MXP: Hey Newf! Last weekend, you travelled to Ironman Raceway to watch the 2025 Monster Energy MXON. How did this event compare to when it was at Red Bud several years ago?
RL: Such a fun weekend and cool event. If you are a fan of the sport the MXON has to be on your bucket list. It is so cool to see the different countries bikes and gear combos as well as the riders that you maybe never heard of. As far as comparing to Red Bud I would say that they were pretty comparable for the most part. It honestly felt like there were more people camping in Ironman and the weather was so much better than 2018 and 2022 Red Bud, but I will say the vibe might have been a little higher and crazier in Red Bud. Either way both were awesome in their own way.
MXP: Was there a rider or even a team that really impressed you on the weekend? Also, what was it like watching Jett Lawrence ride that challenging track in person?
RL: Watching Jett was absolutely unreal with the way he can float around the track. He was doing things that even an average fan can tell is special compared to the other riders. He doesn’t even look like he’s going fast but yet hopping over bumps and carrying so much momentum really doesn’t make him the best rider in the world right now. The stand out for me was Jan Pancar, his first moto was the ride of his life and I thought it was cool that 90% of the people there had no idea who he was.
MXP: Okay, let’s talk about Team Canada and how things went at Ironman. It wasn’t our best result at the event, but it also wasn’t our worst, it was cool to see Jess Pettis win the B-Final. What did you think of their overall result, and was there anything that you think they could’ve done to get a better finish?
RL: The team should have been in the A final with the rides they had on Saturday but the crash from both Pettis and Racine made us miss by three points. Without the crashes they would have been in. The B final is tough to make it especially since Ward wasn’t on his A-game and with only taking the two best scores out of the races it’s almost impossible to make it when the teams second best rider was on a 250. Jess rode great and Racine had a great ride coming through the pack, but it just wasn’t enough to make it happen. I will give them credit as the effort was there, the preparation was there but they needed a little better luck on Saturday which they didn’t. I know Tanner was disappointed that he wasn’t better, but what do you do? It’s easy to sit back and say it’s unacceptable, but the guys had all the tools to make it happen but being fast enough is just one part of it.
