14 04 MXP Magazine

KAVEN BENOIT DIFFERENT STROKES

THE JAMES LISSIMORE STORY

L IS SI MORE

P HOTO

+ JAMES

THE 2014 ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MOTOCROSS NATIONALS THE EAST ENDS WITH A BANG

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COLTON FACCIOTTI 3-time Canadian Motocross Champion / Team Honda Canada GDR Racing

Honda Powersports Canada

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Factory race model shown. Professional rider on closed course with safety precautions taken. Do not attempt. Always wear a helmet, eye protection and protective clothing, and please respect the environment when riding. Obey the law and read your owner’s manual thoroughly. Honda recommends taking a motorcycle rider training course.

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Where it all begins

KAVEN BENOIT DIFFERENT STROKES

46 THE KAVEN BENOIT STORY

THE JAMES LISSIMORE STORY

L I S SI M O R E

P H OTO

+ JAM E S

THE 2014 ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MOTOCROSS NATIONALS THE EAST ENDS WITH A BANG

OCTOBER 2014 . $4.95

41831514

C ON T EN T S // VOL UME 1 4 - IS S UE 4

F E AT U R E S

42 COVER STORY - STARTS

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RTS A T S ALL RE IT INS W H E B EG

8/29/2014 11:29:25 AM

Different Strokes

51 HUSQVARNA IS BACK

The Pioneers of Motocross

60 THE GOLDEN SANDS OF GOPHER DUNES

Mike McGill looks at the toughest track in Canada

68 ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MOTOCROSS NATIONALS WRAP-UP

The battle for Canadian motocross supremacy

86 THE 2014 PARTS CANADA TRANSCAN 5 days in August

94 THE PAT O’CONNOR STORY The man behind the wrench

102 CANADIANS INVADE TENNESSEE

A look back at how our kids did at Loretta Lynn’s

108 IN FOCUS WITH JAMES LISSIMORE The man with the camera

COLUMNS

32 FAMOUS LAST WORDS BY CHRIS POMEROY From starts to finish

34 GUEST COLUMN BY BOBBY KINIRY Growing the sport

36 UP-SHIFT BY BRIAN KOSTER An exciting conclusion

38 TRANSPARENCY BY DANNY BRAULT A thankless job

112 EVOLVED NUTRITION BY DREW ROBERTSON A summer of hard work

114 ON THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR WITH MARC TRAVERS A winning team

SPECIALS

20 EXPOSED 30 CAUGHT ON CAMERA

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PHOTO BY JAMES LISSIMORE

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2015

EXPOSED FLYING TO VICTORY Photo by: James Lissimore

No one was happier about the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals returning to Ulverton than Kyle Chisholm who picked up his only MX1 overall win of the summer.

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MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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EXPOSED EAST COAST DRIFTING Photo by: James Lissimore

The Riverglade National has the scariest first turn on the circuit. Here, Facciotti, Alessi and Hill all fight for real estate at 100km/h.

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MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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DRAG RACING IN ULVERTON Photo by: James Lissimore

This past summer, the MX2 class provided some of the most exciting racing this country has seen in a long time. In this moto, Vince Friese has the holeshot by a wheel but nothing more.

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2014-07-31 11:42 AM 2014-07-25 09:55

Left: Son, life is like a box of chocolates.

Right: These two beauties make a pretty good team.

Left: One guy cut right in front of me and I almost hit him.

These Quebec drivers really are crazy.

Right: When Jay Moore isn’t around, Fox riders have to do it all themselves.

Left: Even with some early morning rain falling, the Deschambault circuit looked great.

Right: As Hank Jr. says, a country boy can survive.

Far Left: One guy is good behind the camera and one is good in front of the camera.

Left: Nothing like celebrating a win with a big squeezer from your son.

30 M O T O C R O S S P E R F O R M A N C E · M X P M A G . C O M

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Right: Andy, I can’t guarantee that a KTM gets the holeshot every time.

WE WANT YOUR PHOTOS!

PHOTOS BY MARC LANDRY AND MXP STAFF

Above Right: I’m telling you, Surwall would win if he was racing today.

CAUGHT ON CAMERA

Above: Donk is no doubt telling Brownie some interesting Kyle Beaton stories.

Above: Sometimes this sport can drive you crazy.

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!

Far Left: The Keasts are one of the best father/son duos.

Left: Josh Hill can look cool in any country.

Right: Look out for this guy in 2015!

Far Left: We’re guessing that John is doing the talking while Andy and Peter are doing the listening.

Left: Jeremy won here last year, of course I love Quebec!

Right: I don’t know if the suspension was working, I never hit any bumps.

M O T O C R O S S P E R F O R M A N C E · M X P M A G . C O M 31

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FAMOUS LAST WORDS

FAMO US L AST WORDS

remember riding the ferry over to Nanaimo with Ryan Lockhart and his main sponsor Troy Smith from Maple Ridge Motorsports.

With 2.5 hours to kill, we spent a lot of time talking about the upcoming first round of the Nationals at The Wastelands, as well as who might be successful during the ten round series. While we all agreed on the speed that we’d probably see from riders like Mike Alessi, Colton Facciotti and Kaven Benoit, there were a few things that even we motocross brain surgeons couldn’t predict.

It’s hard to believe that was over three months ago; how time flies when you’re having fun. We Canadians were sure blessed this summer with the type of racing we witnessed during the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals.

With the addition of Josh Hill, Mike Alessi and his MX2 teammate Vince Friese, it sure added to the excitement at each round. As it always has over the years, the presence of a few top American riders raises the level of our series regulars and makes for some great battles. With so much at stake, it inevitably leads to a small amount of drama on and off the track, which we also saw this summer.

However, at the end of the day, all the top riders remained professional. When the series wrapped up at Walton Raceway, Kaven Benoit and Colton Facciotti were very worthy champions.

One of the most interesting aspects of the championship battles in both classes between Benoit/Friese and Facciotti/ Alessi were the contrasting styles that defined each pair. In the MX2 class, Benoit and Friese went at it about as hard as we’ve seen since the Pederson and Hoover days. Their utter disdain for each other was almost amusing at times as it replicated many of the reality shows that litter television these days. It was, however, very real, and when the bell rang on the

I

“THE CALIBER OF RACING THAT WE COULD SEE NEXT YEAR CAN ONLY ADD TO THE REPUTATION THIS COUNTRY NOW HAS AS ONE OF THE BEST DESTINATIONS FOR MOTOCROSS. “

WITH CHRIS POMEROY PHOTO BY JAMES LISSIMORE twenty moto death match, the quiet, smooth and calculated kid beat the very determined schoolyard bully.

Thankfully in the MX1 class we didn’t see the same type of antics, but like the MX2 battle, the difference between Colton Facciotti and Mike Alessi was night and day. From Nanaimo to Walton we saw Facciotti take each moto as it came; on some days he was the fastest rider, on most the smartest. Some will say that Colton was also the luckiest as on more than one occasion Alessi grabbed some momentum in the series only to have a freak mechanical problem affect his points tally (I still can’t believe he lost his grip at SDL). This is motocross though and anything can happen. I don’t think you’ll find too many people who aren’t elated for Facciotti and his 2014 MX1 Championship after everything he’s been through in the last few years.

As we sadly wave goodbye to the summer, we can now look ahead to next year and what might be on the horizon. With riders like Cole Thompson, Brett Metcalfe and Matt Goerke all in talks to return to the Canadian series in 2015, these top names certainly add to the already talented field in the MX1 class. The caliber of racing that we could see next year can only add to the reputation this country now has as one of the best destinations for motocross.

I hope everyone enjoys this issue which is dedicated mostly to starts. When James Lissimore first showed us the cover photo for this issue, we were all floored at how one single still shot could capture the intensity of a motocross start.

It’s one of the best photos I have ever seen, and as James mentions in his story, it’s one of his favourites too. In closing, I hope that even though the summer of 2014 is now just a memory, let’s get out there and ride as fall is sometimes the best season for riding.

Also, in between your enjoyable fall motos, make sure you take some time and practice your starts!

32 M O T O C R O S S P E R F O R M A N C E · M X P M A G . C O M

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G U E ST COLUMN IST

GRO WI NG THE S P ORT

o part of the CMRC Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals would be possible if it was not for the fans. As a fan of the series, you want to see the sport of motocross succeed, and to do that it is important to be aware of the people that are making it possible for the teams and fans alike to be at the races. I just want to point out the fact that our sponsors help us out in many ways other than just providing funds to be at the races. They market our series and help draw attention to the sport. In return, they ask for nothing more than for the fans of the sport to support their company.

In motocross, we can have pretty extreme fans, much like any other motorsport. They are fanatics: they know all the stats of each rider, whether it be wins, holeshots, or podiums during the year as well as point standings. Every year it seems people are more aware and more involved. I believe some of that is because of the marketing and the financial support that our sanctioning body and promoters have acquired from our sponsors as well as our magazines, websites, and social media outlets. As a fan, I assume that you are reading this and want to see our sport grow bigger every year and to be on the same level as NASCAR, hockey, or any other major sport. To do this, we need to support the people that support us and provide us with what we need to have a national series that you can follow and be a part of.

That being said, the heads of our series have some great new fresh ideas that they would like to instill into our series, some of which we have seen this year with the addition of concerts as well as freestyle motocross to some of our events, none of which would have been possible without Rockstar stepping up and supporting the sport. Other things

N

“WHEN YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A PRODUCT THAT SUPPORTS OUR SPORT, OR A TEAM OR A RIDER THAT YOU LIKE, IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE FOR YOU TO MAKE YOUR PURCHASES BASED ON THAT.”

WITH BOBBY KINIRY PHOTO BY JAMES LISSIMORE that go unnoticed to our fans in our series is the many people behind the scenes putting up banners and transponder loops, taking care of parking, registration and getting everything to run smoothly.

As you can imagine, with all of this going on, the more people on staff to do this, the smoother everything runs for all of us, whether it’s US racers or you the fans trying to get out of the track without a traffic jam at the end of the day. Again, every year bigger budgets are proposed to our series sponsors to provide all of these necessities, and all these sponsors ask for again in return is just your support.

The same thing applies for not just our series but our race teams as well, with our motorcycle industry sponsors from the bikes themselves to all the bolt-on accessories, whether it be tires, exhausts, or chains and sprockets. The people that help us are people that live the sport like all of us and they are here not just for us, but for you too.

They want to see racing succeed, our series get bigger and our teams get bigger. How this happens is with you, the fan. Where I am going with this is that I would like everyone to be aware of the people that are making it possible for us to be at the races and putting on a show for you guys. When you are looking for a product that supports our sport, or a team or a rider that you like, it makes a difference for you to make your purchases based on that. You see it all the time, something as simple as a window sticker on a vehicle to show you that our fans are passionate, not only about the racing but the sponsors as well. Try to be aware of your purchases and the sponsors as they are how we are able to do what we do. For you to enjoy your experience, whether it be live racing or through the internet or TV, it starts with the little things like this. Support the people that support our sport.

34 M O T O C R O S S P E R F O R M A N C E · M X P M A G . C O M

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2014-08-29 10:25 AM

— Jeremy Martin

PHOTO SIMON CUDBY

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AN EXC I TI NG CONC LUS I ON

oday as I write this article it’s the day after the Ulverton National race in Quebec. It had been since 2001 that the National tour had made a stop at this historic track. Situated just outside of Canadian motocross legend Carl Vaillancourt’s home town of Drummondville resides this extremely entertaining and interesting racing circuit. It was an epic day but Kawasaki MX2 riders Jeremy Medaglia and teammate Austin Politelli were sorely missed, both out due to injury. It’s amazing how the team with back to back double class championships has had its fair share of difficulties after two seemingly seamless title runs. Mike Alessi’s Moto Concepts team is always in the spotlight and for the most part it has been a positive light. Their MX2 rider Vince Friese, though, was caught right in the thick of things at Ulverton and found himself in an awkward position throughout the day. Colton Facciotti has the upper hand heading into the tenth and final round at Walton, and barring disaster is poised to beat his two year demons and deliver Honda its first MX1 title in many, many moons.

Pulling into Ulverton and taking your first look at the track is something you soon don’t forget. You are greeted by huge, steep hills and a vast track that enables super high speed action. Being there brought on a flood of memories from 2000 and 2001, and the racing there then was as good as it is today. This track is a little narrow in spots but the sheer size of it and the elevation changes soon make up for it, and once the pack is spread out a bit the width is the last thing on your mind. If you like big air and fun uphill and downhill jumps then this is the place for you.

Motocross in Quebec always draws a good crowd and the fans take great delight in getting as close to the action as possible…sometimes it seems almost too close. This year the racing was intense and full of drama, both classes had a lot go down, and without

H

getting into too much detail it’s a race report you don’t want to skip. Put it this way, if you are a Tyler Medaglia fan you will love it.

Speaking of the Medaglias, it really sucked that Jeremy Medaglia broke his collarbone at Moncton because he was starting to nail down some good results. He always adds an element of excitement whenever he lines up at the gate and I think he would have really shined at Ulverton. Austin Politelli sustained a mild practice crash concussion the week before round nine and by the sounds of it will miss the final round at Walton as well. The Kawi boys have been plagued by not only injuries but mechanical gremlins of almost every stripe you can imagine. Considering they started out with three MX2 contenders, they are way back in the standings.

If we take a closer look, it’s virtually the same engine builder, same mechanics, same team owner and same suspension guy, so why not the same success?

That’s a hard question to answer but maybe it’s just bad luck or the natural ebb and flow of the sport.

Some have questioned if Jeremy should have stayed in MX1 after his breakout season last year on the big bike. And some have wondered if all the team switching he has done over the years may negatively affect his stock with prospective teams for next year.

All I can say to that is if I were a team manager I’d be all over him to ride for me…I do believe he is that good and has a ton more potential to show ahead of him. I have also heard some question the abilities and desires of Austin Politelli. I must balk at that sediment as well because the kid is a proven winner.

Not only has he won the championship but he has won motos this year and had mechanical failures when a win was eminent. As difficult as the situation is for the team, it is equally as taxing on the rider.

These guys pour their heart and soul into the sport and make countless sacrifices to get to where they are; to suffer mechanical problems on the way to a podium is gutting.

The Alessi family has ventured north to race in Canada and to me they are a welcome addition. Sure they have been shrouded in controversy throughout the years and have been involved in few questionable acts, but this is motocross and things can easily get out of hand. Here we have a sport with virtually no on-track rules, and the ones we have are open to interpretation so stuff can get mighty cloudy in a hurry. I can only reason that we have all made mistakes and we must learn to forgive or at the very least give people another chance at redemption, no matter what the offence…this side of senseless murder of course. At any rate, I had my mind open to the Moto Concepts team and have to date only been pleasantly surprised. Mike has handled himself with dignity and has shown himself to be a respectful warrior of our great sport. There have been times where he has had every reason to be a real dick but was the exact opposite. In Moncton, the line-up for

WITH BRIAN KOSTER PHOTO BY JAMES LISSIMORE

his posters and autograph was perhaps the longest I have ever seen to date in Canada and Mike takes the time for every fan that comes his way. Plus his brother Jeff has come up to race a few rounds and he has ridden clean and managed to hover around the top ten. Vince Friese has a reputation as a tough competitor and is a good fit with the Moto Concepts Team. It’s no secret that he has been trying everything to get into points leader Kaven Benoit’s head throughout the series, besides winning motos and overalls. Friese has been dogging him a bit in practice, offering the occasional tap and bump as well as lining up at the gate right beside him in an effort to fluster Kaven. This rivalry has been going on most of the season. Well, at Ulverton, Vince poured the intimidation on a little harder in practice, I suppose in desperation as the series winds down. I know the KTM team was very upset with Vince’s ontrack antics but what happened in the first moto was unexpected.

Vince was in third on the last lap though under heavy pressure from an advancing Shawn Maffenbeier. As they approached a lapper, Maffenbeier had the advantage but then the lapper took out Friese putting the lapper and Vince both on the ground. Vince’s bike ended up under the lapper’s bike so Friese calmly pulled the lapper’s bike off his, handed it to the guy and proceeded to retrieve his own bike and continue racing. Suddenly, and without warning, the lapper threw his bike right back down on Friese’s bike causing further delay and confusion, which relegated Friese to twelfth at the checkers. Unfortunately, when the dust settled it was discovered that the lapper was Kaven Benoit’s younger brother Karel. Karel Benoit was black flagged and banned from starting the second moto, and I presume he was acting in his brother’s best interest but I will let you the reader make up your own mind on these actions. Perhaps Friese was out of line dogging Benoit, especially in his home province; perhaps Karel Benoit took things a little too far? Let’s face it, intimidation has historically been a big part of our sport and Friese’s practice moves were to intimidate, but are not deemed illegal. But the reciprocation that came his way in the race was definitely illegal, which is why CMRC suspended him for the remainder of the series and fined him $1,000. Some may say Vince got what he deserved and others will say Karel should be levied a stiffer sentence for his actions. At any rate, read the race report to see what happened in the second MX2 moto at Ulverton…it’s quite interesting… if not predictable.

