DYLAN WRIGHT
THE FUTURE HAS ARRIVED INSIDE THIS ISSUE
P HOTO
THE KYLE KEAST STORY
L IS SI MORE
THE DOZER MAKES ONE MORE PUSH
JAMES
THE SPORT OF MOTOCROSS BRINGING FAMILIES TOGETHER
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RED RUNS THROUGH US
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The next generation has arrived
DYLAN WRIGHT
48 THE KYLE KEAST STORY
THE FUTURE HAS ARRIVED INSIDE THIS ISSUE
The Dozer makes one more push
PHOTO
THE KYLE KEAST STORY
LIS SIMORE
THE DOZER MAKES ONE MORE PUSH
JAMES
THE SPORT OF MOTOCROSS BRINGING FAMILIES TOGETHER
AU G U ST
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THE 2014 ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK
MOTOCROSS NATIONALS
THE FIRST FOUR ROUNDS IN THE WILD WILD WEST
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Mike McGill heads west to Las Vegas
68 THE WILD WILD WEST
Reviewing the fi st four rounds of the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals
86 BRINGING FAMILIES TOGETHER This sport can work miracles
90 AMERICANS HEAD NORTH
We take a look at the US riders that have come to Canada in 2014
98 CHASING MOTOCROSS DREAMS
Brent Worrall looks into the unsung heroes of the 2014 Nationals
110 WHY WE RIDE
Leticia Cline describes the freedom that riding gives us
114 BIKES OF THE STARS
Behind the Lens with James Lissimore
INTERVIEWS
56 JEFF WILLIAMS
Projekt Bags and 2UNDR
80 JORDAN SZOKE
Doing it all on two wheels
106 JASON MOORE
Foxhead Canada
118 DEREK FARTHING
Troy Lee Designs Canada
COLUMNS
32 FAMOUS LAST WORDS BY CHRIS POMEROY Lifetime of Memories
34 GUEST COLUMN BY BOBBY KINIRY Friends Forever
36 UP-SHIFT BY BRIAN KOSTER Enjoying the Summer
38 TRANSPARENCY BY DANNY BRAULT Believing the Hype
120 EVOLVED NUTRITION BY DREW ROBERTSON The Courage to Recover
126 HIGH OCTANE BY CRAIG STEVENSON Time to Perform
130 ON THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR WITH MARC TRAVERS SPECIALS
20 EXPOSED 30 CAUGHT ON CAMERA
PHOTO BY JAMES LISSIMORE
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SOARING OVER CALGARY Photo by: James Lissimore
On a day when he admittedly didn’t have his best stuff, Colton Facciotti skies it out in Calgary on his way to 2nd overall.
EXPOSED
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EXPOSED COOLING OFF THE FANS Photo by: James Lissimore
As the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals head east will this awesome scene from Gopher Dunes last year replay itself? We’re betting that Kyle Keast hopes it does.
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EXPOSED LEADING THE PACK Photo by: James Lissimore
After getting off o a slow start at the fi st few rounds of the series, Rockstar Energy Drink OTSFF Yamaha rider Bobby Kiniry (#2) finally got a win at ound 4 in Regina.
STAY I N G L O W Photo by: Matt Wellumson
These days you have to put a lot of trust in your fellow riders. As you can see at Red Bud it’s a good thing that Trey Canard and Ryan Dungey both scrub the same way.
EXPOSED
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MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE
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SPROCKETS. CHAINS. CHAIN LUBE.
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I RIDE
THE TIRES THAT WON AMA CHAMPIONSHIPS Prototype Geomax® MX32™ and MX52™ tires won 62 AMA Supercross and Motocross races in 2013 New technology such as patented block-within-a-block knobs offers superior grip in a wide variety of terrain Innovative front and rear block patterns enhance grip and contact feel Directional front tire design for better grip and steering feel Innovative damping-control sidewall rubber compound helps the tire to better follow the track surface Controlled-flex recess carcass design offers enhanced handling and improved knob durability Wider terrain application allows MX32 and MX52 to replace three tires in the Dunlop line
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Scan the QR code with a smart device to view Dunlop’s Geomax MX32 and MX52 product video. For more Dunlop tire information go to dunlopmotorcycle.com or call 800-845-8378. ©2014 Dunlop. This is an off-highway product — NOT INTENDED FOR HIGHWAY USE.
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Left: Kaven show us how many strokes his KTM will have in the east. Right: We think Atlas Brace front man Brady Sheren may be having some pre wedding jitters.
Left: Bobby Kiniry certainly felt the pain of the Nanaimo track. . Right: The father to Tyler and Jeremy Medaglia goes camo at round three..
Left: Colt 45 had his race face on in Kamloops. Right: Mrs Facciotti practices her mama bear face at rider’s meeting.
Far Left: The Maff has the best sexy face in the pits Left: Derek Schuster bends the no pit bike rule in the pits
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Right: When your as fast as Brock Hoyer is, Yamaha gives you bikes and headphones.
WE WANT YOUR PHOTOS!
P HO T O S BY M A RC L A NDRY A ND M X P S TA F F
Above Right: Calm, cool and collected.
CAUGHT ON CAMERA
Above: The man formally known as Disco Stu takes it all in at Whispering Pines
Above: Dylan Wright is heading into his first year as a pro with both eyes wide open
Below: Josh Clark introduced himself to the MX1 class by holeshotting in Calgary.
Send your pictures via Facebook or hashtag you photos on Twitter or Instagram with #MXPCaughtonCamera and you could see your photos in an upcoming issue!
Left: So far Josh Hill is seeing Canada as a breath of fresh air. Right: So you really have a hot tub set up just over there?
MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE 
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FAMOUS LAST WORDS
FAMO US L AST WORDS
s I write this I’m sitting on a plane headed west to California to test ride the brand new 2015 KX450F. Even though it’s Canada’s birthday and a lot of our population is celebrating with fireworks and a few beverages, I don’t think I’d trade my view from 39,000 feet for anything. Working in this industry obviously brings a lot of joy as I’m around the sport that has been the love of my life for many years. However, as any of us fortunate ones will tell, this industry definitely involves a lot of challenges, such as spending a National holiday on an airplane for five and half hours. But, as I said, my view of the world is pretty spectacular right now. A few weeks ago on a very rainy day before the Regina National, I met up with James Lissimore and Billy Rainford to kill some time while the rain pounded down outside. During this chat session we all shared our stories from the first three rounds of the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals, both funny and serious. It didn’t dawn on me until the next night while flying home that while this industry has a few bad apples (what industry doesn’t) it really is full of great people. Think about it - at every level in motocross, whether it’s corporately or simply at the practice track on a Wednesday night, we’re all a very tight knit family. I’ve been lucky enough to have attended motocross races since I was four years-old. Now that I’m 41, I feel like I’ve seen a lot and have met a lot of great people. Some of these people have watched me grow up on and off rack, they’ve seen me make mistakes and they’ve seen me do some pretty cool things. Through it all we’ve always been able to
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“THINK ABOUT IT AT EVERY LEVEL IN MOTOCROSS, WHETHER IT’S CORPORATELY OR SIMPLY AT THE PRACTICE TRACK ON A WEDNESDAY NIGHT, WE’RE ALL A VERY TIGHT KNIT FAMILY.”
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WITH CHRIS POMEROY PHOTO BY JAMES LISSIMORE
share a laugh and a great story. They say that the true mark of any great friendship is being able to go long durations without contact and then picking up right where you left off he next time you meet. This couldn’t be any more accurate than it is in motocross. How many times have you shaken hands with someone at a show or race and said goodbye, only to go months, sometimes years without seeing each other? Then when you do finally see them again, it’s like you never missed a beat. I have an abundance of motocross friends that have followed this script for many years and I’m very thankful for that. In this issue the MXP team takes a few different looks at the first four rounds of the National series, from Brent Worrall’s western recap to Danny Brault’s look at the American riders who have traveled north to compete against our Canadian stars. It’s all in here and I think the stories turned out great. We also have a few interviews with some of our industry greats that I spoke of earlier. We’re also extremely excited to have the leader of the next generation of fast young riders, Dylan Wright, as this month’s cover boy. Dylan has been having a very solid rookie season in the MX2 class so putting him on the cover was an easy choice. I hope everyone enjoys this issue of MXP; it was certainly a lot of fun to put together. Unlike last winter, the summer of 2014 is flying by. Before we know it we’ll all be gathered at Walton Raceway crowning champions and wondering where the season went. Until then, I hope everyone has a safe summer while riding and, I look forward to seeing all of my friends at the track.
MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE
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Safety:8.5”
Best fuel economy of Any pickup ever. That’s right, ever. The All-New 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel has gotten into the habit of making history. Earlier this year, it won Motor Trend’s 2014 Truck of the Year Award® – the second year in a row and the first time any truck has ever won it back-to-back. Then Canada’s only Light Duty Diesel pickup was rated as good as 7.1 L/100 km or 40 miles per gallon highway* – the best fuel economy ever recorded for a pickup truck. The super-efficient 3.0 litre EcoDiesel V6 engine is also powerful with unsurpassed 420 lb-ft of torque† and up to 9,200 lb of towing capability.• So if you want to save on fuel and get the job done every time, look to the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel. Otherwise, history might just pass you by.
Safety:10.25”
*Based on 2014 EnerGuide highway fuel consumption ratings. Government of Canada test methods used. Your actual fuel consumption will vary based on driving habits and other factors. 10.2 L/100 km (28 mpg) city and as good as 7.1 L/100 km (40 mpg) highway on Ram 1500 4x2 model with 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 and 8-speed automatic. Ask your retailer for EnerGuide information. •When properly equipped. †Based on Automotive News Full-Size pickups. RAM is a registered trademark of Chrysler Group LLC.
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GU E ST COLUMN IST
F RIEN DS FOR L I FE
ately it seems a lot of people have been asking who I grew up racing with throughout my amateur career. It’s funny to look back and recall names that have come and gone in the sport and the guys that we are still racing today. I think we had a pretty tough mini and amateur group coming up. A lot of us, who are nearing our 30s, are still racing for a living today. Just to name a few there was James Stewart, Ryan Sipes, Josh Grant, Mike Alessi, Kyle Chisholm, Teddy Maier, Tyler Medaglia, Jimmy Nelson, Brock Hepler, Davi Millsaps, Nick Evennou, Phil Nicoletti, Gavin Gracyk, Michael Willard, Kyle Partridge, Donny McGourty, Jason Lawrence, and Ryan Mills. A handful of these guys are past Canadian champs. It’s crazy how much we have grown together and have been competing throughout life. We have raced each other hard for championships and money since we were little kids, and now we are all moving to the next stage of our lives together, with families and having children, while still competing at that same intense level. It’s funny to see how we have all evolved as racers and how we have become close friends through it all. We have traveled all over the world together going to races, from the US to Canada to Europe, and it is always nice to see those familiar faces. These are the people we grew up with. Instead of high school, we were traveling to races. In addition to the riders, there are the teams and crew members that we have all become friends with as well. The ideal relationship while on a team is to all work together as partners and friends and working towards the same goal. While working like that, we do become good friends, a lot like military groups who go on missions together that become brothers. While we are certainly not in a life and death situation, we are in a stressful and competitive environment together in
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“WE RACE EACH OTHER AGGRESSIVELY - RUBBING IS RACING AS WE ARE RACING TO FEED OUR FAMILIES, BUT WE ALL RESPECT OTHER EACH AND WHAT WE ARE DOING AS INDIVIDUALS. IT IS NICE TO HAVE THAT TRUST WITH YOUR FRIENDS THAT YOU ARE BATTLING WITH FOR TWO 35 MINUTE MOTOS EVERY WEEK.”
WITH BOBBY KINIRY PHOTO BY JAMES LISSIMORE professional racing. Looking back I have acquired just as many lifelong team friends as I have riding friends. Back to the racing side of it, many of you might recognize a few of the names I listed above that are racing today with us in the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals. Teddy Maier, Kyle Chisholm, Tyler Medaglia, Mike Alessi and I are in a pretty tight battle for points right now as always. In such tight battles, people might think that we would not be friends, but as soon we are off he track, we compare sleeping habits of our children and hand out marital advice with each other. As many of you reading this know, life changes drastically when you have children. It’s nice to know your fellow competitors and friends are right there with you going through the same things, and we can help each other through, on and off he track. Since the amateur days, our group has grown to include the rest of the regulars on the circuit. Having these friendships makes racing more enjoyable because there is a mutual respect we have for each other. We race each other aggressively - rubbing is racing - as we are racing to feed our families, but we all respect other each and what we are doing as individuals. It is nice to have that trust with your friends that you are battling with for two 35 minute motos every week. Some people may be wondering what happens to us after racing. I would like to think that we will all stay in touch. I have a long list of friends who are no longer racing, such as former champ Paul Carpenter and Danny Smith just to name a few, that I still stay in touch with and still consider close friends. Some of the names I have mentioned have moved on from racing but have still stayed within the industry, which makes it easy to keep in contact with them. Looking back now, I feel like I can say that racing has given me lifelong friendships and great memories.
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ooray, it’s finally summer time, but as far as I’m concerned it’s already passing by way too quickly. As I write this, the first four Nationals are in the books and it’s been a bit of a wild ride. Each round of the Rockstar Energy Drink series is generating a good crowd, and the weather cooperated, until we hit Regina where it was a total mess. Mike Alessi has not disappointed and has quickly become an integral part of the show and a definite crowd pleaser. Colton Facciotti has beaten the demons that have plagued him at Kamloops over the last two seasons, and as we get ready to hit Gopher Dunes he’s still carrying the red plate. MX2 has been equally exciting with a host of speedsters mixing it up from round to round. The music aspect of the series has been great but I still believe it’s the motocross that draws the lion’s share of the audience. Meanwhile, the freestyle has been a huge highlight for the fans at the first two rounds where the Milotland tour has taken flight. The Wastelands in Nanaimo is a National race that always stirs up some grumbling. I believe the track gets a bit of a bad rap these days. The Nanaimo club has literally brought tons of top soil in over the years and the racing surface seems to improve with each passing year. Sure it’s built on some nasty shale rock, but with a name like the Wastelands would you expect it to be some sort of loamy moto X nirvana? Well, it’s not, but the track is better than it has ever been. Like they say, it’s the same for everyone plus it always seems to provide an action packed race. Some moan and groan about the added expense of getting to the Island on the ferry, and yes, it ain’t cheap, especially for the big rigs and trailer towing motor homes, but it is a fantastic venue. I had been to BC several times before going to the Nanaimo race for the first time in 2000 and quickly fell in love with the Island. I think for first timers the ferry is the way to go, and I would urge any Canadian to check it out or add it to their bucket list. The Island is extremely beautiful and has a certain low key, laid back charm that yearns for one to stay… like forever. This year I hung out on the Island for the week prior to Kamloops and rode mountain bikes with a Toronto buddy of mine who just “immigrated” there to work at Marin Bikes’ Canadian head office. I must say, what an epic week of epic trails riding some totally epic Marin bicycles. As the series headed west and into Kamloops, the entire CMRC Rockstar Energy Drink circus was treated to another awe inspiring venue. The province of BC is surely a national treasure and should be experienced by all Canadians at some point in their lives. Kamloops has the lowest rainfall in all of Canada and is the closest thing we have to living in California. With a mix of vast open rolling hills and forests surrounded by steep mountains, it’s a paradise for off-road motorcycles. Be it motocross or trail riding, there is a lot to like within the region. The scenic Whispering Pines Raceway is adjacent to the North Thompson River
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and is a true National calibre track. Great soil with rough and gnarly high speed sections offering great spectator opportunities always makes it a crowd pleaser. I rolled to the “Loops” with Brad from Marin Bikes and we were graciously hosted there till Calgary by Ross who owns the Horsepower Ranch. It’s a great, private riding facility that’s located just outside of town towards Cache Creek. It was another week of peddling mixed in with some dirt biking and general frivolity. The Horsepower Ranch is a regular riding/hang out spot for pro athletes of various stripes, and many videos and photo shoots have been shot there. In Kamloops, there is a sick downhill-style bicycle park right in the heart of town that even offers a shuttle service. For a twoonie, the dude will hump you and your bike back up to the top. You can ride back up too if ya have the legs and lungs, but after a while it’s the best two dollars you could ever spend. Ross and I spent a day there with RTR Racings Topher Ingals. On that terrain it’s easy to see why the region has produced so many great bikers. Topher is a beauty; the three of us freight trained some sweet lines well into the evening. Kamloops is quickly but quietly becoming the retirement destination of choice for Canadians who don’t want to live in the USA. In the summer months it offers many of the same climatic benefits of say Arizona without the medical insurance hassles. And the winters there are gentler than most cities to the east but great skiing is within an hour of the city limits. I always look forward to being in the Loops, and want to thank Roscoe for his gracious hospitality this year and in the years past. From there it was another road trip through the Rocky Mountains towards Calgary. The scenery is fantastic and it seems to get more beautiful around each passing corner. It’s only about a seven hour drive, but Brad and I decided to crash a night in Banff nd get a fresh start in the morning as we continued our trek to Calgary. From Banff t’s only about an hour and a half drive, but we woke up Friday morning to heavy rains so were in no hurry to make moves. Once in Calgary, the rain continued on and off s we arrived at the track to muddy conditions. The locals say if you don’t like the weather wait five minutes and it will change, and they are usually right. Sunday morning brought with it gray skies and intermittent rain, which normally reduces the amount of fans that come out for the races. But not in Calgary! I don’t think I have ever seen so many fans at a race for the morning practice and qualifying sessions. The people who live there are definitely of a heartier sort and weren’t going to let a little rain stand in their way of witnessing the “Big Show”. So kudos to all you hard core Alberta fans who showed up for what was to be perhaps one of the best prepped Calgary track we have seen in recent years. And though the weather was tumultuous and had a wide range of emotions throughout the day, the heavy rains held off. It ended up being a world class event of great racing on an amazing track nestled right in the heart of the city. I would say for certain, all in attendance will want to make a point of coming back next year as it was an awesome day. After Calgary it was a redeye flight home but before I knew it was back on a plane to Regina. Poor Regina; it was a weekend many will want to forget. Heavy rains leading up to the event made it one of the messiest events I have ever attended. The pits were a disaster with ankle deep slop through the main gallery and the track was much the same. It was reduced to 20 minute plus one lap motos then it was decided the second motos would be cancelled. The day was sunny and beautiful, but the damage was done and the rain gods ended up winning out. The event had such potential; the track was laid out beautifully and had all the ingredients of being an epic return. The crowd was great and it was heartbreaking for me that they did not get two full motos to enjoy. The bands still played and to a die-hard group of fans it was an awesome show. Yukon Blonde rocked out then Hollerado closed the show interacting freely and happily with the mud diving crowd and played all their well-known hits with excellence. They had everyone near the stage dancing or at the very least tapping a toe. In a single word they were great! Well there is my rather self-indulgent look at the first four rounds of the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals. I want to personally thank all the clubs and volunteers for all their hard work, sacrifice and dedication in assisting to making it all happen.
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think everyone has one or a few people who really influence them while growing up. For me, I’m happy to say that my parents had the biggest influence and I’m glad they did. They were always supportive no matter what my brother and I did, unless of course we threw some eggs at our neighbour’s house, and then we’d get a boot in the arse. In motocross, my Dad had some great advice, and even though he’s not too handy on a dirt bike, he understands racing and what you should be thinking about on the bike. For sure he was a heavy influence in many ways, but his brother, my Uncle Dougie, is the guy who really spent a lot of time with me around bikes when I was younger. Like I said, my Dad didn’t really ride himself, he was an ATV racer at one point and also raced snowmobile oval track as a teenager, so I spent more time going riding with Dougie than Donny (my Dad). Right from 50s to 450s, I would spend most of my free time riding and going to the races with Uncle Doug. He didn’t win any Nationals, but Dougie held his own in the local Expert and Plus 30 classes for years. Always a good starter, aggressive to the point where it ended in near fist fights at the finish, and he never gave up. He owned all kinds of bikes in his career, and he’ll tell you the worst was this CR500 he bought because he thought it would be really reliable and he wouldn’t have to work on it. He was right on that one, but it was also one brutal ride to endure every time out. At 12 years-old, he forced me to ride the bike even though I couldn’t touch the ground. It was an experience I won’t soon forget. Dougie had some different training methods. I could see him and Tony Alessi getting along really well. He had this thing where he would tease you and tell you that “You have the fear!” if you didn’t jump something. A real safe, responsible way to get young kids to hit jumps they’re unsure of… He was finally successful in teaching me to use my front brake when he removed my rear brake pedal and told me to ride a circle track for two hours. It took a while but I caught on. He was kind of like that cooler, older brother. I remember at the Pontiac Supercross in 1999, Dougie pulling his three kids, my brother and I and our two friends aside, telling us to act natural and be confident as we proceeded to waltz through the pit entrance, without any credentials. He was pretty good at getting us into areas we weren’t supposed to be,
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“For me, I’m happy to say that my parents had the biggest influence and I’m glad they did. They were always supportive no matter what my brother and I did, unless of course we threw some eggs at our neighbour’s house, and then we’d get a boot in the arse.”
