15 05 MXP Magazine

CANADA’S SOURCE FOR MOTOCROSS AND OFF-ROAD

COLE THOMPSON

OUT OF THE SHADOWS MAKING THE NEXT STEP TO BECOME A SUPERSTAR IN OUR SPORT

THE EVE BRODEUR STORY

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M O T O C R O S S P E R F O R M A N C E // V O L U M E 1 5 , I S S U E 5

MX P C O N T E N T S

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C OV E R S T O RY: C O L E T H O M P S O N MXP takes a look at Cole Thompson’s amazing comeback this past season from his serious knee injury, as well as what the future might hold for this young star.

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THE FR ANKFIT TR AINING FA C I L I T Y With the demands on our young riders being greater than ever, training facilities like Frankfit are making sure they’re as fit as they need to be.

P L AY I N G INDOORS We profile both the long running Future West Moto AX Championships, as well and the all-new Canadian AX Tour.

THE EVE B RO D E U R S TO RY Andy White gives us an in-depth look at Quebec’s female superstar, Eve Broduer, who is coming off what was almost a perfect season.

THE THRILLA AT T H E D I L L A Our resident historian Mike McGill goes back in time and tells the story of Team Canada at the 1987 MX des Nations in Unadilla.

PEAC E RIVER MOTOCROSS Brent Worrall travels to the northern part of British Columbia to get some good old fashioned Peace River hospitality.

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MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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COLUMNS 28

FA M O U S L A S T W O R D S

BY C H R I S P O M E R OY

You Just Need To Focus

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GUEST COLUMN W I T H R YA N L O C K H A R T

For the Love of the Game

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UPSHIFT

BY B R I A N KO S T E R

Maybe Next Year

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INSIDE LINE W I T H A N DY W H I T E

Sponsorship 101

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E V O LV E D N U T R I T I O N

BY D R E W R O B E R T S O N

Body Breakdown

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FROM THE DESK OF M A R K S TA L LY B R A S S

We Should Have Been There

SPECIALS 14

EXPOSED

24

CAUGHT ON CA MER A

48 T WO -STROKES VS. FO U R-STRO K ES Danny Brault digs deep into the argument about whether twostrokes should be allowed to race in the MX2 class at the Nationals.

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POST CARDS FROM FR ANCE Even though Team Canada sadly did not send a team to the 2015 MXoNs, that didn’t stop Stally and Kinger from heading overseas to take in the festivities.

FIRST RIDE: T H E 2 016 H U S Q VA R N A S Back in August, Palms travelled down to DC to test ride the all-new 2016 Husqvarna MX fleet at the famous Budds Creek track.

ONE ON ONE W I T H T R AV I S PA S T R A N A With the new North American Nitro Circus Live Tour in full swing, Palms sits down with Travis Pastrana to get his thoughts on just how massive this spectacle has become.

2 016 K L I M R AC E GEAR Steve Shannon puts the all-new 2016 Klim Race Gear through its paces and gives us his feedback.

YO U N G AND THE RISE: CASEY KEAST With Casey Keast now on the comeback trail, Brent Worrall takes a look at what might be next for one of Canada’s top up and coming riders.

MXPMAG.COM · MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE

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CMRC MOTOCROSS PRO NATIONAL series Congrats to all our fxr mx athletes for a great season of racing that’s a wrap 2015

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MX101

2ND OVERALL MX2 CLASS

JIMMY DECOTIS 6TH OVERALL MX2 CLASS DYLAN WRIGHT

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THROWBACK T H U R S D AY Photo by James Lissimore

EXPOSED Back in 2006 the Canadian MX landscape changed. That was the year Dusty Klatt (#9) finally dethroned five-time MX1 Champion JSR (#1).

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RIDING THE RAILS Photo by Red Bull Photo Files

EXPOSED In September, the Red Bull Rocks and Logs used the same Calgary skyline as the backdrop of their 2015 event.

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STRAIGHT AHEAD Photo by Red Bull Photo Files

EXPOSED For the second year in a row the Red Bull Straight Rhythm attracted some of the sport’s top riders. Here, former teammates Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen keep their eyes focused ahead.

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CANADIAN MOTO SHOW

STARRING

Brent Worrall

the chair on the air Wednesday Nights, 6pm www.canadianmotoshow.com

MXP MAGAZINE

THE

MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE VOLUME 15 ISSUE 5

FOR SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES CALL SUBSCRIPTIONS: 416-635-MXP1 PUBLISHER: Charles Stancer/Mark Stallybrass V.P. OF SALES AND MARKETING: Charles Stancer EDITOR: Chris Pomeroy SALES MANAGER: Al Jaggard SENIOR WRITERS: Brian Koster, Brent Worrall STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: James Lissimore

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Mike McGill, Brent Worrall, James Lissimore, Craig Stevenson, Drew Robertson, Brian Koster, Bobby Kiniry, Danny Brault, Virgil Knapp, Leticia Cline, Andy White CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Virgil Knapp, Randy Wiebe, David Pinkman, Clayton Racicot, James Lissimore, Steve Dutcheshen, Frank Hoppen, Bill Petro, Matt Wellumson, Dan Stenning, Tyler Spikman COVER PHOTO: James Lissimore

MXP has the exclusive rights to the CMRC’s mailing list of racing license holders. Every CMRC license holder from coast to coast receives and reads each issue of MXP. In addition to this exclusive list of readers, we are partnered with several motocross and offroad enthusiast organizations across the country.

TEL: 416-633-1202 Email: charles@mxpmag.com Online: www.mxpmag.com

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Canadian Publications Mail Products Sales Agreement# 41831514 MX PERFORMANCE is published 7 times per year Canadian Postmaster: SEND ADDRESS CORRECTIONS TO: PO BOX 171 STOUFFVILLE, ONTARIO L4A 7Z5 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: (1 YEAR) CANADA $15.00CDN., U.S.A. $20.00US 416-635-MXP1

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MX PERFORMANCE IS PRINTED IN CANADA

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DEFY FOCUS PHOTOGRAPHY Metal Mulisha_15.05.indd 1

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Left: Bobby K gets some holeshot advice from his daughter in L-town.

Right: Even ‘Street Bike Tommy’ got a kick out of the Nitro show.

Left: The 50cc kids look to make friends with the 30 second girl in Armstrong.

Right: ‘Airmail’ keeps an eye on the action in Armstrong

Left: Moments before his long awaited return to performing, Bruce Cook was extremely focused.

Far Left: When you’re the face of the tour, you spend a lot of time talking to the press.

Left: Nathan Bles ponders his newfound indoor skills.

Right: The Seven Deuce Deuce does his best Gauldy impersonation at the opening round.

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Above: Dylan Wright was all smiles during his first Arenacross.

Above: It was great to see some new faces racing AX in Canada.

Right: Chris Blose takes his AX racing very seriously.

Below: Yes, that is a bath tub on wheels.

Bottom Right: Obviously, he’s not a Blue Jays fan.

Below: Travis really blew up Toronto with his Nitro Circus Live Show.

WE WANT YOUR PHOTOS!

CAUGHT ON CAMERA

P HO T O S BY JA ME S L IS S IMOR E A ND M X P S TA F F

Send your pictures via Facebook or hashtag your photos on Twitter or Instagram with #MXPCaughtonCamera and you could see your photos in an upcoming issue!

MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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Above: When the lights come on and the show is over, Travis goes back to being just a cool Dad.

Right: Chloe gives Cole a massage before the main event in London.

Above: Brad Nauditt was happy to be back on Canadian soil.

Below: It’s great to see the Monster girls back in Canada.

Bottom Left: A busted up Jolene Van Vugt waves to her hometown fans.

Bottom Right: Looks like Metty just told Jason Hughes that he won’t be returning in 2016.

WE WANT YOUR PHOTOS!

CAUGHT ON CAMERA

P HO T O S BY JA ME S L IS S IMOR E A ND M X P S TA F F

Send your pictures via Facebook or hashtag your photos on Twitter or Instagram with #MXPCaughtonCamera and you could see your photos in an upcoming issue!

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MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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VICTORY BECOMES NATURAL An instinct is a natural habit formed over time.

Winning has become a habit for Ryan Dungey in 2015, where he stepped onto the podium to collect both 450 SX & MX titles in the Instinct boot.

A boot bred for performance will naturally find its way to the top.

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FA M O US L A S T WO R DS W I T H C H R I S P O M EROY

YO U J U S T N E E D TO FOCUS

s I sit here in my office to scribe my Editor’s Column for this issue, I can look out the window and see, one by one, the bright orange leaves falling off the trees. At the same time, I’m thinking about the stories that we have for you in this issue of MXP Magazine. Together, it makes me wonder where the last five or six months went. This summer was definitely a fast moving train of races, events and just plain old motocross fun for this guy, and it feels like just yesterday that I was standing under the hot Kamloops sun wondering what the summer of 2015 had in store. Well, it was a wild ride as I was fortunate enough to witness some pretty special performances from our pro and amateur riders.

At each National that I attended this past season, I would always make a point to hang around the staging area as the Pro riders prepared for their motos. At most tracks of the Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals, fans can also get in close proximity of the riders, and you can always hear a few shouting ‘good luck’ to their favourite rider. One of the interesting things that I take note of is the varying personalities of our star riders. Some are relaxed and talkative, while others keep to themselves as the minutes wind down before their impending battle. You can always tell a lot by a rider’s face as they’re sitting on their bikes in the staging area. Are they nervous? Are they scared? Are they just excited about the moto ahead? Or, are they all of the above? I guarantee that regardless of whether these riders are sitting on their bikes alone with only their thoughts, or walking around chatting with their fellow riders, every single one of them is focused on what lies ahead. If they’re not then they are in big trouble!

I believe (and I preach it to any rider that takes the time to listen to me) that you need to really try and get focused, or be in the zone prior the start of each moto. Whether you’re Brett Metcalfe or a 5-year-old lining up for a 50cc race, clearing your head and getting your thoughts together is

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HOLESHOT1 MEDIA

“As long as you feel like you’re ready to go racing once the gate drops, how you get to that point is inconsequential.” imperative if you seek any type of success. Some riders use music to get ready; if that works for you then great! How many times have you been doing something completely unrelated to riding, and then you hear a certain song and instantly you feel like you’re sitting behind a starting gate?

Even to this day, as an aging Vet rider, I use the mental technique of riding a lap of the track in my head prior to the start of my motos. I’ll think about which lines I’m going to take if I holeshot or where I might try to make passes if I don’t. I know this is not for everyone, however I feel it not only gets me focused, but it also helps me relax and prepare for what’s to come.

All summer, and most recently at the opening rounds of the Canadian National AX Tour, I’ve paid a close eye to this month’s Cover Boy Cole Thompson on how he prepares for his races. Cole is ultra-

focused as he gets ready to race. In fact, I think a bomb could go off and he probably wouldn’t notice. Off the track, Cole seems like a quiet kid by nature, so maybe his way of focusing just goes along with how he is as a person. In most cases this is how it works and each rider must find what works for them. As long as you feel like you’re ready to go racing once the gate drops, how you get to that point is inconsequential.

I really hope everyone enjoys this issue of MXP. With a variety of stories about this year’s MXoN, the 1987 MX des Nations in Unadilla, as well as an informative look at the two Arenacross series currently taking place in Canada, there is a lot of good reading.

As the 2016 season winds down, I hope everyone had a safe summer of riding and I hope you have a relaxing off-season. Now, let’s all get focused for next year, it will be here before we know it.

MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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G U E S T C O L U M N W I T H R YA N L O C K H A R T

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME often get asked the question, “You’re still racing?” or “Why are you still doing this?” I guess I ask myself the same questions sometimes. Growing up all I could think or dream about was racing dirt bikes, becoming a pro and winning championships. As I started to progress through the ranks and see that my dream could become a reality, I figured I had it made. There I was, 15-years-old, parents supporting me, teams wanting me, magazines doing interviews, I had made it... hahaha. Boy did I get a wake-up call. That 1999 season was a great one for me. I was getting top ten finishes and the odd top five in the Nationals, and all of this came easily to me. In my mind, I figured that moving into the 2000 season, I would be able to hit the podium.

Motocross in Canada changed big time in 2000. Riders hired trainers, Americans wanted a piece of the glory and teams were spending big money to win. I quickly realized that natural talent and kid power could only get me so far in this sport and it was time to get the running shoes on and get to work. Well, there was one problem; as quickly as I realized that talent wasn’t going to carry me through this sport, I realized that training and getting in shape was hard and I didn’t like it at all. I struggled through that season and ended up having my series cut short due to an injured ACL, which, looking back, was probably a good thing. I was out there wasting gas with no confidence at all and it was time to get back to the drawing board.

Throughout the next eight seasons my career was a mixed bag of podiums, followed by wins, followed by injuries. I truly felt like there were a few years where I could have won a lot more races, but it just never happened due to my conditioning and work ethic. As I got older I slowly figured out what needed to be done. I was always very lucky to have great people to help me and be somewhat of a mentor (Mike Treadwell, Palms, Blair Morgan). It was always the same old story, “Newf, you need to train harder,” and my response was, “I’m good, I have been training for a month leading up to the nationals.”

In the winter of 2008/2009 my life changed; I got hurt really badly in California. As much as it hurt me inside to say that it was time to let the dream go, my parents were tired of supporting me and I was tired of trying to find deals; it was time to figure out what to do in life and start thinking about the future. Fast forward to the winter of 2012 and my old rival Kyle Keast called me up and asked me if I would be interested in

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“What a lot of people didn’t realize is even though Kyle had hired me to help him, he was actually helping me. I was actually learning what hard work and dedication was.” being his mechanic for the season. At the time he had a great deal with Yamaha and was really trying to take his program to the next level. Talk about two opposites working together – Keast, the hard working, never-give-up rider, and myself, the more naturally talented, smooth rider. Who would have thought?

However, the team worked and we made a great team. Kyle listened to me and we were on track to having a great season. What a lot of people didn’t realize is even though Kyle had hired me to help him, he was actually helping me. I was actually learning what hard work and dedication was; sacrifice, pain and what it took to get something that you really wanted.

Unfortunately, Kyle’s season was cut short due to a broken femur at Round 2 of the nationals in Kamloops. Now folks, this is when everything started to make sense for me!

John Nelson and the guys from Yamaha had a crazy idea that I should ride Kyle’s bikes for the last half of the nationals, since the program

was already in place and things were paid for. My first thought was, “Guys, let’s get serious here, I haven’t really raced since 2008, let alone done anything physically demanding”. After giving it some thought and with the encouragement of John Nelson, I decided to roll the dice and give it a go. I basically went from being a full blown mechanic and riding coach to holeshotting the Gopher Dunes National five weeks later in the MX1 class. I was back at it and I’d finally realized what hard work and dedication was, albeit twelve years later.

I really have to thank Kyle Keast and John Nelson for what they did for me that year. Since then I have not stopped riding or racing. I’m not at the same level as I was when I was 16, but I truly appreciate this sport for what it has done for me and where it has taken me. Setting goals and achieving them is what I love about racing. It took me a long time to figure that out, but at the end of the day I finally realized why I still do this crazy sport.

MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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PHOTO : JESSE L FOKUS PHOTO RIDER: JEAN-CHRISTOPHE “BUZZ” BUJOLD

CONCEIVED WITH A FOCUS ON ZOXHELMETS.COM

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U P S H I F T W I T H B R I A N KOS T E R W I T H B R I A N KO S T ER

M AYBE NEXT YEAR

t’s hard to be not only furious but very concerned that Canada did not play a part in this season’s Motocross of Nations. After last year’s successful effort it seemed a no brainer that Canada would field a team this year and continue to chase the dream. Even without Canada there in France, the event was an amazing spectacle and was something to keep fans celebrating the great sport of motocross. Closer to home, it’s nice to see the addition of another arenacross series to help keep our pro riders making money and to give the fans another venue to spectate. It’s also nice to be able to watch the Red Bull Straight Rhythm and the upcoming (as of this writing) Monster Cup in Vegas. And the weekend after the Canadian Nationals ended, a handful of our most talented riders ventured south of the border to race the final US National with surprising results.

Concerning the MXoN, every year Canadians never really know where we will stand. Will we have an “A” team of our very best on their own equipment, staying at nice hotels, or will we have a “B” team on borrowed bikes with riders sleeping under the stars? This question is getting so damn old I am getting sick to death of it! My anger and frustration is usually pointed squarely at one person and one entity. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can practically hear all those old, staunch fuddy duddies and members moaning and groaning already, but just go ahead and look in the mirror and you will see exactly what is wrong. For an organization that has done literally nothing productive for the growth of our sport within Canada for the last twenty years or so, it is beyond me how they can have any bearing on our international presence.

This person and these people should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. What a joke it is but the whole Canadian motocross community isn’t laughing. This is all about an old grudge and one sore loser…and the key word here is Loser!

But we know all about this stupid situation and

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“At one time, Canada hosted World Grand Prix races and there is no reason why we should not be able to host such events again.” clearly there is no progress or discussion going on to remedy the situation. It is a stalemate and our country’s nationalism and pride are simple victims to an out of control scenario. My anger and dislike is now also pointed towards the FIM. They know full well what the score is here in Canada but choose to fully ignore it. At one time, Canada hosted World Grand Prix races and there is no reason why we should not be able to host such events again. The GPs go to some really strange, out of the way places that do not have a recognized, televised and followed National Motocross series like we do here at home.

It is so obviously wrong what is going on here but it seems to be just like a dog chasing its own tail…you go around and around but nothing gets accomplished. These FIM bigwigs are so concerned with other things, which amongst one is making money that the issue of right and wrong has lost all meaning or care. Yes, we are a small country but we have big things to offer and one day, if not already, our riders will be among the world’s most respected moto athletes. In the meantime, they can enjoy there little “love in” with the FIM at the expense of our Canadian race fans, riders and our Nation’s pride. I hope the people responsible like what you see in the mirror, because believe me nobody else here does!

The weekend after Walton a handful of Canadian riders ventured south to race the 450 Ironman US National in Indiana. I thought this was really cool but also a little nerve wracking as

obviously we want our guys to do well down there.

Tyler Medaglia qualified 5th fastest on his Husky 450, which was awesome; he was afforded an excellent gate pick as a result of that fast time.

Colton had a crash in practice and was a little shaken up for the motos but still rode very well.

Benoit and Keast also made the final cut to earn a spot behind the starting gate. Jeremy made the effort but went down pretty hard in practice and opted not to ride due to injury. In the end, Colton went 13-11, Tyler 20-13, Kaven 19-18 and Kyle 27-25. I was extremely proud of our guys and I think it is important for the upper echelon riders to get their feet wet from time to time on the American scene. Down there is where the world’s best gravitate and it can only help open our guys’ eyes to where they need to be to reach that next level. I know it’s hard to make many of these events but I think it is great our riders and teams made the effort and took a chance. I know a healthy Colton can do better down there, and Tyler, who was on the gas, had a few setbacks in his motos but he still finished remarkably well.

It was Kaven’s first big race aboard a 450 and he held it upright to consistent finishes, and the Dozer also impressed with his never-say-die attitude and good results.

Well done to our riders and let’s hope that next year we can all collectively raise funds and have another des Nations team we can be proud of!

MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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BY CHRIS POMEROY PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE

hen observing Cole Thompson on the track, one may wrongly conclude that due to his buttery smooth style everything must come easy to the kid from Brigden, Ontario. The same can be said with his demeanour off the track; his quiet, unassuming personality could lead people to believe that at times he’s just going through the motions. However, on both accounts, nothing could be further from the truth. When called upon, Cole is an extremely intense and focused individual, and his efficient style has come from years and years of practice. You see, things are rarely what they appear and Cole Thompson is the perfect example of that.

A recent testament to this theory happened only a few months ago as the MX1 riders were lining up in the hot sun for Round 1 of the Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals in Kamloops, BC. On the outside, Cole appeared to be relaxed and ready for his first big race in over a year, on the inside, though, it was a completely different story. Cole was hurting and he knew that it was going to take a massive effort on his part to even make it through the opening few rounds of the nationals. The issue was that in the weeks prior to Kamloops Cole had suffered a debilitating back injury and the last thing his body felt like doing was racing a motorcycle around a rough track. Although he had a few mishaps that day, Cole dug deep and rode brilliantly, collecting as many points as possible.

His performance that day showed the tough side of Cole Thompson, the ‘grit your teeth and bare it’ side that has gotten him to where he is today.

After that opening round in Kamloops, Cole went home to Ontario and went straight to his doctor to get some work done on his back to relieve some of the pain.

And then he did what all champions do, he came back

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the next weekend in Nanaimo and took the win! In the span of that seven days in early June, Cole proved to everyone that while he may be down sometimes, he can quickly bounce back as good as anyone who has ever thrown their leg over a dirt bike in Canada. Because of that work early in the series, Cole was able to stay in the points battle all summer, eventually finishing 4th overall in the MX1 class, right behind Brett Metcalfe, Colton Facciotti and champion Matt Goerke.

All things considered, it was a great comeback season for Cole as he missed all of last summer due to a knee injury. An injury that while costly and obviously painful at the time, ended up being a blessing in disguise and one of the best things that has ever happened to him. When Cole went down in Supercross last season, all of Canada held their collective breaths. Up until that point of the series, Cole was riding well and battling for top fi ve finishes in the hotly contested Lites class. At his home race in Toronto, Cole put on a great show and had the 40,000 fans on their feet as he did his best to hold up the fragile Canadian SX pride. The plan was for Cole to finish the SX series and then begin training for his first full season racing the Canadian Nationals for the Royal Distributing Fox KTM Team. Things were rolling along and the immediate future looked very rosy for Canada’s top up and coming rider.

Things on the outside aren’t always what they appear to be with Cole Thompson. While he was excited on the outside to have a full summer of racing ahead of him, on the inside Cole was going through the motions and was suff ering from a classic case of burn out. Other than a few untimely injuries during his long career, Cole had been robotically racing since he was fi ve-years-old. Each season was a blur and each summer blended into the next without any real break. This was the life of an amateur motocross star and Cole was programmed to do it and do it well. Again, on the outside, Cole was living every motocross kid’s dream: winters down south, lining up at every high profile event, battling with the big names in our sport. When 99% of this sport’s youth close their eyes at night, they dream about the life that Cole Thompson was living each day. However, on the inside, whether he knew or not, he was ready for a long and well-earned vacation from being the Cole Thompson that we saw every weekend.

Once the initial pain subsided from the doctors rebuilding his knee last Spring, Cole began to enjoy

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his break from racing and took full advantage of not having a summer schedule. For the first time since he was a young child, Cole was able to completely recharge his batteries while he not only rehabilitated his knee but also his mind. With full KTM Canada support and the all-new Factory Edition KTM450 waiting for him when he returned, Cole was able to make the best of his off-time by getting himself ready for when it was time to go back to work.

So with the full 2015 season now under his belt and next year on the horizon, Cole is already preparing for what many believe will be his best ever. While some say talent is God given, everyone agrees that experience only comes with endless hours of doing a certain task. Cole Thompson is now entering the phase of his life and his racing where his superior natural talent, his learned work ethic, and now his years of experience are all coming together. As much as we’ve witnessed, over the years many kids show incredible speed at a very young age. Professional motocross is an adult’s sport and a rider’s best years don’t happen until they reach this stage. At 22 years of age, Cole no doubt has his best years ahead of him and we can’t wait to see what he does in 2016 and beyond. For his great comeback from knee surgery last year and whatever the future has in store for Cole, we feel that he’s the perfect candidate to be this month’s cover boy.

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NO S H O R TC U T S It’s not just what you see the moment you need to be at your best, it’s that you were passionate enough to spend years of moments chewing up dirt to get there.

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GETTING IT DONE AT FRANKFIT

BY KYLE THOMPSON | PHOTOS BY WHITNEY THOMPSON

With training facilities like the Moto Park Academy, MX101 and of course Frankfit, we’ve noticed that our young riders are getting faster and stronger every single year. The knowledge and guidance that these facilities are providing to these riders is priceless, and we’re seeing the results every weekend at tracks right across Canada. When looking at how to tell the story of the Frankfit Training Centre, we decided the best way was to let one of the group’s passionate leaders, Kyle Thompson, tell the story himself. The Frankfit name is quickly becoming synonymous with excellence and this is their story.

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he name Frankfit (FF) started only two years ago (September 2013) after a buddy wanted to keep up with our outdoor workouts. After starting a Facebook group, adding in friends and family to join in, we called that group Frankfit, after my nickname Frank. I got into fitness through racing motocross; just like all Pro racers, working out and training was a daily thing but my fascination with the training side didn’t come until I was out of the Pro ranks. I helped my brother, Cole (Thompson), with his riding since he was born, always there to take him riding, fix his bike, and just make sure he was doing the right things to get where he is today. As Cole got older and physical fitness became more and more important as he headed into his big bike career, I got back into the training side of things right around 2009. This time I consumed myself with it, reading and studying all aspects of fitness and health. Cole and I would train all winter down South and then head back to the farm in Brigden, Ontario in the Spring and continue on.

During this time it was basically trial and error and trying to figure what worked and what didn’t work for Cole. I also worked alongside my sister-in-law and now partner of FF, Whitney Thompson. Whitney and I would talk daily, discussing plans for Cole’s training and also lining up workouts for ourselves. The three of us would head to the local high school track, hills, or the beach near Sarnia, taking along some dumbbells, kettle bells, ropes, a sledge hammer, and pretty much anything to make it a fun, yet challenging workout. From there it just started taking off, and we then began to introduce it to some of the more elite MXschools riders. Before long, we had a little

T

Above: In between workouts the Frankfit athletes share a laugh.

Left: Taylor Ciampichini gives the ropes a serious workout in the gym.

following and we found our clients and friends really started to buy into to what we were doing.

Moving forward to the summer of 2013, Cole and I were out riding at our practice track in Marthaville, Ontario. Whenever we ride there we would park at our friend Steve Beattie’s house, which was about half a kilometer from the track. Being that Steve was Cole’s suspension guy at the time, it just made sense to park at the doorstep of his shop where he could make adjustments between motos. With Steve having a huge background with anything on two wheels, and spending numerous years training to be the all-time best Canadian Flat Tracker, he was always someone we looked up to and would bounce ideas off as far as training, nutrition, and the mental aspects of racing.

One day after a riding session, we mentioned to Steve we had to head back to the farm to do some training. On this day, Steve decided to join us for a workout and thus another piece of the Frankfit puzzle fell into place. The next day I brought along some equipment to do a backyard workout. Beattie’s property was perfect for what we needed; a good sized covered area for equipment, and a huge, grassy field for any running, sled pulls or tire flips. It quickly became our new place to work out, with me constantly adding new equipment and bringing more and more people out to the Beattie backyard to join in for some training.

During that summer, I started working with an up and coming rider, Taylor Ciampichini. Taylor slowly went from full on racer to taking on more of a trainer’s role, working alongside some of the up and coming riders as well as doing his own training to get ready for the pro nationals. Moving into the spring of 2014, we had all the key people in place to make an

amazing program, with Whitney, Steve and I all having our personal training certification.

Having the newly named training program (Frankfit), we took to adding young riders to the program.

With my brother Jay running the Mxschools portion, we are able to find riders with the potential to go far in this sport and give them everything they needed to succeed. Having the background we have, the knowledge and experience, we were confident that we had the perfect formula to make champions. Last year was a big year for Frankfit; Taylor, my brother Justin and I took to building our dream gym, and add to our already amazing MXschools lodge. It was a four month process but it finally took shape at the end of July and just in time to be tested with a few training camps. With a full summer of training, the Frankfit crew took the 2014 Parts Canada TransCan by storm, bringing the team aspect to an individual sport.

We spent all summer doing team workouts, riding together and building a bond that lasts a lifetime. It really proved that to us when all the boys lined the fences to root on all the FF riders at the TransCan. Heading into 2015 with a whole year under our belts and the gym completely dialled in, we had one goal in mind: turning some heads at the TransCan. We spent six gruelling weeks of hot days at the track and putting our riders through some exhausting workouts at the gym. With every rider giving us 100% effort day in and day out, we were all very excited for Canada‘s biggest race. Leading into the week at Walton and going along with the team aspect, we decided to do custom Frankfit basketball jerseys to show the competition we were here and that we meant business. Taylor, Jay and I ran around that track, fence to fence, all week long waving the rally towels and being there for the good and the bad motos. We ended the week with amazing results (5 championships, 18 moto wins, 49 podiums, and 2nd overall in MX1 Pro). When all was said and done we were so proud of all the FF riders, and so pumped to be the role model to so many great kids. I’m very excited to be a big part of the new movement in Canada. With training facilities now getting more and more popular across this Country, it’s an honour to be recognized as being an ambassador for something new going on in Canada MX. Over the last few years we had some good riders come join the program, the most notable riders being Tanner Ward, Taylor Ciampichini and Austin Watling.

Austin has been around the MX Schools for several years; it was only fitting to take this talented kid to the next step with the eventual process of making him a top pro one day. Tanner has been a household name for several years in Canada’s Amateur scene.

Having him join the program not only raised the skill level of the squad, but also gave all the riders an idea of what it takes to be a top amateur rider. Taylor did not grow up racing bikes, and unlike most riders, started in his mid-teens. You wouldn’t be able to tell by the way this kid rides or trains. He is now not only a student but he has taken on a teacher role for all FF riders. These are just a few riders of our growing squad. We all look forward to working with many more rising stars and progressing our program to be the best in Canada.

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FRANKFIT MARTHAVILLE My Involvement with Frankfit Canada started while I was working with Cole and Kyle Thompson in 2012, building and prepping Cole’s race bikes here at my TwentySix Suspension race shop. Kyle had been working with Cole for several years as his mentor, trainer and big brother. They had a pretty big mobile set up for training and I asked one day if I could do a workout with them. Kyle and Cole brought out all the equipment the next day and ran me through a solid workout. CT and KT liked the fact that my backyard and shop overhang allowed for great outdoor workouts, literally only a quarter mile from their outdoor moto track. From that day on the Frankfit equipment just ended up staying here until July of 2014 when the new Frankfit facility was completed at MXschools.

I hadn’t really trained seriously since I quit racing in 2006 so it was a bit of a shock to the system. I always had pride knowing I was fit back when I raced professionally, but I had always trained just my lungs more on a bicycle and motocross bike. I really wish I had known how to train then like we know now at Frankfit.

