MXP Chatter With Tanner Ward

Tanner Ward is one of those riders that everyone loves to cheer for. Not only is he a great rider on the track but he’s also a great human being off of the track as well. Over the past two seasons riding in the 250 class for the GDR Fox Honda Team, Tanner has enjoyed a lot of success including Triple Crown Series moto wins as well as overall wins. However, sometimes a change in needed and for the 2022 season Tanner has signed on to race a 450 for the Thor/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki Team. This will be a big change of scenery for Tanner but as you will read in this interview, he’s is more than up for the challenge of learning a new bike and working with a new team.

MXP: Hey Tanner, it’s been awhile since we last spoke. Are you still down in Florida at Tyla Rattrey’s Training Facility?

Hey Palms! Yes I am, although I’m flying home this weekend to a couple of days.

May I ask you why you’re leaving sunny, warm, and free Florida to return to cold and locked down Ontario (laughs)?

I have to be in Canada for a few days to reset my USA health insurance or trust me, I wouldn’t be.

Okay, let’s jump into this as I know you want to get out riding and learning your new bike. Congratulations of signing with the Thor/Kawasaki/Pro Circuit Team for 2022. You must be very excited?

Thank you! Yes, I’m really excited for this year and beyond and to sign with the Kawasaki Team is going to be great for me and my program. My plan was always to race a 450 this year and now I’ll be doing it a KX450F so I can’t wait get things rolling.

You’ve been with the GDR Honda Team for two years and in that time you had a lot of success. Was it hard to say good-bye?

Definitely it was as there is a real family atmosphere at the GDR Team. We worked well together and I had a lot of success there, but the sport is in tough spot right now and there aren’t a lot of good deals out there. I wanted to ride a 450 this year and obviously they have Dylan [Wright] and he’s the main guy in that class. This new deal with Kawasaki gives me a chance to be the main 450 rider and I believe if I was to achieve my goals this year then that is how it has to be. Sometimes change is good and in this case it is. But I’m extremely thankful to Derek Schuster and the entire GDR crew for all that he has done for me. Infact, Derek and I are going for dinner this weekend while I’m in Ontario so everything is good there.

Well, that’s good to hear as you never want to leave a job on a bad note. As you said, you’ve had a lot of success in the 250 class during the past few seasons, why the desire to switch to the 450 class?

That is a good question and I think it started last fall when I started riding a 450 during the week. The more I rode it the better I felt and in the end it seem to suit my riding style better. Also, I didn’t know this but even last summer Colton [Facciotti] was pushing to get me on a 450 as he felt my riding style would suit a 450 better.

If anyone knows I would think it would be Colton as he’s watched you ride a lot over the past two seasons and he’s a pretty smart guy. So, what is it about your riding style that you think works well on a 450?

I feel like over the past couple of years I’ve become a little smarter and more calculated on the bike. I train really hard so my fitness will be good for the longer 450 motos. In the 250 class you sometimes have to really let it hang out and as I get older I’m into that. Obviously, the goal was to always win a 250 Championship and then move up to the 450 class but when opportunities like this come along you just have to take them.

It sounds like you’re taking control of your career Tanner and making things happen. That’s an important and mature way of doing things. What are your first impressions of your new Kawasaki?

Well, I’ve ridden the KX250F as that is what I’ll be riding in the 250SX East Series next month, but my first impression is that the bike is really good. It turns well and the motor is strong. I’ve only been on the new bike for a day but so far I like it.

So moving forward what is the plan. You mentioned the 250SX East Series, how many rounds do you plan on racing?

Right now the plan is to ride the first five rounds so I’m sticking with that. Obviously, I need to start testing the KX450F as that is what I’ll be racing this summer, but it’s always been a dream of mine to race SX and that’s what I’ve been working on for the past two months. So, I’ll race the first five rounds of SX and then start testing and preparing on the KX450F. I’ll stay down south and test and then head back to Ontario once the weather gets better at home.

It’s going to be exciting to watch you race in the Monster Energy Supercross Series next month as well as on a big 450 this summer. Thanks Tanner for taking the time to speak to us today and again, congratulations on your new deal with the Thor/Kawasaki/Pro Circuit Team. See you in Minneapolis!

Thanks Palms! Yes, I’m excited and I’d like to thank everyone for their support.