MXP: Hey Newf! What are your thoughts on the Daytona SX and Eli Tomac winning his 8th 450SX main event there?
RL: I think we all kind of expected Eli to get the win on Saturday night. From the get go he was good and had it pretty under control, at least in my eyes, even though Hunter Lawerence wasn’t that far behind. He had to pass the guys that are in this thing for the championship, which would have made this win feel even more special. Pretty impressive accomplishment to win the same prestigious race eight times in his career. He’s so good right now and you can see the confidence every time he gets on the track.
MXP: Could you share any updates on the GDR Honda riders’ progress during training in Nevada?
RL: Things have been going well for the boys. I was actually just there with them on Tuesday as I was in Vegas for the Pulpmx Show on Monday. Gary Brough has a really nice thing going with the facility so it was fun to check it out and watch the guys ride. Dylan Wright is looking healthy, lots of testing going down, so he’s in a good spot. Dylan Rempel has been putting in lots of hours on the bike getting comfortable and looking good. Braxton Zeitner has taken to the big bike really well and is a lot further ahead than we thought he would be, to be honest. Mike from MP1 is on his way there right now for a week of suspension testing. Things are in a good place, but at the same time June is coming up quickly.
MXP: Watching Ken Roczen’s success on the RMZ450 is impressive. When you rode for the OTSFF Suzuki Team in 2006/2007 what were your thoughts on the RMZ450? The overall package probably hasn’t changed all that much.
RL: That was a great bike in 06/07 and I really enjoyed my time on the bike. My time on the team maybe not so much, but I did have some success in those years. You’re right it hasn’t changed that much since then, but when I was there it was still a carburetor and now it’s fuel injection. I mean I think the easiest way to put it, for Suzuki, is if it’s not broken why fix it? They probably look at Kenny, he’s in the fight, bike looks good and they haven’t spent millions developing a new model. It does need an Electric start and I’m not really sure why they haven’t been able to do that, but the bike is still competitive at the highest level.