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T R ANSPA REN CY

A THANKL E SS JOB

’ve come to learn that it is impossible to make everyone happy when it comes to preparing and grooming a motocross track, and I should know - I’m one of the worst.

Well, I should say I used to be one of the worst complainers at the races. I’m still bad but I have a new appreciation for promoters and track workers after having worked alongside several events, the latest being the Walton TransCan. Like many of us, I was difficult to please when it came to track conditions, which I now realize is due to insecurities in my own riding ability. Sometimes my complaints were valid and usually what I thought/think increases safety, passing or flow of the course, but nobody likes the track when it doesn’t suit their style, fitness or skill. At any rate, as a rider, your job is to race; let the guy in the bulldozer worry about the dirt.

I’ve matured a little since my youth and now find myself looking at things from a new angle. This year at Walton, I paid more attention to the event staff, and with track conditions typically the talk of the (Motocross) town at Walton, I kept an eye on the bulldozers, water trucks, tractors, and tillers. They never stopped moving and the chore got bigger when the rains came. The TransCan is a good example of the how hard it is to keep folks happy as far as track conditions are concerned.

Positioned within an hour of Lake Huron, it’s always a gamble as to what kind of weather we’ll see at Walton. It could be nice and sunny allowing the track to develop beautifully with long, deep ruts and great traction thanks to nicely tilled black clay, or, as we suffered through at times this August, heavy rains come in and turn that traction into a gummy mess. On the Monday before this year’s TransCan, we received a good shower and storm, again on Tuesday night before opening day and then another bucket-load on Saturday afternoon with a handful of motos left to flop and hop their way around a very muddy racetrack. It was a wet one and I felt terrible for the Walton organizers, Barry and the track staff.

Walton’s a long, big track with the fastest riders completing laps around the 2:45 mark; it takes more than a quick disc or sprinkle of water to get things into race shape. Barry Heatherington and his crew spend a good two weeks preparing the track before practice begins on Wednesday morning, and while the event

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“Tony (Alessi) came back to me later and said, ‘Hey, I was wrong, you were right; the track was awesome today.”

WITH DANNY BR AULT

is running, they’re basically going twenty-four-seven from Wednesday to Sunday evening ensuring riders and fans are treated to the best conditions possible.

When the rains come down like they did at points this year, it means even more hours and headaches for Barry and his boys. The men and their Tonka toys don’t stop moving, shaping and ripping dirt from the last checkered flag at 6pm every night until the first moto that takes off the gate at 7am the next morning.

I couldn’t do it, and with this newfound maturity and observation, I really appreciate what guys like Barry are willing to sacrifice so the show can go on. They have no choice though, right? There were people from as far as British Columbia, Utah, Florida, and Nova Scotia that had come to race so sleep can come later.

With more than 100 loads of sand added to Walton this year, it altered some dynamics of the track, one being less stickiness to the dirt (but it was still an ugly picture when things were at their worst on Wednesday morning’s practice and Saturday afternoon).

Let’s give credit where credit is due - this year, Walton workers turned a catastrophe into some pretty decent racing conditions for amateurs and pros at the TransCan. They’re not the first track or event to turn mud into magic, but it’s an example of the work that many of our favourite facilities do.

“Tony Alessi didn’t believe me that the track would come together for the motos,” said Barry following the final MX1 moto at Walton, with Tony’s son Mike taking second but first overall on the day - noting that it was his favourite track on the circuit. “Practice was tough but the races turned out great. Tony came back to me later and said, ‘Hey, I was wrong, you were right; the track was awesome today. It came together. Good job.’”

I really wish I could master the Walton track as a racer, but I’ve learned that it’s better for me to watch from the sidelines, appreciating the skills of tomorrow’s stars during the week and the pros on Sunday.

It’s a true motocross track with good elevation changes, deep, long ruts, tricky off-camber corners, and there’s a technicality to it that separates the men from the boys and the women from the girls.

Next time you’re at Walton - or any track for that matter - be sure to give the guy in the bulldozer a pat on the back, a hot cup of Timmies or an ice cream cone. They’ll appreciate it.

Left: Walton’s Track Crew Chief, Barry Heatherington, enjoys a treat after a hard week’s work at the TransCan. Right: RJ Marnoch navigates his way around the challenging Walton course.

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WHERE IT ALL BEGINS WORDS BY CHRIS POMEROY | PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE

In the past when we’ve chosen a rider to go on the cover on MXP Magazine, a story about that individual is written describing their racing career past and present. Well, this issue has a James Lissimore shot that is a little different as it shows three of the best starters from this summer’s Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals. To complement this very unique cover shot, here is a story dedicated to the start of a motocross race.

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here are few things in sport as exciting as the start of a motocross race; the sights, the sounds, the sheer intensity of it is sometimes bewildering to the human eye. In hockey, there’s a simple puck drop and then it’s game on; in football, an end over end kick off. While these moments certainly bring the crowd to their feet with anticipation, it’s definitely not forty screaming dirt bikes racing and banging bars as they fight for the coveted real estate known simply as the “first turn”. For fans watching, it’s roughly ten seconds of raw energy and excitement, for the riders who are actually inside those helmets, it’s just one very important aspect of what they do each and every time they race.

Over the years we’ve seen many riders who always seem to be at the front of the pack after the start. In the 1980s, Donnie Hanson actually got the nickname “Holeshot” for his lightning fast reflexes. In the 1990s it was Jeremy McGrath who used his talents off the gate to a record an amazing seven Supercross Championships. Since McGrath there was a gap of really good holeshot artists until a kid by the name of Mike Alessi came along in 2005 and took all the guesswork out of who might holeshot any given race he entered.

When Alessi and his team entered themselves in the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals this summer most people figured that Royal Distributing could just stamp Mike’s name on all of the MX1

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“Deep breaths are a must, maybe a few habitual motions to work the nerves out, a few small mental reminders of what you want to do, then the 30 second board goes sideways and you’re ready to go.” holeshot award cheques as he would be dominating the mad dash to the first turn. As it turned out Alessi had a lot of competition in the holeshot department this summer as Tyler Medaglia, Bobby Kiniry and even our newly crowned MX1 Champion, Colton Facciotti, got their fair share of great starts. With so much importance put on getting off the gate first, let’s take a look at just what goes into a motocross start.

Again, unlike other sports, a motocross rider doesn’t know where he or she is going to line up until moments before the race is about to begin. The staging order for a race is determined by either a timed practice finish, a pre authorized pick or sometimes by just drawing a clothes pin with a number on it out of a bucket. Whatever the means is for staging, once the riders know the order for which they’ll get to choose a starting gate, it quickly turns into decision time!

I’ve always paid very close attention to where a certain rider lines up on the gate because I feel it really shows where their mind is set. You see, each starting line presents the riders with a few different scenarios based on which gate they chose. If a certain rider (like Mike Alessi for instance) is extremely confident in their starting abilities then nine times out of ten they’ll pick the very best gate on the line. This is the gate that gives the rider the best line into the first turn. By this I mean that if the first turn is a fast sweeping first turn like we saw at Deschambault this summer then some riders will prefer to carry more speed into the first turn, so they would line up more to the middle of the 40 gate starting line. This is a risky move and not one for non-believers as one miscue off the gate and you can find yourself buried in the pack and not where you want to be. This practice takes full commitment from a rider; that is why when you see a rider pick a gate like this you know they’re feeling very confident.

The other type of gates that you sometimes see a rider pick are safer. This means that although you might struggle to get the holeshot, chances are that you’re going to be inside the top five and thus in a good position on the first lap. This is where you see most riders starting from; very few believe they’re holeshot savvy every time they line up. For instance, at round three in Calgary this summer we saw a few riders choose the very inside gate. It’s very tough to get the holeshot from there because you have to slow so much for the tight left hand first turn. Most riders who start on this gate can sneak around the inside of the turn and come out in great shape. We saw this in moto two of the MX1 class as Ryan Lockhart used the inside gate to get himself a very good start. There’s actually a running joke among the veteran riders on the pro circuit who sometimes refer to the inside gate as the “Blair Morgan gate” as Blair had a great career from almost always starting from the inside gate.

Once a rider chooses their gate, the preparation of their line now begins. This is another part of the start that I find enjoyable to observe as each rider has their own individual way of manicuring their line. While some riders like to fill the groove so they don’t have to come up and over the gate, others are set on having a predictable, firm base to start on so these riders usually dig out their groove. For this story, I made a point of watching how Mike Alessi prepared his gate at the Sand Del Lee National and I was actually very surprised at how little he did.

After picking a gate closer to the middle (no surprise there), all Mike did was clean out his rut to make it level, fix up the sand around the area where his gate would fall, then he took a few moments to pack everything and that was it. The best starter in the world was ready to go. It became very clear this

summer in watching Mike on the starting line that he doesn’t worry much about where his competition is lining up, he just picks the best gate and lets the chips fall where they may. All of his habits point to the fact of how confident Mike is in his starting ability.

At round eight in Moncton I sat down with Mike and asked him about his starts. “The first thing that I’ve always done is practice a lot of starts during the week. I would suggest everyone practice at least 15 to 20 starts a week just to work on your technique and timing. Your release off the gate, your throttle control and your shifting all have to become natural because in a race there’s so much else going on. From there I always start in second gear; I have one finger on the clutch and I always pick a gate based on what the rut looks like beyond the gate. Obviously the rules state that you can’t touch anything on the other side of the gate so I look for a smooth rut. Once I pick my gate I try to dig it out a bit rather than filling it in. I’m a little bit shorter than most riders so I can’t have my line too flat or I can’t touch the ground. That’s all I do, so my advice to any amateur rider who wants to get good at starts is to just practice, practice and keep practicing.”

Okay, so you’ve picked your gate and the start of the race is moments away. This is when the funnel effect gets underway as riders begin narrowing their focus from picking a gate and preparing it to thinking about exactly what they must do to ensure themselves a good start. Even though you’re about to enter a very chaotic world, the last few minutes before the gate drops should be a very calm time. Deep breaths are a must, maybe a few habitual motions to work the nerves out, a few small mental reminders of what you want to do, then the 30 second board goes sideways and you’re ready to go.

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WHERE IT ALL BEGINS Although the gate is light, it drops like a hammer.

Even though you’ve practiced starts all week (just like Mike Alessi said to do) and you’re able to feather the clutch like a pro on Wednesday, this is Sunday so you dump the clutch as if you’re dropping a hot potato. The front wheel begins to rise as you pass over the gate so you grab a little clutch to bring it back down. At this point you wouldn’t dare shut off the throttle as you’ve gotten the jump off the gate that you visualized only moments ago. Before you know it’s time to shift to third, and when you do, your bike accelerates as if you just hit the nitrous switch. Although you’re focused on what is ahead, you can’t help but use your peripheral vision to see if anyone got the magical jump you did.

There is one rider to the inside of you but you’re not giving up on this start so you hold the throttle on a split second longer than him and dive into the first turn. Now all you have to do is make a good turn, cross the white chalk line and say goodbye; you just got a perfect holeshot and it’s clear sailing from there.

Hopefully your start goes something like that; sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t, it’s the same for every racer out there. As you can see by our cover shot for this issue, the space can be pretty limited in the first turn of a Pro National. With so much at stake, these guys are really going for it. With the great detail of this James Lissimore shot, we feel it makes a perfect cover. Now go and practice your starts so you can be the holeshot artist that every rider dreams of being.

Top: Everyone seems to have their own way of gate prep.

Right: Most chose to pack the dirt behind their gate.

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STARTS ARE EVERYTHING: Who took home the Holeshot Cash?

WHERE IT ALL BEGINS

otocross can be a tough sport, but there is one way to make life easier and that’s getting the holeshot. It feels great rounding the first corner out front with 39 riders behind you and fans cheering you on. Complementing holeshot glory, riders are also rewarded with $200 (MX2) or $300 (MX1) per holeshot from Royal Distributing. If riders take both

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holeshots on the day, referred to as the ‘Triple Crown,’ that bumps the payout to $800 or $1,200 respectively!

Who collected the holeshot cash at this year’s Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals? Not surprisingly, Mike Alessi topped the MX1 class taking 7 out of 19 holeshots. It’s an important part of the race and the Alessis pride themselves on getting good starts.

No matter where the #800 lines up, odds are he’ll come around the first corner in first or right there banging bars with the guy who is.

“We had the most holeshots, led the most laps and won the most races,” said Smartop MotoConcepts Team Manager, Tony Alessi, when reflecting on Mike and the team’s season in Canada after Walton.

Yamaha’s Bobby Kiniry kept Alessi honest in the MX1 class earning six Royal Distributing cheques, but what’s really interesting is that eventual MX1 champ, Colton Facciotti, didn’t always have the best starts; he only had three holeshots this year. Of course, the GDR TLD Honda wasn’t flopping around in 30th off the gate; he was consistently rounding the first turn in a good position for a win.

Did Kaven Benoit have an edge on the MX2 class with his KTM 250 SX two-stroke? Same as Alessi, Benoit scored seven out of 19 holeshots and six of those came on his two-stroke in the six eastern rounds. Benoit didn’t let his good starts go to waste; he would go on to win every moto that he holeshot! Friese had the second most holeshots in MX2 with six, and Ingalls backed up the twostroke theory collecting three big, fat Royal Distributing cheques on his RTR Performance KTM 250 SX. Who else filled in the blanks? Josh Clark, Tyler Medaglia and Mike Brown each earned a holeshot in MX1, while Shawn Maffenbeier, Jesse Pierce and Austin Politelli each proved their bikes have some raw power in MX2.

Danny Brault

HOLESHOT WINNERS (19 MOTOS) Top: Colton Facciotti (45) leads the MX1 class around the “Talladega” first corner of Ulverton, Quebec.

Bottom: KTM’s Kaven Benoit (24) collected seven Royal Distributing Holeshot cheques this summer, the most in the MX2 class.

MX1

M I K E AL ESS I - 7 BOBBY K I N I RY - 6 COLTON FACC I OTTI - 3 J OS H C L AR K - 1 TYL ER M EDAGL I A - 1 M I K E BR OWN - 1

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K AV E N B E N O I T - 7 VINCE FRIESE - 6 TOP H E R I N G A L L S - 3 AUST I N P O L I T E L L I - 1 J ESS E P I E R C E - 1 S HAW N M A F F E N B E I E R - 1

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STORY

A LOOK AT THE DRAMATIC AND UNIQUE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON OF KTM RIDER KAVEN BENOIT.

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E M A C T I TAR O N E B , N I 4 ROCKS S A G A Y H “HEALITNTO THE 2I0N1K MOTOCRAORSED R RE PREP R.” D Y G R E EN NALS MO HAN EVE T NATIO

oming into the 2014 season, Royal Distributing KTM Fox Racing’s Kaven Benoit’s only goal was to stay healthy and make it through to Round 10 at Walton Raceway. For the past two years, the 25 year-old had been riddled with injuries, either before the season began or halfway through, preventing him from being a true contender for the title. Oddly enough, the physical pain Benoit suff ered in 2012 and 2013 will be remembered less by the French Canadian than the headaches he dealt with during 2014, which he finished as the MX2 champion.

The mental pain experienced in his wicked duel with Smartop MotoConcepts Racing’s Vince Friese put a damper on some of the enjoyment Benoit should have been feeling during much of the ten race run.

Going into the series, most had put the defending champ, Monster Energy Leading Edge Kawasaki’s Austin Politelli, as the speed bump in front of Benoit, especially after Friese’s rough debut in Nanaimo. By the second round in Kamloops however, everyone realized their error in judgment when the American Friese swept both MX2 motos convincingly. Along with his speed on the track, Friese enjoys twisting the throttle in mind games as well. He’s well known in US supercross and motocross for his unorthodox racing tactics, and now Benoit too is quite familiar with Friese’s bad habits.

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Kaven Benoit tasted champagne many times en route to winning his first Canadian title this summer.

The KTM rider was happy to finish the year by winning the final moto at Walton, proving right to the very end that Benoit was indeed the fastest 250 rider in 2014.

After riding as a Kawasaki privateer for years, winning races on the regional level frequently and experiencing modest success at the Eastern Nationals, Benoit switched colours. In 2010, riding KTM for the first time, Benoit had his breakout year. It was his first time racing the full National series, still a privateer, but didn’t know the tracks so things started off slowly at the western

work together. At this time, Jeremy Medaglia also received a spot on the KTM team and as you can guess, this is when their rivalry began, fi ghting for that top spot on KTM. A true champion is loyal and Benoit may be one of the best examples of this. After racing KTM as a privateer, Benoit got his chance with the factory team and did his best with it, finishing second overall to Tyler Medaglia in 2011. He won races, finished on the podium regularly and was a hair away of winning his second Montreal Supercross after losing a last-lap smash-fest with his teammate, Medaglia. When 2011 wrapped up, it seemed Benoit would retain his spot on the KTM factory team, but after a long, drawn out and diffi cult choice, the KTM team decided to give Jeremy Medaglia the call instead of Benoit.

It was a shock to Benoit especially since there was no love lost between him and Medaglia. The two had grown up racing each other and developed a habit of “finding each other on the track.” They kept it clean for the most part but there was a rivalry between the two so it was hard to swallow for Benoit when he saw Jeremy take his job.