Frankfit Canada kind of took off from there. We started training here several days a week, all outdoors when the weather was good. When the rains hit we would use the overhang or head inside the shop for the winter months. In April of 2014, Kyle asked his sister-in-law, Whitney, and I if we wanted to take the Canfitpro personal training specialist course with

By Steve Beattie

him. We all passed with flying colours and used that knowledge to better what was already a great thing happening with Frankfit Canada. At that point, Kyle, Whit and I were training motocross racers, volleyball players, family, friends and friends of their friends.

Anyone that started Frankfit Canada immediately was hooked on our way of training and staying healthy and fit.

July of 2014 saw the completion of our new training facility at MXschools and it was a bit of a bitter sweet day when all the equipment got moved there.

It was about a week of sadness before I decided to purchase all the equipment needed to start things back up here at what we now call “Frankfit Marthaville.” Kyle and I sat down and compiled a list of things I needed. There were people that had been training here that were not going to be able to travel the 20-plus minutes to the new facility, so I decided that I needed to keep things going for them but also for myself. It was my way of life at that point!

The past two years I’ve gone back to racing part time in the Flat Track Canada National series.

Since my return to the track, I’ve won 7 of the 9 Pro National class events that I have entered. Thanks to what we do here at Frankfit Canada, I’ve never felt better on my bike, and each day I feel healthier and stronger. I have to thank Kyle so much for being a great motivator for myself and many others to learn this way of life!! #FFcrewlife…….

GETTING IT DONE AT FRANKFIT

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STROKING THE RULES D A N N Y B R A U LT TA K E S A L O O K AT T H E B AT T L E B E T W E E N T W O - ST R O K E S A N D F O U R - ST R O K E S

BY DANNY BRAULT

Far right: Benoit’s twostroke can sometimes give him the power to leap over small buildings.

Right: Many feel the twostroke’s big advantage is off the starting line.

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et me get this up front and out of the way before raising the issue: it’s the rider who ultimately makes the difference on the track, not the bike.

Throughout motocross history, we’ve watched 125 two-strokes beating 250 and 500cc twostrokes; 125s beating 450s; 250 two-strokes beating 450 four-strokes. A quality, well prepped and high horsepower motorcycle only adds to the rider’s skills, but when all is said and done, it does come down to the rider—and that’s what separates motocross from other forms of motorsport racing, in my opinion, where vehicle settings, tires, etc. do often separate those on the track.

The issue at hand is whether or not 250 two-strokes should continue competing against 250F four-strokes at the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals. The ruling came into play in 2013, with CMRC announcing that racers—in amateur and pro classes—may compete on a 250 two-stroke in the MX2 division (formerly 125cc was the legal limit for a two-stroke in MX2).

An interesting, encouraging and debatable change to the face of Canadian motocross, and cool that Canada was the first to test these waters. Could you imagine watching guys like Jeffery Herlings or Justin Barcia on 250s, if their respective championships permitted the 250 two-stroke vs 250F? I like the sound of it, and yes, keep the pun.

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PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE

Reasons behind the CMRC’s decision to allow up to 250cc two-strokes to compete against 250Fs was and is to encourage more riders to sign up for pro nationals and regional events, help reduce the cost to go racing with a two-stroke, which is typically less expensive to maintain, and it gives John Privateer a better

opportunity to close the gap between his honed out pony and the throaty thumpers of the ‘factory racers.’ It’s not easy or cheap building and rebuilding a fast 250F every weekend, but with a 250 two-stroke, a rider enjoys more horsepower out of the crate and less cost to keep it fresh. Piston, rings and away you go.

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STROKING THE RULES

When the 2013 season began, we saw many riders making the bold move to a 250 two-smoker for their MX2 motos, but it wasn’t overwhelming. In the last two years (’14 and ’15), however, and especially in 2015, we’ve seen a noticeable increase of two-strokes on the starting gates. It’s as though it took some time for the reality of it to sink in, and for younger riders to get a grasp on full-size twostrokes because, really, since the mid2000s, we haven’t even seen riders growing up on 250 or 125 two-stroke.

KTM, Husqvarna and Yamaha have benefitted since they’re the only major motorcycle manufacturers producing competitive motocross two-stroke machines. Not surprisingly, when ‘state of the union’ meetings took place between CMRC’s Mark Stallybrass and the five OEMs who support the national series, KTM and Yamaha were thumbs up, while Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki were shaking their heads, ‘No way!’

Two-stroke lovers have been rejoicing ever since; it’s led to a surge of two-stroke glory once again. (Check out your local kijiji if you need proof, it’s like a feeding frenzy for bike refurbers and two-strokes are the main draw.) Of course, there has been equal opposition towards 250s and 250Fs racing in the same class, especially at the pro national level between teams, riders and fans. Everyone has a different opinion and thought on how the ruling should go, and whether a 250 two-stroke should be allowed to race in the MX2 class.

With KTM Canada’s Kaven Benoit chalking up his second consecutive MX2 title using a 250 SX two-stroke (he raced one for only the eastern rounds in 2014, and a 250 SX-F in the

west), it hasn’t impressed his competition, especially GDR Honda’s Jeremy Medaglia, who isn’t shy to share his opinion on the change.

“It doesn’t make sense in a professional championship to have guys riding different bikes,” he said this summer during the Eastern swing, where Benoit won and holeshot what seemed like every moto, and it was from Gopher Dunes to Moncton, where he swept every moto.

“We should all be on the same bike, whether it’s a two-stroke or fourstroke. I ride for a team and brand that can’t offer me a 250 two-stroke, so it’s not even an option for myself and others.”

That’s a rational argument, and one that has caused the biggest controversy in this issue—not every team and rider can choose between the two bikes. The playing field is uneven, one could say. It doesn’t help that Benoit and KTM have won two out of three championships since 250s were permitted to compete in MX2. They really rubbed it in this past summer, winning seven out of 10 overalls, 13 out of 20 motos, and his 250 SX reeled off what seemed like every holeshot or close to.

Along with a top flight pro like Benoit achieving success on the twostroke and showing its advantages on the racetrack when put to good use, we’ve witnessed some other historic moments and new faces making it onto the box at the nationals.

MX101 Racing Yamaha’s Dylan Wright is a longtime two-stroke rider, and took on his first ever pro national experience with a trusty YZ250 at Gopher Dunes. Rocking his yellow Intermediate number plates, Wright finished third overall with 5-3 scores.

Then there’s guys like Liam O’Farrell

“EVERYONE HAS A DIFFERENT OPINION AND THOUGHT ON HOW THE RULING SHOULD GO, AND WHETHER A 250 TWO-STROKE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO RACE IN THE MX2 CLASS.” Left: In 2013, Shawn Maffenbeier (#10) took his Yamaha two-stroke to the win at the final round at Walton Raceway.

Middle: With more internal moving parts, a four-stroke engine is the heavier of the two power plants.

Right: The small muffler is just one of the items that helps to make a two-stroke lighter.

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STROKING THE RULES and Jeremy Pronovost who earned their first ever national podiums at Deschambault in 2014, or Shawn Maffenbeier who won the final national—and his first ever— at Walton in 2013. (Who knows how he would have done had he not been injured prior to the series and missing half the races … maybe he would have chalked up more wins?).

With the 250s becoming more popular on the track and taking away positions up front—and titles, it’s causing people to focus more on the bike than the rider who is riding it.

Let’s remember that Kaven Benoit is an exceptional rider, maybe not to the degree of Ryan Dungey or Ricky Carmichael, and he still has a ways to go to bump elbows with fellow Quebecer, Jean-Sebastien Roy. But the 26-year-old is not becoming one of Canada’s next big things, he IS one of them.

Benoit has won two MX2 championships (while finishing runner up or close to it for a few seasons), he’s won Montreal Supercross MX2 main events, battled against the world’s best at the Motocross of Nations—twice—and he recently scored points in his first ever AMA 450 Motocross experience. A 250 two-stroke may produce more power but it’s a difficult beast to tame. Throttle control is very important and it’s easier to make mistakes compared to the torque of a four-stroke. Not everyone can ride a 250, but Benoit showed us that he can.

After testing between a 250 and 250F in the spring of 2014, Benoit and his Royal Distributing Fox Racing KTM Team opted to run the first four western rounds on a four-stroke, then switch to a light and nimble two-stroke for the sandier, looser soil of the six eastern rounds. In the end, Benoit was the best in the class on both bikes, on both sides of the country, proving that he was the champion regardless of bike, soil or province. Showing great speed on the 250, it would seemed obvious Benoit would be back on one in 2015 for his title defence. However, things were being modified in the rulebook, which would lessen modifications to his two-stroke.

Due to quickly growing frowns on faces of the OEMs who aren’t producing and selling two-stroke motocross bikes, Stallybrass was forced to do something to keep them satisfied and supporting his series. He didn’t, and doesn’t, want to remove the rule entirely as he believes it brings benefit to the sport in many ways.

For the 2015 season, Stallybrass made a compromise that 250s could stay, but they had to remain stock, for the most part. Any serious motor work was out of the question, and it was stated there would be checks and balances made throughout the season (with KTM’s Benoit getting torn down at the second round in Nanaimo but nothing was out of spec).

Part 2 of the rule change also stated that riders must choose one and only one ‘stroke’ for their national championship run. Benoit, nor anyone could switch freely between two and four-stroke weaponry at will. Whatever you started on, you finished on.

Top right: Liam O’Farrell is one of the privateers that has used the two-stroke rule to his advantage.

Bottom right: Kaven Benoit’s two-stroke engine is a very tight running package.

Middle: Regardless of which bike Benoit rides, he’s been the fastest MX2 rider for the last 24 months.

Left: If it’s raining and muddy a two-stroke is the bike you want underneath you.

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In my and many others’ opinion, this all created a big grey area. Either 250 two-strokes should be permitted to race or not. Trying to limit modifications to any bike, and most importantly manage the program, is nearly impossible unless there is a dedicated team to ensuring every bike on the line is playing by the rules.

Heck, it would be easier to manage allowing riders to bump up their 250 fourstroke to 280cc than keeping 250s at a certain performance level.

After some laps and deep thoughts in Georgia this past spring, Benoit decided to continue where he left off in 2014, with a 250 two-stroke. Despite limitations placed on engine performance, KTM and Benoit were confident and excited about just how well their ‘stock’ bike could go. A strategy by the Austrian manufacturer to show off their ‘race ready’ motocross machines that come right right out the box?

At the first round in Kamloops, where one would think a 250 would shine with sandy, rough conditions, but not on this day in June, Canada’s Motorcycle Yamaha FXR Racing’s Jimmy Decotis jumped out front in both motos and stayed there for a solid 1-1 in his Canadian debut. The following weekend, Benoit would rebound, showing that even at tracks where many would prefer a four-stroke, he could go equally as fast or faster, claiming a clean sweep on the rocky and hard packed Wastelands track in Nanaimo, BC. He really never looked back after that. Benoit was as solid as it gets. He did, however, show chinks in his armour, losing motos to Decotis, Medaglia and Intermediate/B rider sensation Joey Crown along the journey to his second consecutive title.

Was it the bike that gave Benoit an upper hand on sealing the deal twice in a row? I don’t believe so. He won on both bikes, on all different kinds of soils, he didn’t override the bike or make mistakes, and remained the same old, well-mannered, good sportsman, no matter what pressures arose.

As his former KTM Canada team manager Andy White said to me prior to the 54

final round in Walton, “It takes a really good rider to perform on a 250 two-stroke, it’s not an easy bike to ride. Benoit is that rider and all the cards came into place where he could really utilize a two-stroke to its potential. Not many riders can ride a 250 as well.”

What is the right thing to do here? As someone who loves the sound, smell and aura of a finely tuned 250 two-stroke, I would be disappointed to see them get the boot, but I also understand why they wouldn’t be permitted to compete.

Again, it’s a tough call and I’m glad I don’t have to be the guy to make it. Although, someone must and that someone is Mark Stallybrass.

“We’re making the final decision this fall, but I’d like to see the 250 two-stroke stay,” says Stallybrass. “We made the change to help reduce the cost for riders to compete and keep them going to the racetrack. It’s much cheaper to service and maintain a two-stroke compared to a four-stroke and we’ve seen a noticeable amount of more two-strokes since making the change in 2013.”

If all of the manufacturers made 250 two-strokes, the decision might be easier, or maybe no one would ride four-strokes and go back to two-strokes? A crazy thought, but as it stands, we have three manufacturers selling two-strokes (KTM, Husqvarna and Yamaha) and three that don’t (Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki) who are supporting the ten round national series. Between a rock and a hard place, expect Stallybrass to try another compromise to keep the two-stroke juice flowing at the Nationals.

“At the amateur level, things wouldn’t change, but at the nationals, we may modify the ruling to only allow ‘Non-Factory’ riders compete on a 250 two-stroke.

I understand this creates a grey area, but we would do our best to manage it and it’s a way to hopefully serve both sides of the table. The decision to allow 250s was for the riders and I’d hate to take it away, but we’ll make a final decision this fall when we sit down with the manufacturers.”

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STROKING THE RULES Left: Topher Ingalls rode a KTM two-stroke in 2014 and enjoyed a lot of success.

Right: Kaven Benoit rides off the podium after yet another celebration.

At the midway point of the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals, some controversy developed between the Canada’s Motorcycle Yamaha FXR Racing Team and Royal Distributing Fox Racing KTM following KTM’s protest of Jimmy Decotis YZ250F at Round 5 at Gopher Dunes.

Despite watching their rider put in a dominating 1-1 performance on a rough and tough Gopher Dunes track, with Decotis and his teammate Dylan Wright finishing second and third, KTM went ahead, paid the protest fee and requested that CMRC tear down Decotis’ four-stroke to see if anything illegal was going on.

Nothing was found and everyone couldn’t help but find it surprising and odd that KTM would protest Decotis and his team, considering they’re the ones with the supposed ‘cheater’ bike, a 250 two-stroke— and they even won that day.

As we found at the next round at Sand Del Lee, straight from the rider in the middle—KTM’s Kaven Benoit—there is a little more to the story. It’s not so much that KTM believed Decotis or his Yamaha team were cheating, but they wanted to keep the playing field level.

Benoit’s take on the protest at Gopher Dunes: “I didn’t see all of the comments written on the protest. It was not my call. People who ride know you don’t care about second place when you’re winning. In Nanaimo, we got torn down by the CMRC and were told there would be other random checks.

Five rounds in, and we were the only team getting checked so we decided to make a move. Everyone now knows in the pits we are legal with our 250 two-stroke, and it’s not fair we couldn’t know what others were running. Not a personal thing to Jimmy or the MX101 team, but it was to keep things fair, and if we’re getting torn down, others should be to. That’s it. Nothing personal and it went sideways with comments but now we know everyone is legal.”

Man vs Machine “There are always going to be haters, for sure. We have a good bike with the stock KTM 250 SX. It’s not only about motors, but with SSS suspension and everything

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else you need to build a complete package.

My bike was dialled in this year. Last year it was too, but I feel really comfortable on it and that’s the biggest thing. It was much faster last year, but it is stock this year and much slower. It is comparable to a 250 four-stroke; maybe a little more horsepower but that powerband is so hard to keep it in. People called me for bad results in Nanaimo because it was hard packed and I went 1-1 there. At some point the rider should get some credit…I think. It’s not only the bike; the bike is fast but I feel that I am good at riding the twostroke, and if I rode a four-stroke, I’m not scared because I’ve won lots of races on the four-stroke too.”

