Thor Racing Presents Style Check: A Few Minutes With Ryan Lockhart

As we’ve all watched, Jess Pettis has been doing our country proud during the first four rounds of the 2019 Monster Energy Supercross Series. From Anaheim to Oakland, Pettis has not only been a consistent Top 10 rider in the 250SX West class but he’s also had the incredible opportunity to lead a couple of intense heat races. During these last four races, Pettis has not only caught the attention of the entire Canadian motocross industry but his riding has also caught the eye of a few teams in the USA. Pettis appears to be just where he wants to be right now, and I am sure that I’m not the only person who would love to see him finish out the 250SX West Series. I’ve spoken at length during the past few weeks about how good I think Pettis has been riding so far in 2019, so I thought it might be time to get another expert opinion on how the first four rounds of SX have gone for Jess Pettis. After some personal debate about who I should reach out to, I thought who better to call than Ryan Lockhart. The Newf, as he’s known to the motocross world, has raced a number of AMA Supercross events over the years and most certainly knows what it feels like to line up and feel like a small fish in a big pond. To get his thoughts on how Pettis has been doing, here is Ryan Lockhart:

“I’ve been lucky enough to watch Pettis race live at both Anaheim 1 and last weekend in Oakland, and I think he’s been doing great. During his heat race this past weekend in Oakland, he looked like he belonged out front. I think he started around third or something before passing for the lead, and then for the next few laps his speed was as good as anyone on the track. Obviously, that level of riding is where Pettis wants to be at every race, and as much as that heat-race-leading speed maybe feels really hectic to him right now, it’s only a matter of time before that speed will just feel normal to him. I spoke to him after the main event on Saturday and he was happy with not just his eleventh place finish but also with how he was able to come from behind to finish there. I think with a little more experience he’ll be able to finish inside the Top 6 before this series is over. It’s also worth noting that because of his solid results, he’s getting more and more support at the track. I know WP Suspension came over to his pit in Oakland and helped him change some settings on his forks and shock, and also this week he got permission to ride at the KTM SX test track. Like everyone, I cannot wait to see how the rest of the series goes for him. I think he’d be crazy not to try and finish out the remaining rounds of the 250SX West Series. He’s now living the dream and he should keep going.”