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WITH DANNY BR AULT
but then finally we went too far when Dougie thought we could get down on to the stadium floor. We almost did until this tall, bald security guard flipped out (rightfully so), which caused my uncle to start yelling back at him. All of us kids just put our heads down, hoping we could still stay for the race. Not sure how, but Dougie and the security guy made up and he actually provided us all with pit passes. While riding in his old, red Dodge pickup truck, loaded right up with our bikes and his kids, he’d brag about the good old days, how he and Bruce McKinnon would race around the schoolyard on their old Triumphs and Husqvarnas. What’s funnier is that Dougie didn’t just do those things when he was a kid; he was still doing it as a 50 year-old! I remember he had his kids and their friends doing laps in the public park next door to their house in a Peterborough subdivision. Again, nobody said anything to Dougie, whether they were worried he would snap if they said something or maybe they just didn’t care, but he got away with it. As wild as he was, Dougie never cared for booze or drugs and kept a pretty tame life in that respect. He was far from calm, however, super competitive and always looking for a fight, whether it was motocross, hockey, squash or whatever the activity was that day; he was one fierce opponent. His favourite riders were guys like Jeff tanton, who were tough, in shape and never gave up. Silently, we were both fans of riders like Jason Thorne and Ron Lechien who could keep it loose off he track while still delivering a good show on it. A big kid at heart, Dougie is still riding on two wheels today, but it’s more so on his Yamaha Road Star cruiser. He rides here and there, but with his kids not into racing anymore, he’s backed off. Plus, at 56 or however old he is now, he’s put on a lot of laps and bruises so he deserves a rest. To this day, there’s not much that Dougie and I can agree on (same goes for him and my Dad, and my Dad and my brother Corey, and Corey and me … Braults like to argue) but he’s still one of my favourite guys to catch up with and break down the latest race. I do miss those days of loading up the pickup truck with Dougie and heading off o some track, any track, and racing the day away. There was yelling and screaming at times, but I wouldn’t change a thing. (And Dougie won’t agree, but I eventually overcame the fear.)
Revolutionize mx: mAss centRAlizAtion
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~ BY CHRIS POMEROY | PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE ~
To compliment the Dylan Wright cover in this issue, we take a look back at his career so far. At just 16 years of age, Dylan has a lot of years ahead of him to make his mark on Canadian motocross. We feel as though Dylan Wright’s future is very bright.
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hen you think of Dylan Wright a few words instantly come to mind; words like determined, focused and energetic are just a few. After what started as a relatively normal amateur career, over the past few years all of Dylan’s hard work began paying off and he started to get the results that he spent his youth dreaming about. As anyone in attendance at the 2013 Parts Canada TransCan will tell you, Dylan’s performances en route to multiple Intermediate Championships were awe inspiring to say the least. Every time the call went out that an Intermediate moto was on the starting line, people dropped what they were doing and ran to the fences just to catch a glimpse of Dylan’s never-say-die riding style and his battles with Weston Wrozyna. Growing up just minutes away from the famous Sand Del Lee motocross facility, just outside our Nation’s capital in Ottawa, Dylan took an early interest in dirt bikes and began riding at the young age of four. Right from the start it was clear that although he had the talent to ride a dirt bike, if he was going to realize his true potential in motocross, he needed some expert tutelage. Thankfully for the Wright family, their close proximity to the SDL track allowed Dylan to be introduced to Kevin Tyler, Johnny Grant and what is now affectionately known as MX101. With brothers Tyler and Jeremy Medaglia already part of the MX101 program, he had two very positive influences that motivated him to reach new heights. Right from the beginning, the pieces were falling into place for Dylan.
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It didn’t take long for the MX101 Team to embrace Dylan and what he brought to the track each day. Kevin Tyler reflects on those early days with Dylan. “When he first came to us he really knew nothing about the sport, but the kid was open to learning and he had a work ethic that we rarely see at that age. To watch him grow over the years and become the individual he is today makes all of us here at MX101 very proud.” Throughout the years Dylan and the MX101 Team have been a perfect fit. In a sport like motocross where it’s just a rider and his machine on the track, athletes tend to forget that it’s impossible to find success without a good team behind them. Dylan has learned this valuable lesson from not only the good people at SDL but also from his father who was a very accomplished hockey player in his youth. Throughout his hockey playing days, Bill Wright learned that regardless of how talented an athlete you are, if you aren’t prepared to work hard then your career will only progress so far. Not wanting his son to be limited by anything, Mr. Wright also passed these tremendous lessons on to Dylan, so working hard has been a way of life for him since the beginning. I can remember the very first time I noticed Dylan’s speed and determination. It was the 2011 Parts Canada TransCan and he was there racing a screaming Husqvarna 125 two-stroke. In each moto that week, he would get off o a bad start against the more powerful 250Fs in his class. Then, just like clockwork, Dylan began picking off iders in dramatic fashion until he was at or near the front. During those motos it was like his coming
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out party. With every pass, even sometimes on the last lap, we got a glimpse into the sole of the rider and what he was all about. It was determination at its best. When Brett Lee came to me on Saturday night just before the awards ceremony to ask me who I thought should win the Hardest Charger Award, my choice for this prestigious honour was an easy one. Just like that week at Walton in 2011, we again saw Dylan’s heart on display last year at the Gopher Dunes National. Racing in his first Pro National as a 15 year-old Intermediate, he shocked the Canadian motocross community by charging from behind to finish an incredible third overall. It was an impressive ride and it once again solidified that this kid has all the makings of a future champion. As 2013 came to a close, it was time for him to officially turn pro, and just like a Hollywood movie the MX101 Yamaha Team was waiting for Dylan with open arms. After a winter of hard training down south, the time that Dylan and his family had been waiting for had arrived. On May 31 st in Nanaimo, BC the gate dropped on his pro career. If the goal was to start off onsistently and get through the first four rounds in one piece, Team Wright has certainly succeeded. Other than some bike issues suffered at round two in Kamloops, Dylan has been in the top ten at every race including an impressive fifth overall in Calgary. As the series heads east and gets ready to pass through his backyard in SDL, the place where his riding began, it seems Dylan Wright’s racing has now come full circle. Currently ninth in the MX2 points standings, one could say that his rookie season is already a raging success. However, with this kid’s determination to get to the front of the pack, we feel it won’t be long until you see him on the podium every weekend. For all of these reasons and the great example that he’s setting for younger riders, we at MXP Magazine Dylan feel Wright is the perfect choice for this month’s Cover Boy. Congratulations Dylan and good luck the rest of the way.
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DIGGING DEEP By Danny Brault | Photography by James Lissimore
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hen you hear someone saying that you need the best bike, lots of time to ride and train and a private trainer or mechanic, we can always use Kyle Keast as evidence that no, you don’t need all of that stuff. Certainly, it can hinder the process of developing a motocross racer but as Kyle says below, a person’s real character comes from what is going on when they’re off he bike. How big is their heart and desire to achieve their potential in this sport? Ever since he could walk, the 29 year-old has been riding and racing motocross. His father, Jamie, has always been a great rider and his uncle, Jody, was an Expert level racer back in his day (and once in a while, he’ll throw on a helmet, work boots, a set of overalls, and show that he still can give ’er). The whole Keast family loves motocross and watching Kyle race. It’s all based around dirt bikes and where the next race is. They love seeing people work hard to achieve what they want. If anyone needs a hand to get to the starting line, you can bet they’ll provide any labour, parts or gear required. As an amateur, Keast was fast but I don’t think anyone could have predicted that the chubby little racer, who as an amateur often had to share a bike with his dad, would one day grow into a legitimate top guy at the Nationals. John Nelson at Machine Racing will probably tell you that he saw it coming as he’s been supporting Kyle and his family since day one. Even when Kyle switched to orange and yellow at times in his pro career, Nelson was still at his side. What makes Keast’s story more impressive is that after battling at the Nationals on the weekend, he’s back to work Monday morning for another 40+ hour work week. Since he was 14, Keast has been working a full-time welding construction job, and in the last three years he’s been operating his own company and crews. Again, don’t look to Keast to give you sympathy for your lack of sleep, riding or training time, he’s got no time for it. With focus on developing his construction business and property in Lindsay, it would seem that Kyle Keast is ready to settle down, especially with his recent setback with injuries, and he’s only racing the second half of the Nationals. As we’ve come to learn in this candid interview with Kyle, he doesn’t see his work is finished yet in motocross; he plans to contend for another championship in the near future.
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MXP: Where are you at in your motocross career? Kyle Keast: I am just taking a break more than anything. There isn’t a ton of support up here where you can live off f racing, well you can do it, but you have to live off f your family and get by on the little bits of money you do make from motocross. That’s not me. I’ve worked my whole life and started my own business so that in a few years, I will have enough guys and can take the summers off. That’s the plan, but it doesn’t always work out that way. I would love to race and train and do the whole National series again. I know that if I’m putting out the effort, I have what it takes to be up on the box every weekend. Since 2012 when I broke my femur, I’ve been going through the grind working and trying to build my business. Once I get things to a certain point, I will do the entire series again. What’s an average week like for you during the summer months? Last year wasn’t as bad with being busy at work. I was steady but I could leave, but I wasn’t swamped. This year has been busy right from January. I had a couple hiccups with a couple of guys leaving … miscommunication on both parts I guess. I had things set so we had two crews on the jobs, but now we’re down guys and I need to be at the job sites more
often. I’m usually up at four in the morning, and I work late nights when I’m out of town, so I don’t need to be away as often. On Fridays, I might go meet with contractors and go over things, or do some administration and paperwork. Riding once a week would be fantastic for me right now; I haven’t had a chance to do it yet. I did buy a cycling bike so hopefully I get lots of use out of it. I wish it was a little slower at work so I could manage racing and work better, but I want to make as much money as I can right now. This year has been good in a business sense, but not good in motocross. Considering your lack of riding and two injuries in the spring, are you still as excited about Gopher? Are you as confident? I am still going to be out there and I think everything will be okay on my end. Last year I didn’t ride or train like you should be for Gopher Dunes, but I get through there with heart and desire more than anything else. I do work outside all day in the heat and wearing work pants, boots and thick socks, so I’m used to being in the heat and I think that helps me at Gopher. If I get some rides in at Raglan once or twice a week, I think that I’ll do okay. I rode at Sand Del Lee and my speed was there, actually it was better than I thought it would be for how little I’ve
“RIDING FOR JOHN IS GOOD BECAUSE WE GET ALONG AND WE TALK EVERY DAY. EVEN WHEN I WASN’T RIDING FOR HIM, HE WAS STILL HELPING ME ON THE SIDE AND MAKING SURE I HAD EVERYTHING I NEEDED.”
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Above: Kyle shares a laugh with his long time friend and sponsor John Nelson (right) and his Yamaha teammate Tyler Duffy.
been riding. I think once Gopher comes, I will put it all aside and have enough hate in me; then my heart and everything will kick in and overcome the pain [laughs]. Do the people who are around you know that you make a living outside of making a living, that you are a professional athlete as well as construction worker? Most of the guys who work for me are related to me or know me well. Other guys on the job site don’t really know. No one really cares [laughs]. If they ask if I ride a dirt bike, I just say ‘Yeah on the weekend’ and then change the subject to something about work. You were always a Honda guy, but then you switched to Yamaha in 2012. Are you a Yamaha guy now? I really liked the Yamaha ever since 2010 when they changed the 450. I remember riding the bike and really enjoying them. Since getting on a Yamaha in 2012, I really liked them and would like to stay with one brand for the rest of my career. I guess with the way the economy goes and sponsorships, I’m not sure how long that I will be on a Yamaha. I would like to, they’re an awesome company to deal with, I like the bike and it holds together. John at Machine Racing has been helping me out forever. Hopefully we stay together for a while. Since turning Pro in 2003, at what point did you feel the best on the bike? Probably 2012, that was the year that I got a chance to make a little money from Yamaha to make it through a year. I could train every day, twice a day, ride two or three times a week, and I just felt good with the bike. It was the best I felt on a bike. I was winning all of the local races and the first National went well in Nanaimo; I hate that place. I ended up going 4-4 behind Kiniry. Then we went to Kamloops
and I broke my femur. That was my best year but really my only opportunity to afford to train full time. I will try to do it on my own again and pay my own way if everything goes well with business. If I get enough guys, I think you’ll see me back. Train, get back in shape … I’m older and wiser. You’ve come close to winning some Nationals but had to settle for podiums after making some mistakes. I’m sure that’s still something on your ‘bucket list,’ to knock off a ational moto win? For sure, that’s one of my big goals, but I have more goals than that. I want to contend for a title. That’s my biggest goal and it was my plan back then. It may take a couple of years to get things sorted out. I’ll have to wait until I’m set and comfortable with work and everything at home. I want to have a track going here, get the property finished and have money in the bank before I get going again. Some people wouldn’t understand or see why I want to do it (race the Nationals again). I don’t want to do it for someone else; I want to do it for myself so when I’m 50 years old at a table I can look back and say I gave it everything I could. Most of your career has been a Honda or Yamaha, backed by Machine Racing, but you rode for Suzuki and KTM as well. Where did you feel most comfortable? Riding for John is good because we get along and we talk every day. Even when I wasn’t riding for him, he was still helping me on the side and making sure I had everything I needed. He’s been around me my whole life and even when I was on other teams he was still helping me. He can be old school when it comes to getting things done on bikes, thinking you don’t need certain things, but it’s good for you. If you can take riding for John Nelson—he tells you how it is—then you’re going to be pretty tough. I enjoyed riding for KTM and Andy White. We were straight up with each
other and got along all year. I told him, if there wasn’t enough budget for something, just tell me and it’s okay. The team was great, especially (Kaven) Benoit and then having my friend Johnny Silegren wrenching for me. It was cool flying into every race, hop into a rental car and everything was ready for me. I started my business that year and was still busy but it was a nice change. I just had to show up and race. I really enjoyed it. Man, I can remember back in the day, my Uncle Dougie and I watching you and your dad sharing a CR125 at all of the CMRC races. That thing took a beating! We could relate to you guys because we didn’t have the best stuff ither, but you didn’t let that stop you from racing or trying hard and getting results. You’re pretty fortunate now with great sponsors and support, probably with boxes of old gear and parts lying around. Do you look back and think about how things have changed in that way? [Laughs] Oh yeah, I’m thankful for how it went. It took a lot of hard work, for my parents too. I hope kids realize that. Parents sacrifice a lot to take their kids racing. It’s not a cheap sport. When I look back, and all the old gear I still have from back in the day, back then I didn’t think I would have any of this. I dreamed of it and worked for it but was never really sure it would happen. All the time and effort put in was worth it. Instead of going to parties every weekend, you’re going racing. You make a sacrifice. Are today’s racers different from when you were racing Junior and Intermediate? A little bit. I wasn’t that person looking at myself growing up back then with Gauldy, Mesley, Island, Chamberlain and Burke all racing together. But back then it seemed more competitive and there were more guys. Well it is proven; there were more guys back then. There was one series and one goal and everyone wanted to beat each other.
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DIGGING DEEP
Nowadays it seems like guys just want to go and win something. Guys will go to a club race, where there is no one, just so they can say they won on that weekend. Who did you beat? Did you beat the best guys in Ontario? Best guys in Canada? Or did you beat the average guy? I watch the Intermediate and Junior classes and I see a few guys who really want it. I notice a lot of Intermediates that go Pro; when they don’t have that win every weekend, they just give up and don’t keep charging. One kid that I respect a lot is Dylan Wright. He came from nothing. His mom and dad worked their asses off o get him to the races so he reminds me a lot of my family. He’s not that spoiled kid who got handed everything, he’s that kid who worked for everything. I think you’ll see him go far in the sport. He’s one kid that stands out but there’s not too many like him these days. As an amateur, I don’t think you were winning as much as say Pierce Chamberlain was in the Ontario scene, but as things progressed into the Pro ranks, things changed and all of the sudden you went forward and he went backwards. Maybe it helps for guys not to be winning so much, and learn to work hard battling back from bad starts or sharing a bike, if that’s what it takes. Growing up, I won some Intermediate classes and was one of the top guys. It’s not necessarily the racing that has made the person, but their life experience. You bring up some kid who wins a lot, gets things handed to him and has this hype around him, but he never had to work at it. As soon as you put hard work in front of them, turning Pro, they
can’t do it. One kid I wish that was tougher is Richard Grey. More natural talent than I will ever have but not much work ethic. A kid needs to work for something because that’s what it takes to do well at the Nationals. It’s not fun training; I hate going to Raglan and doing 30 minute motos but when that hard work pays off, it’s all worth it. Everything is handed to kids these days. It’s like, “Well, mom and dad will give us this anyways … even if we don’t do our homework or go to school … so why bother doing it?” It’s sad. You’re seeing a lot of kids fall off he radar. It doesn’t seem like the heart is there; true competitiveness. Do you want to race for Team Canada at the Motocross of Nations this year? Oh, one hundred percent. It’s a sand track, which I enjoy. There’s no doubt if I were chosen to do that, I would stop work and train for it. That’s one of my favourite things to do is go ride for Canada and prove what we can do up here. I told Gauldy I want to go and I don’t want to go for shits and giggles. I want to go to do well. You need to be tough at the Motocross of Nations. That’s what we need to do, send the tough guys. You surprised me; I wasn’t sure how you would do in Colorado in 2009 because you had gone to Southwick previously and things didn’t go too well there, but you stepped it up and led the team. I wasn’t expected to be the top guy, but then Jeremy (Medaglia) who was supposed to the top guy puked his guts out and then Kaven (Benoit) and I stepped up. That’s how it should be again. I am not going to go there again and wuss out. You’re out there racing
against men, big men; you need to take that into consideration. It’s a sand track and it’s going to get rough. A lot of these guys we want to send are used to being up front and getting good starts but then it doesn’t happen at the Motocross of Nations. I’m used to being in the pack and battling through. There is more to take into consideration when choosing riders for Team Canada than just winning championships and CMRC motos. Who has been your toughest competitor on a regional and national level? Regionally, the past five years has been Liam O’Farrell. He has the same mentality as me; he will come out every single weekend. If he gets beats, he gets pissed and comes back next weekend to try and beat you. We love to race bikes and we’re very competitive people. On a national level … Blair Morgan and I in 2008 found each other a lot. Tyler Medaglia maybe, we always find each other at Gopher Dunes and Sand Del Lee. Yeah, either Tyler or (Bobby) Kiniry, we always seem to be close the last few years. Like a lot of racers, your family, especially your mom, sister and dad, are there to support you every weekend. What would you say is the one thing that each of them brings to the table in your racing career? I think it’s just them being there for support. They’re always there for me. For food is the main thing [laughs]; they make sure the cooler is there. No, I’m kidding, it really is just having them there supporting me; even at 29 they still come out and support me at every race.
