3 Q’s With Ryan Lockhart Presented By Matrix Concepts Canada

MXP: Hey Newf, Happy Canada Day! What are your plans for this weekend?

RL: Bit of a low-key weekend for me. I’m bummed to be missing Walton one but let me tell you it’s been a busy spring so I’m looking forward to a weekend at home. Between the first three rounds of the Triple Crown Series, the FW series, and WCAN it’s going to be a weekend of catching up on stuff. We are also getting things organized for our big trip back east for ECAN and TransCan which is coming up sooner than later. Meston is into riding right now so we will probably get in some practice as well.

MXP: It sounds as though we may have a few new riders this weekend at Walton Raceway. Josiah Natzke is rumored to be riding for the PRMX Kawasaki Team, young Ontario rider TJ Scott is making his pro debut, and Cole Thompson is also supposed to be racing. Where do you see these riders fitting in?

RL: This will be fun to see where these guys fit in. I think this Natzke guy is going to be good and could mix things up in the top 3 for sure if we base it off his success in the U.S. He’s also been riding Kawasaki in the U.S. so the transition to the PRMX bike should be easy. TJ Scott should be floating around that 8-10 spot, especially at Walton with the sprint motos and if he can get good starts. Cole Thompson will be interesting to see where he fits in the mix. Looks like he has been riding a bunch and he’s in a position where there is no team pressure as the program he has is all his own stuff. Also, he is really good at Walton so that should help him. Let’s go with podiums at WaltonOne for Cole and mixing it up with T-Dags. Either way, it will be nice to have another guy who can be in that top 5 battle. Both classes should be a little deeper come east with the additions of some local riders. Mitch Cooke is going to do some, Liam O’Farrell is always good, and Preston Masciangelo should be solid as well.

MXP: Okay, we’re back to three sprint-type motos this weekend at Round 4. You’ve been a mechanic for this format. Two questions for you. How stressful is it being a mechanic with the three motos, and who wins the 250 class this weekend?

RL: It’s very stressful even if the conditions are perfect. It’s stressful for everyone involved as the turnaround time is super short and it’s just go, go, go from moto 1 until 3. Everyone would be screwed if it was muddy as there is no way you would have enough time to get the bike ready in-between. I don’t love the format but I do like that the series is trying something different.

As far as winning. I’m going with McNabb as he’s in a situation where if he wants to win this championship it’s time to start chipping away at the points he lost in rounds 2 and 3. He’s good at Walton as we have seen in the past and he has had two weeks off to get his health figured out.