Last year, I didn’t have any experience on hard pack tracks with two-strokes, but I had ridden those tracks on four-strokes so I was comfortable going that way. But after racing Moncton and Walton last year on the two-stroke, both harder pack tracks, I did well. It turns out that I am good riding the two-stroke on hard pack too. I’m happy we went with my set-up this year; there are no regrets.

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Any discussion personally between Kaven and Jimmy following the protest?

Yeah, we had a quick chat at the CMRC trailer at the end of the day. I have him in my thoughts on the whole deal. I don’t know if he believed me, but I’m an honest guy and rider and have always tried my best to race like that. We’ve had some good talks, and he’s a good guy to race with. I really don’t know what else I can say about the situation.”

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At the opening round in Armstrong, BC, Brad Nauditt (18) and Ross Johnson (1) continued their battle from last year.

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PLAYING INDOORS

BY BRENT WORRALL

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PHOTOS BY TYLER SPIKMAN AND JAMES LISSIMORE

hen it comes to measuring anything in life there are always a variety of yardsticks used to gauge success. It has been proven time and time again that when the value of stocks in trade of anything negatively outweigh the positives, then success will inevitably write itself out of the equation. For many years, the indoor version of the sport of Motocross in Canada, Arenacross has seen many new beginnings slowly fade to their place in the history books. The sport of Motocross is undoubtably a timeless passion that unfortunately, at times, is at the mercy of the business aspect of the world we live in.

Now that some of the facts of life are out of the way, you can all breather a little easier, because collectively we have reason for much optimism. It would seem fitting to insert some sort of wordy cliche for the two current Fall Canadian Arenacross Series, like ‘new ideas for an old passion,’ or ‘new faces for an old idea;’ I am sure you could insert your own. I believe, however, that timing in life is everything and right now the timing is right to push the highly entertaining indoor discipline of the sport to the next level.

I live on the West Coast and am very proud to be a Canadian that calls Vernon, BC home.

I am also a proud family member of the Future West Moto Canadian Arenacross team

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and I like to think that I am a valued team member. As with anything in life, I believe the only way to roll is living in the solution of anything and everything. After all, it is only there where forward progress can be made and success can be achieved. We at the Future West team have experienced growth in leaps and bounds under our roofs at our indoor races in the last two years. The spin-off to the outdoors has been phenomenal. Yes, the demographic in West to East fashion may lean a little in that direction, but whichever way you slice it we are winning. Winning is the ultimate goal for any racer to achieve and I have seen a drastic improvement in our up and coming talent pool as a result of indoor Arenacross participation. It is the best entertainment value for the dollar under one roof, and the technical and intensity aspect is of the highest on two wheels. Quite simply put, the best way to experience every single, adrenaline related aspect of Arenacross racing is to be there and experience it.

Absolutely nothing short of that justifies just how intense, involved, electric and cool it is.

Add to that the fact that we at home have no borders to cross, no exchange rates to deal with, and can just kick back and enjoy some homegrown, action packed Canadian fun. The Future West Moto series will be just that as will its counterpart, the Canadian Arenacross Tour over four weekends this Fall. I have been

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PLAYING INDOORS around the Future West Series for many years and have seen firsthand the many, many benefits reaped by riders and their families from start to finish.

The addition of the Canadian Arenacross Tour, which has for the first time touched down on Canadian soil, comes to Canada with a proven winning track record. Series front man Justin Thompson has had the vision of expansion to Canadian confines for some time now. I believe that the AX Tour will provide a broadening number of our future and current riders, and give race fans a much needed outlet to enjoy these benefits. The Arenacross Tour will continue to operate south of the border with as many as 18 rounds stateside in the New Year.

The abbreviated schedule of four racing weekends in 2015 will most likely increase to as many as 7 or 8 for next season’s Canadian schedule. In a country as vast as ours, I truly believe that both of these series will continue to grow, and more importantly enhance our Canadian talent pool. I also feel that indoor racing, being as technical and high energy as it is, also provides a great, comfortable introductory element to fans and potentially new racers. How many kids have you seen stick handling a ball down a street then burying the ball into the back of the net shouting “Crosby scores?” Given this potential introduction to our great sport, I am already visualizing youngsters in neighbourhoods launching their ‘Striders’ off the end of driveway curbs while giving a big fist pump shouting “Cole Thompson Wins!”

We human beings, just like the children of our future, are very impressionable, and with these two series set, our positive growth is inevitable. Is it a risk? Of course it is. What in this sport is not? I will be as confident to say, after what I have experienced and seen in recent years, that I believe the timing is not just right but perfect. The time has come to push and move forward or we risk going backwards. I have the utmost respect for all involved in making both of the series possible and believe that in as short as a few years down the road we will be leaps and bounds the better because of them. We will see many things improve as a result, includ-

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It's great to see Cole Thompson (148) racing indoors again.

ing having many more of our own lining up for Supercross events. Heck, we may even see Supercross back in Canada for more than one round a year. The possibilities are unlimited, and a lot of the success lies in each and every one of our hands. I assure you that if we all do our part to get out and support the great experience that Arenacross racing offers, we will get there.

A good book could be written about some of our own Canadian riders who exceeded any expectations that may have been placed on them by devoting and committing everything they could to indoor racing. Ross Pederson, Al Dyck, JSR, Dusty Klatt, Darcy Lange, Kyle Beaton, Brady Sheren and many more. Whenever names are put to paper, there are always those that get left out, and like this case it is not by design but simply to prove a point. I have spoken with many of these riders and asked them to assess the value of Arenacross. I am pretty sure, based on the storied careers they all had, you pretty much can guess some of the answers I received. I thought it would be kind of cool to take a more personal survey with a couple of current riders competing in the two Canadian Arenacross series that are at opposite ends of their career spectrums.

Let’s start off in the East with up and coming, fifteen-year-old rider sensation Marco Canella from Waterdown, Ontario.

Marco has had a breakout year with many great new experiences and accomplishments. Arenacross will be the icing on the 2015 season cake that will allow him to keep the developmental movement going even further than ever. From there I will quiz my good friend and two-time Future West Arenacross Dash For Cash Champion, Spring Hill, Nova Scotia native, who now resides in Langley, BC, Ryan Lockhart. Ryan is a well decorated veteran of Canadian Motocross who has seen and experienced firsthand many of the benefits of indoor racing throughout his illustrious career. I enjoyed putting these questions together for these two Canadian riders, and they were super pumped that they would be part of this article speaking on the ‘Value of Arenacross.’

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PLAYING INDOORS M ARCO CANELL A A G E : 15 WAT E R D O W N , O N TA R I O

Marco, how excited are you to line up for the AX Tour and how have you prepared for it?

I am really excited! I have dabbled in Arenacross here and there a little bit down south but nothing serious. As far as preparation goes, I went down to the Thompson’s training facility and rode three straight days before Round 1 in London. It was a lot of fun just trying to get the ’Supercross’ feel and flow of things. I felt pretty good down there so I am anticipating that I will be ready and it should be good.

How do you feel racing Arenacross will benefit your progress and development the most this year?

First off, I think it will help my focus the most. Sometimes when racing outdoors you get a bit of a mental breather and your mind can wander a bit. Indoor racing does not allow that at all. You have to be as precise and focussed as possible at all times or it can bite you in a hurry.

How are you preparing for Arenacross, mentally and physically, that might be different than for Outdoors?

As far as the physical training goes I am doing nothing different. On the mental side, I am concentrating mostly on my focus to be ready that way. Other than that I am just looking forward to going in and having some fun.

Where are you at this point in your career and what are your expectations of your 2015 AX Tour experience?

I am not really sure what to expect yet. I know there is definitely going to be some fast guys there. I mostly want to get good starts and qualify for the night shows. Once I am there I will do my best to ride my own race and have some fun, and hopefully be up there on the box at night’s end.

Why do you feel it is imperative for Canadian riders and race fans to support the two Arenacross series?

I feel like Supercross is a big part of the sport’s future and Arenacross in Canada will allow riders to get the kind of experience they need to maybe go and race some Supercrosses one day. To have these few Arenacross rounds in Canada is awesome. I want to do everything I can to support it and be there, as well as watch it grow.

RYA N LOCKHART A G E : 31 L A N G L E Y, B . C .

Ryan, why do you believe Arenacross racing is important for a racer’s development?

Arenacross is a great building block for honing your skills for outdoor racing. Things like the intensity and the sprint speed are a couple of the first things that come to mind.

I also feel that riders benefit from having to deal with other riders in tight confines and

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having riders closer to you for longer times than they would be outdoors. I feel these are some of the types of things that help to make someone racing indoors better rounded riders.

What is the main difference in the preparation for Arenacross compared to outdoor racing?

The main difference is to prepare for the different length and style of motos. Outdoors, we are pushing 35 plus minutes at a Pro National; indoors, a main event might be only 6 or 7 minutes. The big thing to be prepared for is to have the early sprint speed and intensity. Also, it is key to be able to know you can do those full 6 or 7 minutes with a much higher heart rate. Being prepared for the tight corners and bowl turns are always something that will help you indoors.

What do you believe indoor racing offers fans that they do not get at outdoor races?

The first thing is that spectators can see the whole track, which is really cool especially for someone new to the sport. They can keep an eye on everyone pretty much at once instead of just a section or two being trackside outdoors. The whole ‘Vibe’ of indoor racing has everyone’s spirits pretty high, and the fact that they can have a hot dog and a beer in the stands is cool too.

In three words or less, sum up what it takes to get the job done and succeed at indoor Arenacross racing?

That is a good one, I would have to say, one: ‘minimize mistakes.’ Mistakes, even the smallest, will kill your chances. ‘Intensity’ is huge, without it you

“THE POSSIBILITIES ARE UNLIMITED, AND A LOT OF THE SUCCESS LIES IN EACH AND EVERY ONE OF OUR HANDS. I ASSURE YOU THAT IF WE ALL DO OUR PART TO GET OUT AND SUPPORT THE GREAT EXPERIENCE THAT ARENACROSS RACING OFFERS, WE WILL GET THERE.”

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will not win. The third and final thing would be a ’Start.’ it is pretty hard to win in Arenacross if you do not get a good start.

Why do you believe it is important for riders and race fans to support Arenacross across this country?

The first is obvious, we need to support them on the track and in the stands at these venues to keep it going. We are very fortunate to have these Arenacross series as it gives the riders so much including a huge building block towards Supercross. I have said this many times, Colton Facciotti, Dusty Klatt, Brady Sheren, Darcy Lange, Kyle Beaton, the list goes on; that is where all these guys got their Supercross starts, right here in Canadian Arenacross. Many Canadians wish more of our own would do Supercross and I feel these Arenacross series are a great stepping stone for the numbers to increase one day.

We really need to support these promoters and their series to ensure our up and coming kids will have the chance they deserve to progress.

What is your most memorable Arenacross moment and battle? When, where and with who?

It would have been 2006; it was the year that the Hellam family did their series across the whole country. That year we went to Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary and 64

Chilliwack. Night one that year in Chilliwack I had an unbelievable battle in the main event for the lead with Darcy Lange and Colton Facciotti. The three of us went at it non-stop for the full 15 laps and I ended up being able to pull off the win. So that, for sure, was the biggest one for me in Canada.

Ryan Lockhart plans to not only race the Future West Moto series, he is also the driving force behind the schools held by Future West on race weekends. These schools are something I have witnessed the benefit of firsthand. Many of the riders who have signed up and lined up indoors for the first time are soon riding with all the confidence of seasoned veterans after a few short weekends.

The Arenacross Tour is owned by Justin Thompson, and I know like many things over the years, the whole family is behind his effort. Justin’s brother, Kyle Thompson, is the front man behind the mxschools.com and they too are doing everything they can to promote and grow the sport as safely as possible. Arenacross racing action provides an experience unrivalled by anything I have ever witnessed, and both these series are doing everything imaginable to make the Canadian Arenacross experience fun for everyone.

In an effort to push this sport we all love to the next level, I believe the timing is perfect for Canadian Arenacross, so let’s get out there and show our support.

Let’s Go Racing.

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T H E

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STORY BY ANDY WHITE

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B R O D E U R

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PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE AND SYLVAIN BRODEUR

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asy-going, respectful, mentor, and fast are some of the words you would use to describe this next young lady you are about to learn about. The last few years we have seen Eve Brodeur ripping up the motocross tracks in eastern Canada. Eve lives only a few minutes north of Montreal and not that far from her favourite practice track, X-town. Just about every race the 15-year-old Brodeur has entered, she has pretty well dominated from the moment the gate drops. Eve started her racing career at the very young age of 4-years-old. Her father Sylvain bought a little PW50 and oddly enough it was from my business, Pro-Tech Suspension. Sylvain Brodeur was an avid motocross enthusiast who enjoyed racing at local motocross tracks around Quebec and I remember him lining up in the vet class with his buddies, but sadly he always seemed to crash out or injure himself at most events. I believe his close friends call him “Crash”. Now that his focus has switched gears to his daughter’s riding career, Sylvain doesn’t really have time to compete any more.

What drives Eve to compete at the highest level? She replies, “I just really like the feeling of racing and winning races on my dirt bike.” I asked if she is very competitive, Eve said, “Everything I do is like a game. I have to win at everything.” She also went on to explain that she really enjoys the family atmosphere at the motocross races. It’s really fun to show up at the tracks on the weekends and get to hang out with friends. This is my family in the summer; we show up with our camper, pull out the BBQ and hang out with all the other riders and their families. I wouldn’t trade this for anything else.” Sylvain went on to explain that the whole family enjoys getting out of the city and heading off to different tracks all over the east coast from Montreal as far away as to Florida over the winter. Eve goes down to the Carolinas in the winter to ride as much as she can between the Christmas holidays to get as much seat time

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Right: Even though she’s not old enough to drink, Eve loves to spray the champagne.

Top left: Over the years, Eve and her Dad have become quite the team.

Bottom left: A young Eve holds up one of her favourite awards from Loretta Lynn’s.

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Top: Eve has had great support from her family.

Middle: When you’re young and successful, you quickly learn how to speak on the podium.

Bottom: It was almost like Eve went straight from her crib to a dirt bike.

as possible. “I see that my daughter has a talent of riding and racing a dirt bike, so why not follow her dreams and see where we go. When I see her pushing herself at the gym or on the bike without me really having to tell her, I know this is something she really wants to do.”

This leads me to my next question, “Who keeps the purse payout after the races?” Eve smiled and said, “I give all my money back to my parents. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to do this. I appreciate my family giving up their weekends for something that I love to do. It’s a very expensive sport as we all know. We don’t make much money doing this, but whatever we do helps! Without all my sponsors it would be very difficult to compete at this level. I know that my sponsors support me like my family.

In return I do my best in return.”

When I asked if she enjoyed the training and fitness part of this job, Eve replied, “Well, I enjoy staying active playing all different types of sports, but jogging is one item on the list that I really don’t enjoy.” Eve knows it’s important to stay in shape and to stay active or you are not going to finish up front.

I looked back at her results this year and I noticed that she has been racing a 50HP KTM250SX twostroke! I asked why the 250SX? She replied “I like the HP off the start, it gives me that extra drive so I can get to the first turn in front of the rest of the racers. I also like the power delivery. It’s so smooth, easy to leave the bike in second gear and pin it from corner to corner. I don’t really like the big jumps, I prefer focusing on the corners. Like they say, “Jump for show, corner for dough!” When asked, “Who as a racer do you look up to?” she replied” I really like Kaven Benoit. He is so focused and he rides the same bike I do. He looks so smooth out on the track.

