be lining up next weekend at Fox Raceway for the opening round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championships. What are your thoughts on these two racing Round 1?
RL: I think I was a little surprised when I first heard this. I will begin with Tyler. I mean awesome and this is what Tyler’s new schedule will allow him to do. I love it to be honest and I think he will do well. T-dags always rises to the occasion and with no pressure on him, I can see him doing quite well. If I were a betting man I would say Top 15 for him, which with a deep field is awesome.
Burg, now this one is a bit random for sure as he isn’t a well-known rider. He’s been pro for a few years but a ton of injuries and the crazy part is he’s only been riding motocross for 5 years. He comes from the Enduro side of things. He’s been in Cali training at Grindstone getting ready for the Canadian series so good on him for taking the leap. He is going to struggle to make the moto’s but I could care less as I’m just proud of him for giving it a shot. In 2018, I worked with him a lot and he went onto win the WCAN in the junior class lol. That wasn’t that long ago.
MXP: On this May long weekend back in 2006 Motopark had a race that featured a big purse for the Pro Class. You had a good day and if I remember correctly you made some decent money. What do you remember about that day?
RL: I remember a lot from that day. Those were the days when I was living at your house and we were doing a lot of training together. It was snowing and cold that day and no one wanted to ride. The field was pretty deep. I went 2-1 for the overall beating Gavin Gracyk. The moto’s were 30 minutes long and I even believe we went to a country dance on the way home to celebrate and to warm up (laughs). Preseason races were always good to see where you stacked up going into the Nationals. Another thing I remember is that although it was really cold that weekend, the next weekend was the opening round of the Nationals in Ste. Julie and it was really hot and humid!
MXP: In Ontario at least there’s been a lot of talk recently about golf and how ridiculous it is that courses aren’t allowed to open. Also, the PGA Championship is going on this weekend down in South Carolina so everyone is thinking about golf. You like to get out and play golf. Can you give us some details about your best day on the links?
RL: Ridiculous is right!! But that’s a different topic that I could go on and on about these restrictions. I used to play quite a bit, 2-3 times a week but that doesn’t happen anymore as time is hard to come by these days. Now it’s more like 2-3 times a year to be honest. Golfing is always fun though and it gives you a chance to get out and have some beers and play with your buddies. One highlight was playing at Pechanga in Cali with the famous Ricky Fowler back in 2007 before he turned Pro. I was living with Sean Hamblin at the time and he and Sean were buddies. It was incredible to watch him and what he could do with the ball. He was also a super nice guy so that made playing 18 even more fun!