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mxp interview
JEFF WILLIAMS ˜ THE MAN BEHIND PROJEKT BAGS AND 2UNDR
BY CHRIS POMEROY | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JEFF WILLIAMS
If there is a guy in this industry that everyone loves it is Je˜ Williams. Although he doesn’t travel to as many events as he used to, every time you see Je˜ he has a big smile on his face. No matter what mood you’re in, he always ends up making you smile. After years of being the man behind Ogio Bags in Canada, Je˜ felt he needed a change. Together with the company he’s been with from the beginning, Rampion Sports, they developed a new brand of bags called Projekt and an underwear brand called 2UNDR. Since their inception last year, these two brands have been very successful, which is why we wanted to give Je˜ a call. Q: Hey Je˜ , it’s been a while since we’ve caught up. How are things? A: Hey Chris, it has been a while, too long in fact. Things are great right now, lots of big changes recently. My wife and I had a son in March, and I think that outside my year in residence at the University of Calgary, it’s the most exciting time of my life. As you’d probably agree, everything as I knew it changed 180 degrees in a matter of minutes. Q: Congratulations on the new baby. How is parenthood so far? A: It’s funny, people always try o˜ ering words of advice on parenthood or throw jabs here and there about future lack of sleep that I should prepare for, but until it actually happens, nothing can prepare you for how much things change that day in the hospital. It’s pretty incredible, that’s for sure. We’re at about 11 weeks now, and I feel that things are just starting to get a little more consistent with our routines and the ins and outs of what needs to be done as a mother/father team. Do you remember the mid-‘80s movie Rad? To my friends and I it was a cult classic, BMX movie in where the underprivileged and ‘uncool’ kid wins the heart of the cool girl, stealing her from the popular jock, and then wins the trophy in the end too. It seems that every movie in the ‘80s was that sort of theme. I guess you could say that it was the Karate Kid of BMX movies at the time. Anyways, the main character’s name is Cru Jones, and he was my childhood hero growing up. I had so many road-rashed knees trying to emulate him as a kid. I had always wanted my first boy to have his name, and being that my wife’s maiden name is close to Jones (Johnson), I eventually wore her down and she agreed to name him Cru Johnson Williams. All in all, so far it’s been incredible having a little guy of our own, and an exciting new stage in our lives. Q: It seems like there’s a mini baby boom going on in the moto industry; Gauldy and Andrew McEwan both had babies recently. Everyone is growing up?
A: Totally, it doesn’t end there either. My group of friends here in Vancouver is insane with the amount of new kids we all have had within a year. FMXers and Kelowna’s Kris Garwasiuk, Reagan Sieg, and an Ontario export Brandon Gibson also have new kids too. It’s funny; we have a WhatsApp group on our phones called “ManDay” with about 30 of us on it. We chat about everything from what the plan is Friday night, to sports banter, girls, food, etc. Being that so many of us have babies, the chat quickly moved to baby banter and those in the group without kids got rightfully pissed o˜ about the new and trending topic. So I started a new chat group called #DeadBeatDads where we now banter about the mess our kids make on the walls when being changed, to complaining about the cost of diapers or strollers. There are at least a dozen of us in the group, so it definitely seems to be the stage we’re all at right now.
felt the brand had the best chance for early success by tapping into Rampion’s wide spectrum of reps and accounts in the sports and lifestyle markets. At first we were moving along well with the brand until various circumstances came into play, so we both went our separate ways. Working closely within the underwear category, and in all of the sport retailers that we were selling to, we felt that it was quite an underdeveloped area of business. In general, sport underwear was lacking in innovation, progression and even excitement. So when coming to that realization, and along with the fact that we had just partnered with the best designer in the universe, we decided to utilize our sales team, experience, and relationships that Rampion had established over its 40 years of business and develop the best underwear on the market. Fast forward roughly a year, and if I stand back and see where we’re at, I think we’ve come a long way with two new brands.
Q: Dead beat dads! That’s great. We need stu˜ like that, for sure. So you have a new baby, and last year you took on a couple of new product lines. Tell us about Projekt and 2UNDR? A: It’s been a big last couple of years for us. When our OGIO contract expired that allowed us to license the brand in Canada over the last twelve years, we both decided that it would be best to go our own way. Over those years, I learned a lot about distribution, relationships, brands, and everything in between. But one of the biggest lessons I learned was that in order to really take that next step in business, you need to develop brands of your own. Brady Sheren went through almost the exact same thing as we did at Rampion, in the end creating Atlas braces, and today he’s made some amazing strides in the world of motorsport. After the split with OGIO, my Uncle Dave and I visited a friend that I had developed a great relationship with over the OGIO years when visiting their head oÿ ce. One of their top designers at the time, Rocky Harris, and I used to spend hours tinkering with ideas and innovations, most of which never materialized. Over the years, we became good enough friends that I felt confident enough to visit him in California where he was working with Cleveland Golf/Srixon at the time, and present him with the crazy idea of getting together and starting a new brand in Canada. He took the bait, and a few months later, Rocky, his wife Olane and their two kids, Cash and Aloe, were in Vancouver with a new and exciting direction. And with that, Projekt was born. Throughout that time, at Rampion we had taken on a friend of mine’s underwear brand in Canada. He
Q: Things sound like they’re going well for you, and I can say from using them that your new products are incredible. Are you still traveling a lot? A: I used to travel a lot more than I do now. With OGIO, I was responsible for a lot more aspects of the business, meaning that I needed to be on the road about half of the year. From sales calls with the reps, events in both Canada and the US with partner brands and athletes, or trade shows for each of the various sports we were involved in, things were pretty crazy for a while. Trade shows used to rule the world for the most part, but I think with the advancement of the internet and the ability to now get any information you need with the click of a mouse, the world of trade shows has slowed down. I can’t lie either; being happily married and now having a kid makes the road much less desirable than it used to be. Q: There definitely comes a time when you have to cut back on being away from home. As I said, you’ve traveled quite a bit. What is your favourite city to visit? A: Good question. Outside of Vancouver, obviously, I think anywhere along the coast of SoCal would be my favourite part of North America. From Long Beach, where Andy Bell currently lives, all the way down to San Diego is an amazing area. Sunny practically every day, you can do any sport year round, and for the most part the people there seem to always be tanned, beautiful and happy. On the other hand, when Rocky moved to Vancouver from Huntington Beach, he was overjoyed to see the rain and dark gloom that often covers the coast of Vancouver. It’s hard to believe, but he was actually sick and tired of the same weather
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mxp interview
JEFF WILLIAMS every day, all year long, and was excited to see a change in weather, actual seasons. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side eh? Q: Favourite restaurant on the road? A: There are a couple of sushi and steak restaurants in Las Vegas and Orlando that I love going to when there. But in general, we’re pretty lucky in Canada to have some incredible restaurants and a variety in food choices. The food is much better in Canada, in my opinion. Q: Remember that steakhouse in Indy? That was pretty good. A: St. Elmo’s! How could I forget that place, definitely the best steaks in Indianapolis. Q: Tell us a little bit about your background. Where did you grow up and how did you get into this industry? A: Growing up in Vancouver, I was a skier, racket sports player, and eventually a snowboarder. I grew up admiring Steve McQueen, promising myself that I’d buy a Triumph Bonneville one day. Today I’m lucky enough to drive to work in the summers on my Roland Sands tweaked Triumph Bonneville. After high school I went to University of Calgary for a couple of years and then finished my lucrative postsecondary education at UBC with a major in Canadian History, and a minor in Native Art. Go ahead and ask me anything about Louis Riel or his two rebellions! University was one of the best times of my life, but I still haven’t picked up my degree from UBC as they won’t give it to me until I return a library book that I know I’ve returned. I did however develop some incredible friendships over those years and grew as a person, literally and figuratively. I grew about 10 inches in my first year away at university. After school and years of working in various restaurants, I saved up enough to head o˜ for a planned two year backpacking trip around the world with my boys. Unfortunately, a brain tumour cut my trip about a year and a half short, where I was forced to return from Bali to have brain surgery and remove the tumour. I tell you, one of the hardest and most emotional things I’ve been through was leaving my boys and getting on that plane in Indonesia. After recovering from the surgery and getting back on my feet, relearning how to do all of those basic things that we all take for granted every day, my uncle o˜ ered me a job in the warehouse of his distribution company called Rampion Enterprises. That was October of 2001, and 14 years later, I’m still there, learning every day. Q: You have an amazing story Je˜ and you’ve certainly come a long way. We know your work takes you into a few other sports, but do you still follow motocross in Canada? A: Heck yah I do. After a year away from doing business 58
in the sport, I am proud to say that I am back! I can’t tell you what that first race at the Wastelands was like for me. Even though I love bikes, the level of compete, the tracks, etc., I quickly learned how much I value the relationships that I developed over those years of being with OGIO at the tracks and events. Personally, I think that skiing and motocross are the two most family-involved sports I’ve ever been lucky enough to be a part of. In those two sports, everyone in the family has an important role to make everything work in the end. In moto, it’s amazing seeing the dynamic that happens on every weekend of racing. The dad is tirelessly working on their son and/or daughter’s bikes, the mom is both screaming and cheering along the sidelines of the start, and all the while preparing the family’s meals, snacks, and anything else that’s needed for the long day ahead. It’s so cool seeing this all happen, and I never would have what I do without the open arms of people like the Greys in Ontario, the Wilsons of ‘everywhere’, or the Beatons and Knowles of the west coast. I have so much respect for those racers and many others including Ryan Gauld, Jolene Van Vugt, Facciotti, and the like. Anyone that’s been around it know it’s just such an incredibly tough and rough sport, however it’s the dynamic of the sport from the inside that I realized I missed so much. So to finally answer your question, with our exciting new brand 2UNDR, I feel that through progressive innovation and design, we’ve set a new standard for underwear in sport, and in doing so it has allowed me to once again be involved in Canadian motocross, rekindling those relationships and friends that I have valued along the way.
motorcycle sports, and my new passions of road and mountain biking. How can I not mountain bike when I live in the centre of it all here in North Vancouver? Q: Thanks for doing this Je˜ . Any parting words or anything you want to add? A: I just want to say that it’s incredible seeing how great relationships are that you harvest over the years of being involved. Be it moto, or anything that you are in, my contacts, old friends, mentors, and the like have all been there for me lately with all the changes that have happened. Same guy, better brands, and the fact that my friends in this industry seem to feel the same way; it’s been an incredible experience catching up with all the old peeps. It feel like just yesterday we were all celebrating the last day of Walton on Sundays… into the Mondays. Be sure to check out www.2UNDR.com and www. projektco.com to learn about two brands that I know you’ll see a lot more of in the coming days, weeks, and months. And thanks to you Palms and your team at MXP for also giving me the opportunity to catch up with you and the media world. Onwards and upwards!
Q: Will we see you at any races this year? A: I was at the Wastelands National, which was my first race in almost two years. One of my best friends and an old racer/FMXer, Brandon Gibson, and I spent two days at the track visiting old friends, teams, family and media. It was an incredible weekend for me. Q: Where do you see yourself in ten years? A: Wow, tough call Palms. I’d like to still see myself based out of Vancouver, maintaining an active role in the sports I am still and have always been passionate about: golf,
MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE
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HANDLEBARS
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I think this one is my favourite. RV the champ, in full attack mode and on the gas.
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y Las Vegas Supercross story actually started deep in the middle of last winter. I really had no intentions of going to Vegas this year, but one great race and a few cold beers changed all that. Back in February, a couple of friends and I were sitting in a small pub in downtown London, Ontario partaking of a few pops while watching our hapless Toronto Maple Leafs lose yet another game to the hated Montreal Canadiens. As the game ended, I was able to talk the friendly bartender into changing the channels on the television to the night’s Supercross race from Anaheim, California. It was the third of three races from Anaheim and my buddies, while not Supercross fans, were only too happy to watch it along with me as the beers were going down quite well and they certainly didn’t feel like going anywhere else…especially not home. I think we all know what happened that night. In what was, after Toronto, probably the best race of the season, Chad Reed led the race from wire to wire to take a thrilling victory and narrow the gap in the series points to put him within striking distance of series leader Ryan Villapoto. Even though it was late, I immediately texted my wife to let her know as she is a big Chad Reed fan, at least she has been ever since he quit wearing his diamond stud ear rings and became more a man of the people. And Kevin Windham retired. “I know, I watched it,” she replied back right away. This was shaping up to be an epic season. After a few more back and forths via text it was decided that we better go to Vegas this year because this title chase was probably going to go right down to the last round, and we certainly didn’t want to miss that. The following week, I sent off n email to MXP Magazine’s Charles Stancer inquiring as to whether there might be a chance I could get some passes for Vegas through the magazine. I sent the email out at about 10:00am on a
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Wednesday morning and I swear to you by no later than 10:15 I received a reply that went something like: “Okay, it’s all set. I talked to the people at FELD. You got the passes. These are good ones too. Industry seating, the whole deal. Charles.” Wow! I have to say that was possibly the best response time for something like this that I have ever experienced. So things were coming together quite nicely and we were definitely pumped at the thoughts of heading south for the big finale. Of course we all know what happened next. At the very next race actually, Reed stacked it while attempting to pass Ken Roczen and that was the end of his 2014 Supercross season. The season that looked like it was going to be a real barn burner right down to the wire ended up being another run away for RV and he actually clinched the championship with a few races left in the series. No matter, with the winter we were having, the thoughts of getting out of the cold weather and into some Las Vegas heat and sunshine kept my wife and I quite motivated to make the trip. Plus, we just love going to Vegas. Things didn’t start off oo well on departure day as our flight out of Detroit was delayed by three hours. I heard lots of boxing talk as most of the folks in the departure area were headed to Vegas for the big Floyd Mayweather fight, so as a casual fan of the sweet science that was an alright way to pass the time. We got there eventually, though, and upon our arrival in Sin City we picked up our rental car and I decided we should head straight out to Sam Boyd Stadium to get our passes so we wouldn’t have to worry about doing it the next day. It turned out to be a brilliant idea on my part as there was nobody around when we got there. We were able to drive right up to the will-call trailer and walk right to the front M O T O C R O S S P E R F O R M A N C E 63
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of the line. After a brief bit of panic when the girl wasn’t able to locate our names on the list, everything got sorted out when she realized that our names were on the media list and not the, in my opinion, slightly less prestigious family and friend free pass list. At this point I had to wonder though. Do the riders get a certain allotment of free tickets for every race like, for example, hockey players would for every game? Somebody let me know on that if you could please and thank you because if they don’t, they should. So we got our cool laminate passes and had actually turned to head out when the girl behind the window, who was very pleasant I might add, shouted after us. “Hey, wait. Don’t you want your vest?” Vest. What was she talking about? “Your photographers vest,” she continued. “Oh, interesting,” I thought. “What will this do for me?” I asked. “Well you need it to get down on the floor to take photos,” she said cheerily, although I’m sure she was probably thinking to herself, “who is this knucklehead”. “I’m no photographer,” I chuckled, “I don’t think I will need….” At this point my wife Jenn elbowed me in the ribs. “Take it.” She whispered, emphatically. “If you don’t use it I will.” Okay then, I thanked her as I took the vest and we headed off o check into our hotel, the South Point Resort and Casino. After we had settled in, I took the vest out of my back pack and draped it over the back of the desk chair in the room. It was pretty cool looking actually. It had a big Alpinestars logo on the back of it and lots of pockets, I guess to hold all of your important photography things. I threw it on and grabbed my camera, pretending to take some action photos.” What do you think” I asked the wife. “I think we should head to the pool before we lose daylight. That’s what I think.” Point taken, we grabbed a couple cocktails and made our way to the pool. The next day we decided we would head out to the stadium at around 1:00. I asked a couple other guys, who were real journalists, what time they were going and they said at about 8:00am. We laughed and laughed when we heard that. I still have no idea why they needed to be there that early but all I can say is thank God I’m not a real journalist because there was no way I was getting up that early, especially since I was planning on being up quite late taking down the casino for lots of money at the tables. Don’t get me wrong, we did want to get a full viewing of the Pit Party and of course watch the timed practices as I always find that to be very interesting, so we decided 1:00 would be perfect. And of course I was still toying with the idea of heading down to the arena floor to try to take some photos so I folded the vest neatly and packed it away in my backpack. “So are you going to use that thing,” asked Jenn. “I haven’t decided yet,” I replied. And with that we were off. The pit party was great. We spent lots of time looking at all the bikes and rigs, catching glimpses of the riders, drinking ten dollar bottles of water in the one hundred degree heat (can you say gouging) and just checking out everybody’s set-ups both factory and privateer alike. I love doing that. I could literally spend hours taking it all in, but time was becoming a factor. If I wanted to get any action photos of the guys practicing, I was going to have to don the vest…and don it soon. We headed over to the industry seating area, but not before I stopped to grab a Polish sausage on a bun smothered with grilled onions. I had one of these babies the last time I went to the Vegas Supercross back in 2008 and I’ve been thinking about them ever since. Unfortunately, all I can say is that when it comes to grilled Polish sausages smothered in onions, you can’t go home again. The final 250 practice was just heading out when we finally got over there. It was now or never because there was no way I
Top: West Coast 250 Supercross Champ Jason Anderson makes his way off the track after his final practice session.
Bottom: Justin Barcia blitzing the whoops. Justin was wearing his sparkling Alpinestars gear at Vegas but it doesn’t really show up in the daylight. Lots of people don’t like this gear and think it’s tacky, but I think it’s cool. Hey, it’s Supercross after all. It’s a show.
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Top: Kenny Roczen eyes up the next obstacle on the course. I took this one right before the guy with the fire hose yelled at me and told me I had to move. Bottom Left: Arenacross champ Tyler Bowers filled in for Reed at Vegas. He was really fast through the whoops and looked to do well but had a crash. Bottom Right: Dean had a pretty good night winning one of the shootout motos. Can’t remember which one but he rode well. Here he tries to get rid of a tear-off that was stuck to his hand.
was going to go down there and get in the real photographers way during the actual race. I grabbed the vest out of the pack and put it on. “I’m going in,” I told Jenn. “Okay have fun. I’m just going to go grab a beer and I’ll meet you back here.” Beer! That sounded good. That sounded really good as a matter of fact; maybe I should just go with her, I thought. No….no, there will be plenty of time for beer later. I’ve got the vest and I’m going to use it. So off I ent, gliding through security checkpoint after checkpoint without so much as a second look. Before I knew it I was right down at the track so I snapped a couple of shots of the last 250 riders as they were coming off. Just then my pal Bill strolled by and offered some advice. “Nobody wears their camera strap around their neck dude. Just hold onto it with your hand.” I looked around and he was right. Not one single guy had their camera strap around their neck. I was already dealing with a serious case of telephoto lens envy so, as not to look like too much of a newbie geek, I quickly pulled the strap over my head and continued onto the infield. The timing was actually perfect as the top Supercross class guys were just making their way out onto the track for their final practise. The time was now so I prepared to start clicking. Before I had even taken one picture however, some big guy with a fire hose in his hand started yelling at me. “Hey, you can’t stand there. You gotta move down there,” he pointed to the far end of the infield. I quickly moved down to the other end and once again prepared to shoot. All the boys were coming through now: Stewart, RV,
Dungey, Canard and Barcia. The who’s who of Supercross were ripping by me only inches away in some cases, and although I had no idea what settings I should have the camera on I started just madly taking photos. I have to say the track itself looked absolutely baked and about as hard as asphalt. Actually, it looked somewhat harder than asphalt, maybe more like concrete, but the conditions obviously didn’t faze these guys one bit as they skipped through the massive whoops and launched off f the jumps. As the practice continued I was really starting to get into it, but before you knew it the session was over and the dozers were coming out to work on the track. I snapped one last pic of Trey Canard as he was being interviewed and made my way back to my seat. “How did it go?” asked Jenn as I sat down. “Pretty good I think,” I replied as I started scrolling through my shots and reviewing my handiwork. Honestly, I thought I had taken way more shots than I did but I was actually pretty happy with the way a few of them turned out. Of course I’ll let you the reader be the judge of that and at this point I really must give some serious kudos out to the guys that actually do this professionally. They were out there in the hot sun for hours and continued to work late into the evening. I can’t even imagine how much time it would take to go through all of the pictures that they take. As for me, my little stint as a moto photographer was over and I settled in to relax and watch an evening of supercross, but not before I made my way back over to the will-call trailer and returned...The Vest.
