Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
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: The first question is an obvious one. What are your thoughts on the Wilson/Roczen incident from Round 3? It was nice of Dean to apologize for holding Roczen up, but do you think Wilson was a little too apologetic? He was racing for points also.
RL: Well I think we can start by saying it was just a bad deal all around. It’s hard for us to sit here and say what was right or wrong because being in the situation on the track is always so much different than what we see on TV. There is no question that Dean screwed-up and he owned it. There is also no question that Kenny should have tried to get around him sooner in my opinion. I feel like Ken started to panic a little because Cooper was close and for me, I just really think Ken needed to make the move. He was clearly a lot faster than Dean but he just didn’t make it happen. At the end of the day, it happened! But here is what pisses me off. People or so-called fans of the sport calling Dean out. Go back to Scotland. I hope you crash. I hope you break your leg etc. That is BS! This guy has feelings too. Deano has family, friends, and fans, how would you like it if people were saying that about someone you looked up to? It’s just unacceptable. These guys are professional athletes and we all look up to them, but they’re also human.
MXP: We got word this week that Casey Keast is planning on racing a few of the 250SX West rounds. How do you see Casey doing in this tough class?
This is awesome news and I’m happy for Casey. I think there is no argument that he doesn’t have enough time to be fully ready, but there comes a time where you just need to say screw it and go for it. Casey has a crazy amount of talent and he’s a very good SX rider. The fact that he is investing in himself just like Pettis and St Cyr is awesome and I applaud him for taking the steps to get across the border to give this thing a go. As far as the results go, I think the West will be tough, but I see him getting better every race, and with a good start who knows. Maybe he makes a main or two? I hope he does as the confidence he gains from that will be massive.
MXP: In the next few years do you see the Pro class returning more to how things were back in the 1990s and early 2000s. When the pro riders had to race as many events as they could to try and make a living?
Well, it’s no secret that there is a lot of uncertainty right now because of Covid. The riders that are barely scraping by are going to need to get creative unless they want to get the 9-5 job. I know that’s harsh and it’s tough to hear but it is what it is. There are places and races where you can make a little to get by. From 2001 to 2009 I travelled this country with a pick-up truck and two bikes to find races to make some money and also improve my skills at the same time. There were AX races in BC and QC, Provincial events in Ontario, I had to do what I had to do to get by. Make some money, improve your racecraft, have some fun, and it also adds some value for your sponsors. Let’s face it, doing 6-10 national events per year isn’t cutting it in these trying times.