One day I hope to have a factory ride like Kaven.”

I asked Eve if there are any ladies that have been tough to compete against over the years. “Yes, the past two years there have been two girls that are 112 70

really fast and hard to beat! Kennedy Lutz is really fast. In 2014 she beat me at Walton. I would like to race against her again in 2016. The other girl or lady is Jessica Patterson. She came to Ulverton, Quebec this year for the final round of the eastern series. I knew who she was and I also knew she was super fast. I really looked forward to racing her. I had nothing to lose as I had the points lead with one round to go. I can tell you she is very fast on two wheels. I tried my best to race her. In the first moto I was able to stay with her for a few laps. I knew for the second moto I had to try and hang with her or beat her off the start and take control of the race.

We both had a good start up the big hill and around the high speed right hand corner. We were pretty well side by side all the way down the sand hill. While racing her we came together and bounced off each other. It was pretty scary going that fast down the hill in the sand. Neither one of us wanted to let off.

Finally Jessica got the lead and I did everything I could to stay with her. I was able to keep her pace for 3 or 4 laps and then I made a few mistakes and she pulled away. I wanted to win bad, but I knew the championship was more important. It was so much fun. I am looking forward to racing again in 2016.”

Aside from the racing I thought I would ask Eve a few questions about her home life and her as a person. “What is your greatest weakness?” to which she laughed and replied, “Of course, strawberry ice cream.” I asked her about her likes and dislikes about food. She replied, “I don’t like seafood.

Anything my mom makes because she is a really good cook. My father on the other hand, should NOT cook.” She joked and then went on to say that her dad tries to tell her what to do and what not to do with her racing technique and she listens as much as possible and said that they have a very good relationship. I then asked her about school. She explained that she is finishing up her year and plans to attend college or university but has no firm path for what she is wanting to take but education is very important to her.

Looking back at her accomplishments, Eve has a wall filled with awards and trophies (that we are told her mom has the daunting task of dusting) and great memories. The one that really sticks out is her first podium finish at Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Championship in the Girls 9-11 class. The next one on the list is her first Canadian CMRC east coast ladies championship in 2014. Speaking of that first win, Eve also broke her collarbone three weeks before the Womens’ National and still raced it and took that championship. Eve backed it up with another championship in 2015 with a dominating season. I asked Eve what’s next on the list,. She replied “ I want another CMRC Championship! “ At the age of only 15, I can see that Eve has a very bright future.

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ack in 1987, they still called it the Motocross des Nations. In September of ‘87 they decided to bring it across the ocean for the first time the event was held in North America. The location was Ward Robinson’s legendary, natural terrain track in upstate New Berlin, New York known simply as Unadilla. The USA was the six-time defending champions of the event, and this was undoubtedly going to be an epic showdown between the US team and the Euros, who felt that even though the race was taking place on their home soil, the old-school, GP-style track at Unadilla would actually be an advantage for them. Just like every self-respecting moto fan of the day, I knew I had to be there as it was considered to be a must see event. But in reality, all these years later, the ‘87 des Nations, much like Mad Max in the 1981 film ‘The Road Warrior,’ exists for me now…only in my memories.

And those memories are a little hazy, I must admit.

You see, those were different times and I was a lot younger and maybe not quite as wise in those days, but hey, I liked to have a good time. Just as how most weekends began back then, I started that one off with a bang by heading to Toronto to see Australian punk band “the Hoodo Gurus” at the old RPM Club. Of course, good times ensued and by the time I made the two hour drive back to my hometown of London, Ontario on Saturday afternoon, it was time to head to New York for the des Nations. To say I was not on top of my game would be an understatement, but as much as I wanted to blow it off there was no way I could miss it. It was going to be too big. Bob “Hurricane” Hannah was racing in what most likely was to be his swan song. The track and the fans at Unadilla were legendary, and on top of all that, Canada even had a team back then...and a good one at that. It was going to be huge.

Weather played a big role in this edition of the Motocross des Nations. There was talk amongst my gang of friends of hitting up the Syracuse Mile on the Saturday night prior to the race as it was pretty much on the way. I was all for this as I had never witnessed a Grand National Flat Track race in person and was eager to see, and more so to hear, the big Harleys roaring around the mile long track. This was not to be, however, as the race got rained out. In fact, it rained all night prior to the race in Unadilla. As we arrived at the track the skies continued to look ominous and foreboding with occasional heavy downpours tempering the already apprehensive mood amongst the record number of fans in attendance.

The atmosphere was different than any motocross race I had ever been to. First of all, there were more people there than at any outdoor race I had ever been to previously. The official attendance was listed as twenty-two thousand but it seemed like more to me, but hey, how the heck would I know? Let’s just say there were a lot. Those in attendance were in generally

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good spirits I would say, but pretty much everyone was nursing a hangover, compliments of the previous evening’s pre-race festivities. The weather was really threatening and I had a bit of an uneasy feeling as I made my way through the masses of humanity looking for a good spot to watch. As I made my way through the throngs, I wondered to myself that this must have been what Woodstock was like. There was plenty of music, and the smell of Budweiser and marijuana filled the air. But there wasn’t much peace and love going on, not yet anyways. I don’t think they really had a whole lot of that at Woodstock either to be perfectly honest.

In fact, you could sense general unease in the place. At the time, I recall making a mental note to myself that this crowd could probably get really ugly if this didn’t go USA’s way. The track itself was already ugly. What a mess. This was going to be a mudder in every sense of the word. Back then you see, they didn’t maintain and prep the outdoor tracks the way they do today. At Unadilla they only raced once a year back then. They didn’t even host a National at that time. In between races they just left the track alone and let the grass grow. That’s how it was done in those days. The Europeans were used to this kind of track and they were used to riding in the mud. Perhaps this fact is what was causing some of the anxiety in the pro-USA crowd. After all, their team consisted of two Californians, Rick Johnson and Jeff Ward, who arguably were not at home in these kinds of conditions. The third member of the squad was the previously mentioned Bob “Hurricane” Hannah who, while he was considered to be a Unadilla specialist, had not raced a 125 in several years. On top of that the 125 Suzuki of the day was not on par with the factory Honda of Mickey Dymond, who incidentally had just won the AMA 125cc National Championship but was bypassed for a spot on the team by Hannah. Hannah was also apparently pissed about being forced to ride the 125 but Hannah was always pissed about something so that wasn’t really an issue. On the contrary, it probably helped to motivate him. That’s the kind of rider he was.

As for Team Canada, we had a pretty solid team in attendance. Glen Nicholson had just come off of his best season as a pro in Canada and was piloting the big, air-cooled YZ 490 in the Open class. One of Canada’s all-time greats, Doug Hoover, was set to uphold our country’s honour in the 125 class on his factory Honda, and of course the Rollerball was really going to do some damage on his YZ 250. He could possibly even podium a moto, right? He had done well at Unadilla before. Wrong! No Rollerball. As it turned out, the Canadian team was selected to represent their country at the des Nations by the CMA but there was to be no monetary assistance coming from the organization to support the team. In other words the riders were on their own and would be attending the event on their own dime. While Ross Pederson was our best hope for

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THRILLA IN THE DILLA “As we arrived at the track the skies continued to look ominous and foreboding with occasional heavy downpours tempering the already apprehensive mood amongst the record number of fans in attendance.”

a top finish, he lived in Alberta and felt that it would cost him too much money to travel east and attend the event, which makes sense. Therefore, the CMA went with riders who were based in Ontario and could make the trip down to New York a little more easily and at less expense.

So without Ross in the line up, the CMA decided to go with Kawasaki’s Jeff Surwall as the 250 rider for the event. But wait a minute. Even though he was a regular participant in our National series, wasn’t Surwall an American? I was sure he was from the States so I was perplexed when I found out that he was on the team. As it turned out, his mother was Canadian and he had dual citizenship, which obviously made it legal for him to be on the team. Not quite Rollerball but a great rider in his own right, so a good addition to the squad.

As for the rest, the field was filled with all the top names in European motocross. The two biggest threats to the American squad were probably the strong Belgian team, which consisted of Marc Velkeneers, Erik Geboers and Georges Jobe, and the Dutch lined up with Dave Strijbos, Kees Van der Ven and John Van Den Berk on their squad. Other notables included future superstar Jean MichelBayle, who was riding his first des Nations for France, and Britain’s Kurt Nicoll who always seemed to come up big at this event. Of course the real wild card for the US team was Hannah and everyone knew it. And that’s what, I feel in retrospect, was the cause of the uneasy feelings amongst the faithful.

Now as I previously mentioned, my recollections of this event, while in some cases were vivid, but in others, specifically in regards to the Canadian team, are a little sketchy. So I figured what better way to pull it all together than to contact one of the actual members of Team Canada and get the scoop directly from him. So I gave Glen Nicholson a call and he was only too happy to speak to me about the legendary event. “I was extremely proud to represent my country at that event,” Nicholson is quick to mention. “I didn’t care if I had to pay for it out of my own pocket, there was no way I was going to miss it if I was picked.” Nicholson had actually been a member

of the team the previous season in Maggoria, Italy, but in ‘86 he rode injured and struggled at the event.

While he was excited to be getting another chance in ‘87, Nicholson was also a little wary of having to race the Open class aboard the antiquated, air cooled YZ 490. While he was considered to be a big bike specialist, and had just come off of his best season as a pro in Canada, he did his best to persuade one of his teammates to switch to their 500cc machine. “Yeah, Honda and Kawasaki both had excellent open bikes at the time,” recalls Nicholson, “and Hoover and Surwall were both really good big bike riders. Heck, Hoover won an Open class National Championship but they weren’t having it.” Nicholson was not impressed.

“It kind of pissed me off,” he recalls but he resigned himself to the fact that he was going to have to make the best of it aboard the 490. In an interesting note, Nicholson recalls that he was the only rider in the whole event piloting an air cooled machine. The 500cc class of the day was dominated by Honda and Kawasaki. While there were two other Yamahas entered in the Open division, they were both factory edition, aluminum framed, water cooled YZMs of which there were only ten in existence. Probably the two trickest bikes at the whole des Nations.

Nicholson’s apprehensions about riding the 490 were to be realized quickly on the day of the big race. “Right from the beginning of practice we were having huge problems with the bike,” he remembers. “I was an FMF guy at the time and Donny Emler (owner of FMF) even lent a hand at trying to get the big bore running properly but to no avail. When that didn’t work, Mitch Payton from Pro Circuit gave us a pipe to try but it didn’t really help. The thing was pinging and knocking so badly I had to ride it with the choke on just to keep it from seizing,” laughs Nicholson. In retrospect, it may be funny now but it was no laughing matter at the time. Despite the problems with the bike, Glen went out and gave it his all finishing the first moto in a very respectable 8th place in the Open division. “I was pretty proud of that result,” states Nicholson. “Back then the 500 class was still the premiere class over in Europe so all the top guys were riding them. To get an eighth

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“So without Ross in the line up, the CMA decided to go with Kawasaki’s Jeff Surwall as the 250 rider for the event.” in those conditions was a pretty good accomplishment.” In fact, the conditions were so bad that the Factory Yamaha riders, Sweden’s Leif Perrson and Finnish rider Kurt Lundquist, opted to sit out the second motos. “When I heard they were not going to race I begged them to let me ride the YZM for the second moto but Yamaha Europe didn’t think it was a good idea,” recalls Nicholson.

Alas, a derailed chain caused him to DNF the second moto and Nicholson’s ‘87 des Nations was done.

Canada’s team had a pretty rough day at Unadilla. Doug Hoover got a 5th in the 125cc class in the first moto but was forced to DNF the second moto, and Surwall struggled mightily in the brutal conditions as well. It was no cakewalk for the fans either, let me tell you. The sheer mass of humanity made it extremely hard to get around and the ankle deep mud only added to the difficulty.

In all honesty, it was pretty hard to figure out what was going on. Public address announcer Larry Maiers did an admirable job at keeping the fans informed about the on-track action. Personally, I have no idea how he could even tell one mud covered rider from another. Maybe he was just making it up but he made it all sound very dramatic. To be honest, all the fans really cared about was Hannah, and to a lesser degree the other two American riders, Johnson and Ward. And the Hurricane did not disappoint as he slithered his way to the 125 win in the second moto and third overall in what has become known in motocross history 16 7 12

as one of the greatest rides of all time. It was what the US needed to get the win, and as much as he had done his whole career, Hannah delivered. The crowd was going absolutely nuts, practically willing Hannah around the track, and in some cases moving out of the way for him to take the optimum outside lines and then moving back again so no one else could take advantage of them. Hey, this type of thing happens at these events. Don’t fool yourself into thinking the same type of thing didn’t go on over in Europe.

The Americans won and the fans went home happy. Any possible shenanigans that I was initially concerned about had been averted by a great effort by the American Team. This was to be Glen Nicholson’s last des Nations for Team Canada. He retired from professional motocross in 1989, ironically right after that year’s 250 USGP at Unadilla. “Those were the only two times I ever rode there,” recalls Nicholson.

I don’t remember much about the ride home other than it seemed insufferably long. You know the word “epic” gets thrown around a lot these days but if there was ever an event that deserved this moniker, the 1987 Motocross des Nations was it. It transcended the sport. It created a legend that fans still talk about wistfully even now. It may have happened almost thirty years ago but the memories remain. To this day, whenever I hear the Hoodo Gurus sing “Mars Needs Guitars,” I still think about the ‘87 MX des Nations.

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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY BRENT WORRALL

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his past spring, the week before the 2015 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals kicked off in Kamloops, BC, I had an opportunity to experience something a little bit diff erent and very exciting. Over the course of the last couple of seasons, I have gradually been getting myself acquainted with the great group of people in the Northwestern part of Canada that is officially known as the Peace Motocross Association (aka PMA). I have been across this country in an east - west fashion many times, chasing my passion and interacting with the unique personalities that make this great sport what it is. Up until this point, I had never been north of Prince George, BC for anything and was very excited about this trip, which had been in the works for almost a year.

As the in-house announcer at Future West Moto Arenacross and local outdoor races over the course of the last few years, I have gained a broader perspective of many things.

I often look to find a silver lining in any situation and one of them for me now is to appreciate the lengths that the many involved in this sport go, both on and off the track in pursuit of their passion. Over the last couple of seasons I have been completely amazed at how many attendees at our local races were from the northern organization, the Peace Motocross Association. I was fortunate enough to have them approach me and make it possible for my wife and I to head up to Dawson Creek for the second round of their series this past May. I was a little apprehensive given that this event would require a 14 hour drive each way, and it was amidst the busiest time of year with my local and National racing commitments. What a great opportunity it was to load up and go somewhere new and exciting while being able to share my passion for Motocross through the microphone. I knew absolutely nothing about Dawson Creek other than the fact that my wife had lived there and attended elementary school as a child. What I did know was that these good folks were very happy that we were coming and went above and beyond to ensure that our experience would be one to remember.

The Peace Motocross Association is made up of nine tracks that are on the border area of Northeastern, BC and Northwestern, Alberta; some have been around for almost 40 years.

