The Lockhart Family Goes To Texas

By Randi Lockhart

Photos by Matt Wellumson

Well, we finally made it home from Texas, and it’s now time to relax and also reflect on what was an unforgettable weekend. Chris Pomeroy asked me to write a little summary of our experience in Arlington, so here it goes.

We flew out of Seattle at the crack of dawn on Feb 23rd. The flight down to Dallas was smooth. Nothing really note-worthy on our way down there. I always thought Texas would be hot and dry; however, it was the opposite. We froze our butts off the entire weekend. Ryan told me that we wouldn’t need coats in Texas, but boy, was he was wrong. By the time we got to our rented condo and ate dinner, it was pretty much time to call it a night.

We woke up early Friday morning and headed to the AT&T Stadium to get our wristbands and check out the lay of the land in the pits. It’s a classic Ryan move to ensure we don’t have any hiccups on race day, and I must admit that I’m happy we did this time. We were able to go and see the track and watch some practices during press day. Looking back, it was great for Meston as he was able to see everything and get even more excited about raceday.

We had the afternoon to kill, so we went to the Fort Worth Stockyards. What a blast that place is, and I highly recommend it. There are tons of amazing shops and restaurants and lots to see. We even took Meston to his first nightclub. Relax, it was during the day, and it was legal (laughs). Between eating smoked BBQ Brisket and drinking American-sized beverages, Meston caught word that the SX Futures would be qualifying that Friday afternoon. So in classic Lockhart fashion, we had to cut our exploring short and head back to the stadium. After watching the SX Futures, we headed out for dinner and ate at this place called Lockhart Smokehouse. It was amazing. The ribs were tasty. And you better believe I bought a t-shirt! After dinner, we returned to our condo and went straight to bed. We knew Saturday would be a long day, and we needed our rest.

Ryan had Meston and me up super early and rushed us out the door to be at the stadium before 8am Saturday morning. Once we got to the KTM rig we were treated like royalty. The KJSC folks were super nice and super organized. They most certainly run a very smooth operation and do a great job of making all the kids and parents feel welcome. Meston didn’t seem nervous at all in the morning. All he wanted to do was get all geared up and go and sit on his bike. I could tell he felt very special.

During the first practice session, Meston caught the tail end of a crash at the top of the over/under tunnel resulting in him falling backward down the jump and having his bike land on him. He was unharmed, thank goodness, but it took a little convincing to get him back on the bike and try again. I was able to watch from the stands, but Ryan was in a designated area for all the mechanics (parents) and was not allowed to go to him when he crashed. As parents, you naturally want to go and help your kid, but honestly, the KTM crew were amazing with him and showed him the “cheater line” up the side of the jump, which Meston used for the rest of the first and all of the second practices. Overall, I think practice went well, and we were all doing a good job of staying relaxed. Even Ryan was keeping his 50cc dad emotions in check and seemed to be just enjoying the experience.

After practice, it was off to sign autographs and meet the KTM pro riders. Meston got to meet Cooper Webb and Aaron Plessinger, among many other riders he looks up to. He also said he signed his name about 900 times. I guess that’s the price you pay for being a famous athlete (laughs).

Come race time, all the kids under the rig were excited, and so were all of the parents. I met some awesome moto moms, and I think we all enjoyed the day. Saturday was also my birthday, so thankfully, I was able to do a little celebrating as well. As the main event got closer, I headed to the stands while Ryan and Meston prepared for the big race. There was nothing for me to help out with or do at that point. Meston appeared super calm, and from where I was sitting, surprisingly, so did Ryan.

Once the gate dropped, Meston started out being his cautious self, which isn’t a bad thing. He was in front of thousands of people after all. Watching him come up to over tunnel jump on the first lap I assumed he would take the cheater lane as he had always done in practice. But what do you know! He jumped it, and we were in shock! Once he hit that jump, his confidence definitely grew, and he was able to pass a few kids. His final lap was amazing as he was charging hard to catch up. He ended up with an awesome 10th-place finish. We were so proud of him, and more importantly, he was really proud of himself. It was the best birthday I’ve had.

We woke up at 4 am (2 am body time) on Sunday to catch our flight home to Seattle, and then we had a three-hour drive back to our house. The drive is only two hours, but mama needed a stop at Target before crossing back into Canada. Meston had about three naps on the way home. I was not as lucky as I had to drive. Ryan had flown straight to Vegas to be on the PulpMX Show, so Meston and I were on our own. All and all, it was a whirlwind trip but a fantastic trip at the same time. As parents, all we really want is to see our kids happy, and I think we’re going to see a smile on Meston’s face for a long time. Thank you to KTM for making this event possible and giving us a memory we’ll never forget!