MXP: Hey Newf! We were just looking at the 2024 Triple Crown Series points standings and the next few rounds are shaping up to be really good. Obviously, Pettis and Benoit have the red plates, but riders like Natzke, Adams, Linville, Tanti, and Racine are close, and even Dylan Wright isn’t too far out of it. Which riders do you think will find success in the next two rounds?
RL: This is a tough one. Every one of those guys you mentioned are all riding great right now. On the 250 side of things, Benoit rides Gopher Dunes really well and knows how to manage the race there, especially when it gets super gnarly. Even though Adams has him on speed, it might be an eye-opener for him when it rolls around to Moto 2. In the 450 class, I think you will see something great out of Natzke. He rides Gopher Dunes great and has had success before. Tanti will also be good, but let’s hope he has improved his conditioning over the break. Moving on to SDL, this is much more of a start-dependent track, at least it has been in the past. Pettis and Adams have been the best starters thus far.
MXP: Next weekend at Gopher Dunes, a few new faces will join the Triple Crown Series for at least one round. Krystian Janik and Luke Fauser are planning to come to Canada. We’ll also see names like Blackmer and McKie on the starting line. Janik is the biggest name, like Drew Adams and Tiger Wood; he’s a highly touted amateur kid in the USA. Do you think he can run up front, or will this race be a big wake-up call for him?
RL: It is great to see some new names join the series, especially these A-class kids coming up from the USA. I think we will see some really good qualifying speed from him, but he will struggle a bit in the motos with mistakes. From what I know of him and have seen years ago, he’s a bit loose and seems to make mistakes. Either way, it’s great to have him come up and show his speed.
MXP: With Dylan Wright’s injuries, we haven’t spoken much about Tyler Medaglia’s status. As we move close to Round 4 at Gopher Dunes, will Tyler be back, and will we see him on a 450 for the remainder of the Triple Crown Series?
RL: Tyler has been back on the bike and is feeling back to his normal self. By the time Gopher Dunes rolls around, he will have a solid two weeks under his belt. We are staying the course with him on the 250 as we still believe he can be a podium guy and race winner. We have yet to see what he can do in that class, as he only has about a total of three laps under his belt after the first three rounds. We know that Tyler knows how to ride Gopher, so he could be a spoiler next Sunday.