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JULIANDUSSEAU//METALMULISHA .COM
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D L I W D L I W T S E W O M I A N NA TO REGINA
ALL R R O W T N E R B BY ORE IM S IS L S E M A J PHOTOS BY
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T S MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE
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he highly anticipated and well publicized 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals got underway in Nanaimo on the 31st of May under perfectly clear skies, which saw temperatures that climbed into the mid-20s. With the series starting on the west coast in what is still officially the spring, one’s race set-up and preparation can never be finalized until the gate drop. Mother Nature’s innate gift of keeping our part of the country green and beautiful is at times a curse for our sport, which is enjoyed by most when weather conditions are what they were in Nanaimo. The opening round was well clad with new colours and faces that officially gave our sport Rockstar status. The energy and anticipation was high and those that made the trek via the planes, trains, automobiles, and in this case ferries, were not to be disappointed. I know the track in Nanaimo has taken some heat for what it had too many of and what it did not have enough of, but it did not take away from the action or excitement that goes with any series’ first round. I love the fact that our series is a true coast to coast tour exposing all of our country’s glory. It certainly makes the task of achieving the ultimate goal of a series title a true test of all the disciplines, elements and adversities our vastly diverse geography and climate brings to motocross. The gate drop of moto one brought many new faces, including household names in this sport that made the commitment to test the waters of the Canadian game and expose the products
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of their backers to a Canadian demographic. No matter what the results on the track would be, I have to admit that moves like this are, regardless of point standings and podium finishes, a victory for our ultimate goal of providing the best racing entertainment value for race fans. Round one would see KTM veteran Kaven Benoit leave the hard pack of Nanaimo with the red plate as the result of two solid moto wins in the 250 class. B.C. native and Gopher Dunes Honda rider Colton Facciotti would exchange 1-3 moto scores with Moto Concepts rider and new comer Mike Alessi. Alessi, with the better second moto finish, would take the overall heading into round two in Kamloops. I would also like to note that Nanaimo was round one of the three round CMRC Western Canadian Women’s National that would see Devil’s Lake MX rider Hailey Larson take round one followed by Sara King on a Cycle North Honda, and Yamaha mounted, 14 yearold Kennedy Lutz 3rd. The Whispering Pines race track in Kamloops was well groomed and primed for round two, and again the weather in the Wild West was cooperative to the tune of about 27 degrees at its peak on race day. The layout of the Pines was similar but was tilled very deep and well watered on race day. This made for some sketchy moments in qualifying for the small bikes as the pre-jump and jump face ruts would require every ounce of the small bike mite to clear. One of the riders on the receiving end of an incident was Redemption Racing’s Eric Jeffery. Get well soon
“I LOVE THE FACT THAT OUR SERIES IS A TRUE COAST TO COAST TOUR EXPOSING ALL OF OUR COUNTRY’S GLORY.” Below: After moving from the MX2 class to the MX1 class Josh Clark grabbed a nice holeshot in Calgary. Right: With a smoking Honda 450 it’s amazing the Colton’s bike even made it to the finish line in Regina.
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WILD WILD WEST Right: So far in 2014 Vince Friese has made quite an impa ct in the MX2 class.
Eric. By all accounts, we should see Eric back on a bike in the near future. To the racing at hand, first and foremost, I cannot stop talking enough about what a fantastic job Camille Bunko, Denaye Giroux, Sierra Roth and every other foot soldier that marched to the tune of making the Western rounds of the Women’s Nationals the great success that it was. The Kamloops leg would see these gals line up on Saturday, and the top five of which were launching the above mentioned double that was giving even some of the Pros fits on Sunday! Hailey Larson would prevail with perfect moto scores, in second this week would go to Kennedy Lutz and third to Sara King on her Honda. Nice work to every gal that lined up; there were more than 30 of them in Kamloops. The Pro Action on Sunday would see Vince Friese on his Moto Concepts Honda score perfect 1-1 moto scores and look like the class of the field, on this day anyway. Kaven Benoit would finish second and move on to Calgary retaining the ‘Conch’ in the form of the red plate and points lead. Leading Edge Kawasaki rider Jeremy Medaglia, who’s twelfth hour agreement with the team that holds four consecutive CMRC championships, would find his groove in ‘The Loops’ and occupy the last step on the podium at round two in the small bike class. Kamloops would be the first round on a race track that we would witness any type of ontrack drama of consequence. Moto Concepts rider Mike Alessi would holeshot moto one, but he over jumped the finish line corner and was later docked five positions. Colton Facciotti finished a hard charging second in moto one, in fact only two seconds behind Alessi at the checkers. Colton would end up pocketing the valuable 25 championship points as a result of the penalty levied to Alessi. The second moto, on what was a very gnarly rough race track, saw Alessi set a blistering pace for the first five laps, but Colton would carve into that. By mid-moto, Facciotti was in a position to make a move, which sent the large crowd into frenzy. In going away fashion, Facciotti would take the overall, Josh Hill, who looked good all day on his Leading Edge Kawasaki, would finish second for the day leaving Alessi third. The penalty assessed to Alessi would be a tough pill to swallow in the Moto Concepts camp, but they would dig in and rebound nicely in Calgary.
Calgary was the first round of the series when we wondered all weekend if this would be where we saw the on-track variables change due to inclement weather. The Calgary soil can make for some of the best racing when tilled deep. The seasonal downpours that can materialize, even if not forecasted, do not destroy the track. Fortunately, in spite of our worst fears, it never happened Saturday or Sunday. Saturday saw the great women’s series in the west come to an end and leave Hailey Larson at the top of a class of a very classy, improving talent pool of ladies for the third year in a row. Kennedy Lutz would claim second and Sara King would occupy the last step on the box for the Women’ West series. The MX2 class in Calgary would see some great battling up front on a very technical, rutted, hard packed race surface that gave many many spectators their money’s worth. Topher Ingalls made his presence felt on his RTR KTM 250 two-stroke with a first moto holeshot, and battle up front for a long time. Topher would finish the day with solid 4-4 moto scores for 4th overall. Austin Politelli would take moto one in going away fashion and look like the man who won last year’s title. A blown motor in moto 2 would have Austin reaching to the sky for different reasons, which set back any efforts to get back into the thick of the points battle. Once again, Vince Friese, after an 8th place start in moto one which saw him finish third, would fend off esse Wentland’s MX101 Yamaha in moto 2 to take the overall win for the second straight weekend. Kaven Benoit would go 2-3 for second overall followed by Jesse Wentland with 5-2 moto scores. The story of the big bike class in Calgary would be none other than Mike Alessi who put on, in my opinion, a ‘Rut Railing Clinic’. Even with Mike hitting the gate then jamming it in moto 2 and being dead last, Mike was still able to charge through the pack and win both motos on a race track that I would say was his forte. Colton Facciotti would ride a little chilli after an incident that saw him get hung up with another rider while airborne and narrowly evade something that has plagued him the previous two seasons. Tyler Medaglia found his moto mojo in Calgary and looked super good, railing the ruts as well as anyone on the track that day. Tyler was also the benefactor of some great starts including one holeshot on
Right: Mechanics love the loamy soil in Kamloops.
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the day, which would help him achieve his best 2014 campaign finish of third overall. The final round of the west series would be held at Moto Valley Raceway, just outside of Regina, for the first time in six years. I have to think, given what all involved had to endure, that probably everyone, with the exception of the Medaglia brothers and Bobby Kiniry, would like to forget the round even happened. There were no questions this weekend as to what the forecast would be as nothing leading up to the event was sugar coated. Even if it is was, the fact that sugar is water soluble, that would not hold up to the Litmus Test that would be Mother Nature’s dark side. With the series encompassing all the adversities our great sport has to offer, it amazes me that one round could have made such a profound impact on what a rider will need to be carried to the promised land. Yes, even though the deplorable racing conditions would only permit one moto in Regina, I have to think that if riders like Bobby Kiniry, Tyler and Jeremy Medaglia, or local boy Shawn Maffenbeier
for that matter, are still in the hunt at the final round in Walton, they will be the first to want to talk about Regina 2014. The MX2 class was led early by Rockstar OTSFF rider Maffenbier but he was passed by Leading Edge Kawasaki’s Medaglia who would get the much needed confidence-building win. He went from 53 points down in the title chase to 28 down. Kaven Benoit, who would suffer his first DNF of the season, would leave Regina still possessing something he is comfortable holding on to and that is the red plate. Third on the day would go to Politelli who is not far off the mark with lots of racing left as the series heads east to the sand and humidity. The 450 class would see Rockstar OTSFF Yamaha rider Bobby Kiniry with a smile on his face at day’s end after winning the big bike class for the first time since his moto win in the final moto of the Walton round last season. Tyler Medaglia, on the Royal Distributing KTM, managed a great mud ride and has clawed his way back into series contention thanks
“THE WILD WEST WAS COOPERATIVE TO THE TUNE OF ABOUT 27 DEGREES AT ITS PEAK ON RACE DAY”
to his second place effort in Regina. Colton Facciotti and Mike Alessi would nurse motorcycles that were tiring quickly to the checkered flag in third and fourth respectively. The podium finish would leave Facciotti retaining the red plate heading into to track of his sponsor’s namesake, Gopher Dunes. We are well on the way to stamping this great season in our sport’s history book. Before that happens, we will once again witness many more epic battles of man against man, man against machine and man against himself. To attain a championship, these riders will have to overcome inevitable adversity on some gruelling race tracks, enduring some of the country’s humid weather on race tracks that make you work for every inch of real estate and horsepower. You are not going to want to miss any of this great on-track action. If at all possible, when this series comes to your neck of the woods or remotely close, I assure you it is worth the effort to make the trek. Enjoy your summer and stay safe my friends.
Top: Through the first four rounds Facciotti and Alessi have been this close. Middle: With two concrete starting pads in the west, mechanics must use some different techniques to prep their riders gate. Bottom: Some of the top MX1 riders fly in formation at Whispering Pines.
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WILD WILD WEST “THE 2014 CMRC WESTERN CANADIAN WOMEN’S NATIONALS HAD ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR.” Below: Hailey Larsen kicks off the season with a holeshot in Nanaimo.
Right: Cycle North Honda rider Sara King.
The 2014 CMRC Western Canadian Women’s Nationals had another successful year. The competition was intense throughout the field with everyone having someone to battle. Hailey Larsen had a perfect season, winning all six motos, although a couple of the girls were able to keep her in sight for most of the race. Fourteen year-old Kennedy Lutz had an impressive rookie year taking home the number two plate and the Rookie of the Year Award. We should expect big things coming from this Saskatchewan girl in the years to come! Sara King stepped it up a notch and was able to lead Hailey for a few laps in Calgary. If Sara keeps going like she is, we should expect her to be challenging the defending champ next year. Larissa McGlynn had a bit of bad luck during the series, but she never gave up and always gave it 110% earning her the number four plate for 2015 as well as the Hard Charger Award. Jamie Munro was probably one of the most consistent riders in the series, which helped her reach her goal of top five for the series. It was great to see some new faces in the top ten
this year mixing it up with the veterans from the Women’s Nationals. So many of the up and comers have improved so much this year that we literally had to wait until the last moto to decide who won the most improved rider award. Danika White and Charity Bachman were definitely the runners up but we decided to go with Summer Knowles as this was her first year racing the entire series and managed to make it onto the podium at round 1! Here is a little something from Summer about her experience with the series. SUMMER KNOWLES. “The series was a lot of fun this year. For me, it had a lot of ups and downs. Round one was a high, taking home 4th overall for the weekend. That was really unexpected for me and beyond what I ever imagined. Round 2 wasn’t the best; I ended up with a 15th overall after a bad crash. Calgary was a lot of fun, some unlucky starts but overall it was a great day. I ended up taking home the #9 plate for the year and the most improved rider award. I was really excited about
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WILD WILD WEST that after all the hard work I put in this year with the help from Rachel Springman and KBR MX Schools. I really want to thank everyone helping me out this year Big G, my Mom and Dad, Cycle north, Kourtney Lloyd, Honda Canada, Atlas brace, 100% goggles, Troy Lee desgins Canada, Parts Canada, Matrix, Ryan Lockhart, Big’O tires, Motovan, KBR MX Schools, Rmr suspensions, Cougar Fuels, the Springman family for everything they do for me, and lastly Camille and Denaye for putting on an amazing series.” We asked the top five how their experience in the 2014 Women’s West Nationals went, who they would like to thank and if they would like to see anything different for 2015. The consensus is that everyone would like another round added onto the series. We have been working towards this for the last few years and maybe it is something that could happen for next year… Here is what the top five had to say.
Top: Hailey Larsen was again dominant in 2014. Bottom: Kennedy Lutz rode well to finish second overall in the West Women’s Series.
5TH JAMIE MUNRO “This year’s Nationals went better than any other year to date for me. The first round at Nanaimo I sort of lucked out with my 5th place, but I was stoked in Kamloops when I earned that 5th place all on my own. Going to Calgary had me a little worried because it tends to be extremely muddy every time I am there; however, this year the track was awesome and super fun! I ended up 7th overall that day, but my goal was to stay consistent and maintain my 5th place in the points! Next year I hope to maintain that 5th or even battle with the top 4! I would love to holeshot at least one moto! I’d like to thank Valleyspeed Machine Shop, RTR Performance, KTM Canada, Lordco Autoparts, Spy Optic, Acutek Roofing & my Mom and Dad!” 4TH LARISSA MCGLYNN “Nationals were such a blast this year! I didn’t get the best of runs, but like always that is motocross. I loved the aggression lots of ladies brought to the table this season; it’s always a treat to line up at a gate with who knows what kind of talent you’re going to be competing against. It was a bitter sweet end to the series with a rough start to my first moto furthering the point’s gap between Sara King and I, but all in all I couldn’t be happier with the skills I’ve gained from this year’s Western rounds. Starting from mid pack to battling for third to dead last and ending with a penalty, and finally reaching top three and then fourth, to rebound from my loss of points, only to pull a classic Larissa and fall in the last round. Never the less, it was great to see the improvement I’ve gained from the hard work I’ve put into this sport. It’s my biggest passion and I hope to see it take me somewhere far in the future. I would like to thank my parents for being one of the biggest sponsors and best supporters I could ever have, Limenine Designs, Lyons Production, Dialed-In Motorsports, 76 M O T O C R O S S P E R F O R M A N C E
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DAKAR GEAR COLLECTION
Designed by the very riders who “beat the hell” out of nature’s most daring single track, the Dakar Collection serves up the most durable, most comfortable riding gear this side of Mars!
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WILD WILD WEST Above: Therewerealotofprizeshandedoutin2014.
and KTM Canada. I couldn’t have done it without these sponsors, or received the sweet set up I had. Last but certainly not least, Camille and Denaye have been sooo amazing these last few years, they have really stepped it up for us. I would like to give a huge thank you to those lovely ladies for believing in all of us riders. One of the biggest changes I would like to see for our Ladies series is more rounds. With such a short series, mistakes are critical on overalls, and instead of abiding by amateur day rules we abide by national rules because we are a national class” 3RD SARA KING “The 2014 Women’s Western Nationals went really well for me. I had good starts every moto, had some good battles with Larissa and was consistent throughout the three rounds. The goal coming into the season was to get a top 3 number so I am very pleased with my 3rd overall. I would like to thank Cycle North, Honda Canada, RMR Suspensions/H2R Fox Shox, Spy Optics, Troy Lee Designs, Atlas Brace and Ryan Lockhart, Parts
Canada, Enbridge, Maclean Trucking, Northland Automotive, Fort Machine Works, KDL Group, Grandpa, Mom, Dad and sister, Kourtney Lloyd, and Sierra and the Roth family. Our series is incredible and has a ton of sponsors and supporters. Camille and Denaye continue to outdo themselves and blow us all away. The only thing that I would like to see diff erent next year would be more ladies on the gate and a 4th round!” 2ND KENNEDY LUTZ “The nationals went really well! I’ve been steadily improving and was hoping to have the speed to win this year but I’m not quite there yet. But all in all, I’m pretty happy my results! Denaye and Camille did an amazing job on the series with the prizes and media reports! Can’t thank them enough for everything they’ve done. The only improvement that could be made is to get the racing televised and if we could be on the men’s pro day. But I realize Denaye and Camille don’t decide that. I’d like to thank everyone who helps me out, Troy Lee Designs, Yorkton Dodge,
Schraders, FMF, Rekkless Racing, Atlas Brace, 100% goggles, Matrix, Braap Supply, Hinson, Lynks Racing, Fuzion Graphics, Yamaha Canada, Georgia Practice Facility, and especially my Dad.” 1ST HAILEY LARSON After riding Hondas in 2013, I was very excited this year to sign with Yamaha and the Devil’s Lake Yamaha Team. Everything worked great and I had a blast. This was the most prepared I had ever been before a series started! As you might know by now all the racing went great on the west coast; I won the series again, making it a three-peat! Not only was the racing fun, but everything off the track was fun as well, which is why I love racing in Canada so much. I can’t thank Trevor enough for all the help along with everyone at Devil’s Lake. It has been a great time so far and we are only halfway through the summer, so hopefully things continue like they are and we have a great eastern swing!
