Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
MXP: Hey Newf! The 2022 Future West AX Championship Series is now part of Canadian moto history. How did it go and do you finally have some time to relax?
RL: At the end of the day it was great to pull it off once again and we did see some great racing. I think the dates that we were given might have hurt us in the overall rider turnout, but with that building, you get what you get. The past two years it was a fight to pull AX off with Covid so I think we all had very high expectations that the turnouts were going to be good, but as I had mentioned things are different out there right now. People are feeling the money pinch and they’re being more careful about what they are spending money on. I think next year we need to be more cautious with the dates and maybe condense the series a bit to make it more affordable for riders and families. It’s not cheap to do but our hard costs are high. It’s important for the series to continue and we will do whatever we can to keep improving. What I would really like to see is a Triple Crown Series race put in there. Let’s make it happen!
MXP: This week Ken Roczen announced that he will ride a HEP Suzuki in 2023. Are you surprised by this move and do you think it might be a case of KR94 feeling some good vibes with the yellow bike?
RL: I’m not really surprised. I think it was the best option for him to keep Red Bull and Fox which are clearly two big pieces to his program so this was the only option for him to keep those two sponsors in play, other than doing his own program. Hopefully, this will light a fire under Suzuki to get back in the game. A lot of people think the bike isn’t any good but I think Ken will be just fine on this bike. Can he win races? Yes, he can as Ken can win races on any bike he rides so he will be fine. From what we have seen in the off-season he’s been enjoying doing and trying different things so I think this program will fit nicely with his approach.
MXP: Also, this past week the WSX Series released their 2023 schedule and there is a round in your backyard. SX has tried Vancouver before and while it was a cool race to be a part of it never really got any traction with spectators. Do you think it will be different with this Global SX Series?
RL: This one was a huge surprise to me. As a fan, I sure hope it’s different than when they tried to do SX back in the early 2000s. I mean back then they had Ricky, James, and Chad and they still had trouble putting fans in the seats. I think late October is great timing and there is no question that people will attend but whether it’s enough for WSX guys to return will be a question mark. Toronto and Montreal make more sense to me but I’m sure it comes down to building costs and Government help. BC Place is not the most happening building these days so perhaps it’s quite a bit cheaper to rent than the stadiums in Toronto and Montreal. I know all of us west coast guys are excited so fingers crossed it works.