This club has over 200 annual members whose moto passion is as steadfast and strong as any I have experienced. Veteran and very talented riders Clint Toews and Cole Lewis are the club’s current President and Vice President respectively. The tracks are of varying surfaces and terrains that accommodate and cater to all ages and levels of riders. The scheduled race weekend events are run over two days, and every class is guaranteed at least two 15 minute

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“WHAT I DID KNOW WAS THAT THESE GOOD FOLKS WERE VERY HAPPY THAT WE WERE COMING AND WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND TO ENSURE THAT OUR EXPERIENCE WOULD BE ONE TO REMEMBER.” motos; some of the more experienced classes get 20 minutes plus. The Peace Motocross Association has turned out some great, top level Pro riders in recent years like Aron Homey, Trae Franklin and current Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross National racers Brock Leitner and Mathew Davenport.

What a beautiful trek it was into the Northern Peace District and getting an eyeful of what beauty exists in a part of the country in which I was oblivious to up until this point. When we landed up in Dawson Creek before checking into our hotel, the first goal would be to locate the race track as they are usually a ways off the beaten path. After wrestling with my GPS and being convinced my Google Map was out in left field, I pretty much circumnavigated the perimeter of the town of 10,000 to no avail. One of the driving forces behind making this whole trek to Dawson Creek possible was a man I am now proud to call my friend, Reed Lepine. After balking profusely in my wife’s direction that the track was not just right over there where she had pointed, I pulled over and called Reed. You guessed it, the track was literally right over there and only a stone’s throw from the center of the town’s Mile Zero landmark. I might add, to my defense, that the track was very well disguised by a neat perimeter fence that had it looking more like an RV lot than a Motocross facility. Pulling in Friday afternoon, I was soon greeted by some of the happiest, easy going moto people I have ever met in my life. The excitement on their faces and how genuinely happy they were to see us there was one of the coolest moments I have ever experienced at a race track.

They even renovated their track tower by putting in a completely new, raised sub floor so the “Chair on the Air” could have the best vantage point of all the racing action possible. They even built an elevator out of a loader to hoist me to the top of the two level tower. Thanks Reed Lepine and Kiley Brough from National Home Construction, you guys did a great job!

On the two race days the sun was out and the parking lot (RV lot) was packed and it promised to be a great weekend. Not moments after unloading from our van on Saturday morning, we were approached by a toddler of no more than 4 or 5-years-old. He had a very forlorn look on his face and his first words to us (total strangers to him) were “Have you seen Jordi-Ann? I need her now, it is very important!” I was not sure what the boy’s issue was but my wife, Gisela, quickly responded and asked him if she could help with anything. His reply was “No it’s okay, I just need her for money for ice cream.” It was 7:30am! It left us with a huge smile and set the tone for the day. Moments later, we did get to meet Jordi-Ann Waller, one of the Dawson Creek Moto moms who wore many hats for the club. The two race days were a ton of fun, and it was made even more rewarding when I encouraged riders and their families to come up to the tower throughout the day. I was keen to get them to tell me more about the region and more about the Peace

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Motocross Association and their experiences with it. I would like to thank each and every one of you who took the time out to get me up to speed with everything you did. I had hoped to use every possible angle to get as much in here as I could about your truly great and hospitable organization. I am sure if I started naming names, more than one would get left out and an apology would be in order. Getting back to the weekend’s action and the full two days of racing on the moderately hard packed surface, I do not believe there was even one medical incident. The motos were of lengths that I never usually see anywhere. All I can say is, thankfully that far up north the daylight hours are a little longer, and this organization takes full advantage of it in that regard.

I left Dawson Creek absolutely exhausted but it was worth every second of it as I, to this day, have never felt more appreciated by a group of individuals hosting a Motocross race in my life.

The Peace Motocross Association, in conjunction with the BCMA, has an annual event at their Chetwynd track called the BCMA - Peace Motocross Challenge. Over the course of evolving my relationship and knowledge of the PMA, I have come to know the man behind the Chetwynd track - Jason Berlinger. Jason is an avid motohead and family man that puts many hours into making this annual event the biggest race in Northern Canada. The Chetwynd track is on a piece of crown land of about 80 acres that was donated to the club to build this race track on 10 years ago. The BCMA region riders made the pilgrimage north to Chetwynd this year and together the event drew over 500 hundred entries. Berlinger also noted that the whole community gets behind the annual event and they are very appreciative of their many out of industry local sponsors. He was very proud to be able to profess to the small town dynamic that had the many local merchants and services rallying around their event in the name of community. This event, that was held this past September, will look to see its date advanced considerably on the 2016 calendar to earlier in the summer. Even though nothing has been solidified as of yet, Berlinger is very much looking forward to getting everything into place very soon. There is also a good chance that I will be involved in some capacity and will be at the 2016 Peace Motocross - BCMA Challenge.

We live in a huge country and at times the reality of the obstacles its geography and climate can create in regards to motocross can be troublesome. It was nice to see that none of this gets in the way for this diverse and admirable organization. This whole experience up north and the interaction with such great people whose treatment of my wife and I was the best we have ever received in the motocross world, period. It will not soon be forgotten, and when I look back on my most memorable moments of 2015, this one will likely be near the top. Thanks to each and every member of the Dawson Creek Motocross Club and the Peace Motocross Association.

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Dean Wilson (12) gets off to a good sta rt at the beginning of the first Open/MX 2 moto.

. Mark Su nday meyor(Rni)ng on y se with ill po ch tle lit sl It was a ass (L) and Pa ul King ateu r National br Am Stal ly e CMRC Ca nadian mul t-tim Dean Wilson.

Champion

ach year, almos t all of the World ’s top rider s ga ther at a pr e-de termined loc at ion to repre sent their Coun try in the ev en t that is no w re fer red to as the Mo tocross of Na tions , or MXoN for shor t. The tw o da y race is considered the Oly mpics of Mo tocro ss and wi th ob vious reason , it garner s a ton of me dia at tention. Wi th a few ex cept ions, Canada has been a part of this ev en t for three decade s wi th spor adic succ es s. For some reason we ha ve ne ver been able to find a cons ist en t recipe for fi nishing as well as we should at the MXoN. Whet her it was due to bad luck, nerve s or jus t plain unde rachiev ing , Canada has ne ve r stood on the po dium.

Last year, Team Ca nada headed to La tvia wi th a lot of hy pe and a multi-year plan to ele va te Canada to where it belongs . Ho we ve r, af ter some peculiar de cision making by the Canadian Mo torc ycle As socia tion during the off -season, which sa w the rem ov al of Ry an Gauld as Team Manager, it was de ter mined that Ca nada would no t be sending a team ov er to Fr an ce in 20 15 to repre sent our gr ea t Coun try.

Ev en though it wa s a bit ter pill to sw allow for ev er y MX fan in Ca nada , this se tbac k didn’t stop CMRC Pr esident Ma rk St all ybrass an d Na tional Head Re fer ee Pa ul Kingsley from bo ar ding a fligh t to Paris to wi tnes s this massive ev en t in person.

Wi th St all y’s obse rvant ey e and Kin gsley ’s camera , these tw o gig an tic MX fans br ou gh t back this phot o repor t from the 20 15 MXoN in which we’re calling “P os tcard s Fr om Fr ance.”

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F I R S T I M P R E S S I O N B Y C H R I S P O M E R O Y P H O T O S B Y H U S Q V A R N A

M E D I A

PALMS GOES TO DC or hundreds of years, Washington, DC has long been considered the center of power in the USA. Not only is the Federal Government located there, but the FBI, CIA and the infamous Pentagon also call the city home.

Geographically speaking, the Washington area is also very interesting as it borders three diff erent States: Virginia, Maryland and of course the District of Columbia. If you’re ever in need of a great place to visit, Washington has a scenic landscape, many tourist spots, and of course all of the sights and sounds that make up the birthplace of a Nation.

For a company like Husqvarna, which prides itself on history and engineering excellence, the Washington area felt like the perfect place to launch their all-new 2016 Motocross line up. Along with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Team riders Christophe Pourcel and Jason Anderson, all of the invited media gathered at the W Hotel, just across the street from the White House, for the presentation of the new 2016 Husqvarna motocross line up.

As the personnel from Husqvarna began to talk about these new motorcycles, the first thing that came to mind was just how well thought out these machines are. I know it’s the same case with every modern day dirt bike, but after listening to the men who actually worked on the design of these new bikes, it became clear that not one component wasn’t given 100% attention. It also became evident very quickly that the new Husqvarnas are not just KTMs with white plastic. The 2016s represent Husqvarna’s first step in becoming an

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individualized product with components and handling characteristics that are unique to this reborn brand. After the very informative presentation, all of the excited media types boarded a bus and headed across State lines to the famous Budds Creek Raceway in Maryland for a day of testing and fun aboard the new Husqvarnas.

Before we even threw a leg over one of these new Husqvarnas, most of us just stood there in absolute awe at just how impressive these new bikes looked. With the white and blue plastics and smooth lines, if the new Husqvarnas worked as good as they looked then we were all in for a real treat. After some formalities and waiver signings, we were each given specific time slots for each bike. With the complete line up of 2016 two-strokes and four-strokes all ready for us to ride, there would be plenty of opportunity throughout the day to try each machine.

My plan was to spend most of the day riding the four-strokes and to find out how all of the new features work together on the track. With the Budds Creek circuit consisting of many uphills, downhills and off camber corners, the track was going to present an ideal testing ground for the new Husqvarnas. The only surprising and perhaps disappointing aspect to the day was the condition of the dirt at Budds Creek. I personally have never been to that track before, but anytime I’ve seen it on television the soil looks loamy, rutted and perfect for riding. On this day, however, the soil was slightly hard packed and very slick, which made precise riding a must and good throttle control necessary to get around the track as fast as possible.

The first bike I threw my leg over was the all-new 2016 FC250.

With a whooping 46 HP in stock form that weighs a staggering 220lbs, some 8lbs lighter than last year’s bike, this new FC250 felt light and agile as soon as I got on the track. What this new bike lacked in bottom end torque made up for it in spades with its vast mid-range and top-end power. In short, this new 250F never stopped pulling on the horsepower robbing Budds Creek circuit. As I mentioned, the track at Budds Creek was a little on the dry side with a lot of small, choppy bumps. I felt this is where these steel framed Husqvarnas were at their best. With just enough torsion and rigidity, the new frame is both lighter and set up perfectly for maximum rider comfort.

After riding the FC250 for a number of laps, the next bike I got my hands on was the big brother of the 2016 Husqvarna fleet, the totally redesigned FC450. After watching Tyler Medaglia all summer at the Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals, I was very excited to try a Husqvarna FC450 for myself. With a lighter engine and frame, the new 2016 FC450 sits on the scales over ten pounds less

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“WITH THE WHITE AND BLUE PLASTICS AND SMOOTH LINES, IF THE NEW HUSQVARNAS WORKED AS GOOD AS THEY LOOKED THEN WE WERE ALL IN FOR A REAL TREAT.”

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than the bike Tyler rode throughout the summer. With new components like a launch control and a bar mounted ignition mapping switch, this bike, as with all the new Husqvarnas, is completely adjustable and race ready.

Once I started riding laps on the new FC450, I was amazed at how easily it was to get around the track. The steel frame definitely gives you a precise feel and off ers a rider much less vibration than a non-steel framed bike.

The handling was excellent and the power, much like the FC250, was very linear off the bottom, however as you increased the throttle the bike never seemed to stop making power. My first impression was that this bike will suit all levels of riders, whether it be a pro-type rider who wants class leading performance or a rider who just wants to go out and have fun on weekends.

At a measured 63 HP, the new FC450 isn’t lacking anything when you decide to turn the throttle. With the easily accessible ignition mapping switch, you can adjust the settings while you ride. I ran my switch in the #1 position, which was the less aggressive setting.

Of course, the new Hussqvarnas also come stock with a hydraulic clutch, newly redesigned WP4CS forks, a new shock and linkage, and they are the only manufacturer that uses a 3-piece,

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carbon-composite subframe. This subframe is 2lbs lighter than a standard model, and with its patented 3-piece design, it is less expensive to repair after a crash. For 2016, a pair of innovative Odi Grips also grace each bike that are very comfortable.

After spending hours riding all of the new 2016 Husqvarnas, I came away amazed at the overall performance and versatility of this new and exciting brand. When I wasn’t out riding laps on the Budds Creek track I was sitting with engineers who had flown in from Sweden. These proud individuals were very excited to talk about not only the 2016 line up, but also the future and what lies ahead for this historic brand. Husqvarna is definitely back and they’re back in a big way. These 2016s work great, and judging by the performances this past summer by Medaglia in Canada, Jason Anderson in the USA and Max Nagl in Europe, this company is ready to win championships. We would like to thank Husqvarna Canada, all of the Husqvarna personnel that attended this press launch, and also the fine people at Budds Creek for making this opportunity possible. All of the journalists had a great day and enjoyed test riding the 2016 Husqvarnas. For a look at the complete 2016 line up, visit http://www. husqvarna-motorcycles.com.

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“MY FIRST IMPRESSION WAS THAT THIS BIKE WILL SUIT ALL LEVELS OF RIDERS, WHETHER IT BE A PRO-TYPE RIDER WHO WANTS CLASS LEADING PERFORMANCE OR A RIDER WHO JUST WANTS TO GO OUT AND HAVE FUN ON WEEKENDS.”

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W I T H T R AV I S PA S T R A N A

BY CHRIS POMEROY

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF NITRO CIRCUS

Sitting down to interview a person in this sport is always fun as everyone seems to have so much personality. For this reason, you can imagine how excited I was to sit down and go one on one with the man, the legend, Travis Pastrana. Over the years Travis has proven to be the athlete that can seemingly do it all. We’ve seen him jump out of plane one day, race a rally car the next and then show up a week later riding his dirt bike. Yes, life seems to move very fast for the World’s most extreme athlete. However, with a growing family and him not getting any younger, we just might begin to see him slow down to take a few breaths.

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MXP: Travis, thanks for giving us a few moments of what I’m sure is a very busy schedule. I guess my first question is what have you been up to?

What is a day in the life of Travis Pastrana like these days?

Travis: No problem, I always have time for you guys.

These days I’ve just been down at my house with the crew training and getting ready for the new Nitro Circus tour. Obviously, a lot of preparation goes into everything and there’s a lot of trial and error before we decide on what exactly we’re doing.

Now the tour has begun and we’re pretty much on the road full time.

MXP: As big as your life and Nitro Circus has become, it sounds as though some things are exactly the way they were 10 or 12 years ago, just you and your buddies hitting ramps and having fun.

TP: Yes, I guess that is true in many ways (laughs).

It’s no secret how blessed I feel to still be able to do what I love. To see Nitro grow into what it is today has been amazing; we travel all over the World and entertain people. However, at the end of the day it’s just a group of friends out having fun.

Far right: Travis can still perform tricks as good as anyone in the business.

Right: This Nitro Circus Live Tour is a family affair for the Pastranas.

Below: Bruce Cook’s return to the Nitro show in Toronto was cause for celebration.

MPX: It seems as though you’ve always been like that, regardless of the situation or how much stress you might feel on the inside. To us you always look like you’re having a blast.

TP: Well, I’m glad it appears that way because it’s not always the case. I don’t know, I think it’s just the way I’ve been brought up. I’m definitely

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a glass half full kind of guy and that’s got me through a lot so far in my life.

MXP: I think everyone would agree that you definitely smile more than most athletes.

