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Riley Ripper
Riley made headlines this last weekend when his bike snapped in half. Naturally, we had to talk to him about it.
Vurbmoto: So, Riley… what the heck happened with your bike?
Riley: Ok so, started at press day and we started hitting the one rhythm lane they had setup for us. Started learning the lines and about five laps I went to go single-double-on-off-three. And I guess I clipped the off which set me sketchy going into the three and I still went for the three and I totally endoed and completely weeded myself. It was early in the session so unfortunately nobody got it on video. Immediately everyone rushed over and was taking pictures of my bike just Mangled.
Oh man that must have been a sprint to get the bike back together.
Hell yeah, man! Seven am to 7pm we worked tirelessly. We had a backup set of Luxon MX triple clamps to rebuild the front end and thankfully my buddy was able to bring another set of suspension, or I wouldn’t have been able to ride Saturday. We framed the bike and had her back together by 7pm and she was good to go.
Ok so it was the massive crash that snapped the triple clamps, but you had another set?
Yeah so we used Luxon Mx the Saturday and their a great company. I hold not harsh feelings toward them at all they are great people but to feel more comfortable going forward, the folks at X-Trig have stepped up big time and I’m moving forward with them.
Ok awesome. So, what the plan now?
So, I just got home from work. I work a full-time job here in Texas and use my vacation time to race and chase my dreams so we’re gonna load up and head off to Daytona.
What’s the goals for the weekend?
Just have any much fun as possible. Last year at Daytona was the closest I’ve come to making the night show so I’m really making a push to make my first night show. I couldn’t do all this without my family and all the people behind me. I graduated from Texas A&M in 2020 and they’ve supported me all the way. I wanna give a huge shoutout the Ron one of my biggest supporters and I probably wouldn’t have a pro licence without him. He’s been like family. Everyone one can follow me on Instagram at @Ripper822.
Tristan Lane
Tristan Lane is a privateer in the 450 class from Florida. #90 in your program but maybe #1 on the list of most approachable pro racers.
Vurbmoto: What sponsor has stuck with you the longest?
Lane: Jason Beck with Beck’s Tech. He is a suspension/engine mechanic near my house who has a huge role in me racing dirt bikes as a professional! He started helping me when I was 8 years old and still helps me to this day.
Where has been the best/coolest practice track you’ve been able to ride and how did you end up riding there.
James Stewart’s house. I was 16 years old and completely star struck being at the Compound. My neighbor Justin Starling got me in because of his relationship with their family. Such a cool experience!
What’s a riding tip that you learned as a kid that you’re still mindful of today.
When I was learning to ride, I remember being taught to squeeze the bike with my knees, and as simple as that sounds it’s a huge part of riding at a high level and something I still am working on today. In fact, I focus on squeezing with my ankles, knees, and pretty much anything I can leverage the bike with. Tight legs and loose arms!
What’s the biggest adversity you’ve faced in life (moto or not moto) and how did you overcome it.
Growing up my family didn’t know anything about racing or dirt bikes for that matter. My dad and I truly learned the hard way and scraped and clawed our way up the ladder. With them not having the means or resources to take me racing at a high level, I always felt like I could never make it as a professional racer. I always had a burning passion that drove me to overcome the adversity and stick to what I truly cared about most, which was riding and racing! My wife played a huge part in helping me stay the course and pushing me to chase my dreams.
Who was your amateur “rival” what was the most heated moment and where are they now?
I never had a “rival” so to speak, but I had a lot of great battles with Dawson Stark growing up. We were both a couple of goons trying to go as fast as possible and beat each other at all costs haha. Dawson’s racing ended when he turned 18 or so and he got into body building and currently does real estate!
Brandon Zimmerman
Chase Sexton’s race mechanic and all-around good guy in the pips. After years gaining experience, Brandon joined Pro Circuit Kawasaki where he worked for Adam Cianciarulo before going to work for Sexton leading into the 2022 season.
Vurbmoto: What is your earliest memory working on bike?
Zimm: Earliest memory working on a bike would be literally just cleaning my mini bike when I was a kid because that’s all I knew how to do, soap a rag and wiping er down. Dad did all the real work back then.
Who did you look up to in the mechanic world when you got started?
Tony Berluti is a legendary mechanic who I had the pleasure of working with early in my career at Hart and Huntington. Very big influence on me and taught me a lot early on, and of course was influenced indirectly by Mike Gosselar and Chad Watts
What’s your best Mitch Payton Story?