Rather than getting all bent out of shape, Benoit kept his chin high and stuck with KTM, again as a privateer.

His good friend Jerome Therrien would continue keeping Benoit’s KTM 250 SX-F race ready and the two would prove to KTM that they made the wrong decision.

Sadly, that wouldn’t fully happen after Benoit suff ered an ankle injury while racing his snowmobile. That resulted in him missing the western nationals so he could be healed up for Gopher Dunes, the first round of the eastern swing. Wise decision.

“IF BEATING A FIELD FULL OF TOP AMERICAN AND CANADIAN TALENT ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH, BENOIT ACCOMPLISHED THE FEAT WITH A TWO AND FOUR-STROKE KTM 250. SOMETHING UNIQUE FOR BENOIT AND KTM TO HOLD ONTO - WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP ON TWO DIFFERENT BIKES.” Of course a true champion doesn’t come from nothing; Benoit’s ability to rise above the nonsense while maintaining a comfortable and growing points lead until wrapping it up with one moto to go at the final round in Walton proves that he is worthy. If beating a fi eld full of top American and Canadian talent isn’t good enough, Benoit accomplished the feat with a two and four-stroke KTM 250. Something unique for Benoit and KTM to hold onto - winning a championship on two diff erent bikes. With Benoit now achieving champion status, the next question

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is: can he replace the former King of Canadian Motocross, Jean-Sebastien Roy? He certainly has a ways to go but it has to start somewhere. If the eventful and productive 2014 season is any indication, Benoit is ready for anything.

Standing on top of that final podium of the year at Round 10 of the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals, Benoit had a lot of things going through his mind. This title didn’t come easy, in fact, it’s been one of the most diffi cult seasons for Benoit but he still became a champion.

rounds. When the series moved east however, Benoit was now in familiar territory and started battling Tyler Medaglia and his brother Jeremy for moto wins. He would cap off the season being named to Team Canada at the Motocross of Nations in Thunder Valley, Colorado, followed by his first ever Montreal Supercross win in the MX2 class. The results, eff ort and speed didn’t go unnoticed; KTM Canada off ered Benoit a ride on their factory team the next year, a great fi t seeing as how KTM Canada and Benoit both reside east of Montreal.

It only makes sense the two would

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Benoit won the first moto at Gopher Dunes, took third in the second and finished in front of his factory KTM counterpart, Jeremy Medaglia.

For the next four rounds, Benoit continued winning races and hitting the podium. In fact, if only the final fi ve eastern races counted as the championship, Benoit would have been your 2012 MX2 champ.

KTM Canada was now caught in another tricky situation; Jeremy rode awesome all year, battling to the bitter end but coming up a few points short to Monster Energy Leading Edge Kawasaki’s Teddy Maier in the championship. However, most would agree that Kaven showed more speed than Jeremy in the final races, and since KTM had given Jeremy the nod in 2012, it was now Kaven’s turn to give it a go again under the factory tent. KTM did just that in January 2013 while Jeremy went on to ride for the MX101 Yamaha team in the MX1 class.

For years Benoit had been racing snocross to keep fi t for motocross while earning a good income during the winter months. It wasn’t something KTM was a big fan of considering that their championship hopes were all riding on Benoit as he was the only MX2 rider for their team in 2013. As luck would have it, Benoit injured his shoulder and he would be forced to lay low for a couple of months. KTM and Benoit kept the injury quiet; it wasn’t a bad injury, and besides, it was only February and there was lots of time to prepare for the opener in June.

Spring training and bike development went well with KTM releasing a fast new 250 SX-F. With famed bike builders Andrew McClean and Joe Skidd taking the lead in engine and suspension departments, Benoit had the best bike he’d ever ridden. When the Nationals arrived, Benoit was healthy, fi t and proved it with consistent podium appearances, great battles with eventual champ Austin Politelli, and a moto win in Edmonton. Unfortunately, while practicing at home in Quebec before round fi ve at Gopher Dunes, Benoit injured his ankle, which put him out for the rest of the season. Certainly

a blow to KTM and Benoit, but with a two-year contract signed, Benoit was given a second chance in 2014.

Healthy again, Benoit came into the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals more prepared than ever. His body was free from pain, he had spent months training and riding in Georgia, and he not only had one factory bike to race but two! With the CMRC allowing 250 two-strokes to participate in the MX2 class, KTM - one of two manufacturers still producing twostrokes - left it up to Benoit to decide which ‘stroke’ he would race.

“I really appreciate KTM Canada being so open as a company and sponsor,” said Benoit on the final podium at Walton Raceway. “They left the decision up to me on which bike to ride; they believed in me and trusted me. I can’t thank them enough for all of their support.”

Benoit had some experience on a 250 two-stroke but he kept an open mind and tested both a KTM 250 SX and SX-F during his time at the Georgia Practice Facility (GPF). In the end, it was decided by Benoit and his KTM team to commit to racing a fourstroke on the harder packed western tracks and a two-stroke on the sandier eastern tracks. “Had I known how good the two-stroke would be,” said Benoit from the Walton podium, “I might have chosen a two-stroke for the entire series.” No matter what

bike he went with, competition remained high for Benoit. Along with defending champ Politelli, Benoit had Jeremy Medaglia dropping back down to MX2, Vince Friese going for his first Canadian title, and Yamaha’s Shawn Maff enbeier and Jesse Wentland who are proven winners. Within two rounds, though, Benoit and Friese would emerge as the two contenders as Medaglia was struggling to get accustomed with his new Leading Edge Kawasaki and Politelli was off his game compared to his 2013 championship run. Friese’s competitiveness with Benoit went far beyond simply nailing holeshots and convincing moto wins. He not only wanted to beat Benoit and everyone on the track physically, but mentally as well. Stories began piling up of Friese nudging Benoit during practice and qualifying, making condescending comments to Canadian racers on the podium, and in general making life miserable for his competition with Benoit taking the brunt of it.

“I couldn’t and still don’t understand why someone chooses to race like that,” says Benoit. “He’s a fast rider and should be thinking about winning the championship. I just tried to focus on my racing and keep doing the best I could.”

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Benoit (24) leads the MX2 pack in Moncton, NB; a hard practice crash at Gopher Dunes didn’t stop him finishing second overall; the hometown hero destroyed Friese and his competition in Deschambault, QC, going 1-1; KTM’s race manager Andy White couldn’t be happier with Benoit’s performance and consistency in 2014.

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There was definitely no love lost between Benoit and Friese.

(LEFT) Jerome Therrien has played best friend and mechanic to Kaven during his entire career on KTM.

Benoit chases Friese (719) and Shawn Maffenbeier (22) in Deschambault.

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Like JSR, Benoit has been able to block out and handle any challenges that have come his way. Whether he’s riding on his own or with a team, two-stroke or four-stroke, or having to deal with an overly aggressive competitor like Vince Friese, the 25 year-old champion has risen to the occasion What’s next for Kaven Benoit?

First, he’s representing Team Canada at the Motocross of Nations in Kegums, Latvia on September 27-28th and then it’s time for a rest before preparing to defend his MX2 Championship in 2015. My thought is Benoit should go for it and move to the MX1 class, but he knows better.

“I’ve always wanted to win an MX2 title first, defend it and then move to the big bike class,” he says. “I like riding the 450 but there is no rush. I want to be ready.”

Throughout the year, one of the biggest questions or comments has been how similar Benoit looks to fi ve-time champ Jean-Sebastien Roy on a dirt bike - especially when he’s on a 250 two-stroke. Is there a connection? Both speak the same language and reside in the same province, but has the King taught Benoit how to be a champion?

“A lot of people say we have the same riding style and even look alike [laughs], but honestly JSR and I never really spent a lot of time together,” he answers. “I did watch him a bit growing up, but I turned pro at a young age and was racing against him right away. But, if people think that, I guess it’s okay since JSR is one of the best. It’s a good thing to hear and I definitely want to be a champion like him.” You’re on your way, Kaven.

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It worked out. While Friese continued messing with Benoit’s head, Benoit continued building his points lead even with his anxiety and frustration from Friese’s games piling up. Finally, everything came to a head at Benoit’s hometown national in Ulverton, Quebec.

Most Canadian fans know how passionate French Canadians are to their riders (which province isn’t?) and they were sure to let Mr. Friese realize how much they disagreed with his antics on the track. “It got crazy but what did he expect?” adds Benoit. “You can’t keep riding like that and not expect something to happen. I was not a part of it; everything got out of hand and I’m sorry that it did.”

The list goes on of things that happened in Ulverton that shouldn’t have.

We saw paint rubbed between Friese and Kaven - and Friese and Kaven’s younger brother Karel (on the hot lap!) - the crowd throwing rocks and screaming at Friese to leave the race, and then it all culminated with a yelling match between the Benoits, the MotoConcepts team, race staff, and French fans. Everyone got their ticket value at this race!

Jokes aside, things got ugly and hopefully all parties involved learned from it. After all the crap at Ulverton, Benoit still managed to leave there with one commanding moto win and second overall, and his points lead grew larger with only one round to go in Walton. Most were expecting fireworks to go off at the final round especially since Friese was so far back in the points so he had nothing to lose. Well, for anyone anxiously awaiting some drama, they didn’t get it.

Friese rode off with the win in moto one while Benoit did the same in moto two.

When the racing was done, Benoit took the title and the #1 plate, they shook hands and that was that. It was actually a boring day considering the explosion we had seen one week prior in Quebec.

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THE PIO

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AS MANY OF YOU NOW KNOW, HUSQVARNA IS BACK AND THEIR BIKES ARE BETTER THAN EVER. WITH A STORIED HISTORY AND A GREAT VISION FOR THE FUTURE, HUSQVARNA IS LOOKING TO TAKE THE MOTOCROSS WORLD BY STORM. JUST LIKE THEY DID MANY YEARS AGO.

ONEERS

CROSS WORDS BY BY CHRIS POMEROY

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PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE AND HUSQVARNA CANADA

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THE PIONEERS

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long time ago before any of the big Japanese brands came into the foray of off-road riding, a relatively small Swedish manufacturer who went by the name of Husqvarna was slowly becoming a household name in the industry. Since Husqvarna was also in the business of making other products such as chainsaws and sewing machines, it was soon hard to go anywhere without coming across a Husqvarna product.

When the sport of motocross began in the early 1950s in Europe, the lightweight, single-cylinder Husqvarna quickly became the bike of choice for these early off-road daredevils. The 1955 Husqvarna Silverpilen (meaning silver arrow in Swedish) was the first motorcycle in history built specifically for off-road use. It weighed a very light 75kg, its telescopic front fork, hydraulic dampers and frame mounted engine were considered revolutionary for that post World War II era.

As the years went by and the

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“HUSQVARNA IS NOT ONLY SELLING GREAT MOTORCYCLES BUT THEY’RE DELIVERING A BRAND PROMISE. THIS PLEDGE IS BUILT ON THEIR YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AS WELL AS THE COMPANY’S CORE VALUES.” interest in this new and exciting sport grew, Husqvarna always seemed to be on the cutting edge of technology.

After so much success with their 250cc program, they were the first to introduce a 500cc motocross-only bike that turned out to be a widely popular machine. Throughout the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s, Husqvarna was the bike of choice for many, in fact during those years the brand won 14 World Motocross titles, 24 Enduro European Championships and 11 Baja 1000 titles.

For that era there were no motorcycles

better than the Husqvarnas, and in their own right they helped lay the foundation for the sport as we know it today.

As the 1970s came to an end, it became very clear that the world was changing. Like a tidal wave, Japan began introducing a new state-of-theart product almost on a weekly basis.

Product from electronics companies like Sony and automobile companies like Toyota were now in high demand.

The motorcycle landscape also had changed as the four large Japanese

brands, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki, had jumped into the off-road market with both feet. At tracks all over the world, the tried and tested Husqvarnas were being replaced by these new bikes from Japan. With their bright colours and innovative features like liquid-cooled engines and single shock rear suspension, these bikes were built for the more modern day rider and for the new sport of supercross, which was growing by leaps and bounds in the late ‘70s.

For whatever reason, Husqvarna motorcycles were left behind and the company changed its focus back to their more mainstream products.

We all know how things have transpired in the sport of motocross since the 1980s. Japanese bikes have, for the most part, been the dominant force. After many dormant years, Husqvarna came back into the motocross news in 2007 when BMW bought the historic brand in an attempt to expand their own offroad inventory. What started as a promising venture for the German company ended in disappointment as the models produced ended up being more about looks than performance.

For instance, the 450 motocross model was extremely heavy and featured oddities like a fuel tank located under the seat. The bikes simply didn’t work and it didn’t take long for BMW to lose interest in their new acquisition Just when it looked as though the Husqvarna motorcycle brand was gone forever, KTM’s parent company stepped up in 2013 and purchased the fledgling brand. With a brilliant strategy and a marketing plan built on the old adage that ‘what is old can also be new again’, Husqvarna was back. Instead of trying to produce an all new product, Husqvarna decided to piggy back on KTM and go with what was already working. The new Husqvarna believes that you can’t go forward without thinking about where you’ve been.

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In this day and age with everyone having such easy access to information, a company can have all the core values and marketing ideas they want, however if the product doesn’t work then all is for not. To prove how well these bikes work and to showcase the king of their fleet, the FC450, Husqvarna sent up the legendary MIKE BROWN to compete in three rounds of the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals this summer.

Brown is no stranger to Canada as he’s been here many times over his illustrious career, but this summer was interesting for Brown as racing motocross was something he hasn’t done for some time. As someone who’s ridden every type of motocross bike under the sun, we wanted to get his thoughts on what is so special about these new, ultra-cool looking Husqvarnas.

If you walk into a Husqvarna dealership these days or go on their website, the first thing you will notice (other than a brand new, shiny white Husqvarna) is, like Starbucks or Subway, Husqvarna is not only selling great motorcycles but they’re delivering a brand promise. This pledge is built on their years of experience as well as the company’s “core values”. Let’s take a look at these four core values: TRADITION

RACING

SWEDEN

PREMIUM

Obviously with their first motorcycle being built in 1903, Husqvarna is heaping with tradition. Not only were they the first manufacturer to build a motorcycle specifically for motocross, but their innovative approach still stands as true today as it did those many years ago.

With their combined 105 World titles, Husqvarna knows how to build bikes that are ready to go racing. Just like the KTM motto “Ready to Race”, the new Husqvarnas are ready to handle whatever conditions are thrown at them.

Sweden is a humble country that doesn’t like to brag, even when it’s warranted. It’s also a country built on hard work and endurance. This is exactly what the Husqvarna brand is about; they’re ready for anything and the company prefers to let the bikes do the talking.

When you purchase a Husqvarna you will get a motorcycle that comes stock with only the highest quality of parts and components. Once you throw your leg over a Husqvarna it’s up to you what you want to do with it. However, you can rest assured that you are riding something very special.

Hello Mike and welcome back to Canada. It must be really exciting to come up here and race a few Nationals?

I can’t express how much I’m enjoying myself up here. The only bad thing is that this weekend is the third and final race that I’m doing.

The three rounds you did were all on sand tracks.

Did that make it even tougher?

A little bit; obviously the tracks were really rough and challenging but at my age it’s all fun.

You even got a holeshot last weekend at Sand Del Lee? (laughs) Yes I did but it didn’t last long as these kids are going very fast. It was great to have a clear track; it’s been a while since I got the holeshot at a big motocross race.

Okay, let’s talk about how the deal to ride the new Husqvarna came about?

I didn’t really know anything about it until last October when I was given a choice to ride either a KTM or a Husqvarna. The head guys at KTM were sort of pushing me towards Husqvarna because of my name and the fact that they were very excited about the product. In the end I went with Husky because I love trying new things. Even after I’m done racing there might be an opportunity to continue with the brand.

Obviously, the new Husqvarnas are built on the KTM platform with a few subtle changes. Did you ride both bikes and are there any differences?

The two brands are very similar, and after riding both I actually prefer the Husqvarna a little more. The sub frame is made out of a composite material and it’s a little wider too. It allows you to grip the bike a little better. For me, the motor is the same but in my opinion the Husqvarna handles a little better.

So after all of the testing you’ve done on these bikes, is it safe to say that you’re very impressed?

Definitely, I don’t how many more years I have in me, so although I was excited to be part of something new, I didn’t want to waste a lot of time testing something that needed a lot of development. Husqvarna is the perfect fit for me as the bikes are amazing and I’m dealing with all of the same people that I did when I was riding a KTM. That’s great news as the sport needs the excitement that comes from the introduction of a new brand. On to you now, what keeps you going at 42?

I just love doing what I’m doing, that’s all. I don’t do it for the glory or to prove anything to anyone, I just love to get up and go riding or go training. The moment I stop loving it then I’ll stop, but for now things are pretty good.

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making the money that they did ten years ago and it’s definitely harder to find a good ride that pays well. However, that’s how it is in a lot of things now; people have to do more with less, that’s just the reality of life.

As far as the riders themselves, they’re going so fast right now and they’re so talented. I mean, they’re doing things on the bikes that I can only imagine.

