17 02 MXP Magazine

CANADA’S SOURCE FOR MOTOCROSS AND OFF-ROAD BUILDING THE PRINCE GEORGE NATIONAL 25 YEARS OF CMRC NATIONALS: PART 1 ONE ON ONE WITH CHRISTOPHE POURCEL

READY TO

41831514

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ATTACK

Jess Pettis 2017-05-11 3:49 PM

COOPER WEBB

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2017-05-05 10:16 AM

PREMIER CLASS PROGRESSION

Charging into the Premier Class this year, Cooper Webb and the FUSE Propel racewear. The progressive athletic cut and supreme durability take the FUSE racewear to the next level.

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A PIONEERING CHAMPIONSHIP 250 SX EAST Congratulations Zach Osborne and the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team for claiming the 250 SX East Supercross Championship aboard the Husqvarna Motorcycles FC 250.

Their pioneering accomplishment goes down in history as the first Supercross Championship for both Osborne and the Husqvarna Motorcycles brand.

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Photos: R. Shepard

Please make no attempt to imitate the illustrated riding scenes, always wear protective clothing and observe the applicable provisions of the road traffic regulations!

The illustrated vehicles may vary in selected details from the production models and some illustrations feature optional equipment available at additional cost.

www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com

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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 17, I S S U E 2

MX P C O N T E N T S

30

C OV E R S T O RY

Jess Pettis is ready to attack this

summer in the MX2 class.

F E AT U R E S 3 6 2 5 Y E A R S O F T H E C M R C P R O N AT I O N A L S - PA R T 1 ike McGill takes us through the first M

decade of the CMRC Pro Nationals.

4 4 O N E O N O N E W I T H CHRISTOPHE POURCEL alms speaks with the newest addition P

to the MX1 class.

5 0 2017 ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK M X NATIONAL S PREVIEW e take a look at what to expect in 2017.

W 56 ROAD TO L A S VEGA S

The final round of Supercross leaves

us breathless.

62 WELCOME TO PRINCE GEORGE

Prince George, BC prepares to host its

first ever Pro National.

66 REVEL STOKE GNAC

The amateur nationals move west to

Revelstoke.

70 F O R T H E L O V E O F R I D I N G WITH DREW BEZANSON T he Canadian BMX star tells us why he

loves motocross.

74 M X P C H AT T E R W I T H A DA M RO BI NSO N alms sits down with “Disco Stu” to talk P

about his new team.

78 RIDING THE NEW TIMBERSLED

Brian Koster travels to Idaho to ride

in the snow.

82 YO U N G A N D O N T H E R I S E

We talk to BC amateur star Hayden Wolff.

8 4 T E N M I N U T E S W I T H C H A D R E E D Krystyn Slack sits down with the

legendary CR22.

SPECIALS 14 E X P O S E D 20 CAUGHT ON CA MER A

88

GEARING UP

COLUMNS 24

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

by Chris Pomeroy

2 6 G U E S T C O L U M N

with Mike Alessi

28

U P S H I F T

by Brian Koster

9 4 E V O LV E D N U T R I T I O N

by Drew Robertson

9 6 I N S I D E L I N E

with Andy White

9 8 F R O M T H E D E S K O F

Mark Stallybrass

10 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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PODIUM PERFECTION

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FULL TIME MOTO Photo by Mike Vizer Tim Tremblay is very excited to try his hand at all ten rounds of the Nationals in the MX1 class.

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WATER CROSSING Photo by James Lissimore After a great winter of training, Colton Facciotti appears ready for whatever conditions he has to face this summer.

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READY TO RACE Photo by Cole Kirkpatrick Cole Thompson is fit and ready to defend his 2016 MX2 Championship.

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MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM // 17

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MXP MAGAZINE

TM

MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE VOLUME 17 ISSUE 2

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, Mike McGill SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR: Blake Breton STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: James Lissimore CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: James Lissimore, Drew Robertson, Brian Koster, Virgil Knapp, Leticia Cline, Andy White, Matt Wellumson, Kourtney Lloyd, Krystyn Slack CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Krystyn Slack, Virgil Knapp, Clayton Racicot, James Lissimore, Bill Petro, Matt Wellumson, Frank Hoppen, Hoppenworld, Summer Denzler, Matt Wellumson, Steve Dutcheshen COVER PHOTO: Cory Walters

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 off-road enthusiast organizations across the country including the FMSQ. TEL: 416-633-1202 Email: charles@mxpmag.com Online: www.mxpmag.com

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Ryan Villopoto has more than enough to keep him happy during his retirement.

Justin Hill surveys his battleground along with the largest beard on the circuit.

The KTM Team will do anything at the races to stay warm.

Champagne showers for everyone in Seattle.

Matt Koeleman never stops filming his riders.

This Rockstar is so good that Plessinger had to spit it out.

The GDR Fox Honda Team has unique ways of training.

20 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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Colton’s mechanic wonders if there are any barbers near GPF.

Kenny Watson goes all Steve Perry during the pit party.

This season has certainly been a rollercoaster for Roger and his KTM Team.

However, it all came up aces in Vegas.

Hollywood Holley gives the 2017 SX Series a round of applause.

The bro scene was strong in Seattle.

Kourtney is all about peace, love, and getting Team Canada to England.

Main events for everyone!

22 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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M OMENTS WITH CHRIS POMEROY ere we are with the summer of 2017 fast approaching and with it the meat of our Canadian motocross schedule. Whether you’re a pro following the national series, a top amatuer racing every weekend, or just a rider who gets out on the track when they can, this is the time year we all live for. For our young kids, the long school year will soon be a piece of history and it will be time for their two month summer break, or better yet, their education on life. Oh yes, summertime is a wonderful thing, and I really believe that our sometimes harsh Canadian winter makes us appreciate it that much more.

Other than the obvious time that most of us are going to spend riding, traveling to races, or just plain thinking about racing in the next few months, the racing season gives us a very unique opportunity to build more special memories. That really is what sports are all about when you think about it, through the ups and downs, the mud, the blood, and the beer, as our motocross ancestors used to say, it’s really about spending time with family, friends, and experiencing moments that we’ll never forget.

In this issue of MXP Magazine we feature many different types of stories that I think our readers will enjoy. One particular feature, that was a lot of fun to put together, is Mike McGill’s rendition of the first decade of the CMRC Nationals. As you all may know, 2017 is the year CMRC is celebrating 25 years of their industry changing national series. In this issue, part one looks at the beginning of it all in the years from 1992-1999. As you can imagine, a lot of very interesting things happened both on and off the track in that first decade. In any start-up series there are growing pains and more than a few unknowns, however, as you read Mike’s story you will see that it was such an exciting time for all directly involved and for Canadian motocross.