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— Travis Pastrana
AUTHENTIC SINCE 1965 the Edgewood
smithoptics.com
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mxp interview
JORDAN SZOKE ˜ DOING ALL IT ON TWO WHEELS Even the most casual of motorcycle racing fans in Canada know the name Jordan Szoke. To most he is the multi championship winning Superbike racer. To others he is known as the many time Canadian National Observed Trials Champion. When it comes to excellence and charisma on two wheels he is undoubtedly a legend in the sport. In 2012, with backing from Parts Canada and BMW, Jordan formed his own race team and this season he is set to go for his tenth Canadian Superbike Championship. For this reason I thought I would get in touch with him to see exactly what he is up to these days. MXP: Hey Jordan. You are one of the all-time greats of Canadian road racing. Exactly how many championships have you won? Jordan: Okay I’ll have to think about this for a minute. I’ve won nine Superbike Championships, fi ve Sportbike Championship, one 250cc championship, and as far as Trials goes I think I’ve won…. MXP: Hang on I want to talk about Trials a little later. When did you turn Pro and what di° erent manufacturers have you raced for over your career? Jordan: I turned Pro when I was sixteen or seventeen. Sixteen I think actually and as far as
manufacturers I’ve raced on Kawasaki, Honda, Ducati, Suzuki and now BMW. Pretty much all of them except for Yamaha. MXP: Give me some info on your current program. Jordan: Well, it’s a ton of work. I don’t sit back and earn a paycheck to ride anymore, I manage everything now. I’m responsible for managing the team, finding the sponsors and even building the bikes. Every year it seems to get a little tougher and at times it can get a bit overwhelming for sure but I still love it. This year we are lucky to have Mopar Express Lane on board so that really helps. With the help of Amy (Jordan’s wife) we have a good operation going but I’m not just a rider anymore. It’s a full time job. MXP: So how many hours a week do you put in? Jordan: Let’s put it this way. I slept in until 8 o’clock this morning, which is unusual for me, and then my phone woke me up with texts that needed to be answered from my engine builder and suspension guys. I’m talking to you now and then after that I’ll be out in the shop until probably 10 or 11 tonight. It’s like that every day. Back when I was just a rider I would spend my days training and riding my dirt bikes. It was a sweet gig but now I don’t have nearly as much time for that as I used to. I’m not complaining but I do have to say that it has hurt my riding a bit. MXP: So what’s the Canadian Superbike Series like now? Jordan: It seems to be coming back a little bit. BMW o° ers a nice program in which they sell privateers a bike for a discounted rate, and they provide them with an extra set of wheels. They also pay some good contingency money so all the amateurs and privateer pros are pretty much on BMW. I’m the only factory supported BMW guy in the series. There are a few Honda supported riders and the odd Kawi and Suzuki, but most of the guys are on BMW. There have been some rumblings that a few of the manufacturers might be getting back into it in a bigger way next season. There is supposed to be a National in Edmonton next year which would make the series truly national again, and that is obviously attractive to the manufacturers and sponsors. MXP: You are from Brantford and still live there. For those that don’t know, Brantford is somewhat of a trials hot bed. Let’s talk about your trials career a little bit. Jordan: Yes, Brantford is a trials hot bed and it’s actually getting to be more so all the time. Actually one of my sponsors for o° -road is Rob Long who
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BY MIKE MCGILL | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JORDAN SZOKE
is the owner of Carrier Truck Centres. As a side business he has opened up Carrier Motorcycles and he is now the Canadian importer for Ossa, Gas Gas and Sherco Trials bikes. He has a shop with some property and we’ve actually built a Stadium Trials Training Centre there. I put on a demo there this past weekend and we had live bands and everything. It was cool. He seems to be selling lots of bikes. Who knows how many of those will actually be used to compete but it’s definitely good for the sport. As far as my trials career, it’s kind of two-fold. I’m the 4-time National Trials Champion and I also put on Trials demonstrations at shows all over the place. This year I think that I’m doing twenty- fi ve demos. I usually do them along with some freestyle moto guys and the money from those shows is actually quite good. So I guess you could say that Road Racing pays the bills but the trials demos really help in that department as well. My sponsors also want me doing these shows as it’s an excellent way to promote myself and the products that I use. My contracts actually state that I need to do the demos and do some mountain bike racing as well. MXP: What about the Trials Des Nations? I know you are doing that this year. Jordan: The Trials Des Nations is in Spain this year and I will be going to represent Canada. This will be the 8 th or 9 th time that I have gone and it’s always a lot of fun and a great time. The Canadian team rides what is called the B-Line. We ride all the same sections as the A-Line teams but some areas will be a little tamer. For example, the A-Line guys may have to scale a ten foot wall whereas the B-Line will only be eight feet. There are only a handful of countries that are good enough to be in the A-Line. Team USA, for example, rides the B-Line with us. In the years that I have been competing for Canada our best finish was 6 th. The competition was really tight that year and we could easily have made the podium with a little more luck. All in all it was a really fun experience. MXP: You rode the Corduroy Enduro last year for the first time. How was that experience? I saw some video and it looked like a bunch of fun to me. Jordan: I loved it. The tougher the better as far as I’m concerned. With the extremely technical and sloppy and really insane conditions that we experienced, my Trials background really came into play. And I have to say that it was one of the best and well organized events that I’ve ever been to. I didn’t get to train a lot for it beforehand so I feel that I left a little on the table. I was getting some pretty serious arm pump but I was actually running in 2nd when I got stuck in a
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mxp interview
JORDAN SZOKE mud hole, literally a hundred yards from the finish. By the time I got unstuck, two guys had passed me and I ended up 4 th. I was kind of bummed I didn’t make the podium but I’m definitely going back this year. Hopefully I can double up my training and ride four times instead of two before the event this year. Last year I rode the Sherco 300 four-stroke but I just got a new 300 two-stroke and I’m toying with the idea of riding that this year. I’m going to try it and see. MXP: Do you ride much moto or do you ever actually race any motocross? Jordan: I used to ride moto for training purposes all the time. Mostly natural terrain field tracks and things like that. I would ride some woods and I would ride with guys like Blair Morgan and Doug DeHaan. I was actually getting pretty good. When I raced for Blackfoot back in the early 2000s I would always get one of JSR’s CR 250s. When they would make up JSR’s practice bikes they would always put together an extra one for me. It was in my contract and those were some awesome bikes. A funny story, one time I was out in Calgary for a Road Race National and I was helping the Blackfoot Motocross team with some testing. The Calgary National track has a concrete launch pad and I brought out my tire warmers to see
if heating up the tires would help at all with the starts o° the concrete. The di° erence that it made was negligible so they never bothered doing it but I signed up to do a local club race at the track and some of the Blackfoot team were also racing; Jeremy Israel and DeHaan I think. Anyways, I holeshot both motos and led quite a bit. I think I ended up getting two thirds. I’ve also raced a bit of Arenacross but as you can imagine my Road Race sponsors were never that keen on me racing motocross. Honda wasn’t too bad about it but with Kawi it was a definite no-no. MXP: And if that’s not enough you race Mountain Bikes as well. Jordan: Well, I’ve ridden Mountain Bikes for years for training but Parts Canada asked me to do a bit of racing as well. There is a fi fteen race series out at Kelso (Kelso Conservation Area in Milton, Ontario) and the races are on Tuesday nights, which is perfect for me as it doesn’t interfere with my weekend schedule. I ride a Specialized and last year I won the series. Now I’m trying to defend the title but the Divinci guy is ahead of me in points right now. I’ve only been to two rounds as two have been washed out by rain.
MXP: It all sounds exhausting, and that’s coming from a guy who trains for Ironman. How much longer do you plan on keeping this up? Jordan: I’m going to keep it up as long as I can. As I said I love it and it’s also our business. I feel like I’m helping to grow the sport. I work closely with the people who run the series to provide them with my insight and experience. I’m 35 now. I’m a little sore as you can imagine, but Josh Hayes is forty and he’s still going strong. I feel good really and plan to continue for a while. Even after I’m done racing I’m still going to be involved in the sport. MXP: Who are your main sponsors? Jordan: The Canadian Superbike Series is sponsored by Mopar. That being said, the Title Sponsor for my team is Mopar Express Lanes. I’m also sponsored by Ram Trucks, which are of course a great tie in to racing as everyone needs to get their bikes to the track somehow. My other main sponsor is Parts Canada and the manufacturer that sponsors me of course is BMW. MXP: Okay thanks for your time and good luck with everything. Jordan: Thank you.
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KNEE BRACE REDEFINED
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THESE ARE CHAMPIONS WHO
COLTON FACCIOTTI 3 TIME CANADIAN MX1 CHAMPION
AUSTIN POTOTELLI
2013 MX2 CHAMPION
HAILEY LARSON
3 TIME CANADIAN WEST SERIES WOMENS CHAMPION
TEDDY MAIER
2 TIME MX2 CHAMPION
JEREMY MEDAGLIA 2014 ARENA CROSS CHAMPION
TYLER MEDAGLIA
2 TIME MX2 CHAMPION
P H O T O S B Y J A M E S L I SS I M O R E . H A I L E Y L A R S O N P H O T O B Y C A M E R O N B R A AT E N
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While every sport does a great job of keeping our kids active and bringing families together, few have the positive effect on families that the sport of motocross has. Here we take a look at why motocross is the best family sport in the world. BY CHRIS POMEROY ~ PHOTOS BY RANDY WIEBE
aving grown up in this sport that we call motocross, I feel like I’ve seen not only a lot of different sides of it but I’ve also seen it from a few angles. Like everyday society, motocross has changed over the years, and has taken advantage of technology and changing habits. Gone is the pencil and paper for lap scoring, replaced with transponders and computer screens. When I started racing in 1981 almost everyone came to the track in pickup trucks or small trailers towed by the family car. Heck, if you had a box van back then it was considered pretty bling bling. Nowadays the pits are full of motorhomes and massive trailers with all the amenities of home. While the sport certainly has changed, the one thing that hasn’t and never will is motocross is the best family sport in existence. How do I know this? Not only have I lived it myself with my parents and siblings, but in true circle of life fashion, I’m currently reliving it with my wife and son. You don’t have to take it from me, however, all you have to do is look around the pits at any race and you’ll see families working together towards the common goal of not only having a successful day of racing, but also a safe one. When the kid does well and makes it through the day, not only does he or she get a trophy, but the entire family feels as though they’ve accomplished something special. Isn’t this what every parent could want when they decide to enter their kids into a sport?
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Let’s look at what a typical weekend at the races consists of for a motocross family. As I mentioned earlier, most families have a motorhome or trailer so the trip to the track usually begins on Saturday as a sleepover, which is a must. When they arrive at the track and locate their motocross friends in the pits, they set up camp and spend the rest of the evening BBQing and socializing, probably because it’s been a week since they‘ve last seen each other. They talk about what they’ve done the past week, the Dads may talk about the changes to the bikes that have been made, and the kids talk about the track that is sitting idle waiting for the chaos to begin the following morning. The point is that everyone is together, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Next to the moment the races are finished on Sunday, this is the most relaxed part of the weekend as the stresses of the previous week filter to the night sky with the ascending smoke of the campfire. As race day arrives with the rising sun, getting up early isn’t an option, it’s a mandatory exercise. This usually isn’t an issue as over the years there haven’t been too many kids that need an alarm clock on Sunday mornings. As you walk through the pits, the scent of race gas and cooking bacon fill the air. Since everyone is anticipating the start of racing, this time of day is not so relaxed. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked past a pit area on Sunday morning and hear a young rider yelling “Mom, where are my knee pads?” or “Where are blue my pants, I have to wear blue pants for practice?” The answer is usually a very calm “Right where you left them!” Race days are always stressful and everyone is on edge, as they should be though. Racing, like everyday life, is a results orientated exercise and every rider wants to do well and stay safe, so it’s only natural that tensions are sometimes high. However, this teaches families to cope with stress together and work to come up with solutions. After getting through a tough race
day as a family, figuring out who is going to take the garbage out on Wednesday morning is a snap. This brings us to my next point and perhaps the most important. Once you look past all of the good results or the missed opportunities that a child’s racing career will bring, at the end of the day, what they’re hopefully learning is good old fashioned life lessons; skills that will be engrained in our children they will use for the rest of their lives. This is really what racing is all about. Recently, there was an article on the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC website that was called “33 Reasons Your Kids Should Do Motocross”. In this article it talks about some of the positive things your kids can get out of the sport of motocross. Here is an example of a few of the 33 reasons:
• It reinforc e s the importanc e of good health • It reinforc e s the importanc e of positive re lationships • It e mphasize s the value of being grat e ful • It he lps the m make ne w friends • It promot e s a strong work e thic • It he lps the m learn how to ope rat e multiple c ontrols simultane ously • It strengthens parent-c hild re lationships be c ause it require s dedic ation from both • It he lps the m learn how to re spond appropriat e ly to authority figure s • It he lps the m learn how to ac c ept losing with dignity • It reinforc e s the importanc e of dedic ation and the human spirit • It e mphasize s the importanc e of pe rsonal foc us
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ing Families Bring
-Together-
While these are just a few of the 33 Reasons in the article, it validates the notion that motocross is a pretty good sport for everyone. Another point I’d like to make is based on a conversation I had last year with a Moto Mom of three teenage boys, ranging in ages from 13 to 18. We were talking about this very subject and she agreed that motocross was a great family sport because, as she said, “What other sports could my family be doing where teenagers still want to hang out with their parents. Almost every weekend between April and October we’re all together; you don’t get that with hockey or baseball. This is one of the reasons we love racing.” That conversation really has stuck with me and really is the basis for this story. I know there’s a dark side to this sport with danger, injuries, politics and the amount of money spent, but at the end of the day our children What other sports could my family be doing have to do something as a youth. where teenagers still want to hang out with Riding a dirt bike synchronizes a child’s mind and body and their parents. Almost every weekend between makes them a better human April and October we’re all together; you don’t being. It can take a shy kid who get that with hockey or baseball. This is one of is lacking in self-confidence and little by little transform them the reasons we love racing.” into a kid who feels good about themselves. On the flip side, this sport can take a cocky kid who is hard to be around, bring them back to reality and teach them respect. Motocross can really do it all, you just have to let it. Every weekend in Canada, families load up their trucks and trailers and drive countless hours to the track. Once there, they go through the repetitious motions that guide them through a race weekend. Some of these weekends are successful and some aren’t, sometimes your child leaves the track with a big smile on their face and sometimes that smile is turned upside down. However, you do it as a family and you’re building memories that will last a lifetime. To all the motocross families out there, this story is dedicated to you. As that one woman also said to me, “A family that races together, stays together”.
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WHY DO
americans LOVE CANADIANS B Y D A N N Y B R A U LT P H O T O S B Y J A M E S L I S S I M O R E
IN THIS STORY WE EXAMINE MANY OF THE FAST AMERICANS CHOOSING TO RACE IN CANADA, EACH VISITING THEIR NORTH AMERICAN BRETHREN ON THEIR OWN AGENDA, BUT ALL ARE CONTRIBUTING TO ONE OF THE MOST COMPETITIVE NATIONAL SERIES IN YEARS. epending on who you ask, you’ll get a different or muddled answer on American racers coming to Canada and competing in the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals. Some patriotic Canucks enjoy the added competition but not when it comes at the sacrifice of Canadian rides being swept up by foreigner workers. Others don’t say much because at the end of the day it’s marketing dollars being spent, and sponsors want to see their brands out front. As it is, there are only so many Canadians who can win a title in each class. Once the top Canadians are picked up, teams are forced to look across the border for someone who can beat a Benoit or Facciotti. When observing the Canadian Nationals in 2014, we see three groups of Americans, at different sizes, ages and points in their career, but each fighting hard to win. For years now, we’ve had fresh-faced American teenagers bombarding the MX2 class, using Canada as a stepping-stone into the highly competitive AMA pro ranks. Many US privateers who are fast but can’t quite make it to that elite level in the US are on budget. Racing ten rounds straight across Canada is less
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costly than trying to cover the entire US to hit all twelve races. Up here, riders get more for less and they can challenge for podiums or even wins, compared to battling for a top 10 or 20 in the AMA Nationals. The last group of Yanks to migrate to the Canadian series has really just come on in the last two or three years. It’s the world class headliners, Mike Alessi and Josh Hill, who are proven AMA supercross and motocross winners, who are using Canada as a chance to rejuvenate their young career. Along with Alessi and Hill following the entire ten round campaign, we also have Vince Friese, Teddy Maier, Bobby Kiniry, Kyle Chisholm, Morgan Burger, Topher Ingalls, and more. It’s setting up to be the perfect storm between Alessi, Hill, Facciotti and a handful of others in the MX1 class. And then we have Kaven Benoit trying to fight off mericans Friese and Austin Politelli in the MX2 class. It’s the real deal now if someone wins a Canadian MX2 or MX1 title. Respect is deserved because the talent is deep in the 2014 Canadian Nationals. Let’s break down these three main groups of Americans who are making up a good portion of the entry list in 2014.
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THE INTERMEDIATES These are the younger guys who are on the verge of making the cut in the US, but until it happens they’ll keep turning to Canada to compete for the National Championship.
TEDDY MAIER FORT DODGE, IOWA
Western swing highlights: second place moto finish in Nanaimo and third place moto finish in Calgary (4th in points after four western rounds) Wow, hard to believe but Teddy Maier has been coming to Canada since 2005. He’s been on Kawasakis during his entire time in Canada and has raced here every summer since. The Monster Energy Thor Kawasaki rider may not be a ‘young gun’ when considering his experience, but Maier is in this category because he was one of those young guns who transformed into a two-time MX2 Canadian Champion, which has led to a successful career for the quiet Iowa native. With his goal of winning an MX2 title completed, Maier is focused on his first MX1 ring. He’s won motos and has the speed but so do a lot of other guys this summer. Teddy doesn’t say a lot, but he saves it for the track and delivers a strong effort every time out on a 250 or 450. He’s been a welcomed, regular addition to the Canadian series and has helped up the pace.
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THE INTERMEDIATES AUSTIN POLTELLI LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA
Western swing highlights: three podium moto finishes (one is a moto win) and two third place overalls after four western rounds He’s a little more mature and probably seven inches taller than when he first raced in Canada in 2011, but Austin Politelli is still a rookie in the grand scheme of things. He’s only 19 years-old and has yet to really reach his potential. The Californian has shown speed and results here and in the US racing indoors and out, but not enough to earn a spot on a major team. That works out well for the Monster Energy Thor Kawasaki Team and Canadian race fans because Politelli has delivered results and exciting race action against Canada’s best racers, Benoit and Medaglia. Last year, Politelli had a pretty dominant run to take his first MX2 Championship, but this season is proving to be tougher with a healthy Kaven Benoit, Jeremy Medaglia dropping back down to MX1 and fellow American Vince Friese getting way too comfortable, way too fast. Considering Politelli’s championship, speed and workability with the Leading Edge team, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them keep him as a 450 rider in the near future. His height and style suits a bigger bike and he’s proved he can ride one in AMA events. But first, let’s wait and see if the California kid can defend his MX2 title.
JESSE WENTLAND ELK RIVER, MINNESOTA
Western swing highlights: three podium moto finishes, two overall podiums; he sits third going into the Eastern rounds The mighty man from Minnesota, Jesse Wentland, toured up to Canada in the middle of last season and made a statement in his Canadian debut with a podium at Gopher Dunes. After Jeremy Medaglia left the MX101 team, it opened up a spot. A late move by team managers Kevin Tyler and Johnny Grant saw them snag up Wentland (who was also being courted by KTM Canada) while attending the Daytona Supercross in March. Wentland is proving to be an asset to the MX101 team, the series and he’s getting what he wants out of the deal: pro racing experience. If his luck improves a tick, Wentland could put Yamaha in contention for their first MX2 title since 2011 when they won it with Tyler Medaglia.
JOSH CLARK
NORTH FRANKLIN, CONNECTICUT Coming to Canada by way of North Franklin, Connecticut is 22 year-old Josh Clark who was battling for the MX2 title but switched to the MX1 class at Round 3 in Calgary in an effort to change things and make something happen. In 2013, Clark played runner-up to Austin Politelli in the MX2 championship, missing the title by only 7 points. Like the other young Americans traveling north, Clark sees it as an opportunity to grow into the AMA series and challenge for a real pro championship. It seems strange that an Alberta motocross track like Devils Lake is sponsoring a national race team, let alone hiring a guy like Clark who comes all the way from the eastern side of the Mississippi. The relationship works, however; Clark likes the team and the team likes him, and the series likes watching Clark battling Canada’s best. Clark has a shot at winning races and a title, but unfortunately it’s probably not going to happen this year. In the first two rounds, Clark was out of the top 10 in MX2 but improved his results at the next two races with two top 10 finishes in the MX1 class. Last season, Clark’s best finish came at Deschambault where he took the MX2 overall win with 2-2 finishes. Growing up and spending a lot of time riding at Southwick, Clark is quite comfortable in the sand and no doubt looks forward to the softer terrain at the eastern rounds.
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PROUD PRIVATEERS These are the hard working riders who come to Canada, seeking fame and fortune
KYLE SWANSON SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
It’s a hard go in the deeply competitive AMA motocross nationals. You have got to be winning or challenging for the win to receive any support. If you’re not, you’re left criss-crossing the countryside, chasing dreams and spending more than you have trying to break onto the scene. For US privateers, Canada becomes an excellent option to not only challenge for wins and make a little money doing it; it also costs less to do so. More money in, less money out; why wouldn’t a privateer choose Canada over the US? Texan Kyle Swanson is spending his second consecutive summer racing the Canadian Nationals. He finished sixth overall in the MX2 championship last year, and is showing that same speed again but a DNF has put him back to 9th overall in the series this year after four rounds.
MORGAN BURGER NAMPA, IDAHO
Over the last few years, the unofficial Privateer of the Year Award could go to Idaho’s Morgan Burger who has become a staple at the front of the MX1 class. The 21 year-old has finished top 10 overall twice in the series— sixth in 2012, seventh in 2013—but would really like to drop a few digits and get into the top five. He’s not one of the flashiest riders on the track, but the hard working Strikt Racing Yamaha rider gets the job done against a deep field of big named 450 racers. Being from the Northern US, Burger doesn’t get to ride all year round like many of his competitors back home— and he’s often working a full-time job—so it hasn’t been easy to train and prepare how he’d like. Regardless, Burger doesn’t make any excuses and gives it everything he has each time out.
SETH RARICK
CLARKSVILLE, NEW YORK Pitted out of the Redemption Racing rig, this New Yorker made his first appearance in the Eastern MX1 rounds last summer, putting his KTM 450 at the top in most of his motos. Soon after the 2013 Canadian series wrapped up, Rarick contacted Josh Snider of RR and made a deal to race out of their traveling ministry set up. It made sense; Rarick shares the faith, rides a KTM and isn’t looking for a whole lot (which is good because Redemption doesn’t have a whole lot to give with a limited racing budget but a big heart). Like his teammate Alex Jeffrey, Rarick has chosen a 250 SX two-stroke to compete in the MX2 class. While things started off a ittle slow, he’s been improving every moto. Rarick’s best result is a fourth place finish in Regina. While he would have a tough go covering his own expenses and getting from race to race at the US Nationals, Rarick remains competitive even without a factory bike and can take advantage of Canada’s ruling of 250 two-strokes competing in the MX2 class. A fourth place will no doubt put Rarick up on the TV screen, and it’s already earned him this bit of press in MXP.