Mitch Payton story…. him telling me one day to stop doing graphics at the shop because graphics don’t make the bike go faster. He said do them in the hotel room Friday night! He was partially kidding, partially serious haha.
What tool in your tool box do you use the least but it stays in there because when you need it, you need it?
As far as tools… maybe a magnet because almost all of the hardware is titanium or aluminum or a few engine tools because although we don’t open our own engines up on race day that often, you never know when you might need to change a cam or something internal at the race yourself.
Best advice you can give a young aspiring mechanic?
I always try to answer upcoming or aspiring mechanics questions. It’s usually the same response because it’s true and it’s the path of many other mechanics before them… grind! Work your ass off even if it’s not where you want to be because one day it may lead you to where you were meant to be. Always try to work harder than the guy in the work bag next to you and ALWAYS be willing to LISTEN and LEARN more!
James Coy
Professional racer in his own right, James worked for many factory riders as a mechanic and has been involving motocross his entire adult life.
Vurbmoto: What’s a mistake you made as a mechanic that you made sure you never made again?
James Coy: In 2003 Roger De Coster, Ian Harrison and Branden Jesseman were at odds over running a rear moose on Branden’s bike at his first race back after injury. I strongly defended Brandon until the team agreed to let him run a tube. He got a flat in the first moto while running third. That was very hard to live down and never again did I question the team’s decisions.
What was the hardest part about ending your own riding career to switch gears to being a mechanic?
The hardest part about ending my own racing to be a mechanic was still having the desire to race. It was so hard because I was not ready to stop racing and even though I was not very good at all it was all I wanted to do. It took a long time and then it just went away one day and I have never really wanted to ride since then.
Do you think being a racer prepared you for what kind of mechanic you wanted to become?
I really don’t think it had any influence on what kind of mechanic I wanted to be. I was not near the level of the guys I worked for so I really had no experience that was relevant.
What was the worst crash/bike breaking you encountered that required a quick turn around?
I don’t ever remember a time that I was in that situation. There were times when the motor had to be changed or something on the chassis however, I was always in an environment where there was enough staff to make it happen easily.
Who did you learn the most from during your time as a mechanic?
The mechanic I learned the most from was Bundy. His real name is John Mitchell. He worked for Nathan Ramsey and was the head mechanic at Pro Circuit Kawasaki when I first started there. He was hard on me however everything he did was to build me up. He taught me so much about reading the parts and how they wear and when to change them and when to run them another week. It took a long time to earn his respect however he never gave up on me. Just kept pushing me. It wasn’t always nice however. I really can’t thank him enough to be honest.
Ryan “The Newf” Lockhart
Former Canadian professional racer who has dedicated his life to supporting the sport north of the border. Rider mentor and moto marketing guru.
Vurbmoto: Alright what is your earliest memory travelling for moto?
Newf: I would say 1992. I was racing locally on a KX 60 and we decided to travel to La Touqe Quebec for the Eastern Canadian amateur national. It was my first time racing outside of Atlantic Canada.
Who was a local pro you looked up to as a kid?
The Spanish fly Johnny Montes.
At what point in your amateur career did you start to think you could turn pro?
To be honest with growing up in Nova Scotia there was never a point that I didn’t think I could do it. We had a small rider base back there and I guess you could say we were in a bit of a bubble when it came to hopes and dreams. Once I started traveling to Quebec and Ontario, I realized that things would be much tougher.
Tell us about watching your son Meston this past weekend in the KTM Junior Supercross Challenge
It was an amazing experience for both Meston and I. Watching him doing a gate drop in front of 40,000 people gave me goose bumps. I was so proud of him with how he handled everything. Dealing with 7-year old’s emotions can be a bit of a rollercoaster at times but he handled it like a man.
What does it mean to you to contribute to the safety of racers all over the world?
It’s an honour and very gratifying knowing that Atlas is out there to help improve safety in the sport that we all love. I take my job very seriously and with pride. I have been with Atlas for 10 years and we have lots of cool stuff in the pipeline for the future.
Hey y’all, Big Dog here. I hope you enjoyed this first edition of Five Guys. This was fun to do and connect with this interesting characters. If you like this content, there are over 900 BigMx Radio podcasts on iTunes and Spotify that don’t get nearly enough listens. Jump in with both feet and amerce yourself in this beautiful world of moto.
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