The 1990s produced a plethora of great moments in Canadian motocross. From the CMA finally having to relinquish control of the national MX program to the then start up CMRC, to Blair Morgan’s incredible dominance of the series from 1997 on, to the numerous, exciting rides by our ‘90s heroes, who at the time weren’t exactly getting rich from the sport, there were so many moments and great memories. There were so many, in fact, that I’ve decided to write a book about the 1990s in the coming years.

During his research for this incredible story, Mike called me to ask what my thoughts were on this memorable

H

F A M O U S

L A S T

W O R D S

“WITH THE 2017 RACE SEASON NOW IN FULL BLOOM, IT’S TIME FOR EVERYONE TO GO OUT AND BUILD THEIR OWN SPECIAL MEMORIES.”

decade in Canadian motocross. Since the time I turned Pro in late August of 1989 to when I decided to move on from full time racing in 2001, the 1990s was my decade and the ten years in which I built the vault of most of my special memories. In talking to Mike and reliving some cool memories, it gave me the opportunity to think about what might be the one that stands out the most.

With being fortunate enough to have some success on the race track during those years, one might think that winning a few national overalls might be the best of the best. Or even winning eight Ontario Provincial titles against the ultra-talented field that at times included ‘90s greats such as JSR, Morgan, Burr, Wallin, DeHaan, Lemmon, and Matt Crown. Back in those days, CMRC paid big bucks at the Ontario Provincials, so you can imagine the racing was cut throat and not always friendly. Yes, those races were special and I remember them like they happened yesterday.

But, the one moment that stands out above all others came on a very hot day in Antler Lake, AB, in July of 1997.

That year was very special to the CMRC National series as it was the first that included rounds scheduled from Quebec all the way out to Vancouver Island. For Round 4 of the series, we all gathered just outside Edmonton at the hilly and very hard packed Antler Lake track. In those days riders raced two classes, which meant that we all had to race four very long motos each day. At that point in the series, Blair Morgan had been on a roll and had rarely been challenged. However, on the opening lap of the final 250 moto of the day, I made a slick pass on the points leader and grabbed the early lead. I think my move surprised Blair as he was riding so well in 1997, and very few riders ever passed him. What followed was 25 minutes of the most intense racing of my life. Under the hot Alberta sun and on a track that looked more like the surface of the TransCanada highway than a race track, Blair and I must have passed each other ten times. We went back and forth until Blair, with the extra motivation of having his entire family in attendance, made a late pass on me that sealed the deal. After almost two hours of racing that day, I had nothing left to give during those final laps except the feeling that I had just given everything I had and that I would never forget this moto as long as I live. There were a few moments like this during my career, but that marathon moto really stands out. With the 2017 race season now in full bloom, it’s time for everyone to go out and build their own special memories.

I hope you enjoy this issue of MXP Magazine and the very cool stories it has, and I hope these next few months presents many great moments for you and your loved ones. Oh yes my moto friends, summer is here and the time is right to live your dreams. Good luck to everyone and I will see you at the races!

24 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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F UTURE ENDE AVOURS WITH MIKE ALESSI ey everyone!! Since we last talked I have been pretty busy. It was when I was heading into the Toronto Supercross. It was fun to be back up in Canada for the weekend and see everyone I have met over the years. I had to go to Moxie’s for dinner because it’s probably one of my favourite places to eat.

After Toronto, we headed down to Daytona, Florida. I live in Florida so I love that race. The beach is right there, and the weather is always nice! Plus, I get to be home for a few days! I don’t get to be home very often because I live up at Club MX in South Carolina during the Supercross season for training and riding. Next, we headed to Indianapolis, Indiana. The city is a really cool place to visit. There are tons of places to eat and hang out. I really like it because our hotel is connected to the stadium so you don’t have to

H

G U E S T

C O L U M N

“I GET CLEARED TO GET BACK ON A BIKE ON MAY 8TH AND I CAN’T WAIT. AS YOU ALL PROBABLY ALREADY KNOW, I AM COMING BACK UP TO CANADA THIS SUMMER FOR THE NATIONALS.”

be outside in the cold. Then we headed to Detroit followed by St. Louis. I ended up crashing on press day in St. Louis and breaking my collarbone. It wasn’t the way I wanted to end my season. Thankfully the break wasn’t too serious and didn’t require me to get surgery. I was just told to take it easy for the next six weeks.

Since getting injured I haven’t been up to too much. I am back at my house in Florida. As much as I miss racing it is nice to be home. I do not get to be home very often, usually only for a few months in the fall. I started training a little bit about a week after my injury, plus I was getting some housework done. The wife wasn’t too happy with me and told me I needed to rest and let my body heal. For a racer, it’s a hard thing to do. We are constantly in motion. Riding, training, gym, traveling, etc. I had all this extra energy to burn since I wasn’t doing much but just a little light training and gym work. So, the wife decided to starting making “honey do” lists.

Usually I’m the one giving her lists of everything I need done so I can focus on my career. It was quite the change for me. We live on 30 acres so you can imagine what the lists she started looked like. We have some chickens out here and then the wife decided she was going to get some goats so now we also have three goats. They are Pygmy goats, and they are only a month old. They are pretty cool and act like dogs. They follow you everywhere and love to be pet.

I am now four weeks into my injury and I am full time back in the gym and training. I ended up heading to New York this past weekend to watch the Supercross and have a little vacation before I get back to riding. New York is a really cool city and there is so much to see. Every time I go there I always end up finding something new to check out.

The race on Saturday was a day race, and I have to say, in all my years racing I’ve never sat in the stands and watched the entire show. It was crazy!

I think I picked a good weekend to watch from the stands, because the racing was wild!

I get cleared to get back on a bike on May 8th and I can’t wait. As you all probably already know, I am coming back up to Canada this summer for the Nationals. I am excited to be back on my Monster Energy Alpinestars Kawasaki. We had a great summer last year and I learned a lot about the bike.

Race Tech will be coming along for setting up my suspension this summer and I am happy to be continuing my relationship with them. I think it is going to be a great summer and I’m excited to visit all the tracks and to race Prince George for the first time.

One thing that will be different, you won’t be seeing the #800 this year, I will be sporting the #5.

See y’all soon.

Make sure to follow me on Instagram for all my latest updates @mikealessi_800

26 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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A LL AMERICAN WITH BRIAN KOSTER appy Spring everyone and welcome to the summer of 2017! It’s crazy how time just keeps marching on at a furious pace. Speaking of crazy, what a crazy time we live in.