TOPHER INGALLS CARMEL, CALIFORNIA
Probably one of the most successful privateers to have raced the Canadian series is that of Carmel, California’s Topher Ingalls. He was first drafted to Canada in 2011 by the Gopher Dunes Suzuki team and has since continued coming to Canada battling it out with minimal to no support. Even without a regular mechanic or new knobbies every moto, Ingalls is always a favourite for a Royal Distributing holeshot cheque and remains a threat for a podium every time out. Last year he was competing on a RTR Performance backed Honda; for 2014, he’s still with RTR but on a KTM 250 SX two-stroke. Topher finished third overall in the MX2 series last year; team managers are keeping their eyes on him if something opens up. Until then, the privateer will keep chugging along, making things difficult for the factory riders.
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BIG NAMES Last but not least we have the big named, heavy hitters slowly landing in Canada and giving fans some of the best racing we’ve seen in years.
Mike Alessi
HILLIARD, FLORIDA VINCE FRIESE – MENIFEE, CALIFORNIA Ask Tony Alessi what he thinks about Canada and he will bend your ear for 30 minutes, telling you the reasons why the Smartop MotoConcepts Racing team manager loves racing here. “It’s brutal working in 100 degree temperatures,” he says, describing the weather difference between racing in Canada and the US. “It costs a lot of money to race the AMA Nationals, but in Canada we get the same thing and spend less. After supercross, it doesn’t really matter where you go.” No matter where a guy like Mike Alessi races, you’re bound to hear about it, which has boded well for the Canadian series. More eyeballs are paying attention to the series and results pages, looking to see how one of the world’s fastest outdoor riders fits in with the Canucks. “Every week people are calling me, asking about Canada and what the series is like,” adds Tony. “I’m telling you, give it five years and I bet you see a lot of US teams racing here. It will become like a North American series. Watch!” MotoConcepts has given fans more than enough to talk about, with Alessi and Canada’s top gun, Colton Facciotti, bumping into each other early on at round one and developing a good spirited rivalry. In the MX2 class, Vince Friese has been on a roll picking up moto wins and also giving fans something to talk about, mincing words with Jeremy Medaglia and KTM Canada’s Team Manager, Andy White. You never know how someone will fit into the Canadian series, but for Alessi and Friese, fitting in hasn’t been an issue. Four rounds into the series, Alessi has won more motos than anyone else in the MX1 class, but a track cutting error in Kamloops cost him five positions and the points lead to Colton Facciotti. In the MX2 class, Friese has been equally as dominant but a DNF at round in Nanaimo has left him fighting to make up points. The MotoConcepts team came to Canada looking for more exposure, a recharge and a place to stay sharp before Supercross resumes in January. So far it’s paying off nd it should be interesting to see if they return in 2015.
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Eve Brodeur East Coast Women Canadian Championship
Liam O’Farrell East Coast MX2 Canadian Championship
Dylan Kaelin MX1 Canadian Championship
Dave Blanchet East Coast MX1 Canadian Championship
Brock Hoyer West Coast MX2 Canadian Championship
Dave Blanchet National MX1 rider
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BIG NAMES KYLE CHISHOLM
JOSH HILL
Unlike Hill or Alessi, Florida’s Kyle Chisholm has previously raced in Canada. Back in 2005, Chisholm rode for the Richmond Racing Kawasaki team when he engaged in a great, four-round MX2 east championship battle with KTM’s Michael Willard. The Team Green rider lost the title, but would return the next year and dethrone Willard in 2006. With the series running a separate East and West MX2 Championship, Chisholm never got to ride the western tracks so in a way coming to Canada this year was almost brand new to him. After suffering a separated shoulder a few months before round 1 in Nanaimo, Chisholm didn’t come into the series with as much preparation or bike development as he would have liked. Things have come full circle for Chisholm; he was once a fast young amateur from the US looking to use Canada as a stepping stone into AMA racing. That seemed to work well with Chisholm as he went on to race AMA supercross and outdoors, but now he’s back in Canada, this time, oddly enough, battling against many of the same guys he would be racing against in the US … maybe Tony Alessi is right, maybe one day the Canadian series will soon be a North American series.
Doug Dubach, Mike Craig, Casey Johnson, Craig Decker, Sean Hamblin, Paul Carpenter, Matt Goerke, Brett Metcalfe … these were all big stars who raced the Canadian Nationals, but arguably the biggest name yet to grace our home and native land is that of Josh Hill. A proven AMA 450 Supercross winner, Hill rode for the RCH Suzuki team this past winter but was left without a seat come outdoor season. As luck would have it, an opportunity was presented to Hill to keep racing but he’d have to pack a passport. In a last minute move, defending Canadian Champ Brett Metcalfe got the call from Kawasaki USA to take Ryan Villopoto’s spot in the AMA outdoors and then just as quickly, Metcalfe was replaced by Hill on the Monster Energy Leading Edge Kawasaki team. The switch has gone well, even though Hill has yet to win a race, the fans love his approachable, outgoing personality and he’s been a pleasure to watch on the track. He’s been on the podium in two out of the first four races and is less than 10 points away from third in the championship. “I haven’t ridden outdoors really since 2008, so I wasn’t expecting to come and win,” says Hill. “Actually, at the first round in Nanaimo, I did better than I thought I would. I like it in Canada; the tracks are fun, the people are have been so friendly— not just at the track but away from it too—and it’s fun how fans can interact with riders all day, there is no set schedule.” Some will argue that guys like Hill are stealing rides from Canadian born and bred racers, but there’s no debating the fact that someone like Hill attracts more attention—which could lead to more money—to the series and it forces our riders step it up a notch.
VALRICO, FLORIDA
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA
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Pursuing Dreams in Canadian Motocross STORY BY BRENT WORRALL | PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE
Like an onion there are many different layers to Canadian motocross at the pro level. When you attend a race the first attraction you see is the large teams with their perfectly maintained machines and their shiny factory rigs. However, there is another side of it and in this story Brent Worrall takes a look at some of the unsung heroes of the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals.Â
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Pursuing Dreams in Canadian Motocross
Left: So far in 2014 Dylan Kaelin has been the surprise of the MX1 class with numerous top ten finishes. Right: MX101 Yamaha’s Dylan Wright is really enjoying his first season on the pro circuit.
he most highly anticipated season in Canadian Motocross history is now in full swing and those fortunate enough to be living out their Canadian Motocross dreams are right where they want to be. With only three steps on the podium at each round and forty gate spots available to stamp one’s place in the history books, or just simply line up to give it their best with the best, takes dedication, passion and commitment beyond the rational and logic of many. Year in and year out, the passion and perseverance of the individuals who have made the ultimate sacrifices in respect to finances, physical dedication and depravation of the luxuries and comforts of most royals, all in the name of having the best shot at moto glory, can leave one speechless. Astounding to those on the outside looking in, it’s trying to put rhyme to reason of this obsession and seemingly incurable malady. Nothing out of the norm to those afflicted but just another season of doing what we do that makes us who we are. It has almost been a year now that I have been hosting the Canadian Moto Show. It has been a game changer for myself as far as insight and the involvement that goes with getting to know most
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of the riders, their families, sponsors, and support systems. I have been around the sport for many years and for the first time in a long time, if not ever, heading into round one at Nanaimo took me back many years. I was a 17 year-old kid heading from BC across the country to my first Pro National in a cube van, not having a clue as to what I would see or how I would do when the gate dropped in Ulverton, Quebec. If you had asked me then how it had gone, you would have seen a pretty forlorn look and heard a negative response as I was the recipient of hitting a hidden flour filled bomb hole that bottomed my CR250 so hard it fractured my ankle. Fast forward to three weeks later when I was lined up at the first round of the 125 Nationals in Thunder Bay, life was better but by how much? Struggling to stay inside the top twenty was not easy to take as I had always been used to running in the top three to five! With all the hype this year surrounding those who would be lined up and where they were at in their careers has not only prompted me to look back but get to know some of them a little better; to get some insight into the lifestyles while living the dream. I did not make it to Nanaimo but followed everything I could like a hawk and was anxious
to get out to round two in Kamloops and round three in Calgary. My lifestyle radar would target the two highly publicized youngsters who battled as amateurs that would suit up for the first time as Pros this season. Dylan Wright, who was skilled enough as an amateur to achieve the highest result ever as an amateur at Gopher Dunes last year after he finished third, would have the best round of the rookies finishing sixth overall in Nanaimo. On amateur day in Kamloops, when I headed to the fence to watch the Women’s National, Dylan was the first one I ran into. For those of you who do not know Dylan, he is a likeable, keen, hard-working individual who has a bright future and is doing what he needs to do to get to the top level. The seasoning that comes with the time put in at the top level will take just that, time. Unfortunately time is not something you can find in a gym, a book, at a practice track or from a coach. I asked Dylan what he had enjoyed most about his experience heading out west for the first time in his 17 years, and what types of things he and his MX101 colleagues did for fun. “I have really enjoyed the scenery as well as training on the road. “We as a unit have had a lot of fun. It is important to put the work in but when
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it is done the fun times together seem to recharge me and allow me to stay fresh.” When I asked Dylan about what his favourite thing was, besides getting to spend some time with his girlfriend who flew out for the Calgary round, he responded, “I love cycling and mountain biking, or making a bet with my teammates about whether or not I could run up a hillside in ten minutes or not.” Just the kind of thing you would expect from a keen, spontaneous youngster. Dylan did emphasize that proper nutrition and rest was a key part of his regiment and that he was looking forward to getting back to some of the tracks that he was more familiar with as the series moves east. Westen Wrozyna, the seventeen year-old Gopher Dunes Honda rider who is also a rookie, had a decent round in Nanaimo and finished a solid 13th in moto one. After talking with Westen, I know he expects a lot more of himself. It really hit me and took me back to my rookie season when chatting with Westen, as he reminded me that he still has a year of high school left. With that being said and given how bummed he was about his results in Calgary, I can’t help but think back to my first season, noting those results are no longer in my
memory bank. The experience gained and the life skills acquired from this inaugural season are what will be laid down as a solid foundation for Westen’s future accomplishments in this sport, and I believe there will be many. I asked Westen what he did or enjoyed doing between rounds, and he responded by saying that he was fortunate enough to go home and practice. He said that he enjoyed practicing and training but noted that he liked to put his feet up to enjoy a movie or play a game. He said that was a key component to keeping him fresh and motivated. When he mentioned games, I asked him about ‘Madskills’. “I can’t get my head around that one, I suck at it,” he queried. “Colton and Gauldy have it dialled in but I just can’t get that one.” That’s okay Westen, you’re not alone! I also asked Westen about being under the GDR tent with Colton, how that was going and what it meant to him. “I like being able to train with Colton. It has helped push my on and off season training to the next level. I also find it helpful walking with him on tracks that I have never been to and getting his advice on lines and things.” I also asked Westen what other sports he enjoyed or was good at. “I have played soccer, but have never seen myself doing anything other than riding a dirt bike
or a mountain bike, sport-wise” I think it is safe to say with both Westen and Dylan’s drive, passion, dedication, skill and commitment, coupled with their current mentorship, we are in for many great years of watching them both lay their claim to Canadian Moto Fame. If you are heading to a National this year, make sure you stop by the Gopher Dunes tent or MX101 tent as these youngsters are the future of our sport. How cool is it to be able to say I got his autograph when?! The series has traditionally travelled west to east in the modern era, which is opposite in my racing days! The riders who are fortunate enough to garner the top rides that the series has to offer, allows most of the factory riders the luxury of flights back home to be with family and train on their own turf. These rides are few and far between, but they are available to those that can attain them and are the main attraction when the travelling show pulls into each and every round. With the large shiny rigs pitted in sequence, these riders, for the most part, are approachable and realize that they are part of the elite number whose hard work and dedication has paid off o the point where they can make a
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Pursuing Dreams in Canadian Motocross
Left: Although the western rounds didn’t go as planned for Westen Wrozyna, he learned a lot and is ready to go for the east. Right: Despite a tough first four rounds in the west, Westen still has a big smile on his face.
living doing something they love to do. When I spoke with Tyler Medaglia after the Nanaimo round, he was back home in Truro, Nova Scotia where he had just finished playing in the sandbox with his son, Talon, and was currently changing a tire on his practice bike. This was a Tuesday; by week’s end he would be walking a race track some 5,400 kilometres from home in Calgary. Tyler would be one of the first to tell you how fortunate he feels to be in such a position. I feel a special connection with Tyler and his new family because when I was in London Health Sciences Centre having my life saving spinal cord injury surgery, their son Talon was being born. Crazy times because it was a crazy year as tornado-like torrential downpours shortened the Walton Pro National in 2011, which saw no second MX1 moto. With many other motocrossers contributing to the talent pool in the form of offspring, the faces of the future will be different but many of the household moto names we have come accustomed to will be the same. We have many riders from far and wide contesting this year’s series, and as I stated earlier, my mandate with my talk show has warranted many phone calls and interviews, which have been a ton of fun to do. I do feel it has given me better insight that completed a circle that I had no idea was incomplete. It has given me a greater sense of what family members, support systems, as well as the sponsors of these riders do to play a role in making sure their guy or gal has the best shot at the best result. The top riders under the tents of the big rigs get a lot of the attention, and deservedly so because they have earned it. But what about a rider who had a lot of promise at the amateur level and great success at the Trans Can, then for one reason or another started to drift away from moto, or a top Canadian talent who starts to look at the future and maybe begins to think about life after moto at 21 years-old? Yes, it happens and it happens often, unfortunately! But sometimes things are orchestrated in life beyond our control and circumstances that dictate the kind of good that you could only wish everyone to be the benefactor. I am talking about Grand Bend, Ontario’s Dylan Kaelin. I have known Dylan and followed his progress back to those Trans Can days I eluded to, and cannot help but smile at
the universal laws of motocross goodness that permitted the chance meeting between Dylan and Devil’s Lake’s Team Race Manager, Trevor Cerny. As early back as last fall, I chatted with Dylan at an October race in Kamloops and asked him about the following year. I will tell you that the potential for a great read, the story that he and his team continue to put to paper, was nowhere in sight. I asked Dylan about what life under the new regime was like and what kind of things he and the team were up to, in the way of letting their hair down to have some fun. “We get the guns out and let off a ittle steam as it is important to let lose after the work is done. We put in a lot of work but we’re doing our best to enjoy the whole experience and get the needed rest when it is time. We are focussed on the task at hand. I can’t tell you how happy I am to be a part of this team.” Wow, to hear those words come from someone who was not that keen the previous fall shows that anything is possible. I hope many will benefit from Dylan’s persistence and accomplishments. Speaking about the Devil’s Lake team, I would like to congratulate them on the acquiring of Hailey Larson and David Gassin. The likeable southern duo are currently awaiting their ‘Adopted Canadian Moto’ citizen status, which in my books needs no papers as they have been a breath of fresh air for the series that has had many positive injections in a forwardly evolving direction. Hailey just successfully completed the three-peat of the Western Canadian Women’s National Series at the top of a very classy field in the West for 2014. Hailey will also contest the remaining MX2 Nationals in an effort to be on the gate of forty each round until the series concludes in Walton. David, who is on his way to a personal best top 10 number, along with Josh Clark round out the charismatic gang from Devil’s Lake for Cal Nowicki and Trevor Cerny. If riders like Dylan Kaelin and upcoming Yamaha mounted #60, Matt Davenport, are in between the likes of the full factory riders Colton Facciotti, Bobby Kiniry, Mike Alessi, Josh Hill and so on, where does that leave the savvy veterans and feel good stories like Ryan Lockhart and Todd Minnie? These are guys who have excelled in this sport at the top level and are like the rest of us
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“Year in and year out, the passion and perseverance of the individuals who have made the ultimate sacrifices in respect to finances, physical dedication and depravation of the luxuries and comforts of most royals, all in the name of having the best shot at moto glory, can leave one speechless.”
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Pursuing Dreams in Canadian Motocross
Left: Matthew Davenport had his best finish of the season to date in the mud at Regina.
who have race fuel in our veins. We all know that the passion never dies, and it is a fine line between pleasure and pain when it comes to knowing when to keep that ‘Trump Card’ in your pocket and walk away. If I sound like I know what I am talking about, let me interest you in some beach front property in the middle of the Sahara Desert! I have no idea where that line is. I will continue on under the assumption that the line is invisible but visible to a chosen few! I have been fortunate enough to be close to these two very unique and talented individuals, who are arguably as gifted and passionate as any current Pro racer in this series. Todd Minnie raced his last professional race eleven years ago prior to the Nanaimo National, and it has been a pleasure to watch his determined effort to get back to what he believes he should have never walked away from. We cannot change the past but having the ability that Todd has in the form of not wishing to shut the door, has paid dividends and carries a message loud and clear to many out there that may be in a similar situation. Todd told me he tried for many years to replace the euphoria that racing at the top level gave him, but without success. I asked him what he knows now that he wishes he knew when he was younger or could have done differently. “Train harder!” Todd has had a lot of help in that department as his girlfriend, Cassie, is a fitness trainer and a great supporter of
his efforts. Todd is 30 years-old and committed to the western rounds of the Nationals and is looking forward to this upcoming winter and the arenacross series. He sits inside the top 15 in the MX1 National points standings and will always have a fan like me when he gives the sport everything he has. He’s a super friendly guy and is helping younger riders at the races as well as in his hometown of Prince George. The other guy you all know as ‘The Newf’, Ryan Lockhart should probably get an entire chapter or issue dedicated to his passion for his first love. Okay, now that I have spoken about his girlfriend Randi, I will speak of Ryan’s moto passion and lifestyle. Ryan, who was nationally ranked as high as #6 in 2007, had a bad injury down south that cost him almost three years of his motocross riding life. Ryan, from Spring Hill, Nova Scotia, and I go back a long ways, so far in fact that his father, Scott Lockhart, a former Maritime Champion, was a Yamaha Motor Canada teammate of mine. Ryan has parlayed his motocross passion into a successful career with Atlas Brace Technologies, Matirix Concepts and 100%, which keeps him going to the motocross track with a purpose. I know Ryan has taken some hits for his many comebacks, but this most recent one, which started as a concerted effort to win the Plus 25 title at the Walton Trans Can, has not lost any steam. In fact, Ryan was able
to sustain the bid on the track throughout this past Arenacross season to attain the Dash for Cash title as well as a podium finish in the Pro Open class. I am happy that Ryan managed to set his sights on the first three western rounds of the Pro Nationals. As of Calgary, he was sitting in 11th place in the series points. I asked Ryan what it felt like to be in the mix at the first round with a great start, “I was scared shitless!” he admitted, with the type of smile you only get from that motocross related euphoric adrenaline rush that can only come from first corner bar banging. I asked Ryan what he would be doing if he was not chasing his passion, and he said, “I am the type of person that needs to challenge myself, and set goals to achieve. Without that I would be lost. I would be partying on the weekends, probably be overweight and not enjoying life as much as I am now.” I asked Ryan if he regretted not making the trek to Regina to finish off he Western chapter of the series, and he told me he once again had his sights on Walton. “Plus 30 this year. I’m coming for ya Gauldy!” laughed Ryan. At the end of each race season there can be only one champion crowned per class, and as race fans we all cheer for our favourites. Yes, results are important, but I truly feel like a winner every time I go to a motocross race and share the passion with all those living their motocross dreams. Hope to see you all at a race soon!