TP: (laughs) That’s because I’m happy, I’m living my dream and I couldn’t be happier. Recently I built a skate park at my house and when my Dad saw it he said “Do you realize you’re in your thirties and you’re building something for kids?” I think that sums up what we’re doing, we’re just big kids now.

MXP: Let’s talk about this new show. You kicked off the Canadian tour in Toronto and it was a massive hit. What can fans expect with this new North American Tour?

TP: Well, everyone can expect to be very entertained, that’s for sure. I mean, this 2015 show is bigger and better than anything we’ve ever done. The evolution of Nitro Circus Live is perhaps what I’m most proud of.

We have new tricks, new eff ects, and also an entirely new safety protocol. After Bruce Cook got injured last year in Hamilton we had to rethink the safety part of the show to reduce the chances of that ever happening again. All I can say is that everyone should come out and see the show, it’s a pretty wild ride.

Above: All of the athletes meet for the important riders’ meeting prior to the night show.

Below: The train of back fl ips is perhaps the highlight of each Nitro Circus Live Tour show.

MXP: Speaking of Bruce, it’s great to see him and how he’s dealt so positively with his injury, he’s definitely an inspiration. The fact that Bruce has come back and will actually perform during the Canadian stops, is absolutely amazing. As the face of Nitro Circus and as one of the athletes, that must make you very proud.

TP: Definitely, we’re definitely proud of him and happy that he is happy. As I said, this new tour is a lot diff erent than the first one. Fans can expect a new theme, new stunts, and new music. Actually everything is new and it’s pretty awesome. I would say it’s like a rock concert with stunts!

MXP: That does sound amazing Travis and I’m sure everyone is going to love it. You also must be excited to be performing in Canada’s biggest arenas.

TP: Definitely, we started at the Air Canada Centre and we’re going to the Bell Centre in Montreal, then Ottawa and Vancouver. These are a few cites that I’ve never been to so I’m just excited for that.

MXP: We can’t wait! Do you ever just shake your head when you think about how big the Nitro Circus brand and your name has become?

TP: Every day pretty much, because I’m just a guy who loves to ride bikes, drive cars and have fun. I remember my Grandma called me one day and she was so excited. I guess she had just watched Ocean’s 13 and she heard Al Pacino mention my name in the movie. I think in her mind I had finally made it! (haha) MXP: I want to change the subject and go back to your racing days. You don’t seem like someone who has a lot of regrets in life, however, do you regret that racing didn’t end up the way you thought it would?

TP: Not really, I mean sure, there are a few things that I would do diff erently if I had to do it all over

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BRUCE COOK

WELCOME BACK TO THE NITRO CIRCUS! Get a 20% discount using web code BC20 at 2UNDR.com and 10% of the sale is donated to the SmileForBC foundation.

For more info visit www.SmileForBC.org #SmileForBC

photo: Lars Scharl

photo: Lars Scharl

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again. But, that’s life and you can’t change the past. I look at it like if I kept racing then I would’ve done some other things that I did. Sure the racing door eventually closed, but man, a lot more opened for me after. I tried to do it a few diff erent ways when I was racing and I think a lot of people don’t know that. I did the Ricky Carmichael ‘head down and serious’ way and it just didn’t work for me. I actually got slower on the track. I was at my best when I was training hard and riding hard, but also enjoying myself and having fun.

that I don’t know how these riders do it. Not only do you have to train super hard, but you’re also riding during the week and then travelling to the races, and there’s no real off-season. Not to mention that the modern day bikes and the speeds that the riders are going now, I can’t believe they stay as healthy as they do. I definitely wouldn’t be able to do it! I think the best way to sum up the sport today from how I see it is that to be a top rider you have to always be right on the verge of total burn out.

MXP: How was your relationship with Roger Decoster when you rode for him?

TP: I think that’s another misconception. A lot of people think that with me being who I am that Roger and I didn’t get along. I will admit that at first there was a little tension because we were both so diff erent with how we approached the sport. But, once he saw what made me tick and what brought out the best in me, we were a great team and I think we respected each other. Even to this day I count Roger as a friend and really one of my biggest mentors.

MXP: That’s an interesting way of looking at it. I guess that’s why it’s cool to see riders like Justin Barcia and Ken Roczen appear to be having fun.

TP: I love those guys. They sometimes remind me of how I was when I was younger. They’re training hard, but they’ve figured out how to enjoy life. Chad Reed is the same way. I mean look how long he’s been doing it. It’s crazy that he’s able to still find the drive to compete at the level that he does. But, he’s found a way to still do this sport at the highest level and still enjoy life.

MXP: What do you think of the sport today? I’m sure you still speak to a lot of the riders and see firsthand what they go through.

TP: You know, that is a great question. In some ways the sport today is the same as it was 10 or 20 years ago. The recipe for success hasn’t changed. You work hard and you end up being successful. However, the sport today looks so gnarly

MXP: Travis, thanks for doing this. We wish you all the best with Nitro Circus and with your growing family. Best of luck and hopefully we can catch up again soon.

TP: Awesome, thanks for the interview. I hope Canada enjoys our shows and don’t worry, one of these years I’m going to get back up to Walton and do some more laps!

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS

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BY S TE V E S H A N N O N

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PH OTOS BY S TE V E S H A N N O N

2 015 K L I M R AC E L I N E lim gear has long been known for its use of technical materials, robust build quality and slightly awkward styling. Their use of high tech materials like Gore-Tex has made them a favourite amongst the dual-sport crowd, but due to the lack of styling it’s never really caught on for the racers. For 2015, Klim aimed to change that by introducing new colour schemes and their XC Race Line of gear. Recently, Husqvarna Canada set us up with an FC450 to test out the new and exciting Klim gear. Here’s a look at a few of their offerings…

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F4 ECE Helmet

Let’s start at the top with the new F4 ECE helmet. At first look, the helmet definitely stands out. The quirky vent scoops on the lid have definitely brought attention to the helmet, and not necessarily in a positive light. Looking beyond the vents, the helmet exudes quality.

From a nice carrying case to a flashy paint job and other details like a cold weather liner, anti-fog mask and tool free visor adjustment, the Klim helmet is top of the line. At just over 1400 grams, the F4 is reasonably lightweight and is made with carbon, fibreglass and kevlar.

The helmet is ECE approved but lacks DOT approval probably due to the vents.

Most race sanctioning bodies recognize the ECE approval but check with provincial regulations before using the helmet for dual sport riding.

Removing the liner, the vents are numerous. Klim really tried to make the best vented helmet on the market. As a guy who works hard when he rides, I really appreciated the vents. Using the helmet last month when the temperatures were warm in BC, I’m happy to report this new helmet breathes very well. So well, in fact, that I actually got cold on rides to higher elevations. Luckily, since Klim has its roots in snowmobiling, they thought

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ahead and included a windstopper liner for colder rides. Popping in the liner only takes a minute and it makes a big difference. One caveat to all this venting is the helmet is sometimes a little noisy. A small price to pay for such good venting.

The medium sized helmet fit well on my average size head. Thicker and thinner pads are available to customize the fit even further, however I never felt the need to change pads. The goggle port is roomy and I never felt my vision was restricted. Adjusting the visor requires no tools, which was handy during the changing light in the mountains. For an expensive, premium helmet it would have been nice to see a spare visor included. I did crash test the helmet, though, and the visor held up well

despite landing directly on it. The F4 also fit well with a neck brace.

Overall, I was very happy with the Klim F4 helmet and would say it’s one of the best I’ve ever used. The fit and finish are top notch, the cold weather accessories improve the versatility of the helmet and the venting is excellent. If you can get past the slightly odd looks, the Klim F4 helmet may just be the best helmet you’ve ever had.

MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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Klim XC Series Racewear For 2015, Klim decided to move into the race wear market with their new XC line. With sleeker styling, no pockets, good venting and use of technical materials, the XC lineup is a winner. Available in a range of colours to suit almost every taste, the gear looks stylish without being over the top with busy patterns.

The XC pants fit slightly on the roomy side so there’s no need to upsize to fit over padded riding shorts and knee braces. The pants have a two

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button waist closure plus a velcro micro adjust to help dial in the fit and keep them up. Stretchy panels retain mobility while mesh panels on the thighs help promote airflow. Reinforced knees protect against knee brace rub and exhaust burns. The in-the-boot design fits well and the pants don’t have any weird seams to catch on the bike. After a few weeks of solid riding the pants have held up well with no noticeable wear, tear or ripped seams.

The XC jersey fits true to size, and if you wear a chest protector or under the jersey armour, you may want to go up one size. Venting is obvious with the sleeves and back panel being mesh. The venting works well with the XC jersey being cool even during the warm weather. Lightly padded elbows and forearms help in the case of a crash. With the mesh construction, I was worried about durability riding in the woods, but thankfully the jersey has held up well with no rips or tears during two months of testing.

The XC glove is a minimalist design with a single layer, no padding palm. For the picky rider these gloves are great.

I prefer a low profile glove, and if I’m worried about blisters during longer rides and races I tape my hands accordingly.

Fitting true to size, the palms did not bunch up helping to prevent blisters. The outside of the thumbs have a small piece of padding sewn in to help prevent the dreaded ‘yamathumb.’ Unfortunately, this padding did little to prevent it and could be left out. Silicon buttons on the palm and fingers helped maintain grip during wet conditions while a perforated palm helps keep things cool during the heat. A unique feature of the XC glove is the lack of closure strap (velcro or otherwise), instead an elastic cuff keeps the gloves on. While slightly skeptical at first, this ended up being one of my favourite features as the gloves were easier to put on, stayed in place and I no longer needed to worry about the tabs coming undone!

Though there are a few nuances, overall I think Klim nailed it with their XC race wear.

Excellent!

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2 015 K L I M R A C E L I N E

Traverse Jacket

Klim’s reputation of making no nonsense, technical riding gear is clearly shown in their gore-tex Traverse Jacket.

Aimed at the enduro rider, the Traverse features tough build quality and goretex’s famous ‘guaranteed to keep you dry’ warranty. Ample pockets, armpit and back vents are some of the features of the jacket. The jacket is also compatible with D3o armour, however, I didn’t have a chance to try it.

The jacket fits slightly on the large side, which is perfect for wearing a chest protector or pressure suit underneath.

When I first put on the jacket I immedi-

Radius Moto Goggle

The Klim Radius Moto Goggle works, plain and simple. I tend to sweat a lot during warm weather rides and can fog up a goggle in no time. Luckily, the Radius Moto vents well and fogging was never an issue, even with just a single pane lens. A special vent guide that Klim calls Air Forced Induction helps air flow through the top of the goggle. Obviously, this system works well as I never had issues with fogging. The goggle fit well especially with the F4 helmet, and had excellent field of view. It comes with tearoff posts on the lens and strap for the racers. Speaking of the strap, the silicon strips helped keep it in place while the adjustment never moved. The goggles stayed in place without issue. Overall, the Klim Radius Moto goggle is a great option for off-roaders and motocrossers. With a great fit, no fogging and good field of view, these goggles are great!

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ately noticed the weight - the Traverse jacket is built tough! The 840 denier cordura fabric is ready for whatever you throw at it. Besides a high speed crash on asphalt, there’s not much that could damage the jacket.

Storm flaps cover all the zippers, making it somewhat cumbersome to quickly open or close the vents and some of the pockets, but the flaps ensure the jacket stays waterproof and helps keep debris out of the zippers. Speaking of zippers, Klim uses high quality YKK zippers on all their closures ensuring this jacket will last a long time. Pockets are well thought out with the usual hand options plus a chest pocket and inside pocket, perfect for cell phones and wallets.

Though the jacket felt heavy when I first tried it on, I never noticed the weight while riding. Riding in the Traverse jacket was generally an unnoticeable affair, and that’s a good thing. It fit well and never restricted movement. For difficult trail riding the jacket is probably a little too warm. The vents work okay but I’d really like to see removable sleeves as in the spring and fall Where the jacket really comes into its own is dual-sport riding. As the speeds increase, the warm and protection offered by the jacket really shine.

For warm days the vents are adequate and when it starts raining the jacket is perfect! Staying warm and dry is the key to comfortable dual-sport riding and the Traverse is definitely a winner here.

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed by the Klim Traverse jacket, but I think for hard trail riding I might look for something with more breathability and packability, probably something like the Klim Stowaway.

For dual-sporting, I think you’d be hard pressed to beat this jacket for the price.

Klim has really stepped it up in the offroad riding market. Their helmet is a serious contender and their new race wear is top notch! I’d like to thank Klim for the opportunity to test out their new product line, and again, thank you to Husqvarna for lending me a bike to ride.

MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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MD DISTRIBUTIONS WELCOMES JIMMY DECOTIS TO THE FAMILY

WWW.MDDISTRIBUTIONS.COM

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B Y B R E N T W O R R A L L | P H O T O S B Y C L AY T O N R A C I C O T

THE RETURN OF CASEY KEAST

“WITH LORETTA LYNN’S NOW OUT OF THE EQUATION, CASEY WOULD HAVE TO NOW FOCUS SOLELY ON RECOVERY FOR THREE SOLID MONTHS.“

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hen the gate dropped on the 2015 season, Casey Keast confidently set out to continue carving his path to Motocross glory. The Rutland, BC native, who is now 16-years-old and who is teamed up with Kelowna Yamaha, Goldentyre, Fox, Atlas Brace and Yamaha Motor Canada, would look to add to his growing collection of hardware and titles. By this point in Casey’s career his long list of accomplishments include Western Canadian Amateur titles, 2 - Walton Trans Can Super Mini titles, 2 - World Mini Grand Prix 85cc Championships, 2 - Monster Energy Cup top 10 overalls, as well as Provincial and Future West Moto Arenacross titles.

Casey, who got his two wheeled start on BMX bikes, has turned heads at the Motocross track since his very first race. Keast has also proven many times over that to be lucky you have to be good, but also admits at this point in his 6-year career, he has gotten along quite nicely with Lady Luck. With early season success on his Super Mini, 125cc two-stroke, and experimentation rides on a 250F, 2015 would provide some new obstacles to overcome for the easy going and talented red head.

This past Spring, Casey Keast would continue to add to those accomplishments nicely with a podium finish in the final Moto of this year’s California Classic. He followed that up with a victory in the Super Mini class at Round one of the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals in Kamloops in the newly added KTM Western Canadian Super Mini Nationals.

After hitting the top step in that event he would qualify for the following day’s Pro National on his 125cc Yamaha two-stroke and get some valuable experience banging bars with the best. Casey had a second Moto finish 21st on an up-and-down day, which earned him fi ve Pro National points and 23rd overall. The following weekend Casey would head south of the border to Washougal MX Park

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and qualify first in the Super Mini and Schoolboy classes for Loretta Lynn’s Grand National Championship. Firing on all cylinders and looking as confident as ever on the bigger bike, Casey would head off to the Calgary National in mid-June with Mike Nicholls from Goldentyre Canada.

I was in Calgary for the National weekend festivities when the gate dropped on Casey’s first Moto on Saturday’s amateur day. As they headed down into the east side of the race track out of sight, Casey never resurfaced. He went down in uncharacteristic fashion while pressing to the front of the pack. The result was a fractured humerus, which would see Casey, for the first time in his career forced to the sidelines. With Loretta Lynn’s now out of the equation, Casey would have to now focus solely on recovery for three solid months. I caught up with Casey for the first time since the injury at the final round of the BC Provincial Championship in September in Kelowna. The first thing I noticed was how much he had grown in those three months. The rider, who to this point in his career had been smaller than most of his competition, beamed when I noticed the growth.