Financial and political unrest around the world, trade wars, currency wars and even newspaper headlines speaking of World War III. It is glaringly obvious that there are a lot of seriously messed up minds in ridiculously powerful positions (well before Trump) not only poisoning our planet, our food and water supply, but poisoning our conscious and sub consciousness through various means.

Without getting too much into it, I’m just going to shut up, drink my green smoothie, put on my tin foil hat and ride my bike…thank the heavens for two wheeled machines!

Oh yeah, before I forget, how about the news of North American retail icon Sears closing up shop?

Geez, we lose Canadian retailer Eaton’s a bunch of years ago, Simpsons is history and one of my family’s favourites Zellers gets the squeeze into oblivion. I don’t know about you and your family but for me Walmarket is a no-fly zone. Sure, they have some great prices to lure you in but I stand against everything they stand for. I guess online shopping and the lack of disposable funds for most regular working men and woman is catching up to us. The American way of doing business is unfortunately becoming the norm up here in Canada where salary, benefits and working conditions continue to decline. It has become more and more apparent that the politicians that are paid handsomely to improve our lives and govern us are without question the “B” or even more likely the “C” team!

On a lighter note, the last Supercross in Vegas was totally amazing. What a night to conclude an utterly interesting and exciting season. After three SX Championships, Ryan Dungey looked all set to concede the title to the 2017 series’ winningest rider, Eli Tomac, but at the second last round a falter by Tomac gave the upper hand back to Dungey and a legitimate shot at a fourth title. Ryan is a deserving champion. There is no argument there but his somewhat vanilla persona has some race fans on the fence whether they like him or not. I know many who want to see more emotion out of Ryan. A good example was this year when Chad Reed did not do a very good job of heeding the blue flag when Ryan was legitimately catching

H

U P S H I F T

“LET’S FACE IT, DUNGEY IS A SPONSOR’S DREAM, AND IN THE DICTIONARY UNDER ALL AMERICAN BOY THERE IS A PICTURE OF RYAN.”

Tomac for the lead. Dungey, who was obviously furious, played the politically correct card, bit his tongue and said very little of the incident after the race. Let’s face it, Dungey is a sponsor’s dream, and in the dictionary under all American boy there is a picture of Ryan. That is who he is but he has won me over as a fan these last few seasons with his rock-solid performances and the flatout speed he has displayed. I like to call him Apple Pie with Cheddar Cheese because I think the only place in the world they eat that is in the good ol’ US and A (thank you Borat).

In Vegas, Ryan Dungey won over some of his most staunch nay sayers. Dungey was fast all night and brought the fight to the #3 green monster. Tomac smashed into Ryan numerous times but Dungey kept coming back and challenging for the lead. In reality, the KTM champion could have just sandbagged and cruised in second position to easily secure the title but the hit ‘n run tactics displayed by Tomac got the Champ fired up to fight for the win. It was an awesome race with the points leaders swapping paint and Dungey passing for the lead only to be parked yet again by Tomac.

I only watched the race live and haven’t had the time to view it again. From what I recall, it was an epic display and reminiscent of old school, gloves off bar banging. Tomac and Dungey came together one final time on the closing lap in such a hard way that third place rider Jason Anderson took over the lead, which enabled El Hombre 21 to take the last win of the series. Tomac had to settle for second while a speedy Josh Grant secured third.

Dungey recovered to take fourth and his fourth SX title. Earlier in the night, I was happy for Zach Osbourne’s first SX title, and though I was cheering for Tomac to shake things up and take his first SX title, in the end I am happy for Dungey who really proved his worth to his team, to himself and to the entire moto fan base of the world!

In Canada, things are ramping up for the 2017 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals.

Before long the gate will drop in Kamloops and a whole host of unanswered questions will be answered. Things going on in Canada have brought a whole new relevance to the Canadian scene and the buzz surrounding the series continues to grow.

Add a new stop in British Columbia’s Prince George and the series will generate a new geographically positioned fan base. This series is a strong one and the athletes involved are some of the planet’s finest. Going to a Canadian National never disappoints, and with some new blood mixed in with some old blood, we have all the ingredients for another summer of record attendance and furious action out on the track in both classes. With the MX1 races secured for viewing on TSN, some changes to the race day live call, and live streaming video show fans attending and logging on from afar, everyone will be in for a treat.

See ya there!

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JESS PETTIS C O V E R

S T O R Y

READY TO

ATTACK

BY ANDY WHITE I PHOTOS BY CORY WALTERS AND JAMES LISSIMORE

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he MX2 class will be chalked full of solid talent in 2017 and we have a pretty good idea who has been doing their homework over the off-season. Do you think this is the year that Jess Pettis puts his MX101 FXR Yamaha 250F up on the top of the podium? Only time will tell and Round 1 is creeping up really fast.

Jess is no stranger to the CMRC Rockstar Nationals where he finished an impressive 5th overall in 2016. The timing seems perfect for him. At the age of 19, Jess is on pace to be a contender in 2017. This past fall Jesse won the BC AX series with complete domination. This confidence can only be a bonus as he prepares for the outdoor season.

The past few months he has been putting in track time in California, which is where you need to be if you plan on winning a championship.

The MX101 FXR Yamaha program seems to work perfectly for Jess.

The team works hard and has put the time in to build a very fast and reliable 250F to help Jess get the job done.

SSS (Superior Suspension Settings) is back as the suspension division again this year. These guys really know how to tune because they have a ton of championships under their belt. MX101’s Team Manager, Kevin Tyler, commented, “I feel Jess has really matured in the past twelve months. This winter we put a lot of effort into helping Jess improve in some of his areas that he was a little weak.

T

We know he has what it takes to win.” Surrounding yourself with good people and good equipment will make the journey to the podium a heck of a lot easier.

The Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals start the first week of June in Kamloops, and the MX2 class will have some top contenders gunning for the podium.

Cole Thompson is back and will be running the #1 plate on his Factory KTM. Second in the series was Shawn Maffenbeier. This year Shawn will be teaming up with Jess on the MX101 FXR Yamaha team. Monster Kawasaki has re-signed Jacob Hayes to compete again (if you recall Jacob was injured in the first moto of Round 1 last year).

The GDR Honda team replaced Jeremy Medaglia with Dylan Wright who was with Yamaha last year. Redemption Racing has signed Josh Osby as their top MX2 rider.

The competition will be stiff and I feel any one of these riders could walk away with a championship. See you when the gate drops.

“WHEN THE INDOOR RACING IS OVER I'M ALWAYS READY FOR THE OUTDOOR SERIES TO GET STARTED AND TRY TO BE THE BEST ALLAROUND RIDER.”

