Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
With the off-season now upon us and our racing season quieting down, we once again have tracked down Ryan Lockhart to ask him some more important and entertaining questions. As most of you know, Ryan has been in this industry for over twenty years and during that time he’s been a rider, a mechanic, a riding coach, and most recently the Brand Manager over at Matrix Concepts Canada. Ryan knows a lot about a lot of things and he’s always a great guy to talk to. Here are this week’s 3 Q’s with Ryan Lockhart presented by Matrix Concepts Canada.
MXP: Hey Newf, how are things in BC since the floods a short time ago?
RL: Things are starting to come around. Evacuation orders are starting to be lifted and the rebuilding of the roads, Dykes, and people’s properties has begun. It’s going to take a while for things to get back to normal as the road system east of Chilliwack has been completely destroyed. We are set to get hit with three more storms this week which is crazy so hopefully things don’t get worst before they get better.
Well, we’re all praying for your safety and for things to return to normal. Down in Florida this week is the 50th running of the Thor Mini O’s. First off, have you ever raced or attended this long-standing event? This year there are 2000 entries so Amateur MX is going strong right now. We also have a few Canadian riders competing at Gatorback Cycle Park. Have you been following the results and what are your thoughts on the Mini O’s?
I have never been but have always wished I was in a position to compete in all these big amateur events. The track looks cool and I like with Mini O’s how they have SX and MX. Maybe one day I will get the opportunity to go and race. With the borders open again a lot of Canadian riders have travelled there which is great. It looks to me that Tanner Scott has had some impressive rides in the super-competitive B class. That’s something to be proud of for sure. We have a bunch of kids in the C classes as well and Evan Stewart looks to be having some success which is really cool for him. Jeremy Mckie and Sebastian Racine are in the A classes which is good to see, but I think it really shows how fast some of these American kids are when you see the results that our Canadian kids are getting. Either way, it’s great to see them down there getting experience. 2000+ entries is just awesome it shows how healthy motocross is these days.
Okay, let’s really dip into to your memory bank and go back to 1999. You were a very fast 15-year-old racing in the pro class and making a name for yourself. Even today that is a very young age to be racing pro and not many riders can handle that stress at 15 years old. What do you remember about that time in your life and looking back were you too young to be racing at that level?
Well, what I remember is it being somewhat on the easy side. At 15 there wasn’t much training involved as you could ride off that kid energy and with not a lot of pressure things just seemed to be a lot easier back then. Motocross in Canada in the late 1990s was on a much smaller scale than it is now. I wouldn’t say I was too young as turning pro was my only real option at the time, but looking back I have said many times that I wish I had a more structured program that prepared me at a younger age for what the future had in store. Look at Ryder McNabb, he’s been training like a pro since he was 10 years old, and look at the success he has had already in his young career. With saying that, having such a structured program isn’t always fun but it is what is needed to make it or at least give yourself a shot in this sport.
