It was a brilliant weekend for Lucas Loek contesting the Junior World Championship. Watching the youngster race is very impressive and he’s still so young. If he can continue to develop, work hard and stay injury free, the future should be very, very bright.
We caught up with his father, who knows exactly what it is like to try and make it in the Motocross world, to discuss Lucas and more. You can read, listen or watch below…
GateDrop: Aigar, to be honest, I think Lucas is probably too young to understand, but he’s very, very young and to do what he did today, in my opinion, I think he was probably the fastest… Obviously, he didn’t get the overall win, but you must be very happy with his speed.
Leok: Yeah, overall the weekend was alright, let’s say. The first moto he missed a little bit the start, he came back then he got to fourth when he makes a mistake, he gets to second and third, but I think what I feel is that he’s so young and he’s not strong enough to go and fight the big guys, so he just sits there and waits for mistakes. But you know, it’s class by class, it’s getting more difficult, and you need to stay for yourself. At the end of the day, Levi was really good, if you look at Townley riding, he was exactly like Ben in back in the day. You know, so nice to see you, but again, it doesn’t matter, I can say the age is different or whatever, but at the end of the day, a result is a result, but that’s it, I don’t know. I’m doing from my side all that I can, but Lucas, he wants it so bad.
GateDrop: Just on the second moto, I mean, he got the holeshot and it was bye bye, he checked out at the front, you must have been over the moon to see him pull away like that…
Leok: Yeah, but even we raced this year the ADAC series and there it’s the same, once HE gets the holeshot, he can sprint the first three laps really good, he can lay down pretty hard laps, and if he gets kind of that zone, he can be pretty good. But you know, at the end of the day, you need to just take your time, and even with this second place, you still keep the feet on the ground and do the things what you do best every day and just enjoy it.
GateDrop: Coming into the weekend, what was your expectations for him? And you must be happy with second overall?
Leok: Yes, probably… okay, in my heart, like when I see him riding in the practice days, I knew that it is possible to win, but I never told him this, because I don’t want to pressure him. But always the racing is different and if the track’s getting really rough, there is a chance for sure the bigger guys, they have advantage, you know, I would say. But at the end of the day, he did a good job, and I’m really happy.
GateDrop: Some parents that maybe don’t know the sport as well as yourself will push their kids very hard from a young age. What are you like with Lucas? For now, is it just to have fun?
Leok: No, I’m not pushing him. With me, it’s easy, when he starts riding, I didn’t want that he will ride, but now we are here, I’m full-time mechanic, manager, truck driver, whatever I need to do. The passion that Lucas has, I don’t need to push him, you know. My job is to prep the bikes and he wants to be here, that’s his world, and how we communicate with, talking with other riders and all, it’s so much fun. How many friends he makes, you know, he has friends already all over the world almost, and he’s 12, so it’s good.
GateDrop: I mean, Lucas for me is the next big thing at 12. Do you remember when you were 12? Do you think you were as good as Lucas is now, at his age?
Leok: I was actually, when I was young, I was pretty good. It’s not a lie that when I was small, I was lazy, I didn’t work, I didn’t like working hard. But then, when I was 13, I think I broke my back, then I broke my knee, and I broke my collarbone three times in a row, so I was more or less three years out, because in 1999 I was also 85 European champion, but then after that it went all downhill, you know. But it is what it is. You know, just enjoy the moment, and tomorrow is a new day, and work from there.
GateDrop: When you were a GP rider, things are very different now in terms of the EMX, there’s a lot more focus on the EMX, they race the same weekend as the GPs. I think it’s really, really good for the youth, I think the format now, it probably makes it easier for kids, because they’re seeing a lot of things from such a young age, and they’re riding these rough tracks and long motos…
Leok: Yeah, for sure, for sure. Even when I grew up, or I grew up, Lucas was saying, we start with 65, keep a cent like what we have there in Estonia, you know, and my point was that I’m not going to help him, I’m not going to pick up his bike, I’m not going to start his bike, I’m not angry with him, just to give him a lesson. I’m not the kind of dad who walks around the track and shows him lines and whatever. It’s at the end of the day, when he goes behind the gate, he’s there alone, he needs to make his own decisions, and that’s it. I’m the kind of dad, maybe next to it, it looks crazy but if he wants it, he needs to show it, and he needs to do it. I cannot do it, that’s it.
GateDrop: And Loket, this weekend, you must be pretty confident now. I haven’t seen him in hard pack, so I’m not sure what he’s like in hard pack, but I think he could probably win…
Leok: No, he will be good, I think. Mostly, it depends how he’s going to be in his head, because there’s all those GP teams and all the MXGP stars or whatever, and you feel kind of a little bit of pressure from there, because you’re also in the same paddock with them. But at the end of the day, I think it’s again experience. You need to take it day by day, race by race, and just enjoy it.
GateDrop: Just on the Leok family, obviously Tanel’s got his two sons racing, and you’ve got your son racing. You can’t seem to get away from the sport, you Leok’s, you seem to love it…
Leok: Nobody understands the Leok family, so Leoks are everywhere… (laughs).
Gatedrop: It must be nice to share that experience of racing and now bring the new generation on…
Leok: That’s what we love, what we enjoy, and I think it also shows where our heart is. It’s in racing and if it’s bad days or good days, you need to enjoy it. If you don’t enjoy it, nothing can happen. It’s always good to enjoy if there are good results, but again, I try to teach my kids that it doesn’t matter if you fail or you don’t fail. Find negatives, find positives, and just go. That’s it.
GateDrop: Last question, I have to ask you about it. Your one GP podium was in Northern Ireland, Desertmartin, I was there that day. Can you just go back to that day and sum it up, how it felt to stand on that podium? It was a lot of hard work to get there…
Leok: Yeah, for sure, hard work, but there is again, you know, I got the factory four-stroke KTM that time, and I could race with the bike for three GP’s, and the third GP in Ireland, I was on the podium, I was over the moon. I’ll never forget that day, even I don’t know what year it was (it was 2005 as he was third behind Rattray and de Reuver), but it was a good day. I don’t know if I remember wrong now, or was that day also Alessi there?
GateDrop: Yeah, both Alessi’s rode that day in MX2…
Leok: I think that was it, yeah. But again, you know, even, what I like to say is that if you work hard, the hard work is going to pay off, and even with one podium, you know, if I look back at my career, it was a hell of a ride, but I really enjoyed it.
