The 3 Q’s With Ryan Lockhart Presented By Matrix Concepts Canada- Time To Get Focused
MXP: Last weekend in Philadelphia, we witnessed a nail-biter in the 250SX East main event, as at one point, there were five riders all within several seconds of each other. Unfortunately, the 450SX main event wasn’t as exciting. Your call two weeks ago on Jett Lawrence taking the 450SX Series back over was correct, so well done there, Newf. What are your thoughts on the racing in Philly, and do you think Vialle and Lawrence will be able to win their respective titles?
RL: The 250 main might have been the best race of the season so far. There were tons of action and crashes; Deegan and Vialle coming through the pack was also great. The 450 was a sleepy one for me, although I did think Sexton’s race might have been his best of the year, and it’s nice to see Jason Anderson getting back in the mix. The 450SX and 250SX East are over, barring a disaster, which I just can’t see happening this late. Eyes will be on this 250SX West Series championship with RJ and Kitchen. The Denver Supercross should be awesome to watch.
MXP: After months of speculation, it was confirmed this week that the Partzilla PRMX Team will be coming to Canada this summer to compete in the 2024 Triple Crown Series. Their list of riders is very impressive, and we think all will be in contention for podium finishes. Hunter Yoder will be fast in the 250 class; Mitchell Harrison is a great 450 rider, so he will no doubt be competitive in the 450 class. Aaron Tanti will be racing in the 450 class, and given his experience, he could be very good. He won the Australian MX1 Series in 2022 against some very fast riders, and he used to racing on non-USA-type tracks. Could Tanti be Dylan Wright’s biggest challenge this summer?
RL: First of all, it’s great to have PRMX back for another year, and yes, their team is very good on paper. All three guys, Hunter Yoder, Mitchell Harrison, and Aaron Tanti, will be legit. I think Tanti will be right in the mix; my question will be, can he stay healthy? It seems like he has had many injuries the past few seasons, but winning the Australian MX Championship in 2022 is no joke. Those guys are good, and I would agree that their tracks are similar to ours. Aaron could be the biggest threat to Dylan since the Nicoletti days.
MXP: We are now a month away from the 2024 Triple Crown Series opening round in Calgary. You’ve been a part of several teams over the years as a rider, mechanic, consultant, and now as an Assistant Team Manager with the GDR Honda Team. When you factor in everything, including budgets, planning, stress levels, and just overall preparation with a few weeks to go before the gate drops. Have things changed much since say 2006, or do things feel the same as they always have to you?
RL: The feeling of excitement of showing up at Round 1, whether that be a rider, mechanic, etc, has stayed the same. My role with GDR has me looking at things a lot differently than I used to. When I was a rider or even a mechanic, I was only worried about myself or my rider, but now, with the Team Manager role, I have three riders to think about, three mechanics, and team personnel. Sometimes, it can feel overwhelming, but at the same time, I keep telling myself that it will all come together just like it always does, and working alongside Derek Schuster also makes things more relaxed as he’s been at this for a long time. As a team we are all looking forward to the kick off in Calgary and although there is a lot of nerves, once we get there it will be business as usual.