MOTOCROSS OF

“WITH THE SUMMER OF 2014 NOW HISTORY, HUSQVARNA IS NOW FULLY FOCUSED ON THEIR ENTRY INTO THE 2015 MONSTER ENERGY SUPERCROSS SERIES WITH THEIR NEW RIDER JASON ANDERSON.”

You’ve been really busy doing the off-road stuff for the last few years. How have the last few weeks of racing motocross been?

It’s been a lot of fun, just to get back out on a motocross track and race has been awesome. However, I’m not going to lie to you, it’s been tough. Lately I’ve been doing so much Endurocross that I’m used to just going slow. My starts are still good but just the going fast part and hitting bumps part has been hard.

Will you try to come backnext year and race some more Nationals?

I will for sure. This has been great and I’m just now getting used to motocross again so I want to keep going. Next year I will know what to expect and I will be a little more prepared for it. It would be really awesome to come up to Canada next year and maybe race some Nationals and then teach some schools.

That would be great as your presence certainly adds to the already talented field we have in the MX1 class. Over the years you’ve been an AMA National Champion, an X-Games gold medalist, and you have numerous national event wins.

In all that excellence, can you pick one moment or year that stands out?

Good question! Obviously the National Championships stand out because so few have won those titles and so much effort goes into them. If I had to pick one I’d say the summer of 2005. That year I’d gone to Europe to do the GPs but I wasn’t getting paid so I came home and was pretty bummed out.

Then about two weeks before the AMA Nationals began I put together a Honda deal and off we went. That summer I won some Nationals and actually led the championship late in the series.

Although I didn’t win the title, it was such a rewarding year because we paid for everything and we were true privateers.

I remember that season, I think everyone was pulling for you that summer. One last question, what do you think of the sport today and the young riders coming up?

Another great question (laughs). I think the sport is doing well and it seems to be rebounding from the tough times we saw a few years ago. From a technology point of view, the bikes have never been better than they are today. Everyone is so much smarter than they were in my day when it comes to training, and it seems like the tracks have also improved. I don’t think the riders are

Wait a minute, I know I saw you scrub a jump in SDL? No, that was not a scrub (laughs). The sport is always changing and that’s a good thing. As a rider you have to change with it or you get left behind.

That is why the series you guys have in Canada is so great. It’s a little more laid back but the riders are going fast.

This is a great place to come and ride if you’re a young guy and you want some experience, or if you’re an old guy like me and want to still have some fun!

Well Mike, it’s been an honour to have you in Canada this summer, I hope we see you again in 2015. Good luck on these awesome looking Husqvarnas and safe riding.

Thanks Chris. If you want a new and exciting product that works great, go out and get yourself a new Husqvarna.

You definitely won’t be disappointed.

Hopefully we’ll see everyone next year.

Husqvarna has certainly scored big with having Mike Brown as a racer and as a brand ambassador. His knowledge and professionalism is unmatched in the industry. As you can tell, he loves the new bikes and he enjoyed every minute he spent on Canadian soil this summer.

What is Next?

With the summer of 2014 now history, Husqvarna is now fully focused on their entry into the 2015 Monster Energy Supercross Series with their new rider Jason Anderson. It’s a very exciting venture for the new team as Jason and his Rockstar Energy Drink squad is hot off their Lites Championship earlier this year. Jason will be moving to the big bikes and will be debuting his factory FC450 at the Monster Cup in October.

It will be very interesting to see six different brands of bikes represented in Supercross in 2015. We have a feeling that next year Husqvarna will once again be the focus of the motocross world’s attention, just as it was some fifty years ago. This is why they call Husqvarna the Pioneers of our sport.

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“Perhaps the biggest thing that came out of those initial forays into the National scene was the growing reputation surrounding Gopher Dunes as being possibly the toughest and most physically demanding track in North America.”

n most Countries you don’t see many motocross tracks running riding schools, provincial races, pro nationals and a pro race team all at the same time. However, in Canada we’re fortunate enough to have two, Sand Del Lee is one and Gopher Dunes is the other. Located just outside the pretty town of Tillsonburg, Ontario, Gopher Dunes has been around for over twenty-five years and in those years thousands of riders have flocked there in search of the tracks sandy conditions. For the last few years Gopher Dunes has not only been a multi use facility but also has been running a very successful Honda Race Team. To find out how the Schuster Family juggles all of this responsibility, Mike McGill dug deep to get the incredible Gopher Dunes story.

As the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals headed east after a successful western swing, there was a palpable energy in the air. Perhaps it was the new title sponsor of the series, Rockstar, that was creating the buzz or maybe it was the addition to the series of the Smartop MotoConcepts Team with Mike Alessi that was getting people hyped, but there was definitely an excitement being generated that was somewhat missing from the previous few seasons. The Gopher Dunes National, which is now firmly entrenched as the opener in the east, did not disappoint the large number of eager moto enthusiasts that turned out to enjoy the action. Not to take anything away from the great events that get the series started out west but this race has arguably become the crown jewel of the Canadian Series. And this is their story.

As the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals headed east after a successful western swing, there was a palpable energy in the air. Perhaps it was the new title sponsor of the series, Rockstar, that was creating the buzz or maybe it was the addition to the series of the Smartop MotoConcepts Team with Mike Alessi that was getting people hyped, but there was defini ely an excitement being generated that was somewhat missing from the previous few seasons. The Gopher Dunes National, which is now firm y entrenched as the opener in the east, did not disappoint the large number of eager moto enthusiasts that turned out to enjoy the action. Not to take anything away from the great events that get the series started out west but this race has arguably become the crown jewel of the Canadian Series.

And this is their story.

The Schuster family purchased the land on which the Gopher Dunes track is currently situated back in 1972. At the time it was a working tobacco farm but Frank Schuster always had dirt bikes and his friends would gather on the property to ride, work on their bikes and generally have a good time.

The facility hosted its fi st actual event, a three wheel (remember those) ATV race, in 1986 and the fi st sanctioned motocross race took place in 1988.

Over the course of the next decade, the Schuster family, Frank, his wife Barb and even the kids Derek and Kait, put countless hours of work into the facility. All that work paid off in 2005 when they were approached by the CMRC to hold their fi st National.

Derek, or “Digger” as his friends and family call him, was very interested in the prospects of holding a National at Gopher Dunes “and really pushed for it,” recalls Frank. At that time the CMRC National schedule was laid out differently; for the fi st two years the race was held in early June. The unpredictable nature of the weather was much more of a factor at that time of the year and “we had some crazy

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weather those fi st couple of years,” remembers Frank Schuster. “We also learned that if we were going to do this we had to put a lot more work into it.

We just didn’t really know how much effort it would involve.” Still, the events were, in Frank’s words, “okay” and the crowds were decent averaging around two thousand spectators.

Perhaps the biggest thing that came out of those initial forays into the National scene was the growing reputation surrounding Gopher Dunes as being possibly the toughest and most physically demanding track in North America. People started referring to the race as the Canadian Southwick. The Southwick National in the U.S. had of course long been recognized as the most demanding race on the AMA circuit. The growing legend of the Dunes actually came as

“Factory Honda decided to get back into Canadian Motocross and chose GDR as the team they were going to throw their support behind with young Westen Wrozyna and Colton Facciotti as the handpicked riders.”

a bit of a surprise to the Schusters.

“We actually had no idea that the track would get that rough but when you have that many great riders out there at one time ripping it apart, obviously that’s what happened, so we just went with the approach of keeping the jumps doable and let the rest of the course develop as it may. We decided we didn’t want to make it as tough as Southwick, we wanted to make it tougher.” This strategy seems to have worked well for Frank and his crew as every year the hype surrounding the race seems to grow. The fact that it always seems to be excruciatingly hot and humid on the weekend of the event does nothing to diminish its growing reputation.

Over the past few years, with plenty of hard work, the Schuster clan have taken the job of running a National

to the highest level in Canada. Frank likens it to being given the chance to host the Olympics in your own country.

“You’re trying to impress the world so every little detail has to be taken care of. Every blade of grass needs to be cut, the trees need to be trimmed, and the irrigation system and all of the equipment for that matter need to work perfectly.” Even the day that the race takes place is something that has been carefully thought out. Schuster abandoned the traditional Sunday scheduling this year in order not to conflict with a huge boating egatta that was to take place on the Sunday in the area. “That way we were able to pull in a lot of the like-minded people that were in the area for that event, as well you know you just can’t leave anything to chance.” Frank goes on to elaborate that “it’s the overall look of

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the facility that is important. We are on a busy stretch of highway here.

We’re only a few miles from the beach and a lot of traffic goes right pa t our front door. You have to make it look like something big is going on here.”

Mission accomplished I would say as the moment you entered the grounds at the Gopher Dunes National this year you couldn’t help but be impressed with the way the place was looking.

Tip-top shape without a doubt, and the huge stage and sound system that was erected for the bands that played after the races only helped to increase the look and the spectacle.

In a day and age when tracks all over North America seem to

be constantly at odds with their surrounding neighbours, Gopher Dunes has been able to accomplish what many others have not, as they have developed a strong working relationship within the community.

“The relationships we have developed are a big key to our success,” comments Schuster. “We’ve been able to make Gopher Dunes into a tourist attraction for the area. The local hotels, motels, grocery stores, restaurants and more know that when the National comes to town they are going to see a big spike in their business and it doesn’t cost them a penny. It’s a good feeling to know that what we’re doing here isn’t just a

feather in our cap but it helps out the whole community as well.”

In speaking with Schuster it’s pretty easy to tell that this whole endeavour is a labour of love for him. “Oh yeah, I love it,” he admits, “I defini ely have a soft spot for all of the riders.” In fact before the start of the National Frank goes up and down the starting line and shakes every rider’s hand and wishes them all luck. It was this love of all things motocross that actually led to the formation of the Gopher Dunes or GDR Racing Team back in 2010.

“Derek and I had always talked about it. Finally we decided to give it a shot,” but Frank is quick to admit that the race team is “Derek’s baby”. He always

wanted to do it and to his credit he’s worked tirelessly to make this thing happen.” The GDR team started out with one rider, Liam O’Farrell, on a RMZ 250, although they did help out local racer Josh Koncir as well that fi st season. Since then the operation has grown a little bit every year. In 2012, the team switched from Suzuki to Honda and made a splash by hiring a top level rider in Tyler Medaglia to fly their olours. Although Tyler only rode for the GDR Team for one season it had become clear that Gopher Dunes Racing was not just a flash in the pan but a legitimate race team.

Through Derek’s efforts, the team had already compiled an impressive list

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of sponsors, a few of which include Troy Lee Designs, Yoshimura, Dunlop, Oakley, Parts Canada and even Adidas.

Even so, it was still a surprise to many in the industry when Factory Honda decided to get back into Canadian Motocross and chose GDR as the team they were going to throw their support behind with young Westen Wrozyna and Colton Facciotti as the hand-picked riders. “It almost didn’t happen,” states Frank. “Derek worked those phones extremely hard and his relationship with Colton (Facciotti) had a big part to play in it as well.

The fact that we had been running a satellite Honda Team for a couple of years obviously helped and I don’t think you can underestimate the fact that we have proven ourselves to be good business people by running a top notch National for many years now. The people at Honda notice things like that.” Another factor that helped secure the deal with Honda was the Schuster’s willingness to conduct riding schools at Gopher Dunes. “Honda sees this as being very important,” states Schuster. “And with the declining numbers of new riders getting into the sport I tend to agree so we are happy to do it.”

“All in all I was very pleased with how things went this year,” reiterates Schuster. “The hard work paid off and it was a great day.” Off course it certainly helped that GDR’s Colton Facciotti won the overall but “it’s more than that,” insists Schuster. “People love coming to this race. The track is basically laid out like a natural stadium so you can pretty much see the whole thing when you are seated up on the berm. It’s kind of like a NASCAR race.

Also, the past couple of years we have been letting spectators set up back in the woods on the north side because we realize that sometimes people just need some shade on a hot July day.” I for one can identify with this as I have really enjoyed watching the races from the tree lined and shaded area on the northern side of the property for the last couple of seasons and I’m defini ely not alone as many others have adopted these spots as their goto viewing area as well.

It seems like the crew at Gopher Dunes have thought of pretty much everything when it comes to hosting a successful National Round. “Our basic philosophy when it comes to the National is that we try to provide an entertaining product at a reasonable price for families to enjoy.” As mentioned earlier, there were even

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rock bands that played after the race this year. “We’re always willing to try something new,” says Schuster. And when it comes to the race team, he continues, “We are trying to build a hero as a rider, increase the fan base and make motocross better.” Lofty goals perhaps but so far everything seems to be going according to plan.

When asked if he ever dreamt that at this point in his life he would be presiding over one of the top National Championship rounds in the country, and also one of, if not the, most prominent race teams in the series, the fifty-nine ear-old Schuster quickly chimes in. “No. Not in my wildest dreams. But when you’ve worked at something for a long time and brought it to a certain level it feels pretty good.”

Schuster pauses for a minute, smiles wryly and then continues. “It’s not just good. It’s very good.”

POSTSCRIPT Since the initial writing of this article, GDR’s Colton Facciotti went on to capture the MX1 National Championship. His season long duel with American superstar Mike Alessi captivated Canadian moto fans and media across not just this country but the United States as well. When I reached Derek Schuster for comment the week following Colton’s win he was actually on route to Utah with his rider to compete in the final ound of the AMA Nationals. “It still hasn’t really totally sunk in,” admitted Schuster, “but it’s starting to and it feels pretty special.” In typical fashion, he was quick to heap praise on his team as well, who he says “busted their butts all season in order to bring home this championship.”

While this has to be considered a dream season for the crew at Gopher Dunes, I’m sure their recent successes will not go to their heads. That’s just not the type of people they are. If you were to head out to the track today, I’ll bet nothing has really changed other than maybe a new number one jersey hanging on the wall. Barb would be manning her regular post behind the shop counter greeting riders and ensuring the waivers were signed, Frank of course would be cruising around the site on his quad making sure that everything is running smoothly, just as he has done for many years, and you can rest assured that motocross in Norfolk County and Southwestern Ontario is in good hands.

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RIDE. RUN. REPEAT.

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T H E B AT T L E FO R CANADIAN MOTOCROSS SUPREMACY HEADS EAST

BY BRENT WORRALL

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PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE

As the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals headed east for the second half of the series. All eyes were on points leaders Colton Facciotti and Kaven Benoit to see if they could withstand the pressure from their hungry competitors. With four of the five eastern rounds taking place on sand tracks, the riders and their machines were tested to the limits. As the series came to a conclusion it became a two rider battle in both classes for the championship. In this story Brent Worrall takes us round by round as the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals finished up one of its most exciting series ever.

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T H E B AT T L E FOR CANADIAN MOTOCROSS SUPREMACY HEADS EAST Colton Facciotti and Tyler Medaglia were the top Canadians in the MX1 class.

hat turned out to arguably be one of the most entertaining seasons in modern Canadian Motocross history kicked off its eastern portion of the 2014 series just outside of Courtland, Ontario at the well prepared and always difficult Gopher Dunes race track. The Dunes in all its glory, coupled with what is often very hot and humid conditions, would be a welcome playing field for many and a change of pace from the western rounds, which saw riders wear everything from toques to garbage bags to endure some of the elements and conditions.

The challenges this series provides in geography and distance, being a true coast to coast series coupled with the resources needed to challenge motocross’ version of what has become ‘The Great Canadian Race’, is just not possible by all who desire.

Round 5, which kicked off the east, would see some fresh faces and new numbers lined up with those who would continue their quest for 2014 supremacy and personal bests.

In the MX2 class, Smartop MotoConcepts Honda rider Vince Friese would look to close the points gap on Kaven Benoit in the standings and would do so by one point on the day compliments of his solid 3-1 moto scores for the overall win. Royal Distributing KTM’s Benoit would be anxious to avenge his DNF at Regina and continue his hold onto the red plate and series points lead with both hands. Everything seemed to be going smoothly for Kaven on a day that cooperated weather-wise as the sun was out, but we would not see the usual searing heat and pressure cooker-like humidity. On the last lap of timed qualifying, Benoit would, in the process of throwing down his best lap to solidify his gate pick, crashed hard. His body language immediately told a tale of hurt and he frantically waved the trackside medics in his directions. Fortunately, Kaven was able to soldier throughout the day in true warrior-like fashion and line up and salvage 2-2 moto scores for second overall. If championships are won on bad days, this would definitely be that day for Kaven.

Jesse Wentland was, in my opinion, the fastest rider on the track in the MX2 class at Gopher. He overcame a lot of real estate, starting 6th in moto one, making up 10 plus seconds and winning it going away. Unfortunately, in the second moto, Wentland came together with teammate Dylan Wright in the first turn and would have to battle from 29th to 4th in impressive fashion, which would give him the last step on the podium for the day.

Shawn Maff enbeier also overcame a bad start in moto one, coming from 13th to 4th, and had a similar charge in the second moto finishing a solid

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3rd giving him 4th overall on his OTSFF Rockstar Yamaha. Also having his best round of the series at Gopher Dunes on the Redemption Racing KTM was Seth Rarick whose moto scores of 5-3 gave him 5th overall. Notable series newcomers to the east, Liam O’Farrell, Jeremy Pronovost as well as Hayden Halstead, get honourable mention on the day for turning my head their direction more than once!

