


MXP: Happy New Year Newf! We hope you had a great holiday season. Okay, Anaheim 1 goes this weekend and as always the hype is off of the charts. Who do you have winning the 250SX West and 450SX main events on Saturday night?
RL: As history has shown in the past you never know what to expect at A1. The riders’ nerves are always at an all-time high and this has produced multiple unexpected winners in the past. On paper, it will be hard to bet against Jett Lawrence and Haiden Deegan, but like I said you just never know. The one thing I do know is that these two guys will most likely be the fastest in the field, but that doesn’t guarantee them a win on Saturday night.

MXP: It’s exciting that we will have a few Canadian riders on the starting line. Obviously, Cole Thompson has the best chance of finishing the best. However, of Davies, Masciangelo, Viney, and St-Cyr (Benek is still out for a few more weeks), which Canadian rider do you feel has the best chance to finish well and why?
RL: Cole Thompson is the class of the field when it comes to Canadians this weekend. The experience that Cole has is priceless and this will help him battle for top ten finishes at each round. I do love the fact that we have a bunch of guys to watch and cheer for. Davies, Masciangelo, St-Cyr, and Noah Viney will all be there racing and I would love to see all those names in the night show so they could get some gate drops in. It won’t be easy as that 250 SX West class is deep, but I think they have all done their work and we should see them all qualify for the night show.

MXP: Let’s change gears and talk about the ever-expanding Priority MX Thor GASGAS Team. For 2025, they’ve hired Tanner Ward as their premier 450 rider, and they’ve also secured the services of Justin Rooney (Team Manager), Jadon Brown (Mechanic), and even Colton Facciotti (mentor, advisor, and Vet racer). What are your thoughts on this team and the strides they’re making?
RL: Everything about the team is great and I love the direction they are going. We have seen it time and time again with new teams coming in and getting big too quickly and then next thing you know they are gone. The Priority MX Team seems to be doing it the right way by taking smaller steps to build a foundation. The Triple Crown Series needs these teams and not only does Peter (Knoop) give these guys the platform to race motorcycles in the summer, but he’s also giving them an opportunity to build a career off the bike with his HVAC business. It’s great to see and I wish them a successful 2025 season.