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READY TO

ATTACK

JESS PETTIS

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IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE WE’VE SEEN YOU RACING. HOW HAS THE OFF-SEASON BEEN GOING FOR YOU? My off-season has been going really well. I've been down in California for four months now making sure I am ready for Round 1 of the Canadian Nationals in Kamloops.

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO SINCE YOUR AX TITLE LAST YEAR? I drove my van straight from the last round of arenacross to California to prepare for the west coast supercross series. I ended up having a small crash and hurting my shoulder, but I rehabbed that and came straight back down to California. I got a lot of good experience on supercross tracks for the future, and then I just decided to focus on outdoors as that's both my team's and my main focus.

DO YOU PREFER INDOOR OR OUTDOOR RACING? I really enjoy both. Indoors forces you to be aggressive. You make a lot of passes and have a lot of intensity. Also, the payout is usually good and makes the racing intense. When the indoor racing is over I'm always ready for the outdoor series to get started and try to be the best all-around rider.

WHEN YOU'RE IN CALIFORNIA WHERE DO YOU STAY AND WHO DO YOU RIDE WITH? I live and train with Kevin Urquhart and I ride with Noah McConahy a lot, Dylan Delaplace, Casey Keast, and Hayden Halstead came down for a month or so.

YOU TOOK SOME PRETTY BIG STRIDES IN 2016. WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE? I feel the combination of some good support from the MX101 guys and my hard work is all starting to pay off.

I’m just making sure I can ride all year round and not sit around in the snow back home in Prince George.

HOW IS IT BEING PART OF THE MX101 YAMAHA TEAM? It's been really good. They have made me feel like family and we all have the same goal. I look forward to the next two years with them and trying to accomplish our goal together.

WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR YOU TO GO THE EXTRA LENGTH THIS SUMMER AND BE A PODIUM GUY? I think with getting off to good starts and staying safe all summer, there is no reason I won't be a podium guy each weekend. I’ve really put back into my program this off-season and I am excited to get racing.

“I BELIEVE IT’S GOING TO BE A GOOD TURNOUT AS PRINCE GEORGE IS A REALLY BIG OUTDOORS TYPE OF TOWN.” MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM // 33

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READY TO

ATTACK

JESS PETTIS THE SERIES IS HEADING TO YOUR HOMETOWN FOR THE FIRST TIME. HOW BIG IS THIS RACE GOING TO BE? I'm really excited! The track is about 15 minutes from my house, so I will have a lot of family and friends out there cheering me on.

I believe it's going to be a good turnout as Prince George is a really big outdoors type of town.

WHAT IS THE BLACKWATER TRACK LIKE? It is hard pack and pretty slick but I think it will be good. It is nice to have some new tracks on the circuit.

WHAT IS IT GOING TO MEAN FOR YOU TO RACE IN FRONT OF YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS? It's going to be really good. A lot of them come out to local races and cheer me on but when they actually see how big a national is, and there will really be only one hometown pro to cheer on, I think it will be awesome.

WHAT IS YOUR SCHEDULE GOING TO BE LIKE LEADING UP TO THE OPENING ROUND IN KAMLOOPS? I am in California until May sometime and then I have to go to Ontario to do some more testing with the race bike.

ARE YOUR PARENTS GOING TO TRAVEL TO THE RACES THIS YEAR LIKE LAST YEAR? We aren't too sure yet. They will for sure want to be at the races whether they will fly out east or drive, but that hasn't been decided yet.

“A LOT OF THEM COME OUT TO LOCAL RACES AND CHEER ME ON BUT WHEN THEY ACTUALLY SEE HOW BIG A NATIONAL IS, AND THERE WILL REALLY BE ONLY ONE HOMETOWN PRO TO CHEER ON, I THINK IT WILL BE AWESOME.”

34 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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2017-05-04 3:20 PM

O F T H E C M R C C A N A D I A N P R O N AT I O N A L S

Part 1

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

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BY MIKE MCGILL PHOTOS BY DAN O’REILLY

as it been twenty-five years since the first CMRC Pro National Motocross Series race took place? Apparently, it has. That’s what they tell me anyways. That’s really kind of amusing to me, as personally, I still think of the CMRC Nationals as the NEW series in Canadian motocross, but I guess all that does is tell me that I’m getting old. The year was 1993, the grunge scene was in its heyday, Kim Campbell became Canada’s first female prime minister, the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup and the average cost of gasoline in Canada was 58.4 cents/litre.

I guess when you look at it that way it does seem like a long time ago. The location for the inaugural event was the iconic Walton Raceway in the heart of Southwestern,

H

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Ontario. It was just a one day event at that time and, after a storied career that spanned the better part of three decades, that race just so happened to be the swan song for Canada’s greatest ever motocross racer, Ross “Rollerball” Pederson. Pederson, as he had done so many times before, swept the pro classes one last time and then retired.

It was the start of something big, however, and the series has grown through the years to unprecedented levels in this country.

While the series has undergone a few growing pains and makeovers along the way, throughout the years many feel that last season’s version of the Nationals was quite possibly the best ever. There really can be no doubt now that the once fledgling series has finally come into its own and is now one of the premiere and most coveted National Motocross Championships in the world.

The CMRC National Series was the brain child of Mark Stallybrass whose official title these days is President of the CMRC. Back in the early ‘90s, however, it would have been more like “Jack-of-allTrades” as Stallybrass, almost singlehandedly, brought the sport back to a healthy level after a crippling economic recession and years of mismanagement on the part of the old sanctioning body, the CMA, had pretty much wiped out the competition side of the sport in many parts of the country, specifically in Ontario.

Stallybrass, a graduate from the Business Administration program at Seneca College, and avid motocross racer in his own right, decided he wanted to put his hard-earned degree to use within the motorcycle industry.

An opportunity arose and in 1987, at the age of twenty-three, he landed a job with Yamaha Motor Canada in their Parts and Accessories Department, then nine months later moved up to the Marketing Department. He soon found himself in charge of the struggling motocross program and developed several innovative concepts and programs that

allowed Yamaha riders in Canada to receive some much-needed support.

While Stallybrass enjoyed working at Yamaha, the fact that the sport had fallen into such a shameful state at the time bothered him and he was continuously looking for ways to bring it back to its former glory. In retrospect, anyone could have done it but Stallybrass was the one who stepped up.

Armed with nothing more than an idea and a credit card, the CMRC was launched in Ontario. Most of his friends and colleagues thought he was crazy for quitting his job at Yamaha and investing everything in what many considered to be a dyeing sport.

Stallybrass had a relatively simple vision, however. It was to promote and market the sport of motocross in Canada, and develop a strong amateur sanctioning body and successful Pro National series that would eventually stretch from one side of the country to the other.

