With the holiday season fast approaching, it’s almost time to sit back, relax, and in this case, ask some of our industry people a few interesting questions. This week we reached out to our readers to see if anyone had a few questions for Ryan Lockhart. As you know, Ryan has been in this industry for over twenty years and during that time he’s been a rider, a mechanic, a riding coach, and most recently the Brand Manager over at Matrix Concepts Canada. Ryan knows a lot about a lot of things and he’s always a great guy to talk to. Here are this week’s 3 Q’s with Ryan Lockhart presented by Matrix Concepts Canada.
MXP: Hey Newf, Merry Christmas! You mentioned last week about the year you race a bunch of USA SX races. What was your best result and can you share your best road trip story from that adventure?
RL: Merry Christmas to you as well. What an experience it was doing the series in 2006. I learned so much and had a great time doing it. In those years we had to race in the afternoon to make the night show, rather than just going off lap times. I made every night show, even winning a few of my qualifiers. I never made a 450 main, however, at St. Louis, I was in a qualifying spot on the last lap of my semi and crashed. That was a trip to the main and I blew it. I had a lot of highlights though. I had a first turn crash with RC, I holeshotted my heat race at Daytona and eventually cut Chad Reed off and made him crash (laughs). Looking back now it was one of the best experiences of my life!
Well considering I drove Rick Sheren’s Funmover to all the rounds while Rick and Brady would fly into the race, there were a lot of road trip stories. I think Detroit sticks out the most. I showed up a day early and was parked in the parking lot for the night. Just before sundown, I had someone from Feld came by to ask if I was spending the night? Of course, I said yes, and he advised me that he didn’t suggest I stay there at it was a high crime area. Well, needless to say, I survived the night but I slept with a steak knife under my pillow.
Being a BC guy now, you’ve seen Jacob Piccolo ride more than most. What do you think was the difference for him this year?
Well, there is no question that Jake has the speed and talent to be a champion. The raw speed he showed through the season was incredible, but it’s no secret that consistency was his weakness. I think it was an eye-opener for him to see just how much work on and off the track it will take for him to be a title contender. I will say it three times…. Hard Work, Hard Work, and Hard Work is what it will take for him. He needs to get on the right program and with a team that is going to give him the guidance he needs to be a champion. I firmly believe that he will win moto’s in 2021 as he has more raw speed than most in the class.
As a Brand Manager for a large moto company, you sponsor a lot of riders. What do you look for when you want to sponsor a young rider? It’s not just about results is it?
You’re right, it’s not just about the results. The old motto of win on Sunday and sell on Monday isn’t always the case anymore. We look for young kids that have a great family bond and even more importantly a strong dealer relationship. I’m a believer in this program. For us here at Matrix and Atlas we need the Canadian moto dealership support to help keep the lights on. I highly suggest for all riders who are looking for support to build that relationship with their dealer, then companies like us will offer support through that dealer. Everything starts with dealers and we want to help them as much as possible.
Ok Newf, usually we only ask you three questions, but here is one more. What do you want for Christmas?
I want a Polar watch as I need to get my ass into shape. My 2021 Walton TranCan Vet Class prep starts on February 1st!