MXP: Hey Newf! It was great to see you in Calgary and hopefully, you had a great weekend. You are definitely a busy man during the day, what is your favourite part and least favourite of a national weekend?
RL: Great seeing you Palms, and I’m glad we got to meet up in our favourite spot to watch Qualifier #2. I mean there are a few favourite parts for me, one being seeing the boys hit the track for the first time of the day is always rewarding, especially for the mechanics as these guys work their butts off week in and week out. I also love seeing the guys win, I mean who doesn’t love that feeling, but I feel with GDR Honda Team, even if one guy wins it feels like the whole team wins. As far as my least favourite part, tearing down sucks (laughs). It’s a lot of work and everyone is usually smoked at the end of the day, so tearing down is something we always dread.
MXP: Your GDR Honda riders had a solid opening round. Overall, were you happy with all three of your riders?
RL: I was happy with the boys for sure. I will start with Noah Viney. He is still recovering from a shoulder injury, so to be honest I wasn’t sure where he was going to fit in. He had a decent first moto but had to deal with arm pump which is expected. In Moto 2, he was in the top six until a huge crash. He was hurting but it made me happy that he picked himself up and kept charging. He belongs in that top six and will work his way towards the podium as the series goes on. Ryder McNabb kept himself in the fight in both motos, and that was his first gate drop since June of last year. He’s going to continue to build, and I only see him getting better. I think if you asked Dylan he would agree that he struggled a bit all day, but definitely saved his best for the final six laps of Moto 2. From what we saw from watching and studying lap times, the final six laps were as good as we’ve ever seen him. That is the level I hope we see for the remainder of the Triple Crown Series.
MXP: Besides the top two in each class, were there any other riders who impressed you on Sunday? Also, were there any that disappointed you?
RL: The biggest disappointment was seeing only 37 250s and 36 450s show up. I mean, I get it, and I don’t know how to fix it, but we need more guys. As far as being impressed, it was cool to see Jared Allison come back after 11 years of not racing any Nationals. Both of my BC boys, Liam Dodds and Noah Porter were strong and hit their goals, so that made me happy to see, Intermediate rider Danny Robertson killed it as well, and I did not see that coming at all. Wild Rose MX Park is his home track, so let’s see if he can continue that success this weekend.
