Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
MXP: The Triple Crown Series SX Tour kicks off this weekend at Gopher Dunes. It was originally a two-night event but has since gone down to just one. There are some talented riders who have entered like Cole Thompson, Tyler Gibbs, and Mitchell Harrison, but on the other side of things, it doesn’t sound like there are going to be many riders on the starting line. Does it surprise that more riders aren’t signed up? Even top riders like McNabb and Ward are choosing not to race and they live close by.
RL: This is a tough one as I really support the concept and wish this would have been around when I was younger. I think there are a few reasons why it’s not accepted but I really think the timing of it makes it tough. The tracks are just tough enough that guys can’t run their outdoor setup and it cost a lot of money for the teams and privateers to get everything switched over. There are not a lot of options for tracks to train on bla, bla, bla. I mean for me it’s like you guys are pros and the best riders in the country so man up and go race but I get it from the other side as well.
MXP: This week the Future West AX Championship schedule was released, and it looks good with events beginning in October. You mentioned last week that several important items are back for 2022 including indoor pits, pro purse, etc. After two years of trying to work around Covid things look like they’re finally back to normal.
RL: Yes we are excited to get this series back on track and back to what it was before covid. I think we have really good dates that will make it attractive for pros and amateurs. With back-to-back weekends it makes it a little easier for people who are traveling to come and race. Another little fun fact is that kicking off with Chilliwack in mid-October you can race five straight weekends of AX. Chilliwack back to back, the Triple Crown Series SX in Calgary, and then the LRX AX in Brooks AB on back-to-back weekends. If I was still racing full time I would be all over this. If any privateer pros looking to come to Chilliwack, get ahold of me and let’s see how we can make it happen. Even amateurs if you want to come let’s make it happen.
MXP: Okay Newf! I’m going to put you on the spot. Who wins the 450 title this weekend at Fox Raceway and why? Tomac or Sexton?
RL: I mean let’s flip a coin (laughs). Their stats are almost the same, it’s crazy to think about how close Tomac and Sexton have been all summer. We all want to say that Sexton has the advantage since he has been so good at Fox Raceway as he did go 1-1 at the opening round while Tomac struggled. I’m going with Eli for the title, he has a one-point lead and I mean that’s huge right now. I think he will pull it off just for the fact that he’s done this before. It’s going to be fun to watch and also interesting with the heat. They are calling for 107 degrees and yesterday they announced that all the motos will be shortened by five minutes which I think is a wise move for everyone.
