* Ryan Lockhart is sick this week and was unable to answer questions.
MXP: Let’s begin with our Canadian riders and how they fared in San Diego. Thompson got off to a good start but dropped back a little as the 250SX West main event went on. Davies, just as you said last week, was much better on Saturday. Unfortunately, Viney and Masciangelo crashed out, and St-Cyr was unable to ride. What are your thoughts on our boys, please?
CP: Well, I think the stand-out ride came from Blake Davies, who made a massive improvement from his race at the opening round. At this level, it’s all about making small gains and building confidence from week to week. For this weekend, I believe the next step for Blake would be a better start in the LCQ and go from there. The 250SX West class appears to be getting weaker by the day with a few top riders getting injured. Blake should have a good opportunity here soon to qualify for the main event.
I’m not sure what happened to Cole as he started well but slipped back to 12th by the end of the main event. The good news is that Cole has been riding great, and getting good starts. So, I expect him to bounce back this weekend, especially if it’s a little wet on Saturday evening. As for St-Cyr, I think he’s week to week with an injury, so hopefully he’s a little healthier for A2. For Viney and Masciangelo, whether you’re a rookie or a veteran rider, you have to find a way to stay on two wheels and avoid injuries if you want to find consistency at the pro level. Both riders could’ve been in a great position to qualify for the main event this weekend, but sadly Viney is out for a bit, and Preston will no doubt be riding sore this weekend. Anyway, it’s still great to see them all racing this series, and good luck to them moving forward.
MXP: Although there wasn’t the passing back and forth that we sometimes see when two riders are battling. It was still awesome to watch the Tomac/ Lawrence battle in San Diego as both riders were at their limit for 20 minutes. How impressed are you with Tomac so far in 2025?
CP: Even though there weren’t any lead changes once Tomac and Lawrence began battling, it was still one of the best Supercross races in some time. The three best SX riders on the planet right now are Tomac, Jett, and Sexton, so to be able to sit back and watch two of the three race at their limit for 20 minutes was incredible. I think that was about as hard as they could go, and I’m sure Jett was waiting for Tomac to make a mistake or at the very least, give him a small opening to force a pass, without being dirty. Tomac, to his credit, didn’t flinch and probably rode one of the best races of his career. There aren’t enough words to describe just how awesome that was, and hopefully, we get to see the same type of racing at A2
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MXP: It was announced on the weekend that the Rimbey AX has secured Ryder McNabb to come and race. Back in your day, and certainly my day top riders would get a certain amount of start money to race events like this. Two questions for you. Did it take a lot to entice McNabb to travel to Rimbey in a few weeks, and what is the largest amount of start money that you got to go to a race?
CP: This definitely would’ve been a great question for Newf to answer as I’m sure he did all the negotiating with McNabb. However, I’m assuming it didn’t take much to get McNabb to travel to Rimbey in a few weeks. The days of big start money for events in Canada are sadly long gone. As of right now, I don’t think Ryder is doing too much other than training (off the bike) and getting ready to go down south to begin riding. I’m sure he’s having all of his expenses taken care of to get to Rimbey, so this gives him a great opportunity to not only race but also to make some money. It’s a great deal for him, but I don’t think it’s going to be easy for him with aggressive riders like Tyler Gibbs also lining up.
As for the largest amount of start money that I ever received to travel to a race, that is a great question (and I would’ve loved to have heard Newf’s answer). I think it was either when I was to Mexico for a SX in 1994, or to Germany to race a few SX events in 1996. I believe I got around $800 plus my flights and hotel paid for. At the time (the mid-1990s) I thought that was an okay deal. I mean, obviously, certain riders were getting up to $5000 to go to some of these races, but they were also battling for wins, while I was doing my best to qualify for main events. It was fun, but I was just happy to be travelling around to different races. I probably would’ve done it for free to be honest. As for races in Canada, in those days a few of us would get our expenses paid to travel to certain events, especially in Quebec. If I was going to an AX in Quebec I would get a few hundred dollars to pay for fuel and the expense of getting there, and then that way I could keep all the money I made from the purse. That was just one of the reasons why I raced in Quebec so much throughout the 1990s.
