We think everyone will agree when we say that Tyler Gibbs is one of the most talented riders in Canada. Over the years, Tyler has been trying to find his way to the top step of the podium in both the Triple Crown Series, and the few indoor events that occur throughout the year in Canada. Finally, late last year in the AMO AX Championships in Chilliwack, BC, Gibbs rode strong and ended up as the Pro Series Champion. From there, Gibbs raced the Rimbey AX in February, and then at the urging of his friends and family he decided to sign up for last weekend’s Seattle SX. So, with only a few quality days of riding down in California, he made his way to Round 11 of the Monster Energy Supercross Series for this first SX of the season. Without much expectation or pressure, Tyler rode strong in Seattle, eventually finishing 7th in the highly competitive 250SX West LCQ. It was a good result and one that he should be proud of. We caught up with Tyler Sunday morning in this hotel fresh off his adventure inside Lumen Field.
MXP: Hey Gibby! Did you drive home to BC last night, or stay in Seattle?
TG: We were too tired to drive back to BC last night so we just kept our hotel room for another night. Right now, we’re just waking up and thinking about where to get breakfast.
Sounds good. The Seattle track looked super challenging on Saturday night. Was it as hard to ride as it appeared on television?
It was really tough and probably one of the hardest tracks I’ve ever had to race on. The ruts were deep, but it was also really sticky and difficult to get any rhythm or flow on. Also, since they modified the schedule and only gave us two sessions, that didn’t help. With the first time on the track counting for your qualifying times, you had to go for it right away. I overjumped the triple so badly the first time I tried it so bad. I landed like ten feet past the the third jump. I struggled really badly in the opening session and wasn’t able to get in a good lap time.
Yes, you appeared a little uncomfortable in the opening session, but that was to be expected. It was your first time on the track, and the first time riding a real SX inside a stadium in some time. We’re sure you were a little nervous.
I was a lot nervous (laughs). I’m glad I was in the C session as there were only ten of us on the track I had a lot of room and time to figure everything out.
Was there one particular section that gave you trouble in the first session?
The whoops were tough because I wasn’t able to get to fourth gear coming out of the turn before, and you needed to be in fourth to be able to blitz them. I just didn’t have enough power to get enough drive in fourth. Also, with the soil being so sticky, it made it feel like the track was grabbing your bike.
Did you have to jump that small triple going into the turn before the whoops to really get any type of decent drive?
Yes, for sure. In the first session that little triple was like death. The take-off was short and rutted, and then the third jump was peaky. If you clipped it at all it sent you into an endo. So yeah, I wasn’t jumping it and that made me enter the corner too slow. Thankfully, the track crew fixed the section and made it more forgiving as the day went on.
Other than that you looked like you figured the track out pretty quickly and your lap times in the second session were better.
Yes, I felt a lot better the second time out and was able to get one of the rhythm sections down and I stuck to jumping through the whoops. The track was a little more challenging in the second session, but it had more flow to it. I don’t know, it could’ve just been me feeling more comfortable.
Before Seattle, you did some time riding down in California at the Yamaha SX test track. How was that and do you think it helped you once you arrived in Seattle?
For sure! Having the opportunity to train on a real SX track is key to being prepared for these types of races. Unfortunately, it rained a lot while I was in California so I didn’t get as much riding in as I wanted to. But, it was still very helpful.
So, take us through your races. Your heat race didn’t go that well, but in the LCQ you were able to really put things together.
The heat race was tough as there were obviously a lot of fast riders, and I didn’t get a great start. It was my first gate drop since Rimbey AX in February so I was a little rusty. Even in the LCQ, I didn’t get a great jump off of the gate, but I made some quick passes and found myself inside the top ten.
For being on the very inside gate, which is usually a good gate to start from, your LCQ start wasn’t great. However, as you said, you made some good passes on the opening few laps, and that put you in a good spot. Where were you able to make passes in those first few laps?
Well, a few riders went down so that made it easier. Other than that I hit the whoops perfectly during the first several laps. I think I made all of my passes there. After that, I just settled in and tried to hang onto 7th place and not let anyone catch me. I saw [Julien] Benek behind me, so I kept pushing forward. I really wanted to be the top Canadian in the LCQ.
Well, you certainly achieved that goal. When you look back, were you happy with the overall day?
I think so! I mean, you always want to do better right? With the limited preparation I had and the track being so tough, I’m happy with 7th in the LCQ. I kept it on two wheels and made it through the night. It was pretty stressful, but I had fun.
Is there any chance we’ll see you lining up in either Denver or SLC?
It’s funny you say that because I was thinking last night after the race how cool it would be to race a few more rounds. But honestly, with Denver being a month away and me not having any SX tracks to ride between now and then, I don’t think it would be a good idea. Also, Denver and SLC are far from me, probably like 20 hours. I’m not going to rule it out though. We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks.
So, you’re saying there’s a chance. Well, whether you go to another round or not, it’s still very cool that you took a chance, spent your own money, and raced Seattle. It was great to see you out there with Thompson, Benek, Davies, and Masciangelo. It’s every young Canadian kid’s dream to line up and race a round of the Monster Energy Supercross Series, and you were able to do that again this year. Assuming you don’t go to any more rounds of SX, what is next for Tyler Gibbs?
I will start riding outdoors soon and get as ready as I can for the Triple Crown Series. I’m looking forward to that, and also to the opening rounds of the Future West MX Series, which begins in a few weeks. That is about it for me.
Well, that sounds great. In the meantime, enjoy the memories from Seattle and we will see you in Calgary in June.
Sounds good Chris! Thank you for calling and thank you for all of the support!