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mxp interview
JAY MOORE As a teenager, Jay Moore couldn’t have imagined that he’d one day be working for Fox, quite possibly the most iconic brand in motocross racing. He came to admire the brand growing up as Fox logos were draped over his heroes like Ezra Lusk and Jeremy McGrath, but Moore never thought that he’d one day be making sure guys like them are dressed to kill on race day. With the Sand Del Lee motocross track being just down the road from Moore’s house, it was only natural that he spent most of his time at the track. Once school and college had finished, Moore got his feet wet in the motorcycle industry working as an advertising rep for Racer X Canada. Later on, Moore would spend time helping out at Sand Del Lee’s riding
BY DANNY BRAULT | PHOTO BY JAMES LISSIMORE
school and camps before applying to, and eventually receiving, his National Marketing Manager position with Fox Racing Canada. We sat down with Moore to see how his dream job is going and what he thinks about all sorts of subjects related to Canadian moto. MXP: Hey Jay, what’s eating up most of your time these days? Jay Moore: Moto and mountain biking right now. Obviously motocross is your background. Does that still take priority in your time and interests? I’d say it’s more motocross. It’s because you know more people and you’re better connected. You have more people calling you and you’re invested into it, especially with supercross going on in the winter. Which type of cycling does Fox work with most? What’s popular in Canada? For the mountain bike stu° , it’s more trick and freestyle or slope style. Our culture in Canada is that these kids have hard tail bikes and they’re out there hitting dirt jumps. It’s a minimal investment and you’re occupied for a lot of days. I’m sure the rider base is larger in mountain biking since more people own a bicycle than a dirt bike. It’s the first thing everyone gets as a kid; you get a bike. It’s your first entrance into extreme sports in some ways. You started working for Fox Racing Canada in 2010, which is based out of Calgary, Alberta. How did you land that opportunity? I just gave the oÿ ce a call to see what was going on because I was aware of the previous distributor, Aurora Cycle Supply, wasn’t distributing Fox anymore and there was a change
going on. I was a fan of the brand and wanted to see if there was an opportunity. I called Jari Heinonen and it went from there. Do you find it hard to believe that you’re working for a brand like Fox? I mean, this is the gear company that dressed the biggest supercross stars … McGrath, Lusk, Carmichael, Stewart, Dungey, Roczen … Yeah, that’s a good question. It’s definitely something that didn’t sink in for a while. The only way to explain it is being at the right place at the right time. That’s all I can say. It’s still pretty surreal. What’s been the biggest challenge managing the marketing of Fox in Canada? Probably balancing and turning it o° . This thing you dreamed about happens and you want to go work so hard and get the best result that you can. Sometimes you have to turn it o° because it is work. Everything day to day is awesome and being balanced is the biggest challenge. How did you get into motocross? I lived ten minutes from Sand Del Lee and heard dirt bikes every day. We didn’t go down there until I was 12. We thought it was insane and couldn’t believe this was what we were hearing for all those years. I went and bought some Motocross Action magazines and I was hooked. Do you have a race or highlight that stands out in your own racing career? It was in a District 3 AMA race, MotoMasters. There were some US guys and eastern and southwestern Ontario guys there. I won a couple motos; that day was super sick. In one moto, my brother had fallen on the first lap and then realized I was leading when I was the first guy to lap him. He rode in behind me and we finished o° the final lap. That was pretty cool. Who was your favourite Fox racer when you were a kid? Ezra Lusk, I think. I was looking at some magazines recently and Fox did these print ads with him doing this huge natural step down road gap and it looked so sick. Who wears Fox gear the best these days? They have less than ten dudes on the global team so I would say Ken Roczen. He has all the LE kits and they match it into the clothing and shoes he wears. He’s running a tight game. Looking back, was there someone who influenced
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mxp interview
JAY MOORE you more than others to help get you where you are today? Rob McCullough, I sometimes think back on that guy. He was a good guy to be around for a while. I always liked his tough attitude on you; I was never the most motivated and it was good to have someone forcing you to do it.
what keep the sport going so it’s good to know what they experience every day. Have a plan. There are so many di° erent ways you can work in the industry, so know your target and stick to it. Things may shift but keep your eye on where you want to go. Things come to those who are passionate and dedicated.
What was your first job in motocross? Flagging I guess, I thought it would be cool … at first. Next was selling motorsports toys and accessories at Powersports Honda in Ottawa.
Does Fox maintain a close relationship between their US and Canadian oÿ ces? Everyone in our company works closely together. Not just US and Canada, but it’s Canada and globally. We communicate on a weekly basis, probably daily even.
Advice you’d give to those looking to get a job in the motorcycle industry? Starting at a dealership was a great experience. Seeing how everything works at the ground level; ordering parts, dealing with people and knowing the struggles and good times and bad times. Dealers are
Great, thanks Jay, anything to add? I have to give a shout out to the guys at MX101. They really helped me out a lot and I had a great time being around their track. They let me work there a long time and teach at their camps. It was a great time and I always look forward to going back to Sand Del Lee.
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WHY WE RIDE BY LETICIA CLINE
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veryone who had ever thrown their leg over a motorcycle has felt that freedom we all crave. Whether your surface of preference is dirt or pavement, the feeling of man and machine is extremely prevalent. For the moments spent riding it’s just you, the bike and what’s in front of you. This is why we all love to ride motorcycles and why so many new riders are getting into. For us seasoned riders, it’s our job to try and persuade other people to try riding. This story captures those precious riding moments that we’ve all felt. After you read it, please share it with someone you know who has yet to try riding. Hopefully after they read it, they’ll want to get out and give it a go. People always remember when they first fell in love, and I remember when I fell in love with motorcycles. It was the summer of ‘99. My Dad had just bought a customized ‘87 Harley Davidson Heritage Softtail. Though I wasn’t the biggest fan of Harleys at the time, I can still remember the smile on his face as he pulled into the driveway. He and I spent the rest of the summer taking the whole thing apart and rebuilding it into an even more chromed out custom version than before. We would find excuses to skip dinners and go on evening rides through the national park we lived by and would travel to every motorcycle rally possible that year. This wasn’t my first experience on a bike. From the time I could ride a bike my Dad had me on a Honda 50 riding around the farm. Even though I basically grew up around motorcycles, this was the first time that I remember really appreciating every aspect of owning one. That is when I discovered the path I should be on and I have been riding ever
E
“CORNERING ON A BIKE BECOMES A SYMPHONY OF PRECISE MOVEMENTS. YOUR BODY AND THE ENGINE WORK IN HARMONY WITH THE ROAD INSTEAD OF FIGHTING IT TOOTH AND NAIL.”
since. Ask anyone why they ride a motorcycle and I think the universal consensus is because of the freedom it brings. But what does that mean exactly? There’s the physical; compared to driving a car, riding a motorcycle offers freedom from the constraints of four wheels. On a motorcycle, you sit right on top of an engine. Your nose gets a vivid introduction to Mother Nature blended with exhaust. Your body feels the thousand tiny impacts of raindrops that absorb almost as quickly as they came due to the onslaught of wind. Your skin will burn from the sun and chill from the shade. Each bump in the pavement gently pushes you like a wave on a boat. Cornering on a bike becomes a symphony of precise movements, your body and the engine work in harmony with the road instead of fighting it tooth and nail. You are no longer huddled behind a wheel disconnected from nature but instead you become one with it, aware of things that so many never notice. When you ride on a dirt track you’re even more connected with the land since a lot of tracks are in remote areas that most people have never heard of. I imagine nothing more beautiful than climbing “horsepower hill” at Washougal MX Track and catching a glimpse of Mount Rainier, or riding Thunder Valley CO being completely surrounded by the Rocky Mountains and almost touching the clouds at over 5000 feet of elevation. No Matter if you’re riding trails, racing dirt or cruising open roads, riding is a gateway to the world, not an
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WHY WE RIDE “EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US HAS A MEMORY OF BEING ON THE ROAD WITH SOMEONE ELSE. RIDING IS A WAY TO SHARE AN EXPERIENCE AND TO FEEL CLOSER TO THEM.” escape from it. The bond between rider and motorcycle goes much deeper than just nature. It’s also about the personal and emotional connection one can only feel on a bike. It’s a journey of self-discovery. The way I see it is that a motorcycle isn’t just a vehicle to move you from place to place, instead it’s an experience and unlike any other purchase, a motorcycle changes you. You’re not just a person with a bike; you’re a rider. Your body is overcome with a sense of invincible nostalgia when you’re on it. You feel like a badass and you are a badass. It’s because a motorcycle isn’t something you have, it’s something you do. You ride. It’s where you risk your life for a chance to turn a commute into an adventure, where the simple running of errands becomes a whole-body experience. Where back roads become your highways and getting lost is a way of being found. The thing we crave most in this world is connection and aside from the one we make to nature, riding is also a way to connect with the past and the ones we love. Many of us riders were introduced to motorcycles because of another person. Each and every one of us has a memory of being on the road with someone else. Riding is a way to share an experience and to feel closer to them. I experienced all of this first hand recently when I had an opportunity to ride with my good friend Jack Lafleur through the canyons and along the Pacific Ocean in California. Having only one bike, I did my best to be a passenger as Jack played tour guide to some of the curviest and most beautiful roads I have ever been on. At one point it felt as if it was too much to take in by seeing it, so I placed both my hands on the gas tank, closed my eyes and became unison with the bike. Not knowing when the next turn was or in what direction we were going was invigorating. To be this close to death made me feel so much more alive. That may sound cheesy but there are some things in life that can only be felt and not touched or seen. While we were riding, we pulled off to take a break on the top of one of the canyons. Sitting there, looking over what felt more like the edge of the word than a cliff, I took in as much creation as I could. While I sat quietly reflecting, looking past the valley and over the ocean, I realized that my motorcycle is my release. It takes me to places I never knew existed. It’s a novelty, a void from the hated weary burden of nothingness. It’s the only connecting link between me and the land. Between the dreary monotony of the present and the exciting pleasures of the pas, the one soul oasis in the desert of life, this is what riding a motorcycle is all about. 48 M O T O C R O S S P E R F O R M A N C E
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RIDER, MACHINE AND THE ONLY pRODuCTs ENGINEERED FOR YAMAHA
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THE 2014
BIKES OF THE
STARS BY JAMES LISSIMORE
lot of people have contested that so far in 2014 the racing at the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals has been the best they’ve ever seen. Whether this is true or not, you cannot have great racing without the athletes of the series riding some pretty cool equipment. Over the next two issues, our staff hotographer James Lissimore is going to provide some incredible shots of some of the trickest looking bikes in the pits. As you can see, the bikes that our series riders have access to have come a long way in the last twenty years. Gone are the pieced together two-strokes that most riders were forced to make updates on themselves. In recent years, the factory bikes in Canada are carefully built from the ground up, and each week they get torn apart and checked for wear and tear. Obviously, a lot of hours go into building these awesome machines and the teams are very proud of them. Please sit back and enjoy this eye candy as in this issue we profile the factory machines of Tyler Medaglia, Kaven Benoit, Shawn Robinson, Jesse Wentland, Austin Politelli and Josh Hill.
A
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MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE
TYLER MEDAGLIA #
3
KTM450SX-F MECHANIC:
Stephan Leblanc
KAVEN BENOIT #
24
KTM250SX MECHANIC:
Jerome Therrien
SHAWN ROBINSON #
28
YZ250 MECHANIC:
Tyler Mickelson
MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE
115
JESSE WENTLAND #
27
YZ250F MECHANIC:
Pete McPhail
AUSTIN POLITELLI #
1
KX250F MECHANIC:
Jonathan Lower
JOSH HILL #
175
116
KX450F MECHANIC:
Luc Caouette
MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE
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mxp interview
DEREK FARTHING ˜ TROY LEE DESIGNS CANADA Troy Lee Designs Canada front man Derek Farthing has been around the Canadian motorcycle industry for a long time. After learning his trade years ago from Rick Sheren, Derek began Troy Lee Designs Canada in the early 2000s and there’s been no looking back ever since. With the new line of Seven Gear now launched, Derek and Troy Lee Designs is at the forefront of technology when it comes to motocross gear. Even though he’s an extremely busy guy, we tracked Derek down to see how 2014 is going. Q. It’s been a while since we last spoke. How are things going? Things are going great. We’ve been super busy, always a lot going on but everything is great. Q. Before I asked you about Seven MX Gear, let’s talk about TLD. You’ve been the driving force in Canada with this product line for some time. How did this all come about? In the early 1990s I worked for Rick Sheren at his company called R&M Motosports as an outside sales rep. It was during these years I first connected with Troy Lee back when it was a paint shop producing decals, visors, and speed wings for TLD. I developed amazing relationships with the people that made Troy Lee Designs and they really became family for me. In 1999, Troy launched his first sets of gear, as well as his bicycle business was seeing growth globally, so he asked if I would look after developing Canada for Troy Lee Designs. That’s when it began, and as they say the rest is history. Q: Like you mentioned, TLD has been around for a long time. Why do you think the line has remained successful even through diÿ cult economic times? Troy started his company in 1981 and has continued to grow every year. He partners with companies, people, athletes and employees that share this same passion for these sports that he does. Troy has never accepted second quality or being a price point brand. His mission is to build products that lead the market in safety, fi t, and durability with cutting edge style. We saw growth that many companies within our segment never experienced, and we attribute it to customers wanting value or products that would “last”. A large portion of our business is the bicycle business, which has grown exponentially over the years. I believe strongly in the fact that if we do business with integrity, build and design products with integrity under the same guidelines, the result will show in our business…and it has. Q: While you’ve certainly been involved with Canadian pro teams before, this year you made a
BY CHRIS POMEROY | PHOTOS BY TLD STAFF
big commitment to Colton Facciotti and the GDR Honda Canada Team. How did that relationship come about? A few years ago, Tyler Medaglia introduced Derek Schuster (Gopher Dunes) and I as we wanted to continue to work with Tyler wherever he ended up. At that point I had been keenly watching Derek Schuster’s national, regional and local programs, as well as their facility’s program mature over the years. They run the premier motocross facility in Canada and we embraced them as our premier program in Canada. I consider the Schuster family a huge asset to motocross in Canada. Derek Schuster was really the catalyst in bringing Colton, Troy Lee Designs and Honda together this past year.
with the help of existing relationships, had become available to them. Gaining a performance advantage through apparel is prevalent in many other sports and motocross should be no di° erent; again, pushing the limits of technically legitimate products for motocross. As you just mentioned, Seven Gear is very comfortable and o° ers everything you could want in motocross gear.
Q. So far Colton is doing well and his gear looks great. Are you happy so far? So far we’re delighted with Colton this year and the whole team. With Colton’s style and how he rides a bike fast with such a relaxed style, he is a pleasure to have on our athlete list. Colton gave Troy Lee Designs Canada our first “overall” in Kamloops and I am still on cloud nine about that. What you’re seeing is the hundreds of hours that Derek Schuster (GDR Honda), Colton and Westen Wrozyna have put into making this a championship team. We are pleased with the selection of Westen Wrozyna as his MX2 athlete. I hope we’re involved in this program for many years to come.
Q: Will we see kids’ Seven Gear in Canada soon? Yes, it is available now in the Rival series. You can see it on sevenmx.com
Q. If Colton wins the MX1 Championship this summer will you fl y to Walton to be a part of the celebrations and get a hug from Derek Schuster? You bet! The hug would definitely be the cherry on top of that one. We will take it one step at a time as there is a lot of work to be done in the meantime. Q. Let’s talk about Seven Gear. I’ve been wearing it and it’s awesome. It’s really comfortable. I like to call it the Lulu Lemon of MX gear. How has the response been so far in Canada? While I’ve never heard it compared to LuLu Lemon, thank you for the kind words. The launch of SEVEN has been beyond our expectations but strategic. Q. I’ve heard people mention the price of Seven Gear, but there are two di˛ erent price points, correct? Yes, there are two price points. The Rival is our entry into Seven and the Zero is the Premium of the line. We know it is premium quality with a price that is not for everyone. It’s no di° erent in hockey - Bauer has that $800 pair of skates - so Troy and James wanted to use new technical materials that,
Q: Where can people get the Seven Gear? At the same stores that carry TLD gear? For the most part; we have an amazing network of truly the finest dealers in Canada. To find a dealer nearby, they can call our customer service at 1.877.866.2275.
Q. You’ve been around this sport for a long time. What keeps you going after all these years? I love it. I love the relationships we have and the new ones we make. I love working with all the passionate people in this sport. I love competing and the challenges we face every day. I love the products we sell but these are bi-products of passionate, talented people. I know that’s a lot of the word “love” but it’s true. Troy’s passion for the sport is infectious. He’s been doing this for 35 years and he loves what he does. Those who are able to make a living out of what they love are blessed. Q: Once you get away from the oÿ ce and can relax, what things do you like to do? I have a young family like you and it’s go go go with them. I love seeing them do the things I loved when I was a kid. I also love to do what we sell. I am truly Troy Lee Design’s biggest fan. That’s what I like. Q. I asked Je˛ Williams this so I’ll do the same to you. With all the traveling you do, what is your favourite city to visit? I love the beach cities of California. We have so many relationships down there and that’s where our oÿ ces are. The cities I love are where we have friends and family. Q. Let’s fast forward ten years; where do you see yourself then? That’s a long time. Right now I’m really having fun at what I do and the good people that surround us. I would like to say I would be still doing what I’m doing. Thanks for your time Derek.
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H AVE THE COUR AG E TO RECOVE R!!! ARDCORE, Extreme, Bootcamp, warrior, Spartan and a multitude of other words to stimulate our inner chest thumping primate!! What am I talking about you ask?! Well, I’m talking about the shift in training, from quick and easy, to well, the not so easy and not so quick in terms of what it takes to be in shape. Over the last few years the fitness industry has shed its delicate skin - we are getting away from light, easy workouts where you don’t break a sweat, and have to come to realize that hard work and sweat is going to produce the results. Ring the bell, schools in, write this down: HARD WORK AND SWEAT is what it’s going to take to produce the results we want!! Phewwww, that’s out of the way, and now that we have accepted that fact we can look at the other side of hard work and sweat: RECOVERY. I applaud the change; don’t get me wrong, I have been an advocate of good old fashioned hard work since I started in this industry over 15 years ago. We need to remember, however, that our bodies are very similar to machines, and like machines our bodies need regular maintenance. The harder we push our bodies the better we need to maintain them. In terms of our bodies, rest and proper recovery is how we stay on top and perform this maintenance. That way we ensure that our bodies stay performing at their best as well as helping to prevent injuries that can sideline us. There are many ways we can help our body recover - nutrition being a very important one. A lot of us are getting better educated on nutrition and proper diet. Think of nutrition as the fuel for the body, like putting gas in your car, truck or SUV or performing an oil change. As much as we are gaining more knowledge in terms of nutrition, hire or consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist, it will save you a lot of time wading through the ‘knowledge’ on the internet and TV. Sit down and discuss your training and goals. They will help construct a plan that suits your lifestyle and take into account your individual needs. What I want to teach you and talk about today are the often overlooked, physical ways in which we can aid our bodies in recovery. Think of these like taking your car in for a tune-up, rotating your tires or changing the spark plugs in your car or truck. These recovery techniques should be done on a daily basis, and can be done whether or not we have worked out or preformed some sort of physical activity that day. First, let’s talk about recovering from a workout, running, hockey game or some sort of physical exertion. In terms of recovery, post-workout recovery is second only to sleep in the recovery hierarchy. A post workout cool-down speeds up short-term as well as long-term recovery in comparison to not cooling down. Recovery is defined in this case as a return to the pre-work out state. Moving is preferable to static stretching post
H
“YOU WANT TO BE A WARRIOR? YOU WANT TO BE EXTREME? WELL, THE HARDER YOU WORK THE BETTER YOU NEED TO RECOVER!! YOU NEED TO PERFORM REGULAR ‘MAINTENANCE’ ON YOUR BODY TO MAKE SURE IT CAN STAND UP TO THE RIGORS OF HARD TRAINING.”
