MXP: Hey Newf! You have a big weekend coming up as the 2026 Future West MX Series kicks off in Kelowna. Whether it was in BC, Ontario, or perhaps out on the East Coast, what are a few of your best ‘Opening Round” memories?
RL: The 2004 Ontario Spring series at Gopher dunes seems to pop into my head. I had signed a contract late with Blair Morgan Racing for the season, so I went to Gopher a week or so before the race to get in some time on the new bikes, and actually did the Photoshoot in Frank’s backyard at the time. Weather was beautiful leading up to the race, but on Saturday night it snowed 2 inches and got super cold. They still ran the races and I remember the track being decent considering there was snow all around except on the actual track, and it was below zero the whole day. I believe I won all the motos and it being a good day.
MXP: We’re not sure if you read Dylan Wright’s latest Guest Column on mxpmag.com, but in it, he writes about how his off-season has been going. It sounds as though Dylan has taken on a lot more responsibility with testing and getting his engine and suspension packages dialled in. Can you talk a little about how everything has been going with your #1 rider?
RL: I did read the column and I will take my team manager hat off here for a moment. How can you not respect the time and dedication that Dylan puts into his program, not only is it his job, but he also loves doing that extra bit. After some struggles the past two seasons, Dylan has become much more involved in the development of his bike, as well as the 250 side of things. He was involved in a lot of the big decisions this year, which is not super common for a rider on a team. He had a direction he wanted to go, and we as a team supported him, and jumped on board. When things are not working, you need to try something different and that’s what we did, so far so good. A happy rider is a fast rider.
MXP: Last weekend in Nashville, the 450SX class championship points took a big change as Hunter Lawrence won the main event and took a commanding points lead. Do you think Roczen was feeling a bit of pressure after winning two races in a row, and did Eli Tomac mess up big time by trying to race that track with a paddle tire?
RL: It’s so crazy that Hunter is back in control of this thing. He’s going to be hard to beat with a 10-point lead but I’m seeing that it might be a mudder this weekend in Cleveland which could make things very unpredictable. I really think Ken just didn’t jell with the track. If you look at the conditions of the previous few races, it was completely the opposite in Nashville, and I think it’s not a question that Ken is better when it’s soft and technical compared to hard packed and edgy. As far as Eli goes, I don’t think the paddle was the issue. He was awesome all day and was doing everything perfect. He completely blew the start in the main and that track wasn’t one where you could move around much. He got stuck in the pace of the guys and just couldn’t do anything. Now, with saying that, I think he is absolutely crazy running a paddle in those conditions, but it didn’t seem to affect him in qualifying or the heat race.