The MX1 class would see the Gopher Dunes Racing Honda of Colton Facciotti take to home turf with a 9 point series lead over Smartop MotoConcepts rider Mike Alessi. Moto one would see Alessi overtake the man who got the holeshot, Rockstar OTSFF Yamaha rider Bobby Kiniry, and pull what would be about a 13 second advantage over Colton Facciotti, who made a move early in the moto on Kiniry to occupy second. Things would go awry not long before Alessi could pocket the valuable championship points as he would run out of fuel just a few turns short of the last lap flag. Alessi did however take 3 points out of the moto that gave Facciotti the win. The second moto would provide dramatics that are not often seen in motocross anywhere! Alessi would get the lead and run like a rabbit on a track that was, by this time, in a deplorable state to say the least, paying close attention to his pit board and trackside crew.

Once Mike was signalled about two thirds of the way into the moto that he had a 15 second lead, he did the unthinkable and pulled off the track in NASCARlike fashion for a splash of fuel to keep the 800’s sails aloft where they had flown so proudly all moto.

Facciotti would, to his surprise, find the rear fender of Mike on this lap but it was not long before the 800’s lead was, what I would call, comfortable again.

At checkers, the moto would belong to Mike Alessi, Facciotti would take second but lay claim to the day’s top prize, the overall win with his 1-2 moto eff orts.

Kyle Chisholm on the OTSFF Rockstar Yamaha would have his best round of the series with solid 2-3 scores for second overall, and his teammate, Bobby Kiniry, who he battled all of the first moto, would take 3rd overall. KTM’s Tyler Medaglia would overcome sickness and goggle issues throughout the day on his way to 5-5 motos for 4th overall, while Leading Edge Kawasaki’s Teddy Maier would finish 5th overall. Last year’s second overall finisher and local ripper Kyle Keast finished 10-DNF. Even though the result was not great by his standards, he looked as strong and comfortable as usual. Honourable mention in the big bike class goes to Tim Tremblay and Nathan Bles who had solid first rounds of the series finishing 7th and 9th overall respectively on the rugged Dunes layout.

Round 6 would be held at the circuit which has been known for years as Sand Del Lee but a recent

push in the marketing department has the race now known as ‘The Ottawa National’. The promoters had all their preverbal ducks aligned in what one could say was a very impressive formation. Once again the weather was great and the race track would develop a nastiness in the way of a rugged chop that had even the locals surprised.

When the gate dropped in the MX2 class in moto one it was the steed of Leading Edge Kawasaki and last year’s champ, Austin Politelli, grabbing moto one followed by our series points leader Kaven Benoit in 2nd and local favourite on another Leading Edge Kawasaki, Jeremy Medaglia, in 3rd trying to salvage a season that had been under construction since round one in Nanaimo. The second moto and the overall however would go to KTM’s Kaven Benoit on the two-stroke, which had become his weapon of choice for this eastern portion of the 2014 battle.

Vince Friese would finish 2nd in the moto giving him 2nd overall behind Benoit who would occupy the day’s loftiest perch of achievement. First moto winner Poltielli, whose season’s Tarot cards have read about as good as his stable-mate Medaglia’s, would hit the gate in the second moto and have to come from last to seventh giving him 3rd overall.

MX101 Yamaha rider Jesse Wentland, fresh off his speed laden performance at Round 5, would finish 4th on the day. I assure you, after talking with Jesse after this one, to say the least the result was less than what he had expected of himself. Kaven would take his shiny red plate and comfortable points lead back to his home province into Deschambault.

As far as the big bike battle, once again it was the usual suspects in their usual spots early in moto one.

Come checkers, the top fi ve in a descending order were Mike Alessi, Colton Facciotti, local boy Tyler Medaglia, Josh Hill and 5th would go to Leading Edge’s Teddy Maier. Moto two would provide much on-track excitement and more unwanted bad luck for the 800 bike. If you are one that believes that bad things happen in threes then maybe the misfortune that Mike Alessi suff ered in moto 2, with his grip coming loose to the point where it could slide right off, would be the last he would have to endure this season. It is hard to mention the grip incident without qualifying all three by reminding everyone that Mike was docked fi ve positions after winning moto one in Kamloops at Round 2, and of course his running out of fuel at Round 5 at Gopher Dunes. I am sure the MotoConcepts team, who has dotted every ‘I’ and crossed every on and off track ’T’ to be prepared for their inaugural Canadian voyage, will take my rationale on the third being the last. The overall for this great Ottawa National would go to Colton Facciotti as he would load

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The sand tracks of the East and Benoit’s KTM two-stroke were a perfect match.

Right: As the MX2 series wound down and the intensity increased, Benoit still managed to stay focused and relaxed.

Below: Colton Facciotti and his GDR Honda styled their way to the 2014 MX1 title.

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T H E B AT T L E FOR CANADIAN MOTOCROSS Right: Even though he didn’t join the MX1 SUPREMACY series until round five, Ontario rider Nathan Bles enjoyed a few breakout rides in the HEADS EAST East.

Below: After winning the MX2 Championship in 2013, Austin Politelli had a summer we’re sure he’d like to forget.

Above: Throughout the eastern rounds, Liam O’Farrell proved that he deserves more support in 2015.

Right: With four of the six eastern rounds taking place on sand tracks, the riders and machines were tested to their limits.

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Jeremy Medaglia experienced a little bit of everything in 2014.

Unfortunately, his season ended early with a broken collarbone at Riverglade.

his Gopher Dunes Honda up at day’s end with that highly coveted red plate and a 28 points lead and take it to Quebec knowing that he was driving this great big bike bus. Mike Alessi hung on, literally, for 2nd overall and Tyler Medaglia’s KTM would take 3rd followed by Josh Hill in 4th and Teddy Maier rounding out your top fi ve overall.

Round 7 of the series would make its first stop of two in La Belle Province at the great sand based track of Deschambault. The Pro race on Sunday would be the climax of the great ECAN; the crowning of those champions as well as the Women’s East medal victors would be crowned at this event. The weather did however take a turn for the worse come Sunday and the Pros were forced to do battle once again in conditions that had even the local ducks frowning as they hunkered down under the concession stand that sold the ‘poutine’.

When the gate dropped on the MX2 class, in true motocross fan fashion, all those that braved the elements who clamoured to the fences to cheer on Quebec’s current prodigal motocross son and series points leader were not disappointed as Kaven Benoit checked out early.

He was followed by another KTM 250 two-stroke ridden

by Liam O’Farrell who had suff ered a shoulder separation at Gopher Dunes in moto 2 and was unable to ride Round 6.

O’Farrell finished a career Canadian best and did not ever look out of place up front as he would pocket the 22 championship points with his first moto 2 place

finish. KTM would complete not only the sweep of the podium in moto one by way of the two-stroker as Quebec native Jeremy Pronovost would have the best Pro finish of his young career finishing 3rd in moto one. Rounding out the top fi ve were Vince Friese and Clarksburg, New Jersey’s Jesse Pierce.

The second moto once again would go to the KTM of Benoit in gate to wire fashion as moto one second place finisher O’Farrell would serve notice that his first moto result was no fluke. OTSFF Rockstar Yamaha’s Shawn Maff enbeier would finish a solid 3rd in moto 2 giving him that position for the day.

Smartop MotoConcepts rider Vince Friese would finish 4th overall, and Jeremy Pronovost on his Duroy KTM would get 5th for his eff orts.

Deschambault would give the MX1 class, for the first time in thirteen motos, a victor other than Colton Facciotti or Mike Alessi in this great series. Moto one would go to none other than Leading Edge Kawasaki’s Josh Hill, and Mike Alessi would take 2nd. Tyler Medaglia, after a scary sighting lap crash that gave him a little extra fuel among other things, would get 3rd in moto one fending off a hard charge by Colton after a second turn mishap that would leave him placing his pieces to his points chase puzzle in 4th.

Moto 2 would see Facciotti, in a determined fashion, get the holeshot and ride a clean, solid moto up front on a track that was drying out considerably as the sun came out to the welcome of the cheering, passionate moto faithful. Facciotti would hold a trump card on this day in the form of a split lane line that he was able to execute to perfection, leaving the others not knowing where his time was being made up. Even with the convincing 2nd moto victory, Facciotti would fall short of the overall due to his 4-1 being trumped

by Alessi’s 2-2. Mike Alessi would soldier through moto 2 and be full value for the 22 points that the position would allow him to add to his season total as well as give him the overall. Tyler Medaglia would ride a solid second moto and finish ahead of moto one winner Josh Hill in 3rd but the numbers would not come up in

Tyler’s favour on the day as the totals would relegate him to fourth overall giving Hill 3rd on the benefi t of his first moto victory. Off to Riverglade we would go with Mike Alessi 27 points behind Facciotti for the 2014 crown and Tyler Medaglia 10 points ahead of a hard charging Josh Hill in 4th.

Round 8 at Riverglade is one of the two bookends of the series with a great facility and arguably some of the best race fans in the country coupled with the Glade’s great ambience for spectators and riders.

Yes, there were a few that decided to give Mike Alessi the big thumbs down, but as only a true warrior, experienced racer and veteran is able to do, Mike turned the negative into a positive and added it to his collective moto MoJo. So in breaking the protocol of this article, I will start with the battle of the big bikes as my segway pretty much stole the show in this class anyway. Coming in 27 points down, Mike knows that winning is not an option, it is a must and he did just that. He did what he does best and that is get back to back holeshots and win both motos going away, and by doing so closed the series points gap to 21. The Riverglade track, to the defence of those in pursuit, was very hard to make a pass on as it was fast and did not have a lot of separation in the form of ruts or gnarly bomb holes. I am not sure if it was a result of the track not being tilled that deep from expecting rain or not, but however you look at it they all had to ride it so no one had an advantage, right? The track also produced, for the big bikes especially, a machine gun fire-type roost that kept riders methodically having to encroach upon those in front of them or pay a hefty price that would leave a souvenir from the round whether you wanted it or not. At this event there are many stories within the story and I could write a whole chapter on them, but having to pick one I am going to single out the KlattA-Pault as fans love to see the riders collect their frequent fl yer points. Come race day there were only a select few doing this jump. The ones who did made up a ton of time and were very confident in their

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It was great to see Mike “Ironman” Treadwell make an appearance in Ulverton.

braking systems. Josh Hill, even though he had issues with his goggles on moto one and would have to come from last to get his 8th place result, executed the Klat-A-Pault with authority, which quickly endeared him to the abundant Atlantic Canadian crowd.

But where it counted on the scorecard, the Aces belonged to Alessi with perfect 1-1 scores. Colton Facciotti’s 2-2 result was impressive given the work he had to do battling most of moto 2 with Josh Hill and finally making a determined pass to minimize the points he would give up to Alessi on the way to securing 2nd overall. Bobby Kiniry, on the Rockstar Yamaha who had some mechanical issues the previous two rounds, would land back up on the box at day’s end earning a hard fought 3rd overall.

The MX2 class would once again look like it would belong to the KTM 250 two-stroke of Kaven Benoit as he holeshotted moto one and checked out, and was followed by Vince Friese. Finishing in the 3rd spot in moto one would be a hard charging Shawn Maff enbeier followed by Topher Ingalls and Liam O’Farrell.

Moto 2 would tell a diff erent tale as for the first time since Gopher Dunes the MX101 Yamaha of Jesse Wentland would hit the top step of the box shaking things up considerably for the overall on the day. Vince Friese would finish 2nd, Maff enbeier 3rd, and Kaven Benoit would end up settling for 4th. The overall finish at Riverglade in the MX2 class would be Friese with the win, Benoit 2nd and Wentland, with his 6-1 moto scores, would edge out Maff enbeier’s 3-3 and take 3rd on what was a great day of racing in Atlantic Canada.

Round 9 - For this round we would head back to Quebec to the natural terrain of Ulverton. It has been a few years since this great, natural terrain, hillside track has been a stop on this circuit and it was a nice change of pace. The track is with much elevation change and a soil that would produce roughness, and rivalled by some of the most rugged. With only four motos left in the series, the ontrack action would not fall short of anyone’s expectations and provide entertainment Canadian motocross fans would remember for a long time! Moto one in the MX2 class would go to points leader Kaven Benoit who would check out early and win comfortably. It is to be noted that he and arch rival Vince Friese had a few moments of, let’s just say, togetherness over the course of this series, and on this day that action would come to the forefront in the second moto. In the first moto, however, it was Friese that would get tangled with Kaven’s brother Karel and falter back to 12th for the moto leaving Karel Benoit on the receiving end of a disqualification, suspension and hefty fine. MX101 Yamaha rider Jesse Wentland would finish second with Shawn Maff enbeier in third.

Moto two would once again prove eventful as Vince Friese would get the holeshot but then be passed by a determined Shawn Maff enbeier, leaving Kaven Benoit on the rear fender of Vince Friese.

Benoit did get around Friese but it would not last long as Vince chased in pursuit, riding the rev limiter approaching the corners and looked to be about to do something that would make things interesting to say the least. Well, on lap 4, something did happen. All I can say for sure is that Benoit went down and was relegated to 5th where he would maintain a stranglehold on the series points lead.

Friese would finish 2nd to go with his first moto 12th, which would leave him further behind in the chase. Not to be overshadowed by the series points chase on the track was the determined eff orts of Shawn Maff enbeier who would win the second moto in full control and take the overall with his determined 3-1 moto finishes. Jesse

MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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T H E B AT T L E FOR CANADIAN MOTOCROSS SUPREMACY HEADS EAST

Wentland, who went down hard in moto two, soldiered back hard in that moto, which coupled with his moto one 2nd gave him 2nd overall on the day. KTM mounted Goldentyre rider Liam O’Farrell on his 4-3 moto eff orts would earn a well-deserved 3rd overall on the gnarly rugged Ulverton circuit.

The final round of the 2014 season was held at the fabled grounds of the Lee family farm, what in my opinion has become the Holy Grail of Canadian moto, Walton Raceway. It seems like just yesterday that the highly anticipated season kicked off out west and I truly believe it has lived up to the hype and anticipation that has encompassed the on and off track action. As always, the Trans Can would precede the final round and I was more than thrilled to be back for the first time since 2011.The two red plates, which have been held since the opening round by Kaven Benoit and Colton Facciotti, were theirs for the keeping if they could perform the task at hand, which was achieving just a short number of championship points to add to their impressive totals. I would go as far as to say neither rider had yet suff ered the type of bad luck or misfortune as some of those in pursuit of what they possessed but that would not be a full truth as Kaven did DNF in Regina. As far as Facciotti, his season, which he and his GDR Honda team managed with all the calm, confidence, methodical moves and maneuvers of a seasoned chess player, came together with perfection.

The work to be done on track would not be a given as Mother Nature would not deal this year’s event the best hand to play with. The rain the night before coupled with the worst summer they have had in years in the region would leave the track well saturated and in need of the sunshine, which would break through early Sunday and turn into what would be the best day of the race week at Walton Raceway. The track however would not see any Pro practice as they elected to go straight into timed qualifying to give the track a chance to dry out and firm up. The first motos of both classes were raced on a race track that was one of the most difficult of the series to negotiate as the mud was deep and heavy that would leave riders struggling to remain upright on their bikes. The first MX2 moto would see Vince Friese on his MotoConcepts Honda lead early and get the moto score followed by a fast newcomer to the series, Marshal Weltin of Michigan. Kaven Benoit would take 3rd and lock up the championship by doing so. Moto two would see Kaven head to line knowing he had achieved his ultimate season goal and throw down a perfect gate to wire score. Friese would settle for second entitling him to the top step on the podium for the day and second for what was a very entertaining battle to say the least that he had with Kaven for the 2014 crown. Third on the day would go to Weltin on the benefi t of his 2-5 moto scores. Shawn Maff enbeier, who would finish 3rd

Top: You can say a lot about Vince Friese, but you can’t say that this guy doesn’t want to win every time he lines up at the gate.

Bottom: The 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals enjoyed record crowds at each of the ten rounds.

in this year’s championship, had a day that he would probably soon rather forget as he had to battle from far back scoring motos of 7-10 for 7th overall at the finale.

The MX1 battle and title chase would not go beyond moto one as GDR Honda’s Colton Facciotti would finish fourth in the first moto, which would see him fall twice on the last lap. The 18 championship points he would achieve by doing so would secure the 2014 crown and overshadow Mike Alessi’s impressive first moto front end score on a very deeply rutted, soft race surface. Bobby Kiniry would ride one of his best motos of the season finishing a solid second followed by Royal Distributing KTM rider Tyler Medaglia who would score 20 valuable points that gave him a breather in the standings over Leading Edge’s Josh Hill. Hill would crash hard in moto one just before the natural double and end up tallying 17th place moto points putting 3rd in the title hunt for the season out of reach.

