MXP Chatter With Tanner Ward Presented By Motovan

Coming into the Sarnia AX Tanner Ward was a late entry having only decided to race a few days before the event. On the Wednesday before Sarnia Tanner’s Team Manager drove up from the USA to build him a KX250F to race and then on Thursday Ward broke the bike in at the Palm Springs SX track. But it all didn’t seem to matter to Tanner once he got on the track in Sarnia as he was fast right from the start of practice. In the end, Tanner only missed one podium in the six main events and he even got a win on Friday night. We caught up with him to chat about his solid weekend of AXX racing in Sarnia.

MXP: Hey Tanner, how are you feeling after a weekend of AX racing?

TW: I’m pretty sore actually! Coming into the weekend I hadn’t really ridden too much and then with all of the riding we had to do over the weekend the body is a little sore (laughs).

Unlike the race schedule at the Gopher SX where the riders just did qualifying and then three main events throughout one night, Sarnia was a little different.

I didn’t even know the night show schedule until just before things got going on Friday night. I didn’t know there were heat races and then three main events. I know the races weren’t long but they were definitely intense!

You’re no stranger to indoor racing as you’ve grown up doing it. However, it’s tough at this level and not everyone can do it well.

I think it’s tough at any level as the tracks are tight and the margin to error is so small. One little mistake and you can end up having a big crash. Also, there isn’t much room out there so riders are always running into each other. Sometimes that is the only way to make a pass and you have to drive it in on someone. If you did that outdoors people might call you dirty but indoors it’s just racing.

Yeah, we saw some very aggressive passes and even some blatant takeouts. After a few races there needed to be an official in the pits to ensure the riders remained calm.

Riders are always heated when they leave the track as the adrenaline is flowing and if you were on the wrong side of an aggressive pass you’re probably not happy about it. I was on both ends of it in Sarnia and I really just tried to keep my cool. At the end of the day, we’re racers and that is how you have to race sometimes in AX.

Were you surprised at all with how quickly you adapted to the Sarnia track on Friday? I mean, you were fast right away in practice and qualifying.

I was a little surprised considering how little prep I had. Coming in I hadn’t ridden for a few weeks and I haven’t been on a KX250F since SX back in March. I rode up at your house on Thursday and then we raced on Friday. So not the ideal amount of preparation but it all worked.

How did it feel to get back on the smaller bike after racing a 450 all summer?

It felt good and once I did a few laps it felt like I had never gotten off one. It’s definitely a different kind of riding for sure but in that tight stuff, the 250 is the way to go.

All weekend in Sarnia you got good starts and you even got a main event win on Friday night. That must have felt great.

I certainly wanted to win at least one main event but I didn’t think I was going to. Cole and Mitchell have been riding this stuff for a few weeks now and they’re very good at it. I just wanted to get some racing under my belt again, stay out of trouble and hopefully grab some podiums. The win was just a bonus!

So what now? I hear you’re headed west.

Yes, I just booked my flight today to fly out to BC to race the opening two rounds of the Future West AX championships. I’m excited to go out and be a part of that long-standing series. They do a great job and the tracks are always fun! Also, I’m going to be helping Newf [Ryan Lockhart] teach some riding schools in the mornings before the race so I’m excited about that also. I’ve done them before and I really enjoy teaching and giving back to the sport.

That is great news Tanner! Will you also be racing the final round of the Triple Crown Series in Calgary?

I hope so but I’m not sure right now. I have to work out a few things before I can commit to Calgary. I’d love to do it but we’ll have to wait and see.

Well, hopefully, you can make it to Calgary as it was great to have you in Sarnia on the weekend. Going back to this past summer for a moment. Overall, were you satisfied with your rookie year in the 450 class?

I feel pretty good about how the summer went overall. I didn’t get off to a good start in the opening two rounds but after that I got the ball rolling. My final two rounds were my best and it was important to me to end the series on a high note. I wasn’t too far off Dylan’s [Wright] pace at Walton so hopefully I can have a good off-season and start next year strong. Coming into this season I’d never really tested before so I had to learn that quickly to get comfortable on the 450. I don’t know, it was a good learning year for sure and I cannot wait for 2023.

That is good news! It was fun to watch you all summer as well as in Sarnia on the weekend. Good luck in Chilliwack and hopefully we’ll see you in Calgary.

Thank you Palms! I appreciate you reaching out and for sure we’ll talk soon.