WITH DREW ROBERTSON PHOTO BY NICK HILL
activity because it supports circulatory activity, and limb movement assists circulation so the heart doesn’t have to do it all on its own. To cool down use a low-impact method like cycling, rowing, or walking. In order to flush the muscles properly, move easy for 4-5 minutes and then “sprint” for 5-10 seconds, repeat this easy effort/sprint method a total of three or four times totaling twenty minutes. This system of easy effort and sprinting helps remove the metabolic waste that is produced by physical activity. Another great way to recovery is the addition of an easy cardio vascular activity several hours (3-4 minimum) after training. You want to take a 20-30 minute walk or light bike ride to boost circulation to create a demand for more glucose by the muscles. You can take your dog or kids out for a walk or spin on the bike at an easy pace. You don’t want to get your heart rate too high. I recommend keeping your heart rate below 65% of your maximum. Afterwards, eat a light snack. If it’s later in the day and you’re heading off o bed, the snack should be heavier in protein. The Foam Roller is an essential self-massage tool and should be used daily. We use the foam roller to perform self myofascial release techniques or SMR techniques for short. Foam rolling is becoming more main stream, which is great because we can now find foam rollers at Sport Check, Wal-Mart, and most gyms have them now. When foam rolling, we are rolling muscle and fascia under pressure, which stretches, separates and reorganizes them. This can help improve flexibility, muscle soreness, relieve joint stress, improve performance, increase neuromuscular efficiency as well as aid in the prevention of injuries. You’ll use your own body weight to massage away restrictions to normal soft tissue extensibility. You should roll through each part of the body and each side for three to five minutes. When you encounter a painful spot, stop rolling and rest on that area for 30-45 seconds. This will stimulate the GTO (Golgi Tendon Organs) thus reducing muscular tension, helping to regulate the facial receptors. Fascia is a form of connective tissue which wraps around our muscle fibers. It’s a thin, tight sheath like a sausage wrapper. Bundles of these muscle fibers are then wrapped with a slightly thicker layer of fascia then the total muscle is wrapped again with another layer of fascia. Fascia can be damaged forming impingements. These impingements will not allow the muscles to slide or glide properly and can impair the proper movement of the underlying muscles. Fascia is like a cobweb that runs throughout our entire body, so when one part of the fascia is injured or compromised it can affect tissues away from the original site of the problem. Yes, it can be painful at first, but this pain is indicative of bound-up tissue or different muscles adhering to each other. When muscles are bound up
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Buildin
BUILD ANEW OR
‘FRESHEN UP?’
Depending on year-to-year changes with new modelstofrom OEMs dictates where or adhered eachthe other it makes them inefficient. teams begin when developing a race Another advantage to frequent use ofbike. the foam roller is thatyears, it increases the effectiveness of normal, Most manufacturers don’t completely deep tissue massage. The reason forthree this is that the overhaul a model; it’s typically every practitioner won’t wasteantime releasing knots and years that they release ‘all-new’ branded tension, but instead can work on deeper, structural model. If that’s the case, it takes work to issues. Areas to emphasize are the IT bands, quads, getting units into their hands right away, hamstrings, glutes and calves. Get in touch with a learning what needs toshow be stronger, trainer and have them you how to use the foam softer, lighter or greasier, and then begin roller because like anything else, there is a right way and a wrong the way,best so make you are researching partssure to install. It’sdoing it the rightstarting way!! from square one. like These next two techniques are aCanada little harder to One example would be the KTM perform as they can be uncomfortable, however I Royal Distributing Fox Racing Team. In 2013, KTM believe the benefits, both physically and mentally, released many new updates to their KTM 250 SX-F make them essential to your everyday routine. The and SX-F. There a lot of work to do, but first450 technique or toolwas is the Recovery Shower or fortunately, the new model came out swinging contrast shower. To perform a recovery shower, first,gave cookthe fortech 3-5 minutes under a hotstart shower, relax, and department a head of the and massageSuspension the muscles.always This will cause the the most blood competition. requires vessels to but dilate blood to rush out was to your attention, thecausing new fuel injected motor more skin and extremities. Then slowly turn off he hot easily tunable and featured a hearty, usable power water until it’s unbearably cold. Deal with it, suck curve. With some love and attention by Andrew it up and remain under the cold water for a full five McLean, behind ofthe theblood infamous Blackfoot minutes.the Thebrains cold will cause vessels to Honda and Yamaha factory equipment, KTM’s
engines were made even better. Going into 2014, the KTM team continues to learn how to give their riders every advantage, but since the SX-F models haven’t undergone any major changes, it’s more of fine-tuning the gains they made last year. There is a trick to testing; you don’t just start throwing parts at your rider unless they talk back to you. For the Gopher Dunes Team Manager, with the help of Joe Skid, he focuses on one part at a time. “That way the guys aren’t trying to think about too much stuŽ ,” says Schuster. “It takes a while to go through one part, so we try to just go step by step and get it right before trying something new.” Don’t fool yourself into thinking that bike testing is a joy ride. Yes, riding dirt bikes is fun but it can be a frustrating and lengthy endeavor, more so for the mechanics. Not every rider relays information the same way or is good at it. Some riders, like GDR Honda’s Colton Facciotti, have a lot of experience testing and developing diŽ erent brands of bikes. In fact, the 3-time Champion has been riding in the majors since he turned pro in 2002 when he was riding for Richmond Racing Kawasaki. Since that time, he’s ridden for Blackfoot Honda and Yamaha, Troy Lee Designs Honda in the US and KTM Canada. “Colton’s pretty good. He knows what he
likes and wants,” notes Schuster. “He’s really hard on brakes, he drags the back brake, but he says that’s how he rides and he’s not going to change [laughs]. It’s good though, he can notice really small changes so it saves time when testing.” Young riders like Westen Wrozyna, who is entering his first year Pro on a GDR Honda CRF250R, have zero experience developing a high-level race bike so they’re just happy with whatever is given to them. “Westen’s diŽ erent; he hasn’t really tested before so he always comes oŽ the track saying how fast the bike is and how good it’s working. It’s okay though, we have a lot of experience with the Hondas and he’ll get better as he gains more experience.”
MOTOCROSS PERFORMAN NC CE
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constrict and the blood will flow inwards to your organs. Once well cooled, switch the hot water back on. Do this slowly, you’re cold so don’t pin the heat and burn yourself. The hot water will cause the blood vessels to dilate again and the inrushing blood will flush the muscles. Repeat for at least two cycles and finish with cold water unless you are working out at night. This should be done immediately following the workout or physical activity as this is the most effective time to perform the contrast shower. To highlight: 3-5 minutes hot, followed by five (full, no cheating) minutes of cold, repeat three times. I mentioned finishing with cold unless doing this at night as I have found that ending with the cold leaves us in a heightened state. If you’re planning on going to bed within the hour you might find it difficult to fall asleep. There is no penalty for doing it more often than once a day, and you can do this on your days off as well. Try getting up in the morning and having a contrast shower, you’ll be surprised at how energized you will feel afterwards. The second recovery technique is an ice bath. Ice baths are a little harder to add to our routine for a couple of reasons: we either don’t have access to an extremely cold stream or we don’t have a whole bunch of ice. We can figure things out; either go
for a hike into the mountains, which I have done with many clients, or go out and buy 6-7 bags of ice. Following an intense workout, race, or physical challenge during which the muscles have been overheated, there is no reason to cook them more in a hot tub or simple hot shower. If an ice cold stream (mountain streams are the best or worst depending on how you look at it) is not available, put 40-70lbs of ice in a bathtub or you can blow up a kiddie pool outside, add water to waist height and get in. Do this for 4-5 minutes and hop out, put a towel over yourself, then move around and stay active for 2-3 minutes. Repeat this cycle 3-4 times for maximum effectiveness. I usually use the Ice Bath option with clients and athletes after a hard workout that lasts more than an hour, or like mentioned above after a hot and hard race day or physical event. These last two options have many health benefits and improve circulation. Showering with cold water or jumping in an ice bath is going to improve your blood circulation between organs and skin considerably. With cold temperatures, blood flows to your organs for protection to keep them the warmest. Warm water then sends the blood rushing to the skin so alternating between cold and hot can be a great way of improving your blood circulation. Improved mood:
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H AV E T H E CO U R AGE TO R ECOV ER ! ! !
I know it’s hard to quantify mood. Your mood can be altered and affected by many things, but the cold showers and ice bath have been shown to stimulate noradrenalin secretion in the brain. This section of the brain is associated with improving disorders like depression. Remember growing up and our mothers telling us to stay out of the cold or we will end up sick? While despite that advice, spending time in the cold can actually increase our immune strength. There have been studies showing that people who take cold showers typically exhibit higher white blood cell counts as well as higher concentrations of plasma, T helper cells and lymphocytes. For the guys out there, contrast showers and ice baths have been shown to increase testosterone levels, not just during the bath or shower but throughout the rest of the day. Testosterone makes us feel more motivated, we have more ‘ jump’ and it helps in terms of muscle recovery. There are metabolic advantages to cold showers; the cold induces an increase in our body’s metabolism. The cold temperatures force your body to re-regulate the body’s temperature, which causes us to burn calories. Cold helps us breath better. What?! Yes, I said it - cold can help us breathe better. Few people truly breathe deeply. Jumping under the cold, especially the first few times, the truth be told, I still hyperventilate when I have a contrast shower. It teaches us and can actually force us to take deep breaths. Yoga!!! Yoga is not what a lot of people think of when they think of recovery. If you have been to a yoga class they can be quite challenging. All forms of recovery aren’t easy but the benefits of yoga are many. Like the contrast shower and ice bath, yoga adds both physical and mental aspects to the recovery process. In a recent study, yoga has been proven to help and decrease lower back pain as well as improve both function and mobility of the spine. The three year study performed at West Virginia University compared a group who did yoga twice a week (90 minute classes) with a group who received conventional medical therapy and found that the yoga group had less pain and more importantly less functional disability. Yoga, like anything new, can be intimidating at first, so research and find a beginner’s class; maybe take a friend to your first class, but make it happen. Yoga has many different poses that sometimes require instruction to be able to perform the moves properly to get the most out of it. Stick with it, the health and recovery benefits are incredible! Many of my athletes and clients, due to time restriction or scheduling problems, can’t always make it to a class, so they have apps on their iPhone or iPads. Some have gone out and bought a few DVDs, which allows them to add yoga into their routine when it’s convenient. You want to be a warrior? You want to be extreme? Well, the harder you work the better you need to recover!! You need to perform regular ‘maintenance’ on your body to make sure it can stand up to the rigors of hard training. You need to make sure that you don’t damage or cause injury to the body. This body ‘maintenance’ is called recovery, and all you need is cold water, ice, a round piece of foam, stretch/yoga pants, and a little time. Recovery isn’t a sometimes thing. If we don’t maintain our body it will break down, we will get injured or sick, and we’ll be taken out of the gym, which will make our fitness goals harder to achieve. By adding these simple and affective recovery techniques into your physical fitness regime, it will help you stay healthier and will keep your body ‘in the fight’, making sure that you are capable of taking on the hard work that is required to be and stay in top shape. If you have any questions, please contact me at: drew@evolvednutrition.com and make sure to check out our new website: www.evolvedconditioning.com
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H I G H OCTA N E HUMA N PE RFO RMANCE
IT’ S N ATI ONAL S TI M E !
BY: CR AIG STEVENSON, B.P.E. (HON), FOUNDER ACTIONETIX
s I sit here in my new home of Colorado, I find myself missing the Canadian Motocross scene more than many may think. Although I’m less than fi e minutes away from famed track Thunder Valley, I can’t help myself but to reminisce about the Grand Nationals each August in that motocross town they call Walton. Memories are made there each year as families, teams and spectators flock o the meca of Canadian Motocross. Getting to “the show”, as it is so aptly called, takes dedication, time, commitment… and of course money. Lining up at National Qualifie s all season long gives you the right to be on the line when the gates drop with the best Canada has to offer. It is the time where your preparations, fitness, ocus and commitment needs to be at their peak. Don’t waste another day delaying in getting ready for the show – you need to up your game and up it now! Below are eight of my best tips to help you succeed at Walton and take your performance to a whole new level:
A
“DEHYDRATION CAN REALLY FORCE YOU TO ‘HIT THE WALL’, AND VASO CONSTRICTION IS A STRONG CONTRIBUTOR TO ARM PUMP. SAVE THE ENERGY DRINK UNTIL YOU’VE FINISHED RACING… AND MAKE SURE THEY’RE COLD!”
#8 – Eat Your Potatoes Everyone thinks that bananas are really high in potassium, and although they contain about 400 mg of potassium each, it pales in comparison to the over 1000 mg found in an average sized baked potato. Potatoes are also a fast absorbing carbohydrate, which will help your muscles recover for the next moto. Potassium however is of little use unless salt (sodium) is also present in your diet, so be sure to read Tip #1 as well. #7 – Do a Warm Up I know you’ve heard it before, but here’s the real reason why: When you engage in strenuous physical activity, your body starts by releasing a hormone called Epinephrine (commonly known as adrenaline). This hormone acutely raises your heart rate and constricts your veins (makes them smaller). If you perform a warm up of jumping jacks, lunges and knee high running on the spot 5-8 minutes before your moto, you’ll release the Epinephrine earlier, which will decrease the release during the holeshot and fi st lap. This helps open up your veins, which helps prevent arm pump and keeps your heart rate a bit more in check, so you can focus on the race.
#6 – Save the Energy Drinks for After Your Motos We all love our Rockstar on a hot summer race day, however, due to the methylxanthine (caffeine) content of energy drinks, they are a mild diuretic (forces your body to excrete water) as well as a vaso constrictor (they make your blood vessels smaller). These two issues are exactly what you don’t want when you’re racing. Dehydration can really force you to ‘hit the wall’, and vaso constriction is a strong contributor to ARM PUMP. Save the energy drink until you’ve finished racing… and make sure they’re cold! #5 – Eat Your Eggs Your muscles are going to take a pounding, especially if you’re racing more than one class. It’s not just what you eat after your motos that help you maximize recovery, but all meals throughout the day. The average 170 pound athlete should be consuming around 30+ grams of protein per meal, and since a large egg contains ~8g and an egg white 5 grams, you should be using two whole eggs and 3-4 egg whites in your omelet or scrambled eggs to start your day. Your muscles will recover faster plus protein controls hunger very well. #4 – Freeze Your Water This is a tip I always give people when they’re going to long-running sporting events. First of all, it acts as an ice pack for your cooler, and second, it works well to ingest really cold water after your motos. You defini ely want cool water before you race to keep your hydration up, but very cold water has a higher likely hood of causing cramps and constricting the blood vessels around the stomach, which in turn places more stress on the veins and capillaries in your arms, hands, legs and feet. After your moto however, when you are trying to help regulate your core body temperature, ice cold water will certainly help this process from the inside out. #3 – Bring Your Ear Plugs for a Good Sleep Some people are light sleepers and therefore need to block out the late night noise to get a good sleep. Pack your earplugs to help in the process. During sleep is when a lot of physical recovery happens. In particular, Growth Hormone is released during Delta/REM sleep patterns. Delta/REM sleep is our deepest sleep and during REM sleep, your body actually shuts down
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H I G H OCTA N E HUMA N PE RFO RMANCE
IT’ S N ATI ONAL S TI M E ! and paralyzes our muscles. This allows your body to really focus on recovery. If you don’t reach Delta/REM sleep, you’ll be missing out on some real performance benefi s. #2 – Eat Some Protein Before Bed Because your body is in recovery mode during sleep, it’s important to have some protein before bed. Ideally it’s in the form of a shake consisting of Casein protein (you can buy this at health food stores like GNC), however a chicken breast or scrambled eggs will also work well. Eat this about 30 minutes before going to sleep to help maximize your recovery for the next day.
BY: CR AIG STEVENSON, B.P.E. (HON), FOUNDER ACTIONETIX
#1 – Bring the Salt Shaker I mentioned in Tip #8 that you need to raise your potassium levels all week long. If you do this and don’t raise your salt levels, it will be useless. Sodium and potassium exist in your body in a 3:2 ratio. If you are depleted of one, your body will compensate by getting rid of the other (you pee it out). Since you need ~1800 mg of sodium per liter of water you drink, you also need ~1100 mg of potassium per liter. Knowing that isotonic drinks like Gatorade and Powerade only have about 400 mg of sodium and 120 mg of potassium per liter, you’ll need to salt your high potassium foods like potatoes as that I mentioned in Tip #8. I’m trying to get back to Canada for Walton to catch up with old friends and watch my 9 year-old son Connor
compete one more time at Walton before he and the family make their way to Colorado for at least the next few years. If by chance I can’t stop by, I want to wish all racers and families the best of luck and safe racing from start to finish. I m still going to be involved with Canadian motocross… just from a distance! If anyone has any human performance topics they’d like me to research or write about, just drop me a line at info@ action-brands.com, and I’ll be happy to respond or write about it in a future MXP column. Until next issue, remember to check out everything at www.actionetix. com or check us out on Facebook.com/ACTIONETIX. Compete… wide open!
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2014-07-08 10:15 AM
O N THE CUT TING ROOM FLO O R
A BREAK… F O R THE M I ND , BODY AND S P I RI T…
t has been a really good break, although I am looking forward to getting back to the track. After four western rounds, with the last round in Regina really taking its toll, the series, including riders, teams and series crew, was able to recharge the batteries, take a deep breath and then prepare for a six week forge into the East. I took care of my usual two weekends at the cottage; all the same stuff: waterskiing, fishing, tennis, beer, horseshoes, tunes; a really good time. It is amazing some times how difficult it is to turn the switch off, it should be like a light switch, but there is a ramp down period, for sure. Although in my case, I was still editing and doing voice-work throughout the break. Funny thing though, on the first Friday off, I was on the deck at the cottage texting Golden, Stally and Fabulous about how much I was missing the racing, and who was going to win Gopher Dunes. Talk about an addict. By the way, after his performance in Calgary, I am expecting the big 800 to be tough to handle as we head east. We all know who was doing their homework throughout the break now, don’t we? Yotes, take control of your home turf, we need ya…
I
“FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE SPI BEGAN TO PRODUCE THE NATIONALS FOR TV, WE WERE ABLE TO PREMIER THE SHOW ON YOU TUBE, WHICH IN THIS DAY AND AGE IS VITAL FOR THE SUCCESS OF YOUR BUSINESS.”
130
MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE
THE TV SHOW… As most of you know, there is a TV show out there. And not just any TV show, one with great Canadian Motocross racing. With Round 1 making it’s premiere this past weekend, not only on CHCH from coast to coast, but also on CHEK in Vancouver Island and Van City proper, but also on You Tube. For the first time since SPI began to produce the Nationals for TV, we were able to premier the show on You Tube, which in this day and age is vital for the success of your business. Realistically, both mediums are important. There is a huge demographic that will watch the races on TV only, and then an even bigger audience wanting to see the races online. That audience is the entire world. Everybody knows that, but now it has only become a reality with the new broadcast agreement SPI has. When we were on SportsNet, they would not allow any internet airing until they were completely finished their broadcast and repeats. There has always been the unfortunate situation with the lag between when the series is shot and when it is available for broadcast, and that is a simple equation of budget and manpower. There is a three week turnaround for each show, so we have to back time how the series plays out based on the final round
WITH MARC TR AVERS PHOTO BY JAMES LISSIMORE
and when it is available for broadcast. Then you go back ten weeks (in the case of the 2014 series), and that is when Show 1 can go to air. At least now we are in a situation where the shows are available to everybody all at once (round by round of course), and for rabid Canadian MX fans, that is just what the Doctor ordered. I have been watching the US outdoors on SportsNet, and I’ll admit, quite enjoying them. Basically, I think the reason is because I like to watch motocross racing. If I wasn’t a fan of the sport, it may be a little slow for my liking. The show is two hours long and has the first three motos in their entirety. There are things about the show that I did not like, but all kinds of things I did like starting with the number of cameras used. I think Grant Langston is good addition to the booth, although he does talk a lot. I am a big fan of Jason Weigandt, so I could hear a bit more of Weedge, or maybe just a bit more interaction between them. Anyway, what a great time it is for MX fans. In Canada we can watch the GPs on CBS Sports, including the Des Nations, the US outdoors on SportsNet, and the Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals on CHCH, CHEK and Youtube. Awesome! RACING… I hope you have been enjoying the racing so far, in both classes to be honest. The points race going into Round five is the tightest it has been in a long time, and we have had multiple moto winners in both classes. The second MX race from Calgary may have been the best moto so far this year, and maybe the best in quite a while. For the first seven laps there was a five man battle for the lead. If you didn’t like Facciotti’s charge in the second moto in Kamloops or Alessi’s last to first run in Calgary, then you’re not a fan of this sport. IN CLOSING… I feel bad for the club and the fans in Regina. Mother Nature killed that round, the track, and the grounds. I don’t even want to know what it looked like on Monday morning after we all had left. I have to admit, there was a pretty good turnout of fans even with the conditions the way they were. I wish we could have given them four good motos. I look forward to going back to Moto Valley Raceway and giving “Rider Nation” another kick at the cat. We’ll see you at Gopher… Travers OUT!!
BMW.indd 2
2014-03-05 5:28 PM
BMW_R1200GSA_E_MXP2014.indd 1
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