Colton would line up for moto two with a similar mindset to his fellow countryman and Motocross of Nations 2014 teammate Benoit and get the lead early and win moto 2 by almost 30 seconds over Mike Alessi, putting an exclamation mark on a season that could not have been scripted any nearer to perfection. It was a hard fought, well deserved victory for the former champ whose last two seasons ended prematurely and left the dedicated veteran on the comeback trail.

Mike Alessi was about 4-5 seconds behind Facciotti

for the first half of the moto, wasn’t able to make up ground and settled for second, knowing he would take home overall win number fi ve for a season that was filled with highs and lows for the 800 bike. Bobby Kiniry would take third in the moto giving him a solid 3rd overall, putting him 7th for 2014 in the points chase.

Tyler Medaglia, who ran 3rd and 4th early in the moto, would suff er a setback placing him 6th in the moto but solidifying the big #3 for the season in a pond that was a few big fish stronger for 2014. Teddy Maier would soldier his way to a fourth place moto score giving him enough points for 5th on the day and that same number to line up with next year should he be back.

As a race fan, I cannot tell you how honoured I have felt to be a part of this great growing movement which is Canadian Pro Motocross. I truly believe the momentum will carry its way through the winter as well as silly season, and by gate drop next year we will have the deepest field in Canadian Moto history. Anybody else looking forward to seeing Cole Thompson line up at a Canadian National?

Congratulations to all who came out, lined up and achieved their marks, or at least now have a to-do list of things to get them to where they hope to be this time next year!

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BY BRENT WORR ALL | PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE

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While the CMRC Women’s West Series raced on harder packed tracks like Nanaimo and Calgary, the Women who signed up for the east rounds got nothing but sand, sand and more sand. The east series was obviously very challenging for the riders, however, despite the tough conditions the racing was superb and the action was intense. Here Brent Worrall tell you his story on how the series in the sand went for the women from the east. was fortunate enough to be involved with the CMRC Eastern Canadian Women’s Nationals with my Canadian Moto Show as a sponsor as well as an advocate. Those who participated on and off the track provided top shelf entertainment for those race fans who were fortunate enough to get a glimpse of this short but awesome series. Doubling up on my participation in the west and teaming up with the girls out east was a new and very rewarding experience. I think I speak for many when mentioning what a brilliant job they did in providing the best representation and on track product imaginable for all those sponsors with whom they were partnered. I had been in contact over the winter months with Sylvain Brodeur in an effort to get a read on what kind of talent the series would be dealing with, when it came to his own daughter, 14 year-old Eve Brodeur, as well as many of the other gals we would possibly see lined up. I also had talks with some of the veterans

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of this series such as Jocelyn Facciotti and Heidi Cooke in an effort to connect their experience with the new blood of the new movement. To put a face and name to that new blood, it was none other than Ottawa’s Leah Clarke who partnered with Sylvain Brodeur, who had grabbed the Eastern Women’s torch and injected an energetic passion that is proving contagious!

Last year this series was owned by Jacqueline Strong who ran the table without leaving a blemish on her perfect score card. Even though there was a last minute effort made to secure her services by the Redemption Racing Team, we would not have her on the line for this year’s title chase. The series did however bring together a diverse, mixed field of riders from veterans to some who are relatively new to the sport. When the gate dropped at Gopher Dunes under cloudy skies and intermittent showers, twenty-six women would charge to the first turn in quest of Canadian Women’s Motocross glory. The leader of

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Left: The three round CMRC Eastern Canadian Women’s Nationals all took place on sand tracks and provided some of the best racing we’ve ever seen.

the 2014 contingent at opening round would be 14 year-old Motovan, Duroy KTM mounted and Quebec native Eve Brodeur who would make an opening round statement with perfect one / one moto scores.

Brodeur would do so however by overcoming a couple of spills that were complicated by the fact that she broke her collarbone only three weeks before this series got underway. Upon meeting up with her and her dad, Sylvain, as well as many other of these great competitors the night before, you could sense the anticipation and uncertainty in each of their demeanours as to how it would all play out. Abby Davignon would improve with her second moto finish, by bettering her first moto of a 4 th, with a 2nd place finish allowing her 4-2 scores to give her the second step on the podium for round one. London’s Kassie Boone who arrived in last minute fashion and I guess the term ‘fashionably late’ applies as she would finish a solid second to Brodeur in moto one but unfortunately have to settle for 7th in moto two.

Kassie’s efforts would give her third overall on the day and would mark her only stop on the abbreviated

schedule. Round one would also see Ottawa’s Allie Argue have a solid first moto by finishing third but a mechanical issue in the second would have her behind the series points hunt’s collective eight ball heading to her home track of San Del Lee. Round two would see the number of steeds saddled up by one as twenty-six ladies would have their radar set on the first turn in their quest to stamp their mark in the 2014 Eastern Canadian Women’s history books while doing so on a well prepared, choppier than usual, San Del Lee circuit.

Once again, the Duroy KTM 150 two-stroke of Brodeur would take her first of what would be a ‘double shot’ in the holeshot department in front of a large, cheering crowd that were entertained trackside. Local girl Allie Argue would make her presence felt in a big way taking the first moto and pocketing 25 championship points in a great effort to overcome her mechanical misfortune in moto two at the Dunes. Abby Davignon would collect 20 points to add to her championship hopes by finishing third in moto one. PR-MX.ca’s Cassandra Belanger would

finish 4th and New York native Abbrielle Tardelli would finish 5th. Moto two would see Eve Brodeur battle hard with Allie Argue and get the best of the moto with a hard fought victory, Argue finishing 2nd in the moto giving her second overall. Third in moto two would belong to Tardelli but would have to settle for fourth on the day as she would fall short of the efforts of Abby Davignon and her 3-4 moto scores.

The podium celebration at Round 2 in Ottawa was low-lighted by the KTM belonging to Alexandra Raymond bursting into flames as the girls gathered to collect their hardware. Quick thinking by Royal Distributing KTM’s JD Haldane’s efforts to grab a nearby fire extinguisher from a concession vendor, which prevented the situation from becoming any worse! Nice work JD! These celebrations at the podium have been a great, rewarding experience not only for the girls doing everything possible to achieve these spots but the exposure given to those partnered up with their series. I would be the first to tell you that I thought it was a step backwards when it was announced that the series would not be held on pro race days but now in hindsight I have changed my view on that drastically. Yes, maybe the crowds are not quite what they would be on pro day but they have increased greatly in the last two years alone.

It is great to see the spotlight solely on the girls, and the structured times, 11:00am and 2:00pm, that the races go off are awesome. Every race fan across the country knows exactly when to tune in to get caught up to speed with the Women’s race day developments. Over and above all of this, the series’ great sponsors are in the spotlight for all to see as these great, action packed, entertaining race days unfold and play out.

Heading into the final round at Deschambault, the series points leader would be 14 year-old Eve Brodeur who would have 19 points on second place Abby Davignon, followed by Allie Argue who would have some 30 plus points to make up to claim the 2014 crown. Fourth seeded heading into the final round would be Abbrielle Tardelli followed by Cassandra Belanger. I would like to make special note of some of the friendships and sportsmanship shared by these girls throughout the series. A lot of them got to know each other a little better, including Abbrielle Tardelli. Her family support connections were not able to make it to the final round so she stayed with the Brodeurs. A very unique experience for both who share the common bond of moto passion, which has no language barrier. I am sure, after their experience and time together, they will look back fondly on what that and this series experience provided them.

The largest gate of the series would drop on the final round in Deschambault, 33 bikes strong, and would contain 2008 Eastern Canadian Women’s National Champ Jacqueline Ross! Great to see Jacqueline back at it as she is a great rider whose experience, like many with her kind of credentials,

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Above: Just like in the West, the East podium saw some pretty cool trophies handed out.

goes a long way towards achieving the kinds of goals all the gals involved with this series are working towards. The recipe for success in motocross and achieving series goals, in my opinion, is a two-fold equation that sees new blood being the lifeblood coupled with the experienced veterans providing a backbone of knowledge and experience. When these two elements partner up in our sport, the biproduct is what we are all after and that is success.

I know this great series will continue to bring more veterans back to it as we all know this passion is very paradoxically Hotel California-like in the respect that ‘we can check out any time we like but we can never leave’.

When the gate dropped on the final round, once again it would be a familiar face with the holeshot in the form of Eve Brodeur and her two-stroke KTM followed by Jacqueline Ross. The two were followed by a very sore Allie Argue who had a spill at the ECAN; running 4th and 5th at the early stage were Abbrielle Tardelli and Kim Normandin. This moto would prove to be very eventful and entertaining as it would see three different leaders as Ross would press Brodeur and get by, as did Argue get by Brodeur. Ross would go down giving the lead to Argue who in turn would get by Argue as a result of a mishap by Allie,

which would see he require medical attention. By moto’s end, it would be series points leader Brodeur solidifying the 2014 title as champion; even with one moto left she could not be caught.

Moto 2 would be won by Ross and also determine who the top five finishers in this great series would be for 2014. Ross would be followed by Eve Brodeur and Abby Davignon, with Tardelli and Kim Normandin rounding out the top five.

This series, being contested on the venues Gopher Dunes, San Del Lee and culminating at the sand based track of Deschambault, would have all involved sand skills by series end. Interesting in the sense that in the west two of the three series venues were hard pack with the only sand-type track being Kamloops, which is a combination but more hard than sand in comparison. I do hope as many of these fierce competitors, along with as many as the gals as possible that competed in the West, will make the effort to get to this year’s Parts Canada Trans Can in Walton. It truly will provide a great deal of on-track action and excitement for all those spectators that will gather the fences of that facility’s fabled grounds. If not, I trust they will follow from home. I am truly honoured that these girls and their families shared with me their experiences, not only as the

host of The Canadian Moto Show but as a fan of Canadian Women’s motocross. No matter what place the score card has them, I assure you each and every one of these girls are winners and they would love to have you teamed up with them moving forward.

Everyone loves a winner so feel free to contact them to partner up for 2015. They can be contacted through their Canadian Women’s Motocross Facebook page or their website www.cdnwmx.com.

Let’s do our part to support their series and keep this incredible momentum going into 2015.

Your top five in points at the conclusion of the CMRC Eastern Canadian Women’s Nationals are: 1. Eve Brodeur 144 2. Abby Davignon 110 3. Abbrielle Tardelli 103 4. Cassandra Belanger 92 5. Alexandra Raymond 80

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IN DAYS

AUGUST THROUGH THE LENS OF JAMES LISSIMORE, WE EXAMINE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS YEAR’S PARTS CANADA WALTON TRANSCAN

BY DANNY BRAULT | PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE

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Walton… what does it mean to you? epending on who you ask, the Parts Canada Walton TransCan means something different to each one of the some 15,000 people who gather together and experience TransCan life every August since 1992.

For many young (and old) amateur racers, Walton is a rare opportunity to compete against their counterparts from other regions of Canada and the US with the entire Canadian moto community crowding the fence lines.

Walton has become a vacation for families and passionate racing enthusiasts who enjoy good competition while spending a week surrounded by others who share the same love for motocross. TransCan organizers are aware of this and make sure to provide engaging activities away from the track as well, with talent shows, Bingo Night, Strider Races and more filling the week.

Then there’s the final group of people who attend Walton every year; not because they’re expecting a big trophy or Bronze Boot at the end of it; they love dirt bikes (and they may or may not swing a leg over a bike at Walton) and being around the scene one last time before the season unofficially wraps up.

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85cc 12-16 riders Tanner Ward (84), Casey Keast (1) and McCoy Brough (53) on top of the Walton TransCan podium.

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DAYS AUGUST With 24 classes full of Canada’s best racers, from 50cc to 450cc and 4 to 75 years-old, racing three motos each over five days, it’s not easy pinning down every highlight from the 2014 Parts Canada Walton TransCan. Our resident photographer James Lissimore has been capturing Walton memories since 2005 and once again has a huge inventory of images to share from 2014.

Here’s a taste of the action from this year’s TransCan. The reason why people attend Walton is as diverse as the provinces making up the event. It doesn’t matter why you come to Walton so as long as you enjoy your stay (and turn off your generators before 11PM!).

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01: Saint John, New Brunswick’s Konnor Long proved he’s the next big thing to come out of the Maritimes, winning an MX3 GP Intermediate moto and earning the Rick Joseph Memorial Award.

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02: Jean-Christophe Bujold is building up speed fast. The young French Canadian won the MX2 Intermediate championship, finished second in MX1 and had it not been for a DNF in the first MX3 moto, may have won that class as well.

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03: Barry Heatherington keeps Walton Raceway in tiptop shape during the TransCan. 04: Mollly Lang is becoming a key player in making the TransCan a success every year, whether it’s running social media pages, organizing award ceremonies or, if need be, hanging a banner.

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Where did he come from? South Slocan, BC’s Jake Sterichert (194) caught everyone off guard when he jumped out front in the Intermediate motos. After winning the MX1 Intermediate championship, there won’t be any problems recognizing Sterichert in the future. Here he leads Alex Jeffery (31), Nick Jones (55) and Kyle Biro (56) into the second corner.

TransCan racers can expect to receive a wide range of track conditions during their week at Walton.

That’s what makes winning a TransCan title so impressive; a rider must be able to adapt quickly and find the best lines before the other guys (or girls).

DAYS AUGUST 01: THE BIG TIME! The wee ones feel like they are heroes at the TransCan when being interviewed by CMRC’s TV corespondent, Ryan Gauld, in front of all their friends, family and fans after each race. Your 50cc 4-6 top three: Mason Tucker (277), Thomas Munro (667) and Jamieson MacDonald (161).

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02: Atlantic Canada’s Damon Burbine (77) won the 65cc 10-11 title with Quebec’s Julien Benek (20) finishing third behind Ontario’s Cameron Wrozyna.

03: Tanner Ward (84), Jake Tricco (527) and Cole Stevens share the lead in a Super Mini start.

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BEST WEEK OF THE YEAR: Junior racer Mackenzie Machan enjoys a breakout ride at the TransCan

ackenzie Machan has many reasons to smile. The 16 year-old teenager from Baden, Ontario has shown speed at the Parts Canada Walton TransCan before but 2014 is a year he won’t soon forget.

After spending his summer training with five-time Walton Amateur Champion (and former Bronze Boot and Rick Joseph Award winner) Kyle Stephens, Machan found his stride and came into his own during this year’s Parts Canada Walton TransCan. “I’ve always looked up to Kyle as a rider. One day he messaged me and said he wanted to help with my racing,” says Mackenzie following his winning week at Walton, which included an MX3 Junior Championship, second-place in MX1 Junior and the Alpinestars

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Bronze Boot and Wiseco Most Improved Rider ‘special awards’.

“It was a big shocker winning those awards, I never imagined it but it felt awesome!” he adds.

Mackenzie’s dad was always around dirt bikes and his uncle began racing, so it wasn’t long before he too found his way onto a two wheeler.

“My first bike was a PW50 at three years-old. Looking back, I think my Dad wishes he never got into racing [laughs]. We really enjoy it; racing has been a great way for our family to spend time together.”

Above: Mackenzie Machan moves up to intermediate after winning a Junior title at TransCan this year.

Machan’s week at Walton was almost perfect as far results go. Racing three classes (MX1, MX2 and MX3 Junior), Machan took three moto wins, four second place finishes, a fourth and one DNF in the first MX2 moto. My rear brake seized up and it kept me from finishing that first MX2 Junior moto.

I still got second in the next two motos but it put me back to 13th overall.”

With a Junior championship plate in hand, Machan now moves up to the Intermediate class and then it’s on to the “Big Leagues” in the Pro class!

“We’re not going to rush things,” says the Yamaha rider when looking ahead.

“I’m going to race Intermediate and take my time getting into the Pro class.

Both my parents and I don’t want me to burn out and there’s no rush.”

Finally, considering his success on a YZ250 two-stroke this summer, it’s no shocker that Machan is going to keep with it going into the Intermediate class. “It’s been a great bike; we went to a two-stroke after my 250F blew up last spring. It works great and we plan to stick with it.

DAYS AUGUST Above: The “old guys” prove they can still go fast! Former (and current pros) Ian Hayden (1), Josh Snider (427), Ryan Lockhart (101), Kyle Thompson (48), Chris Pomeroy (126), and Ryan Gauld (107) battle to the first corner in a Vet Master moto.

Left: Kyle Thompson’s number one fan says “Good job!”

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BY BRENT WORRALL | PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE AND MICHAEL EARLE recently had the opportunity to sit down with my friend, Leading Edge Kawasaki Head Mechanic Pat O’Connor, in an effort to acquaint you all with some of the experiences of his journey as one of Canada’s premier tuners! The likeable Mission, B.C. native and father of three has fine-tuned his way into a place in Canadian Motocross’ modern history books, and heads to each round with a wealth of unique talents and experiences.

There have been many ups and downs over the years, which includes most recently a modern era domination of Canadian motocross with back to back MX1 and MX2 titles with the Leading Edge team in 2012 and 2013. Without any further needed introduction to his recent accomplishments, I was anxious to get to know a little bit more about the man that so stoically stands behind the toolbox.

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MXP: Hey Pat, how long have you been involved in this great sport and how did you get your start?