With a huge smile on his face, he proudly told me that he had in fact grown some three inches since earlier that season.

Casey was given full medical clearance on the final day of September and has been beyond anxious to get back to pursue his first love. As mentioned above, Casey is a Monster Energy Cup Super Mini veteran and throughout his recovery has had his sights set on this year’s event. Casey stated that even though he has not had the seat time he would like to have heading into this year’s edition, he believes his experience is his biggest asset. Most of the riders he has lined up with the previous two years have moved up and on. Keast is also harnessing the added fuel of having last year’s second Moto red flagged while leading.

That’s right, our own Canadian born and bred was leading arguably the highest profile Super Mini event in the world. Without dwelling too much, I could not help but pry for a little information from Casey as to how he was feeling about the event.

He replied by saying, “Well, leading last year I felt confident and was not at all thinking about who was behind me. Nerves and that kind of thing were not a factor at all. I am pretty confident when the gate drops, I will just ride and have fun; I know I can do well.”

When the Moto was red flagged and restarted, Casey would not get the great jump the second time around but still had a decent moto going. He was running third but landed on a tuff block on the last lap and bent his brake cable, which forced him to ride cautiously as it was locking up on him.

MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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Casey would take solace in knowing he had given it his all, and will look to build on the 7th overall. Keast’s 2015 Monster Energy Cup preparations took him to Southern California at the beginning of October to work with former Pro, Sean Hamblin. Casey admitted that he was not exactly sure how it would go but pointed out that he felt his experience would be his biggest asset. He is also looking forward to the experience in general as a great way to have some fun at the top level and finish the season off on a positive note.

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After the Monster Energy Cup, Casey Keast will shore up a ride for the 2016 season, most likely with the colour in which he has grown accustomed - Blue.

I grilled Casey to get a quick peak inside his crystal ball and he said he was very much looking forward to next year and felt 2016 would be a breakout year for him. He will focus on heading back to the California Classic in the Spring as well as qualifying for Loretta Lynn’s again on the 250F. He mentioned that even though he was very happy for Marco Canella, who won the Schoolboy class there this year, he wished

he could have used his ticket and lined up beside him. I believe that this too will give Keast a little more added fuel for all of next year’s eff orts. Casey will also contest the western rounds of the Canadian Nationals. I asked him what his expectations were and he said he was not sure, but if his results were good enough he and his connections would consider heading east. Casey Keast will run 2016 as an Intermediate and look to continue to make his presence felt as he ascends through the ranks in Canadian Motocross and beyond. Good luck Casey.

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THE INSIDE LINE ANDY WHITE

brought to you by

WITH

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W I T H A N DY W H I T E

S P O N S O R S H I P 101 “Your sponsors want you to promote their brand name and product to your audience. If they think you are worth following then they might buy what you’re trying to promote. It is pretty simple.” o you ever say to yourself, “Next year I’m going to have way more sponsors and take my racing to the next level!” Something that we all want to have happen is get that extra support we all need to help cover the daunting costs of what it takes to put a proper race program together at whatever age and skill level, or if you are a Pro, landing that factory ride dream.

This is the perfect time of the year to start putting your plans together for next season. Okay, where to start on how to get some sponsors to help you become a champion?

There are many steps needed to do this right and it’s not as simple as you might think. Some questions you might ask yourself: How were my race results from this past season?

Did I race enough events? How was my appearance at the races? Did I do a good enough job promoting myself this past season? I am going to share some of the trade secrets to help you with your program. I will give you the guidelines to help you connect to the sponsors and how to sell yourself without overdoing it.

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STEP ONE:

What sponsors do I look for and what do I deserve? If you are a motocross racer you need to do your homework and list the companies that focus on your type of racing.

For example, don’t send a resume to a company that sells and specializes in enduro products if you plan to race motocross events. Be sure to research your sponsor base before you start sending resumes to everyone. Where do you fi t in and on what level of support should you expect from a company that has decided to support you? So now your proposal has been approved for some support. If you are an amateur rider that finishes just off the podium each weekend, please don’t expect free product. The best you will get is a discount on future purchases. It’s pretty simple, if you are a podium rider you will get looked at first. This translates into better support at that level.

STEP TWO:

Now you’ve compiled your list of companies in which you want to send your resume. Now you need to sell them on the idea that you are the right fi t for them. Place yourself in the seat of that manager again.

They receive lots of requests daily.

Who do they pick to support for the upcoming season? Those managers have a budget to follow as well. They will start with the riders they feel are good ambassadors then move down the list. You have to present them something that says, “I am the right person to support because I can help you promote your product.”

The goal at the end of the day for the companies is to sell more product. If they can sell more product then they usually get more sponsorship budget the following year.

STEP THREE:

Now you build your resume. One very important item on the list, please take the time to personalize each resume to each sponsor. Please don’t write on the top of the resume “To whom it may concern”. If you don’t know the name of the person, start calling friends and do some networking. The managers of the sponsorship departments want to see that you have put an effort into the package you are presenting. If it is generic and you use the same one for every company you approach, it will probably end up in file 13! That’s the recycle bin. Now that you have the name of the manager, you need to build the resume. Keep it simple and clean. If it’s 27 pages long I can bet the manager will get bored really fast

and recycle it right away. People tend to gloss over when they have to read a lot of copy. Start with an open letter introducing yourself, what your expectations are, and what your plans are for the upcoming season. Add a nice clean cut picture of yourself. On the next page list your accomplishments in order. Don’t make excuses on why you finished 33rd in a race because you had to borrow a buddy’s bike. List some of your current sponsors. Now list what events you plan to race in the upcoming season. Add a really clean colour picture of you racing. Use a close-up photo so they can see what you look like and how you present yourself. Now the important area of the resume; what are your social media skills like? Are you someone that has lots of followers on Facebook and Instagram? If so you have just moved up the list a few notches. If you are a podium rider with a good following, you are what the sponsors are looking for. Your sponsors want you to promote their brand name and product to your audience. If they think you are worth following then they might buy what you’re trying to promote. It is pretty simple.

Now that you have organized those few steps, you are ready to get out there and get your name noticed.

MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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EVOLVED NUTRITION WITH DREW ROBERTSON

CALORIE NEEDS AND MARCO BREAK DOWN

ave you heard the expression you are what you eat?

It’s important to understand it’s not just what you eat, it’s how much you eat. I have included a worksheet to help you understand just how much you need to eat and also provide an idea as to where to get those calories, in terms of carbohydrates, protein and fats.

Before going over the sheet, let’s take a look at weight and performance. Some sports require athletes to be bigger and stronger than others. In terms of motocross, you need to be powerful but adding a whole bunch of weight is not the best plan. For every 10lbs you add you need 1 extra Horsepower to make up for those additional pounds. Now the season is over and we are looking to get back in the gym and start training for next season.

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DID YOU LOSE WEIGHT OVER THE RACE SEASON?

Maybe because you were on the road and weren’t able to work out or eat properly you added some weight.

SINCE THE SEASON ENDED HAVE YOU BEEN SITTING AROUND, EATING CHIPS AND ADDING WEIGHT?

Maybe since the season ended you’ve lost weight from not being able to work out.

Are you happy with your weight?

Do you want to maintain your weight?

Whatever the case, have a plan and set a goal.

Let’s take a look at the worksheet now and go over the steps you need to fill it out, and then how to use this information going forward. At the top of the sheet you’ll notice a section with ‘goal’ listed in reference to weight, and on the side how active you are.

You’re working out four times a week and you have made it your goal to lose some weight you added since the season ended. Therefore, your

lower activity multiplier would be 12, your upper would be 14. Take these multipliers and using your current weight, fill in the calorie range that you’re going to need to stay in. Some of you might think if you’re trying to lose weight then you want to eat as few calories as you can. This can be counter-productive because if you eat too few calories you will lose muscle, which can cause your metabolism to slow down.

Now you have your upper and lower calorie range. Let’s see where you’re going to be getting the calories from.

Look at the picture and determine which body type you are. This will then give you the ratio of macro nutrients you will need. Let’s say you determined you were an ectomorph body type. This means your ratio will be 25% protein, 55% carbohydrates, and 20% fat.

THE FINAL STEP: HOW MANY GRAMS OF EACH OF THE MACRO NUTRIENTS DO YOU NEED?

In the case of carbohydrates and protein, for every 1 gram in weight there are 4 calories, and in the case of fats, every 1 gram contains 9 calories. When you have completed this worksheet you will have a guide as to where you need to be each day based on your current activity level, and a goal in terms of weight. Make sure that you come back and use this worksheet again when your activity level changes or you’ve reached your goal. For example, if your goal was to lose 10lbs and you’ve done that, you will then need to adjust your calorie intake then maintain that weight. The biggest change for most motocross athletes is when they start riding as this dramatically changes the amount of energy they use on a daily basis.

Photocopy this sheet and use it as often as you want, or fill it out right here in the magazine. When you need another copy, send me an email: drew@evolvednutrition.com.

Work smart, train hard!!!!

YO U R G OA L AC T I V I T Y L E V E L

LOSE WEIGHT

MAINTAIN WEIGHT

GAIN WEIGHT

M O D E R AT E E X E R C I S E

BW (LBS) X 12-14

BW (LBS) X 14-16

BW (LBS) X 18 - 20

H I G H LY AC T I V E

BW (LBS) X 14-16

BW (LBS) X 16-18

BW (LBS) X 20 -22

(3-4 TIMES PER WEEK)

(5-7 TIMES PER WEEK)

YO U R W E I G H T = AC T I V I T Y FAC T O R = KC A L S P E R DAY =

LOWER

UPPER

LOWER

UPPER APPROXIMATE STARTING POINTS

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B O DY T Y P E

% PROTEIN % CARB

ECTOMORPHIC MESOMORPHIC ENDOMORPHIC

2 5% 30% 35%

55% 40% 2 5%

% FAT 20% 30% 40% Endomorph

YO U R B O DY T Y P E : YO U R R AT I O S

LOWER

UPPER

(LOWER KCALS X RATIO%)

(UPPER KCALS X RATIO %)

PROTEIN CARB FAT KC A L B R E A K D O W N PROTEIN CARB FAT

(LOWER RATIO /4)

(UPPER RATIO /4)

(LOWER RATIO /4)

(UPPER RATIO /4)

(LOWER RATIO /9)

(UPPER RATIO /9)

Mesomorph

Ectomorph

MXP readers, it’s time to get your pens out and do some homework right here in the magazine!!! I get emails all the time asking how many calories someone should consume. The answer isn’t easy.

Sure, you can give a general number but this is not Wal-Mart!!!! The worksheet takes into account how busy you are, what your goals are in terms of weight, as well as your body type. Photocopy the page, or better yet fill it out right here in the magazine!!!

This will give you the upper and lower limits to your calorie intake as well as a general guide as to where you should be getting those calories (i.e. from fat, carbohydrates and protein). So get to it.

Next month I will go over how to use this information in conjunction with a food log to help keep you on track!

THE LEADER

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F R O M T H E D E S K O F M A R K S TA L LY B R A S S

WE SHOULD’VE BEEN THERE! “We wandered around the pits, spoke with a few industry people, met up with Dean for a chat, and had a long talk with Johnny O’Mara while watching morning practice.” n the Fall of 2014, Paul Kingsley and I decided to make the trek across the pond for the 2015 Motocross of Nations that was going to be held in Ernée, France with the intentions of cheering on Team Canada as they took on the best riders from numerous countries. Last year, there was a lot of excitement and national pride surrounding the efforts of our riders after their performance at the ‘14 MXoN in Kegams, Latvia, so we booked our flights and began to plan our trip.

As everyone now knows, Canada was not represented in France this year, reason being Canada’s FIM affiliate couldn’t find an organizer of the team that was suitable to their mandate (how’s that for being politically correct?). Naturally, we were disappointed that our country wouldn’t be represented but we decided to go regardless because we’ve been to a few “des Nations” before in the States and knew it was going to be a spectacular event. Plus, it would give us an opportunity to see how the FIM runs their show, and we figured maybe we could pick up a thing or two to add to our National series.

We landed in Paris on the Thursday prior to the event, picked up a Renault the size of a smart car, which is the norm in France, punched in the coordinates of our hotel in Laval, then hit the road. ‘King’ was in his glory on the highway doing 150km/h but figured it wasn’t all that fast after being passed numerous times by sprinter vans. We headed to the track on Friday, got our passes that were arranged for us, then proceeded to hit the pits and have a look at the track.

As expected, the track was professionally laid out and decorated, and there were a number of fine details that we noticed that would work well at home. The pits were jammed but well laid out,

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and were full of high priced rigs for each team or brand. It was the first time we both said, “We should have been here.” Most people would be taking photos of the people in attendance and the rigs but I was concentrating more on scaffolding, banner layouts, structures, pit layouts, etc..

During Satuday’s qualifying races, we had the best seats in the house. We figured our passes entitled us to sit in the bleachers but apparently we were only supposed to be there for one Moto.

Oh well, we got away with it. Thankfully because the hillside where all of the spectators congregated, there was a sea of people. You couldn’t help but notice the Team France fans because their country’s flag was everywhere...and this was just qualifying day.

The racing in the qualifiers was really good, and it gave you a good idea of who would be battling for the championship. Team France won every one of their motos but the US team wasn’t far behind.

We were cheering for Team Great Britain; King was born in England and I was favouring the rider with the closest relation to Canada - Dean Wilson. The fate of the GB team was quickly determined after Sean Simpson was taken out by a lapper that whiskey throttled over a table top and when Max Anstie had a horrific crash when he was landed on and tumbled down a steep downhill. Anstie was out and Simpson would have to ride injured. The way our boys are riding these days, they would have easily qualified for the A final.

We were one of the first to arrive on Sunday morning because we wanted to avoid the traffic going to the track (50,000+ spectators), plus we wanted to get a good parking spot so we could make an early escape. We wandered around the pits, spoke with a few industry people, met up with Dean for a chat, and had a long talk with Johnny O’Mara while watching morning practice. When

the first Moto was about to begin, there wasn’t an inch of real estate to watch, so, believe it or not, the best place to see the racing was on the giant video screen behind the small grandstands (you come all this way and you watch the race on TV?).

Moto two was much better because we figured out how to get back in the stands. It was there that you could really take in the atmosphere and get an amazing view of the track. Fortunately, each Moto had incredible racing so we didn’t think we missed out on much. Right before the race started, the announcer got the hometown crowd revved up, flags from every country (except Canada) were waiving profusely, chainsaws were red lining, horns were deafening, coloured smoke bombs (according to the colours of their country) were lit in several areas, and the cheering was at a level I’ve never experienced. The race was on and the expected frontrunners led the pack. Every time one of the Team France riders passed by the section in front of the fans, you couldn’t hear yourself think.

At the end of the Moto the US team was still up by a couple of points.

For the final Moto, we were in the VIP area behind the starting line, which was cool because you could see from behind the riders prepping their gate and the usual hustle and bustle that goes on, but you could only see one small section of the track. However, there were several TVs broadcasting live, plus monitors showing not only the lap times but it gave you a running order of the final team standings.

Team France came through and took the overall.

The crowd got what they had hoped. My prediction was Team Canada would have been an easy top ten. We made our quick exit and hit the road.

All I could say to King on the drive back was, “We should have been there.”

MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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