Lockhart leads Mitch Cooke at the Joliette National.

By Danny Brault

Heading into this year’s Canadian National series, Ryan Lockhart had high expectations of himself, following a winter of hard work training at Sean Hamblin’s home in California. Unfortunately, his season didn’t meet his expectations. Riding the MX1 class in the western rounds, Lockhart did earn top ten finishes at Mission and Regina, but struggled with bike complications at the other two rounds. Then as the series headed east, he dropped back to the MX2 class to try and defend Kawasaki’s championship run from 2004. After spending a week dialing in the Gopher Dunes track, Lockhart was easily considered a contender, however, two bike seizures in Sunday’s motos put a quick end to his title chances. At Joliette he bounced back, winning his qualifier and finishing third overall. Then at Moncton he again won his qualifier, but didn’t finish his motos because of a knee injury. At Ste. Julie, he won his qualifier over Mitch Cooke, finished third in the first moto, but suffered a bike failure at the line for the second moto. We caught up with the Newf as he makes his way south to Pennsylvania for the 11^th round of the U.S. National series at Steel City Raceway, to get his thoughts on his season and plans for the winter.

RXC: Ryan, where are you right now?

Ryan Lockhart: In New Brunswick now, but I have to go to Boston to meet up with Big Ed [Evan Laughridge’s mechanic] and that’s where we’re picking up my race bike and stuff; that’s where the semi is.

Who is with you right now?

Well, me and my buddy Kyle. He worked for Richmond, he’s from Nova Scotia and he worked for Jeff Northrop at Walton. I’m picking up big Ed in Boston, then we’re meeting Evan down there. It’s just Evan and I out of my truck and trailer.

What class are you riding?

I’ll be riding the 125 class.

So is that bike going to stay together? [laughs]

I don’t know, you know as good as I know. [laughs]

I’m just teasing, I’m sure it will run fine.

No that’s all right, that’s what I was just talking about. I said to Kyle, ‘I’m feeling pretty good for this weekend but I’m a little nervous about my bike.’ But I’ll have my practice bike with me, just in case.

Lockhart finds himself left out of another moto at Ste. Julie

What have you been up to since Walton?

Well I hurt my hand there at Walton, I cut my fingers up. In the first 250 moto, I was in that first corner crash with Blair [Morgan]. I took a week off and I raced last weekend, a local race in Fredericton, New Brunswick. That’s about all I’ve done. I practiced yesterday once and, to be honest with you, I haven’t done much. I’ve just took it easy because I got kind of burnt out. My body is still hurting, my knee is still sore from when I hurt it in Moncton and my fingers were all jacked up and I’m just kind of getting over it. So I raced last Sunday and got some practice in there and practiced yesterday on my little supercross track.

I hear Richmond is doing supercross this winter. Will you be joining them?

Yeah that’s what I hear too, but I don’t think I’m doing supercross with them though. I’m trying to put a deal together for U.S. Arenacross.  It’s coming along pretty good to do the Clear Channel series. I’m just working on that stuff right now. I have to get a tax number for the U.S. because I will be riding with Team Green and I’m Canadian. That’s kind of the hold up right now and I’m waiting on that before I get sponsors lined up.

Will you be back with Richmond Kawasaki next year for the Canadian Nationals?

Yeah, it’s not signed yet but they are going to give me another chance because they felt bad about all the crap that happened this year.

Or are you the one giving them a second chance? Just kidding.

Well, yeah you know, I like all the guys and it was a good year, it honestly was a good year. But because of all the trouble that happened with the bikes, they feel like they cheated me out of a championship. They put in a lot of effort and it was just the way things worked out.

Yeah, well it looked like you had good chemistry with the team.

Exactly, I get along with everybody, with all the riders and I really, really like the bikes. It’s just that we had such crappy luck, but it’s like I said when the series started, ‘I don’t have very good luck in the East.’ [laughs] Hopefully next year I don’t have to ride the 125 class again, I’m over it. I don’t want to ride it anymore. I’m so over it. Every time I try, I put so much effort into it and I come up short and it’s like I’m doing something wrong. This year things didn’t work out and last year things didn’t work out.

Lockhart cheers on teammate Kyle Chisholm at Ste. Julie.

Will we see you at World Supercross again this winter?

Well I haven’t quite looked at the dates yet but I’m really trying hard to put together this arenacross deal. I’m doing it on my own with Kyle, so hopefully everything comes together. As long as they don’t conflict [WSX and U.S. Arenacross] I hope to be there.

Where did this idea to race U.S. Arenacross come from?

Well I know we’re having this Canadian Arenacross series this year, but it’s only five rounds. Like last year I spent $10,000 of my own money riding in California all winter and got ready for this year, it helped me out a lot and my riding has improved a lot, but I didn’t make any money. I’m 21 years old and I’ve got to start making some money and there’s money to be made—look at Darcy [Lange]. I’m not Darcy but there is a super-amount of money to be made. I talked to Billy Whitley and he’s the arenacross specialist and he knows everything about arenacross. He said, ‘If you can just get your foot in the door this year and break even, next year, say you walk away with a number four or five or even a top three, you’re going to be able to make so much money and it goes forever and you’ll be a wanted man in arenacross. Then it can lead to a supercross deal.’ I need to start looking out for my career; I’ve got to start making some money. I’m excited too, to race new guys and see new places.

You raced the Canadian AX series last year, right?

Yeah I did the three round series. It wasn’t as big as it is now and then I did the local BC races too.

Why did you think of the series?

It’s cool, the only problem last year was that it was all in BC and Alberta. It’s hard for a guy—it wasn’t so bad for me because I stayed out there, but it’s a long way to go. It’s going to be really cool this year, what is it five rounds and it starts in Toronto? Then it goes out west and ends out there. Then I’d have to drive all the way home. I think it’s really good, it could turn out really well. John Hellam, the guy who puts them on, is a really good guy and it’s really professional, but to put that amount of money into it for five rounds—for me, it’s not really worth it for the amount of money I could earn back.

Is it a good series for young Canadians looking for indoor experience?

As long as they can afford to do it, I would say ‘Yeah, right on—do it.’ I’m sure if my U.S. thing falls apart, that’s what I’ll be doing. I just have a hard time telling myself I’m going to drive across country, then I’m still in BC at the end of the series. It would be nice if it worked its way back somewhat. It’s a big expense, especially with the cost of fuel these days.

Thanks Ryan and good luck at Steel City.

Thanks buddy, talk to you later.