PO: I have been around motorcycles pretty much my whole life. My Dad was a Harley guy and I was brought up with bikes being a part of my everyday life. I guess as far as motocross goes I have been riding since the early ‘80s and was pretty much full-on by the time I was 13 or 14. Motocross has been the only sport that I have ever been involved in. As far as the wrenching aspect, I had some years under my belt at CR Cycle in Maple Ridge but the shop was not that involved with motocross racing. In 1997, an Abbottsford, B.C. shop called Works Performance, who was supporting multi-time Canadian National Motocross Champion Al Dyck at the time, asked me if I would join their team to help him out. That year we won a Canadian

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title right off the bat. It was kind of a unique experience in hindsight as it was the last championship Al won as he was in the twilight of his career, and that was my first top level achievement at the motocross track as a mechanic.

On the note of championships, you now have been behind quite a few. Tell us about some of them, what they mean to you, and for what reasons?

The CMA title with Al was cool; we ended up winning the 125 class and came up just a couple of points short of Blair Morgan for the 250 title as well in the three moto formatted national championship, which was a weekend event at Aggasiz. From there I continued to tune where I worked for Holeshot for 8 or 9 years. It was not until 2004 when I teamed up with Dusty Klatt and Blackfoot and achieved what I would call another special goal. We won the west title together; it was memorable in the sense that it was my first under the current CMRC regime. Dusty’s Championship in ‘04 was great as he had become a good friend of mine, plus it was his first so that definitely felt good to be part of. Not to take anything away from that victory but it wasn’t quite the same as some of the others I have had since, as I did not really feel as much a part of the team operation as I would have liked.

Dusty was great to work with but the way the operation was run, I didn’t really feel like it was an open arms type of relationship with them. I never really felt a part of the Blackfoot Honda team.

As far as the most memorable or rewarding, I would definitely say it has been the titles with the Leading Edge Monster Kawasaki team. Jason Hughes started the operation in ’08; we didn’t have a

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lot of support that year. Jason and I learned a lot that first year and sacrificed a lot as well due to many variables that were coming up that were new to us. In 2009, we had a lot to overcome to win our first title. It started very early that spring as I built all the bikes in my garage at home in Mission, B.C. I had been working with our 250 rider, Teddy Maier, since 2005, but that year, for the first time, we became a close team. We overcame a ton of stuff that year including some motor issues, which saw a big points lead disappear at Morden. I really put every ounce of my heart and soul into keeping things together that year as well as making many family and personal sacrifices. To see Teddy get that checkered flag at Walton felt like a 400 pound weight being lifted from my body; I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. When he was outfitted with the red plate to do a couple of laps after the race for the photographers, even though it is not really my style I do admit I had a tear or two! As a result of everything we had to overcome and with it being our first year as the Monster Energy Leading Edge team; that win ranks it right up there at the top, for sure!

Your involvement with the team goes beyond the tuning. Tell us about the different hats you wear?

I am under contract to the race team from March 1st to October 15th every year and I pretty much have my hands on everything from the ground up. I am involved hands on with all the sponsors that provide products and services to support our cause that make our bikes the best they can be. The only sponsors I do not deal with are the guys like Kawasaki and Monster as the financial aspect of those sponsors is all Jason’s department. In the spring, I have all the race bikes ready for the guys to come to Kamloops to do testing in April or early May, and the guys are responsible to get themselves here to get prepared for the season. Other than that, as I said, I had my hands on pretty much everything at the Deschambault round this year. I spent the better part of three days underneath the trailer working on the generator helping out the team’s truck driver, Ernie.

You’ve worked with many different riders over your career. What type of relationships or friendships have you established with them, and do you they extend beyond your duties under the tent?

The years with Dusty are very special to me as we started out at Holeshot. I was there 8 or 9 years and spent a lot of time working closely locally before we teamed up with Blackfoot so those years will always be fondly remembered.

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I have worked with a lot of guys and it is not easy to separate them. I have had a great relationship with Teddy. As I said, I started working with him in 2005, plus I did Supercross with him as well. If I didn’t choose to work on the small bikes, there is no reason to think that I still would not be working with him. We work really well together, we’re both very calm cool and relaxed, and we just kind of get it.

Who would you say is the smartest or most methodical rider that has made your job the easiest to date?

It’s tough that you throw that smart thing out there, that’s hard Brent! You know I have to go back to 1997 with Al Dyck. He was super, super picky about jetting his bikes and his set up in general. Other than him, I have been super lucky over the years. I haven’t really had anyone that has made my job tough in that respect.

You know, I think a little about Teddy on this topic only because I have worked with him a lot.

He knows where he wants things to be, like the throttle, clutch, etc., and I get that. Nothing at all out of the ordinary. This year, working with Jeremy has been a new experience as he knows exactly what he wants each weekend set-up wise, and I think I have been doing a good job keeping him happy that way. But you know, in the end I don’t think there is such a thing as a picky guy. I just believe they all know what they want based on what works best for them. All these riders have many years of seasoning and bring their own track smarts.

Being involved with this sport and the riders, do you have any memorable stories you would like to share, or something about the riders you have been involved with?

There was one weekend that sticks out, but it is not something I will remember for something good; it was when Kyle Beaton got hurt; that was tough! I have known Kyle since he was a small kid and have been involved with his family since they started racing. He and I are pretty good friends. It was a very emotional weekend for the whole team as we knew right from the get go that it was not just the type of injury that would just keep him out of the upcoming Arenacross series. We knew it was far worse than that. You knew that weekend deep down that his career was going to take the hit. In my opinion, Kyle Beaton will go down as the fastest, most talented rider in Canadian motocross history to never win a title!

What rounds of the series do you look forward to the most, and where, in your opinion, are the best race fans in Canada?

Man, that’s another tough one because you get such great crowds in the east and in the

“ TO SEE TEDDY GET THAT CHECKERED FLAG AT WALTON FELT LIKE A 400 POUND WEIGHT BEING LIFTED FROM MY BODY; I FELT A HUGE SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT.”

west. My favourite round, being a rider myself, is Gopher Dunes as I spent a lot of time riding the banks of the Fraser River in the sand so I would have to say it is one I really look forward to. Other than that I think the Moncton crowd is really cool and laid back, but at the same time passionate and knowledgeable. There’s usually lots of them cheering on their guys! I would say Moncton is the ‘Red Bud’ of Canadian moto as it is similar to a lot of things there crowd-wise, and the kinds of things that go on. So if I have to pick one I would say the Moncton fans are the best!

Life on the road, being away from home and the travel, what kind of things do you do on the road to keep your mind off the pressures of the job, or is there time for that?

Well, life on the road is almost a year round job for me as I do my best to try to balance

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family and work, which is not easy. I have two full time homes, one of course in Mission and one in Kamloops close to the race shop where I work during the week.

On race weekends I am away and then I try to get a couple of days in mid-week to be with the family and kids in Mission. My three kids are my daughters, Jordan 12 and Kamryn 8, and my son, Nicholas 7. Not only is this tough not getting as much time with them as I would like, but coupled with the obvious physical challenges with the distance and travel is tough as well. On the road, with the flights and airports then checking into the hotel, it leaves absolutely no time. I don’t even enjoy the flights anymore. At 42, my body is starting to feel the toll of everything, and sometimes I guess I just enjoy relaxing and hanging at the truck at the track with Ernie and even bunking up in there! This year I really wanted to get to Niagara Falls but I didn’t get a chance. It seems as soon as I get hooked up with the truck there is always something that keeps

me busy; sometimes maintenance issues with the set up or getting a head start on sorting the guys for the upcoming race weekend with their set up. Walton week is kind of cool to me as I get to unwind and just hang out all week, help out doing this and that as well as enjoying the amateur experience with the dads. I can have a couple of beers with the boys and enjoy that week’s racing. I am pretty much a laid back guy and I do like to keep to myself, but I really do enjoy sharing this great week with my good friends at the track and the new ones that particular week.

We have had some changes this year to the series, sponsorship-wise, as well as the addition of the Allied Promoters Group. Do you think we are on the right track moving forward as far as promoting and growing the sport?

Thanks, another tough one. I was kind of looking forward to the new Allied Promoters thing, thinking

they were going to step up and do something or force the existing body to make some changes or do something different or just wake up and move things forward. Where we are at right now, from what I can see, they haven’t really moved forward at all, we are pretty much right where we were. I know the motorcycle industry is not huge in Canada but we are slowly picking up here in the last couple of years.

It’s good, however, to see some new manufacturers and old ones getting involved again, like Husky. The Troy Lee Honda team with the Gopher Dunes guys is great and it sounds like Suzuki is going to be involved again next year. Personally, in answer to your question, at this moment I don’t think we are any further ahead than we were two years ago. Also, I would like to add that I realize greatness in achieving all of this cannot happen overnight. I believe we just really need to have the people involved be people that really want to be there for the sake of the M O T O C R O S S P E R F O R M A N C E · M X P M A G . C O M 97

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“ BUT YOU KNOW, IN THE END I DON’T THINK THERE IS SUCH A THING AS A PICKY GUY. I JUST BELIEVE THEY ALL KNOW WHAT THEY WANT BASED ON WHAT WORKS BEST FOR THEM. ALL THESE RIDERS HAVE MANY YEARS OF SEASONING AND BRING THEIR OWN TRACK SMARTS.”

future of motocross. I am not sure at this moment if everyone involved fits that category but the ones that are happily involved you see it on the weekends as they have a huge smile on their faces and are pumped to be there; you pick up on it, for sure. The toughest part of this is seeing those who put the effort in, even though they are not making the kind of money the others are, and not getting rewarded for their efforts even though they are always there for the sport. It is tough to see for sure.

The two-stroke rule for the MX2 class; do you think it has been a positive change in the series?

I don’t know so much if it is good for Canadian Motocross as a whole but I do know it is good for KTM and Yamaha as they still make that particular bike. When fans go to a race and see a 250 twostroke win two motos, get a holeshot and check out on the pack, they should be able to parlay that into some type of marketing and sell some bikes. I also believe it would be a good thing if all manufacturers still made that bike as I truly believe it is the best way for most average motocrossers to go for many reasons. Kawasaki is making a 125 for next year and I think that is great even though they did not order any for Canada.

It has been a tough year, to say the least, when gauging it by the previous two years. Your thoughts?

It has been a tough year for sure and that’s just the way it goes sometimes. We have learned a lot again this year, and honestly I am looking forward to it being over. We got a late start with Jeremy and had some mechanical issues, Austin was on point at times but he too would suffer from some of the mechanical issues we had. We just got too far behind too early this year in the small bike chase but we will regroup. It was nice to see Josh Hill get on track towards the end of the series and get a win. He has had to overcome a lot as well. When we spoke of Kyle Beaton earlier, Josh had an injury, although not the same but very similar, and they were considering amputating his leg. So to see him get used to a new set up and fight through and get the win was very rewarding. But as far as this year goes, I will not dwell too much but just move forward with what we have learned, which starts as early as October. These sponsors and industry people will already be getting to work on next season by then so I have to be on it even though I am not under contract through some of those months. If I

called them in March when my contract starts, their budget would be used so needless to say, I have to stay on it around the calendar. Through my years I have developed pretty good relationships with most industry people, and it does help as far as getting everything hooked up.

I couldn’t help but notice at round two in Kamloops, your son Nicholas was there helping out with minor mechanical duties. How would you feel about him following in your footsteps in the future?

Yes, my son Nicholas is very keen when it comes to moto! I’m in it and he’s all about it. He even goes to school in his motocross gear some days. When he gets home he say’s “Dad, let’s call Teddy.” So it is pretty cool as he and Teddy have a bit of a relationship where they talk moto over the phone at times. As far as the wrenching goes, I think I will let him satisfy his desire to ride and see where that goes first. Ultimately it will be up to him as to where he wants to take it but I can say he is more into moto than I have ever been or was as a kid.

The commitment to moto and the team that I have is difficult when it comes to being on the road or working in Kamloops, and not being able to spend as much time with my daughters and my son.

I am going to ask you to look into the crystal ball and give us your thoughts on how long you think you will continue to be part of a team lined up at the national level?

That again is a tough one. I’m getting old and it would be nice to have something a little more secure, and a little extra money would be nice. I have not made money like I would like to since I stopped doing my concrete business; that paid the bills nicely. I can see myself maybe getting back into the concrete business in the near future as I would like to see motocross be a little more secure for me financially. Renting two homes, as I said, is tough financially, and again, being away from the kids is tough too. Let’s just say I still have a few things to figure out and I am not sure once the figuring out is done if motocross, the way I am involved now, is a part of it. But like I said, we will see! Like a racer, I have been taking it one season at a time since 2004. I think that in itself is just the nature of Canadian Moto, not knowing whether or not the team you are with has a deal for next year or whether they even want you back. It all comes down to dough, if they can find someone else to do your job or a better job of it at a better price, you are soon on the outside looking in.

That’s just the nature of the game. That’s just how I feel sometimes but the reality is you’ve got to be prepared for it and enjoy every moment of it.

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ANS INVADE I D A N A C

By Matt Wellumson | Photos by Matt Wellumson

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“ While titles were not won by any of these riders, this time their true Canadian spirit remained strong, and I personally saw some great sportsmanship as well as great potential within all of them. “

or many years now Canadians riders have travelled south to the small town of Hurricane Mills, TN for a chance to race against the top amateur riders from all over the world. The race is held in Loretta Lynn’s backyard and in the motocross community it’s simply known as “Loretta’s”. This summer a young and talented crop of fast Canadian riders made the trek to the Dude Ranch to for a shot at glory. This is their story told by Minnesota native and honorary Canadian Matt Wellumson.

Nestled in a valley nearly an hour west of Nashville lies a dude ranch named after Country Music diva, Loretta Lynn. In the world of Country Western Music, she is an undisputed household name, however within the world of Motocross, it is the national amateur race that bears her name and brings on an instant rush of adrenaline for many. Around the world, a Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National title is quite possibly the most sought after accomplishment for any Amateur in our sport.

While this event is clearly popular within the States, International riders, including Canadians, are no stranger to the ranch. For me, the strongest reminder of this was back in 2011 when Jeremy Martin joined an already stacked 450A Class in hopes of earning a title. Jeremy was a favourite to win the 450A championship that year, and to me, this was almost a given. This was all until the start of his first moto when a talented Canadian, by the name of Cole Thompson, laid down some of the fastest lap times the ranch saw that year, beating out Martin’s best efforts.

Thompson earned two 1st place finishes with Martin only able to take the checkers during Moto 3. The championship went to Thompson, which sent a strong reminder to the new generation of A riders that Canada remains a strong force within this sport.

One of the most stacked classes within the program consists of young riders in the midst of their last step on smaller machines. Collingwood, Ontario’s Jake Tricco found himself in two of these highly competitive classes that featured many of the fastest riders in the world. Jake’s classes were 85cc 9-11 and 85cc 9-11 Limited, both of which he was handily able to finish within the top 10. During Moto #2 of 9-11 Mod, Jake found himself within reach of a podium finish during a hard fought moto, which landed him in 4th at the drop of the checkers. Hopes were high for a top 5 overall in this class, however a rough start and stacked competition kept him just out of reach with a 7th overall in this class; still a respectable 9th overall in his Limited class.

Stepping down a size, Loretta Lynn’s also featured a highly competitive Canadian 65cc rider by the name of Jacob Piccolo. Jacob made his trip down from Abbotsford, BC absolutely

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worthwhile, earning a top 10 spot for 7th overall in 65cc 7-11 and inside the top 15 for his efforts in 65cc 10-11 Limited. During his the second 7-11 moto, he was on fire with an incredible start and a solid effort that put him on the chase for a podium finish. Jacob was on point with the speed of Jett Reynolds (the moto winner) throughout the entire race while both were battling for 2nd and 3rd position behind Hunter Cross. Two laps before the checkers, Cross took an unfortunate turn and fell, which dropped him behind both Jett and Jacob.

With time running out, Jacob Piccolo was able to hold off California’s Hunter Cross to maintain his 2nd place podium finish. It was a stellar race to watch and proof this kid has some champion potential.

Finally, I had the chance to follow one of the classes with the most Canadian riders for this 2014 season, that class being the 51cc 7-8 Limited; Preston Masciangelo was one of the riders within this class. He and his family made the trip down from Brantford, Ontario to join hundreds of other families in making the ranch their home for a week of intense competition.

Like all other riders at this event, Preston first needed to complete the two stages of qualifying

prior to being given his ticket to Loretta’s. Preston qualified 2nd overall during his area qualifier weekend in Byron, Illinois back in May, and later secured a 3rd overall during his regional race at Sunset Ridge, Illinois in June.

Joining Preston in this class were two other Canadians, Tanner Scott from Orillia, Ontario and Ryder McNabb who calls Minnedosa, Manitoba his home. Like all classes, the 51cc riders would compete in a three moto format, and in their case, motos would be 15 minutes plus 2 laps before they saw the checkered flag. Due to the unique nature with which the Loretta Lynn’s National is run, you can almost set your watch to the race schedule, which is made available even before the weekend starts. This is a great asset as the vast size of the ranch, campsites, and overall quantity of 36 competitive classes make it nearly impossible to keep track of the race order by normal methods. On this schedule, it showed these 51cc riders that the gate was scheduled to drop for them on Wednesday morning at 11:30am.