Stallybrass believed the key to building a successful National program would be to create what he now refers to as a “unified series.” He goes on to explain his thinking.

“In the CMA days every different promoter or venue was responsible for taking care of all the sponsorship, advertising and promotion for their own events. There was no singular model to go by or follow direction from so things could vary greatly between one race to the next. Nobody really knew what the other guys were doing,” explains Stallybrass. Under his new concept, however, he alone would be the promoter and be responsible for all aspects of corporate sponsorship for every race in the series. “It would all fall under the same umbrella,” he continues, “much like NASCAR in the U.S. only on a much smaller scale.” So, this was the idea in the beginning, with thoughts of acquiring possible title sponsorship with a national television package being the ultimate goal.

MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM // 37

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OF THE CMRC CANADIAN P R O N AT I O N A L S Part 1 Of course, nothing great happens overnight. In ’93, the CMRC Nationals consisted of just one event, which took place in conjunction with the Amateur National Championships, which Stallybrass copromoted with the Lee family in August at Walton Raceway. As mentioned previously, Ross Pederson took the honours in ’93, then the series expanded to four races in ’94, with two in Ontario and two in Quebec. The series and CMRC were starting to gain some traction within the industry in general as manufacturers and teams began to slowly support Stallybrass’s vision. One such team was Chris Morgan’s Morgan Racing outfit. The Morgan Racing Team had always considered themselves to be the hired guns of Canadian motocross and had been conducting business in this manner for many years. They had never shown any allegiance to any one series or sanctioning body, they went where the money was. CMA Nationals in the west, Arenacross in Quebec, Supercross in Montreal and even the odd US Supercross and Arenacross. In ’94, they decided to venture into the fledgling CMRC Series in the east. The team showed up that year, as was usually the case with Morgan Racing, with a couple of hired guns from the US in the form of Californian Ray Sommo and Pennsylvania resident

“FORTUNATELY, THE CMRC DID MAKE IT THROUGH THOSE ROUGH, EARLY DAYS, AND BY 1995 THE DESIGNATION OF A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES COULD ACCURATELY BE APPLIED FOR THE FIRST TIME.”

Mike Jones, along with an up and coming second-year Canadian Pro named Doug DeHaan from Thorndale, Ontario.

“It certainly was a transitional time for Canadian motocross,” remembers DeHaan, who had raced the CMA National series exclusively in the previous two seasons.

“There was quite a bit of excitement in the air, I do remember that,” says DeHaan.

“The CMRC and Mark Stallybrass were seen by the riders as some new blood pumping some much-needed energy into the sport in Canada. The CMA at the time was so political and people were sick of it,” remembers DeHaan. DeHaan goes on to add that while there was indeed some optimism amongst the riders and the industry at the time over the prospects of a new national series, there was still plenty of uncertainty as well. “It wasn’t the best of times, that’s for sure,” elaborates DeHaan. “The CMA and the CMRC were really at war. The CMA tried to fine us one time for riding a CMRC event, if you can believe that. There really wasn’t much money for the riders at the time to begin with, and while we were optimistic, nobody was too sure if the whole CMRC thing was even going to last.”

Fortunately, the CMRC did make it through those rough, early days, and by 1995 the designation of a National Championship Series could accurately be applied for the first time. The series was dominated by a trio of French Canadian riders that season as a fresh-faced youngster by the name of Jean Sebastien Roy won the first of his many CMRC National Championships that year, taking the honours in the 125 class, even though he didn’t race every round. Veteran Carl Vaillancourt clinched the final title of his illustrious career at the season finale at Walton in the 250 class after an epic duel with long-time Ontario privateer Marty Burr, who pulled off a legendary performance at the season finale where he swept the pro classes, winning all four motos on the day. Interestingly enough, the runner-up that season in the 250 class was another French-Canadian racer. Hailing from Rivière-du-Loup and riding a Suzuki for the Morgan Racing Team that year was a rookie pro named Marco Dube. A name most enthusiasts would of course recognize as Marco would go on to

After a few years of racing full time in the USA, Doug DeHaan came back to Canada in 1999 to be Blair Morgan’s Kawasaki teammate.

In 1997, the most popular team in Canada was the Machine Racing Honda Team, and they had the best-looking bikes to prove it.

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Young Michigan speedster Nick Wey showed up at a few Canadian Nationals in 1996 and 1997.

have a long and successful career in Canadian motocross.

While 1996 did not offer any more in terms of rounds, it was a “turning point year for the series” according to Stallybrass. “The economy was starting to bounce back a bit and that was the year that the manufacturers really started getting involved with the CMRC Nationals.” The Morgan Racing team was back for another season; John Nelson was becoming more involved with his Yamaha/Honda mounted Machine Racing Team, as was Ron Ashley’s Kawasaki supported Two Wheeled Motorsports squad.

Ashley, who also ran the Pro-Action Suspension franchise in Ontario, had dabbled in the series for a couple of seasons with Bill Wallin being his primary rider, but in ‘96 he decided to “go big” as he recalls.

“In ‘94 and ’95, Blair (Morgan) was out west doing the CMA Nationals and doing quite well,” recalls Ashley. “I was doing his suspension at the time so that’s how we got together and I was able to sign him for my team in ‘96. While Morgan didn’t race the full schedule or win any titles in ’96, it soon became obvious to anyone watching that he was a future star in the making. “I also had Jason Thorne, Chris Lemmon and Bill Wallin

on the team that year,” remembers Ashley, “so we had a pretty big squad.” In a bit of a surprise move, Ashley brought in American Factory Kawasaki star, current Japanese National Champion and fan favourite wherever he went, Jeff “Chicken” Matiasevich for the final race of the season. “I was always looking for a way to expand Kawasaki’s profile in Canada,” remembers Ashley. “What better way to do it than bring in Chicken,” he chuckles. “I tried to keep it quiet but as soon as people found out, word spread like wild fire. It took a bit of the spotlight away from Blair but it was pretty cool.”

While the paddock was starting to look a lot more professional with the addition of the new teams in ’96, another big victory for the series also came in the form of television, as TSN aired a one hour special on the CMRC finale for the first time in 1996. “That was huge for us,” recalls Stallybrass, “It gave us instant credibility.”

As for the racing in 1996, ironically the influx of new, higher profile teams didn’t guarantee championships as two privateer riders took top honours that season. Marco Dube, who was not resigned by the Morgan Team in ‘96, campaigned a private Honda and took the 250 title while long time Ontario

Even though most of Darcy Lange’s success was in the following decade, he was very fast when he burst onto the scene in 1998.

MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM // 39

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It all started at Walton Raceway in 1993! We can’t believe it’s been 25 years.

