MXP: Hey Newf! It was a big weekend at Gopher Dunes as the Eastern swing of the 2023 Triple Crown Series kick-off. First off, what are your thoughts on the weekend as a whole?
RL: Big weekend is right. I always love the feeling of when the East kicks off as we see some new faces added to the series. Overall, I’m unsure if I have ever seen the facility look better, and the track layout raced well. The spectator turnout was great, which brings good vibes all around. The weather got interesting with some rain during the second 250 moto, but we did get lucky with it not being super-hot.
MXP: The conditions were certainly challenging with the rain and the humidity that set in during the second motos. However, the track didn’t seem to get near as rough as it has in the past. What were their thoughts on the track in talking to the GDR Honda riders?
RL: Yes, I would have to agree. We have seen rougher conditions, but I did do a track walk at the end of the day, and it was still pretty nasty. The amount of moisture we received leading up to and on the day made the sand really heavy. As far as the GDR riders go, Noah has never seen or ridden anything like that before, so the whole day was a learning experience for him and a bit of an eye-opener. Dylan was an animal and loved every moment of it, and our guest rider Lars Van Berkel loved it since his background is beach racing. All riders liked the layout and said it was a very raceable track with places to pass.
MXP: Final question this week Newf. What riders impressed you on Sunday, and were there any riders who you thought might have finished better in the sand?
RL: In the 250 class, I was impressed with Preston Masciaengelo. His speed was really good, and even though his results were not great on paper, I thought he rode really well. In the 450 class, I had higher expectations for Tyler Medaglia, although he said he trained too hard coming into the event and just didn’t have the intensity. I also had Andy Truyts finishing inside the top five, as he comes from a sand background. However, he couldn’t buy a start or stay on two wheels. Maff impressed me for 25 minutes in that first moto, and Pettis also hung tough all day.