doing. I’ll watch and learn from them so I’ll be better prepared when I come back.” Shawn’s work ethic and love for the sport of motocross started years ago at the tender age of three. Like most kids in this sport, Shawn was introduced to it through his father who bought him a Yamaha PW 50 to ride. Although he was far away from the success he enjoys today, Shawn loved riding right from day one, and every chance he got he would get his Dad to take him to the track. There was something about the sights and sounds of a motocross track that made Shawn feel right at home on the bike, and it wasn’t long before he started competing. Growing up in beautiful Swift Current, Saskatchewan, life was pretty simple for the Maffenbeiers. Without a lot of deposable income, they knew their best chance of succeeding would come from hard work. These early life lessons have served Shawn well in motocross racing as he has never been the most talented rider on the track since day one. Shawn learned while growing up and racing on the Saskatchewan circuit and chasing more talented riders like Broc Shury that if he wanted to beat them then he had to work harder than them. During Shawn’s amateur career, there were no big championships and no trips to Ontario to the TransCan. There was just a lot of riding without the stress of any expectation. This formula seemed to really suit Shawn’s laid back personality as he was allowed to enjoy himself while he put the building blocks in place for his future professional career. When Shawn entered his very first Pro National in 2006, he wasn’t sure what to expect. “I entered my first National as an Intermediate and it was back in the days when you had to qualify to get into the motos. I won the LCQ and felt pretty good going into the motos. In both motos I absolutely grenaded and left there just devastated and wondering what I’d gotten myself into.” After his rude awakening to the Pro class, Shawn knew that he needed a lot of work if he wanted to realize his motocross dreams. Thankfully, another Saskatchewan rider would step up and offer his two cents and help guide Shawn to the next level. In 2007, Blair Morgan was winding down his illustrious career when he saw something in Shawn that he liked. Blair would place a call to his trainer at the time, Todd Schumlick, to tell him about Shawn and pass along his opinion that Shawn was the real deal. All he needed was a little guidance. At the time, Shawn was just 16 years-old so you could excuse him if he wasn’t quite polished, but he had big dreams. He took very well to PerformX’s strict training program.
“Hard work and effort are two lessons that have served Shawn well in motocross racing since those early days. With a small slice of talent, it was his work ethic that he leaned on to become a better rider.”
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Above: Shawn’s Dad, Randy Maffenbeier, and Step-Mom, Jackie, are pumped with his successes and have been there every step of the way.
2013-10-23 3:32 PM