OF THE CMRC CANADIAN P R O N AT I O N A L S

Part 1

Blair Morgan definitely redefined speed on his Two Wheel Kawasaki.

privateer Marty Burr finally won his one and only championship title in the 125 class.

“Every year I tried to move forward and make it better than the year before.” That was Mark Stallybrass’s mantra in the early days of the CMRC Series and continues to be his goal to this day. 1997 was to be another watermark year for the series as the teams packed up and headed west for the first time for inaugural rounds in Nanaimo, BC and Antler Lake, Alberta. The series truly was growing on a national scale, and another first in 1997 saw the addition of a much-needed title sponsor for the first time.

Stallybrass networked some connections that he had developed at the time and signed on Valvoline as the series’ first title sponsor. Another huge first for the series came once again in the form of television as the entire series was shown in half hour broadcasts on the Global Television Network in ‘97.

From a racing perspective, 1997, not surprisingly, proved to be the breakout year for Prince Albert, Saskatchewan native Blair Morgan as the Two Wheel Motorsport supported rider swept the pro classes, taking the titles in both the 125 and 250cc divisions.

“1997 was a great year for me,” remembers Morgan. “There was plenty of great racing on the track. Guys like Chris Pomeroy, Bill Wallin and Marty Burr were going really fast back then. JSR and DeHaan would be there sometimes too, and of course Marco (Dube); we always seemed to be battling it out back in those days. Ron Ashley put together a good team and we had a good season.” Morgan also had the sense, even back then,

that the new CMRC sanctioning body was going to be a positive thing longterm for motocross in Canada. “The CMA, who had been running things forever, was really dyeing off at the time,” remembers Blair. “They just didn’t seem like they were putting in the effort. That’s why we were so happy about what Mark was doing with the CMRC National Series. You could see that he was working extremely hard. It was great that he did it, and the racing side of things came back strong and the riders appreciated it.”

Chris Pomeroy, who rode for Machine Racing Honda in 1997, agrees wholeheartedly with Morgan’s assessment of the series at the time.

“Everyone was on board,” he says when referring to how the riders and teams felt about the CMRC Nationals. “It was an exciting time as you could really feel the momentum building. The factories were starting to spend money again, and hey, anything was better than the CMA.” On track, Pomeroy and Morgan had several memorable battles over the course of the year. “Blair kind of caught us by surprise that year,” remembers Pomeroy whose Machine Racing squad had developed a healthy rivalry with the Two Wheel Motorsport team over the years. The veteran, Pomeroy, an early season favourite to win a title, got off to a bit of a slow start as he had trouble adapting to the all new aluminum framed ‘97 Honda, and by the time he got feeling comfortable on the bike Morgan was already way too far ahead to catch. “He got great starts all the time,” remembers Pomeroy, “and his confidence just grew and grew. He was always running up front and was tough to beat.” Pomeroy

40 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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The final start of the ‘90s decade dives into the first turn. After building a ton of momentum throughout the 1990s, the CMRC National Series was ready to take the next step.

OF THE CMRC CANADIAN P R O N AT I O N A L S

Part 1

eventually received a pair of Jeff Stanton’s cast off, factory forks and ignition for his CR and made an impressive late season push, but in the end wound up third in both the 125 and 250 classes.

While he didn’t win the championship, Pomeroy was happy with his results in the series as it was the best overall finish and highest national number of his career.

As Pomeroy mentioned, the momentum within the CMRC Nationals was starting to grow and 1998 saw another set of firsts take place within the now well solidified National Series.

While Valvoline was unfortunately out after one year as title sponsor, the gap was quickly filled by American soft drink giant Snapple as they signed on to be the new title sponsor for the Nationals. For the ‘98 season, Stallybrass was also able to sign a deal to have the races broadcast on Speedvision and OLN for the first time.

Speedvision, an American motorsports oriented cable and satellite television network, was also carried by most Canadian television service providers and obviously had a large viewership throughout North America. The move to Speedvision provided the series with some welcome popularity outside of Canada as hard core moto enthusiasts in the US were instantly captivated by the great competition and racing they were seeing north of the border. In

fact, the CMRC Nationals quickly became a hot topic on U.S. based motocross message boards with most posts being very positive towards the series and the coverage in general.

Also, on the television side of things, 1998 was the first year that current CMRC National television host Marc Travers joined the crew. Dating back to 1994, Travers, a commercial scuba diver by trade, had been working as host, and in production, on the Canadian Sportfishing Television Program. “I was the guy who jumped into the water after the host hooked a fish and filmed the underwater sequences,” laughs Travers. Eventually he worked his way into a hosting job on another program called Compete, which aired on TSN. Travers explains that “Compete was a six-episode series of one hour long programs that dealt with extreme sports in Canada. Extreme sports certainly were not in your face as much then as they are now and we did shows dealing with things like waterskiing, wakeboarding, skateboarding and even freestyle motocross.” Travers had no real background in motocross other than the standard situation of

Arenacross that Stallybrass promoted in Niagara Falls in ‘97. That’s where the two met for the first time. “Ya, we pretty much hit it off right off the bat,” remembers Travers. “I think Stally appreciated the way I took care of business and the way I handled myself, and the rest is, as they say, history.” Travers worked as colour commentator in his first year on the series with announcer Eric Hollo, and while he was admittedly new to the sport he immediately took to the thrilling excitement of motocross. As he says, “It didn’t take long for me to become very attached to it.”

In what was another fantastic season of racing filled with great battles in both classes, Marco Dube won the 125 National Championship again in ‘98 but lost out on the Grand National Championship to Blair Morgan that season by the thinnest of margins. It seemed like it was always between those two riders in those days, and when asked who his biggest racing rival was during his career, Dube does not hesitate when he replies - Blair Morgan.

“He was such a fabulous rider,” explains Dube. “He was super-fast and super-smooth, and it was an honour competing against him.” 1998 was to be the final championship season for Dube in the CMRC Nationals although he would remain competitive and “in the mix” right up until his retirement from competitive racing in 2009.

The CMRC National Series was really on an upward trajectory as the gate dropped on the 1998 Nationals.

There were even more professional looking teams and riders in the paddock, and the growing series had expanded once again. Two new rounds were added bringing the total to seven - one in Alberta at Temple Hill Racetrack in Raymond, and for the first time on the East Coast at the Riverglade MX Park in Moncton, New Bruns-

“IT WASN’T AS BIG YET AND THERE WASN’T QUITE AS MUCH PRESSURE. RON (ASHLEY) WAS A YOUNG GUY TOO. HE WAS JUST IN HIS TWENTIES AS WELL SO IT WAS JUST SO MUCH FUN TRAVELLING THE COUNTRY FROM RACE TO RACE.”