With the tight schedule, 10:30am Wednesday morning was the first time our 51cc riders met for competition; this time in the pre-staging area behind the start gate. During the staging

Manitoba’s Ryder McNabb is very fast and very stylish for a young rider.

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Right: Jacob Piccolo made the long trek to Loretta Lynn’s all the way from BC.

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roll call for their class, the 450A class began picking their gates for their first moto. It was interesting to see the interaction between both classes in staging, 450 riders likely looking back to see how they may have appeared ten years beforehand, while the little riders nearby looked upon their older counterparts for advice and subtle visual clues for gate prep and setup.

As if it was set to a clock, the gate promptly dropped at 11:30am sending off a swarm of 51cc bikes that sounded similar to a swarm of angry hornets on the attack. The unmistakable scent of two-stroke filled the air as our riders made it into the first set of turns at Loretta Lynn’s. For their first moto, our Canadian riders found themselves spread throughout the field by the first lap of the moto. After holding onto 2nd for most of the race, McNabb landed himself into 3rd after crossing the checkers, Masciangelo was in 22nd, and after some issues in his moto Scott found himself in 41st at the finish of the race. The closure of Wednesday’s race would lead directly into their second moto, which was to be held Thursday morning.

At the drop of the gate for Moto 2, it was McNabb again with another good start, putting him into 5th which he held until the second to last lap when he made a strong pass to secure 4th. Preston Masciangelo made things happen during his moto to secure two more positions for 20th. Consistency for Tanner Scott was thankfully not achieved, he was fortunately able to flip his week around and improved seventeen positions to finish out moto two in 24th. It was clear these riders are all out to make a name for themselves, and even at this young age, they took this competition quite seriously.

The Canadian 51cc team now had two solid motos under their belts, yet unlike a normal Sunday race, their week of racing was far from over. With many riders in other classes already packing up to head home (for some, even before their final moto), our three competitors stuck to their guns and dove into Moto #3 in hotter temperatures with even more determination.

Race three was likely the most dramatic of all for these riders with more change and heartbreak incorporated into it than any of their prior races. Ryder McNabb had the strongest chance for earning a top 3 in the championship, and you could tell he knew this going into the final moto. From the start, Ryder was fighting for 2nd place after a great start. For Masciangelo, he pressed even harder than before by working to show some of that speed that pulled him through the hard fought qualifiers that gave him his original ticket to Loretta Lynn’s. With his newfound confidence, Masciangelo moved his battle away from the top 20, now deeply into the top 10. Not to be left

Top Left: Masciangelo and his dad wait for the start.

Top Right: Tanner Scott drifts through a Loretta’s corner.

Right: Ryder McNabb shows perfect elbows-up style.

out, Tanner Scott also raised the peg and set his sights within the top 20 in hopes of achieving his best finish of the week as well.

With the stage set and their final moto underway, all we could do was watch as the story of this final competition played out.

Mid-way through the race, Ryder McNabb faced extremely tough competition from Noah Geyer and his 2nd place position was in jeopardy with only three laps to go. While he was working to earn back his hard fought 2nd, McNabb cross rutted badly enough that he almost went off the track in a bowl turn that claimed many riders throughout the competition. Ryder was out for what must have felt like an eternity, which set him back into a position near the back of the pack. Sadly, Ryder’s final moto was plagued with further problems that would set him back in 31st, giving him 7th overall. Masciangelo

continued to put forward hard work and secured 9th in his final moto with the same type of drive also happening for Scott who had his best event finish, a solid 19th. Overall, McNabb would end up 7th, Masciangelo 17th, and Scott 29th.

While titles were not won by any of these riders, this time their true Canadian spirit remained strong, and I personally saw some great sportsmanship as well as great potential within all of them. They show the same drive and determination that riders twice their age often fail to bring and I expect that one if not more of these guys will end up with a National title, especially if they keep at it. I can only hope that we see them all back in 2015, as well as many more Canadian riders, to help prove to everyone that Loretta Lynn’s is a place for all riders in North America that want to earn a national title.

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APERTURE PRIORITY - THE JAMES LISSIMORE STORY

ABOUT JAMES LISSIMORE

MAN OF MANY HATS: James Lissimore loves to catch every angle of Canadian motocross, whether it’s an interesting perspective of Colton Facciotti (45) grabbing a holeshot in Ulverton, QC or rising with the morning fog and dew at Walton Raceway.

James Lissimore says every August that he’s giving up following the entire Canadian National Motocross series. And then every June, there he is, back to where he belongs, capturing highlights of the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals from Nanaimo, BC to Moncton, NB and then back to Walton, ON. A working privateer of sorts in the photography world, Lissimore has become a staple at the races, combining his passion for photography and motocross into a good little summer business for himself.

Born and bred in Mission, British Columbia, Lissimore never really had a formal birth to photography; it was something that just happened.

“I always loved having a camera in my hand, no matter where I went,” he remembers. “My Dad owned an old Minolta camera and I played around with it as a kid.”

After purchasing a new (well, new to him) Toyota

Tacoma, Lissimore took what he had left and bought his first camera. “I took some spare cash after I bought the truck and found this used Nikon DSLR. I started shooting a lot of landscapes and outdoors, and then I’d shoot Tuesday Night Motos at Mission Raceway near my house.”

The year things really started rolling for the now 33 year-old was in 2005 when he covered the opening western rounds and then flew out east for his first ever Walton TransCan experience.

“Allison Kennedy played a big role in helping me get to where I am today,” he notes on some of his biggest influences in Canadian moto and photography. “She always pushed for me, and still to this day I rely on her for support and to run ideas by. She’s a great friend and professional, for sure.”

After beginning his professional career with Racer X Canada then moving on to DirectMotocross.com and Inside Motocross, Lissimore now shoots for a

handful of clients including MXP magazine and many of the Canadian race teams.

It would seem easy to carry a camera around the racetrack, spotting something cool and then pushing a button to record the moment. A monkey could do it, right? Yes and no.

There’s a reason shooters like Lissimore have earned contracts with top magazines in Canada and the US, and hired for photo shoots with KTM, Kawasaki and Yamaha - it’s because they take it serious and know the art of taking great photos.

Digital cameras have made it much easier for the majority to take good pics, but subconsciously to viewers and readers they are naturally inclined to keep going back to whatever medium produces the best looking content. “It helped to learn in the film era, how to expose film properly,” says Lissimore. “It took a bit of time to learn the process of exposing film; there’s no room for error. It made

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Number of photos taken of Canadian moto: 300,000

Favourite Band: Pennywise

Top 3 BC Riders Ever: Colton Facciotti, Dusty Klatt and Al Dyck

Favourite camera + lens combo: D600 with a 300mm lens

Advice to other shooters: “Always look for the light, clean backgrounds, and peak action.”

CANADIAN MOTO ARCHIVE: Curious to see what exactly Lissimore captured at every round of the Canadian Nationals, Walton TransCan and some international events? Punch in www.lissimorephoto.com to view thousands of the best images from the last 10 years of Canadian moto!

me a better digital photographer. Digital has kind of ruined the fun because you see instantly what you shot. With film, you have to wait until you get home to see what you captured. There was a surprise to it and that was fun.”

Canadian motocross is an amazing spectacle and deserves to be photographed at a high level. We’re lucky to have James and many other professional photographers who fit Canadian moto into their schedule every year. It’s not a high paying or glamourous job and there are a lot of hours involved between shooting, editing, sharing, maintaining equipment, and then working with every cent to make it financially sensible to follow the entire series.

With the 2014 Nationals in the books, Lissimore has now followed every national series since 2006. “I did half of the races in 2005, and then have covered every single national since then, except for three,” says Lissimore. Whether it’s bunking with racer

buddies like BC’s Kyle Beaton and Mike Smith, road tripping in a beat-up gas-sipper, or if he’s lucky, flying to and from a round, Lissimore has experienced it all while chasing the Canadian Nationals.

In the off-season and between Canadian events, Lissimore travels to US motocross and supercross races and he’s had the chance to shoot at many of the ‘secret’ supercross training facilities.

“Shooting in Cainville, Utah was pretty amazing,” recalls Lissimore on some of the coolest locations he’s filmed at. “Shooting on the stage at the Calgary Stampede was pretty cool, with FMX riders jumping over all the dancers and performers, and then shooting at Chad Reed’s and Ryan Villopoto’s in Florida was cool just for the facilities and who was there.”

What is his worst shooting location? “Montreal Supercross,” he says. “Olympic Stadium had terrible lighting.”

For those you who enjoy photography as a hobby,

this is a hint: keep at it because you never know where snapping pictures could take you, no matter your passion.

Most who work and follow the Canadian Nationals experience a burnout come Walton, and Lissimore is no different. He and his shutter-finger get worn down after 10 rounds of racing and putting thousands of kilometres on the road. How does he think 2014 went for him and the series? “It was a good year, for sure,” he says. “Last year, I tried to do much, shooting photos and video, but this summer I focused on taking pictures. That’s my favourite of the two so it worked out well. Everyone seems happy with my images and now I’m looking forward to some time off with my girlfriend, Jen.” Of course, like every year, it won’t be long before Lissimore packs up and heads south to catch the opening round of AMA Supercross in Anaheim!

Thanks again for providing us with some amazing shots of Canadian motocross, James.

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E VO LVED N UT RIT ION

A SU M M E R OF HARD WORK

XP! MXP! MXP! What a great season of racing; there were battles everywhere you looked!! I was at Walton and it was great to see the series ending race but it was also anti-climactic in the fact that with the racing being as it was I was wishing there were another ten rounds.

Looking back at this summer, I’m extremely proud of how all the Evolved athletes did. Bobby Kiniry started the season off on a little bit of a low, but in typical Bob fashion, though, he smiled and kept working away at it, winning the mud moto in Regina and hitting the box almost every round after that.

Having worked with Bob closely for a while, I can honestly say that he wasn’t happy with the season overall but that won’t slow him down. He will take a week or so off to go fishing and be back at riding and training and pushing harder than ever!! Dominique Daffe had a strong finish in the CMRC Western Canadian Women’s Nationals, finishing sixth overall.

To see her smile after the final round, reaping the glory after all the hard work was a proud moment!!

She’ll be working hard over the winter and I can bet money you’ll see her on the line next summer looking to trade up on the sixth overall!

Jared Petruska: what can I say about this young man? He is a warrior, hard-working and humble!! He worked hard over the winter, held a full time job as a welder, trained and had a chance to head south to get some riding in Cali done before heading to Nanaimo to start the season. Jared has never made it through a season without a major injury sidelining him, and the goal at the start was to get through the season injury free. As the season went on Jared found a new gear, to the point that he double classed it one round, scoring points in all four motos!!! Jared now knows

M

“SOME OF THE RIDERS THAT WERE PART OF THE MP ACADEMY PROGRAM ARE JAKE AND LUKE TRICCO, CARTER AND AUSTIN TREMBLAY, BLAKE TAYLOR, AND COREY SULLIVAN TO NAME A FEW.”

WITH DREW ROBERTSON PHOTO BY NICK HILL

he can race with the top guys in the sport and he will use that confidence to fuel his training over the winter and come back stronger next season!!

One of the programs that has been a true source of pride for me is the Motopark Academy program.

This program combines on-bike work with off-bike conditioning, both mentally and physically. I have been working with the program now for four years.

I fly out late June, early July, meet with the group of athletes and spend a week developing an off-bike program that works with their on-bike work. The on-bike program is run by Iain Hayden and Zeb Dennis, both incredible riders with tons of experience who have a great way of teaching as both can get on a bike and lay down a very fast lap time!! This past summer we saw some great riders come into the program, plus some of the athletes we had in the past years returned. I’d like to thank all of the athletes in the program for their hard work and wish them continued success over the winter.

Some of the riders that were part of the MP academy program are Jake and Luke Tricco, Carter and Austin Tremblay, Blake Taylor, and Corey Sullivan to name a few. If you’re looking for an allencompassing program, make sure to check out the Motopark Academy program. It will definitely help you take it to the next level in racing!!In closing I would like to congratulate a long-time friend of mine, “the Newf’ on his Walton championship. I hope to get out to a few arenacross races this winter and watch you kill it there as well!!

Make sure to stop by www.evolvedconditioning. com and check out our programs and the new services we are going to be releasing soon. Till next time, train smart, train hard, eat well and have the courage to recover!!

112 M O T O C R O S S P E R F O R M A N C E · M X P M A G . C O M

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O N T HE CUT TING ROOM FLO O R

WO W, WHAT A FI NI S H…

WITH MARC TR AVERS PHOTO BY JAMES LISSIMORE

t has been a week and a bit since we wrapped up the tenth and final round of the 2014 Pro racing season here in Canada, and what a season it was. I must say, going in I wasn’t sure what to expect but I suppose I was pleasantly surprised. Sometimes you have to temper your expectations so as not to get let down. On paper the season looked like it was shaping up to be the best one in quite a while. How would Alessi do? Would Colt stay healthy? Would Tyler get back up to form? Would Bobby finally get to the top of the box? How was Chisholm going to be? What about Ted Maier? Well, all of the questions now have answers of course but it was a treat for all of us to watch it unfold, and this was just the MX1 Class. As far as MX2 goes, I truly believe this was the most competitive MX2 class we have watched race in quite a while. With six different moto winners, you knew the top five speed was as good as we have seen in a long time.

I

MOTOS OF THE YEAR…

Of course with a total of 20 motos per class, the options for Motos of the Year (for me of course) were many, so I am going to go for my favourite for each class.

MX2

MX1

ROUND 3 – CALGARY - MX2 MOTO 2 Simply put, an atom bomb of a moto. Topher holeshots (getting the RD Triple Crown) and the five-way battle for the lead goes for seven or eight laps. Friese is your eventual winner but Wentland would have had him if not for lappers.

ROUND 9 – MX1 MOTO 2 Sure, I have a soft spot for both Medaglia brothers, they’re kind of like family, so when Tyler won his career-first MX1 moto, how could I not be excited, but the battling up to the win including the Colt stall and the Chisholm charge, perfect!

(IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)

“ As far as MX2 goes, I truly believe this was the most competitive MX2 class we have watched race in quite a while. WITH SIX DIFFERENT MOTO WINNERS, YOU KNEW THE TOP FIVE SPEED WAS AS GOOD AS WE HAVE SEEN IN A LONG TIME.”

ROUND 9 – ULVERTON – MX2 MOTO 2 We all know what happened, the cap had to blow at some time, but to be honest it wasn’t even about the Benoit/Friese business that made that moto one of my favourites. I think it was more about how amazing Maffenbeier rode that day, and in that moto especially. Had Friese not block passed the hell out of Benoit, Little Muff may not have won, but my, was he on it that day. That track…oh, that track…

ROUND 1 – NANAIMO – MX2 MOTO 1 What a way to start off the season. Benoit and Maffenbeier bang bars for the first half then Wentland gets on the gas and eventually finishes in second thanks to L’il Muff’s last corner stall. Again, Nanaimo will never be anybody’s favourite track but the racing is always good.

(IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)

ROUND 2 – MX1 MOTO 2 Colt sealed the deal for me that day.

I know there was some question about a shock issue on the 800 machine, but I firmly believe Colt was going to win anyway.

He was just faster that day, pure and simple.

ROUND 3 – MX1 MOTO 2 We all know Mike Alessi is a world class rider and we had seen his speed in the five motos previous to this one, but going from last to 7th in one lap, then systematically cutting the balance of the field to shreds was truly a sight to see. He even dismissed the eventual champion on his way to the second moto win. I know that one had the GDR team nervous.

#800…

I said it to Mike’s face at the end of the series, so there is no denying it, Mike is one of the classiest motocrossers I have ever met. You can say what you want about his history, his team, his brother, whatever, but I always take people for how they treat me, not what their reputation is. Even though he may be a great actor, Mike is a great guy. I look forward to the #800, now #2, racing up here again in 2015, hopefully on the line with Metty, Goerke, Yotes, Hill, Tyler, BK…wow, we can only dream.

IN CLOSING, THANKS…

As always, for my last paragraph of the summer, I need to send out some props. First off to the CMRC crew of Wendy, Lisa, Sue, “Sir” Paul and Daryl, you guys are a hard working “Count on” crew. I wouldn’t want to start a Sunday without you. To Ross Thompson of Rockstar, for all of your hard work on the track this summer, it did not go unnoticed. To the Grand Poo-Pah, your willingness to reinvest and to push forward is making a difference. To Rob Hill, Boobs, Johnny L., Colin and the whole Hill’s crew, awesome dedication to excellence as per usual. And finally, to my home boys, Fabs and Gauldy, Fabs, your solo live call this summer was out of this world. There may be no match for one guy calling one race. Your enthusiasm and performance are unmatched. Then you and Genus for the live track announcing and motoshow call was even better. I look forward to listening to the two of you next year. And finally, to the Greyhound, you never cease to amaze me. Your dedication to the sport is unrivaled. You are a leader among men. Good luck in Latvia! Travers out!

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