Marco Dube was one of the fastest and most stylish riders from the ‘90s.

having a few friends who raced or had dirt bikes when they were kids, “but he was great at faking it. A real pro,” chuckles Stallybrass, when referring to Travers at the time. One of the episodes of the old Compete show just happened to be centered on an

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wick. Snapple was the title sponsor, and as well, the entire series was being broadcast on Speedvision and on CTV Sportsnet for the first time. The relationship between CTV Sportsnet (soon to become Rogers Sportsnet) and the CMRC Nationals would last for fifteen seasons.

The race announcing team was tweaked again in ‘99 when the legend himself, Ross “Rollerball” Pederson, joined the broadcast crew as colour commentator while Travers took over in his now familiar role of providing the play by play call for the first time. In fact, Travers credits Pederson with teaching him the finer points of the sport.

“When you have someone with that amount of knowledge that’s willing to share it, how can you help but learn,” comments Travers.

“I just listened to Ross and soaked it all in.”

On track, it was another tour de forcetype performance by Blair Morgan and the rest of the Kawasaki Two Wheel Motorsport team as they swept the podium that year in both classes. Morgan wrapped up both the 125 and 250 National Championships, followed in second place in both classes by teammate Doug DeHaan. A sixteen-year-old rookie from Courtenay, BC named Darcy Lange rounded out the podium sweep for Two Wheel in third. “That was a great year,” remembers DeHaan. “That was really the first year I had totally focused everything on the CMRC Nationals and we had a great season.” Ron Ashley looks back on the ‘99 season with great pride and fondness as well. “I loved it,” remembers Ashley. “It was a struggle though,” he adds. “Nobody was getting rich off salaries so there was a lot of pressure to get the results, but we were young and it was a great adventure.”

Blair Morgan couldn’t agree more with his old mechanic and team owner. “Ya, it may sound corny, but those were the good old days,” remembers Morgan. “I was living in Ontario at the time and everyone just made me feel at home and treated me really well. Back then we still drove the country in the cube vans. It wasn’t until 2000 that we started flying to all the races, so it was more fun then. It wasn’t as big yet and there wasn’t quite as much pressure. Ron (Ashley) was a young guy too. He was just in his twenties as well so it was just so much fun travelling the country from race to race.”

It really was an adventure in those early years. As the ‘90s wound down and the first decade of CMRC National competition was in the books, the future seemed bright for the series. What had started out as a one day event was now a very professional looking seven-race series that literally stretched from one coast to the other. Stallybrass’s dream of developing a unified National Motocross Championship that encompassed the entire country had been realized, but in his mind, there was

still plenty of work to be done. He felt that a few more rounds at suitable venues were still required to make this a truly National Series. The never-ending hunt for sponsorship was something that always needed to be addressed, of course, and to truly be taken seriously, Stallybrass believed that some more big named stars and more well funded teams could and eventually would be added to the show.

As the new millennium dawned, things were about to heat up in the world of Canadian Pro Motocross. The era of the big rigs and full-on Factory Teams was about to hit Canada. Things were about to get real, and in the next installment of articles about this series, we’ll look at the next decade of CMRC National Championship racing. It was a decade that provided the fans with the first big-rigs, full on factory teams, world class racing, the first big named U.S. rider as National Champion, an East / West 125 National series, the return of JSR and the rise of the energy drink sponsors. Another colourful chapter indeed in the history of Canadian Motocross.

Chad Fleck was a big part of the large Suzuki powerhouse of the mid-‘90s.

Blair Morgan showed up at the Walton National in 1996 for the first time and quickly proved that he was able to win.

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BY CHRIS POMEROY I PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE

WHEN IT WAS ANNOUNCED EARLIER THIS YEAR THAT CHRISTOPHE POURCEL WAS CALLING IT QUITS FROM RACING SUPERCROSS AND WOULD BE COMING TO CANADA TO RACE THE ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MX NATIONALS, OUR INDUSTRY WAS INSTANTLY EXCITED. YOU SEE, POURCEL IS A WORLD CHAMPION AS WELL AS A 250 SUPERCROSS CHAMPION. THIS KID FROM FRANCE KNOWS HOW TO RIDE A MOTORCYCLE, AND WHEN HE ARRIVES AT WHISPERING PINES RACEWAY IN KAMLOOPS, BC, CANADIAN RACE FANS WILL BE IN FOR A REAL TREAT. SINCE TAKING HIS TIME AWAY FROM SX, POURCEL HAS BEEN TRAINING HARD AND TRYING TO FIND OUT AS MUCH ABOUT THE CANADIAN SERIES AS HE CAN. IT WAS DIFFICULT BUT WE MANAGED TO CATCH UP WITH THE VERY TALENTED HUSQVARNA RIDER TO GET HIS THOUGHTS ON WHAT LIES AHEAD THIS SUMMER. FIRST OFF, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FINAL ROUND OF SUPERCROSS IN LAS VEGAS. IT WAS A VERY SUCCESSFUL NIGHT FOR YOUR HUSQVARNA TEAMMATE. It was one of the most exciting races I’ve watched in a while. It was an amazing night for our team. It was the first SX title for Husqvarna, and Zach earned that. It’s one of the best teams I’ve ridden for and they all work hard.

Our success in 2017 has been well deserved. I hope we can keep it going this summer.

LET’S TALK ABOUT SX FOR A MINUTE. FOR THE PEOPLE AT HOME WHO HAVE NEVER RIDDEN A SX RACE AND PROBABLY NEVER WILL, JUST HOW INTENSE IS A 20 LAP MAIN EVENT? It’s very intense! A 20 lap main event is tough already, and now 20 minutes + 1 lap can equal more than 25 laps for the main event. It’s long and we have seen the tracks get even more worn out making it very difficult. The tracks are steep and very rough. You have to be extra focused on your marks and on the track as it changes. A mistake can happen very quickly at that speed.

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“THE WAY I AM ABLE TO RIDE HELPS ME A LOT AND ANALYZING THE TRACK QUICKLY TO FIND THE TECHNICAL LINES THAT ARE BETTER. I TRY TO BE AS SMART AS POSSIBLE. I HAVE A LOT OF FOCUS ON RACE DAYS.”

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CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH WHAT HAPPENED IN THE EARLY ROUNDS OF THE 2017 SUPERCROSS SERIES FOR YOU? This year was tough for me to return to SX after I broke my neck twice last year. After the first neck fracture I was okay, obviously. I returned to MX and was finishing top five, but after the second fracture at Washougal, the stress to the discs and nerves in my neck and having it immobilized for so long was too much. Those things take a long time to heal, sometimes years.

With the racing schedule in America, it doesn’t give you much time to heal from larger injuries like that, and also we want to race! I started the season slowly, ended up catching the flu just before Anaheim 1, and it just did not feel right. When I decide to race a championship, I want to be in it, not just show up every weekend with my heart not being in it. We decided with Husqvarna to change plans and head up to Canada, something we had already been planning for 2018. It was a tough decision, but I think it was the right one.

WELL, THE SX SERIES’ LOSS IS DEFINITELY OUR GAIN IN CANADA. SO, THE TALK OF YOU COMING TO CANADA HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR A WHILE? Yeah, so I’ve been really happy with my team and the bike, and Bobby Hewitt, Factory Husqvarna and Rockstar have been a huge support. We have been talking about a kind of ‘retirement’ transition for me to continue to represent Husqvarna and work with a great group of people and enjoy racing.

We just weren’t exactly sure when, if it was 2018, ‘19, ‘20, whenever I felt done with SX. Obviously, the neck fractures expedited that time frame as I felt I couldn’t compete at that level anymore. We have talked about an Endurocross and Canada MX program, but for now I will focus on the Canadian Nationals and make my neck strong again as I am still under one year post injury.

YOU HAVE RACED ALL OVER THE PLANET SO YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO SHOW UP IN A STRANGE COUNTRY AND STILL HAVE TO PERFORM. ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT COMING TO CANADA THIS SUMMER? Yeah, I’ve been racing a lot of places all over the world. Motocross has been good to me in that way. I’ve seen many places, and I’ve seen some good and

bad things. To go racing in Canada is a decision I take seriously, so we are up for the travel. I think it will be a little bit easier than doing the GP circuit.

From what I’ve heard Canada is not too different than the US, plus there are some French speaking parts.

This should hopefully make travelling smooth and not too different. It’s also cool to see how excited the fans are to see me come and race there, and there are some good riders also, so it should be a fun summer.

EVERYONE UP HERE IS VERY EXCITED TO SEE YOU RACE IN CANADA THIS SUMMER. HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING ANY VIDEOS TO SEE WHAT OUR TRACKS ARE LIKE? Of course, I watched all the races before making my decision. The tracks are a lot different than the US outdoors. I would say it is a mix between GP and US tracks, but we will see when we get there!

HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO ANYONE LIKE DAVI MILLSAPS TO SEE WHAT OUR SERIES IS LIKE? AS YOU KNOW, HE WAS VERY DOMINANT LAST YEAR. Not extensively, a lot of people say it is a lot more relaxed, it would be fun, and which tracks are good. I have talked to people with Husqvarna in Canada, they are so excited as well. I can’t wait to get the series started.

TO ME, YOU APPEAR TO BE A VERY CALCULATED RIDER WHO IS CAPABLE OF ADAPTING QUICKLY TO NEW TRACKS. THESE TRAITS SHOULD REALLY SERVE YOU WELL WHEN THE SERIES BEGINS IN JUNE. Yes, especially when it’s a series I have not ridden, that comes in handy. The way I am able to ride helps me a lot and analyzing the track quickly to find the technical lines that are better. I try to be as smart of possible. I have a lot of focus on race days.

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CHRISTOPHE POURCEL “YEAH, SO I’VE BEEN REALLY HAPPY WITH MY TEAM AND THE BIKE, AND BOBBY HEWITT, FACTORY HUSQVARNA AND ROCKSTAR HAVE BEEN A HUGE SUPPORT.”

HAVE YOU BEEN RIDING AND TRAINING QUITE A BIT, AND ARE YOU HEALTHY COMING INTO THE CANADIAN SERIES? I have been riding in Florida, of course, and I’ve been working on training and rehab for my neck to make it strong again. It’s doing a lot better after being able to take that extra month or two of not having such an intense schedule.

It’s been good to be able to ride, train and enjoy a little bit of life.

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CHRISTOPHE POURCEL IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU’RE FRESH AND READY TO GO. ALSO, YOU WILL BE BRINGING YOUR FACTORY HUSQVARNA 450 WITH YOU SO THAT SHOULD BE A HUGE ADVANTAGE. Yes, the support I have from Rockstar and Factory Husqvarna is incredible.

The people are amazing with me, we enjoy working together. My bike is already set up and the team knows me very well. I couldn’t ask for more.

TOP AMERICAN RIDERS WHO HAVE COME HERE IN THE PAST RAVE ABOUT HOW LAID BACK THE CANADIAN SERIES IS COMPARED TO THE AMA SERIES. ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT ASPECT OF THE SERIES? Yes, this is exactly why I wanted to come to Canada this summer. My goal is to have fun and enjoy racing. Racing in America has been very good to me, but I’m at the point in my career where I’d like something less stressful but still very meaningful. The series in Canada sounds like exactly what I’m looking for.

“YES, THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I WANTED TO COME TO CANADA THIS SUMMER. MY GOAL IS TO HAVE FUN AND ENJOY RACING. RACING IN AMERICA HAS BEEN VERY GOOD TO ME, BUT I’M AT THE POINT IN MY CAREER WHERE I’D LIKE SOMETHING LESS STRESSFUL BUT STILL VERY MEANINGFUL.”

WILL YOU BE FLYING IN AND OUT TO EACH ROUND, OR DO YOU PLAN TO STICK AROUND IN BETWEEN A FEW OF THE ROUNDS AND SEE THE SIGHTS OF CANADA? We will fly in and out to most of the rounds. The first few are pretty far from Florida so we may spend some time out on the west coast or in California where my team is based.

That’s also something we plan to do more of, with the laidback schedule, is to sight see a little bit. Normally, we are so busy that all we see is the airport, hotel, and track! We have been to Toronto, obviously, for SX, and this year we saw Niagara Falls, which was cool, so we hope to see some sights along the way but we don’t know too much of what is there.

CANADA IS VERY UNIQUE AND IT HAS SOME VERY BEAUTIFUL PLACES TO SEE. I THINK YOU WILL ENJOY YOURSELF. FOR A RIDER THAT IS VERY SMOOTH, YOU’VE DEFINITELY HAD SOME BAD CRASHES, BAD LUCK, AND SOME VERY BAD INJURIES. WHAT HAS KEPT YOU GOING AND WHAT HAS MADE YOU WANT TO STILL COMPETE AT THIS LEVEL? I have had some bad luck with the few crashes that I have had. These last two were such small mistakes with large consequence, and before it was stupid things like bike malfunctions or issues with flaggers. That is the thing with these motorcycles, they are so fast that when you crash at that speed it can be bad. I am still racing because this is what I love to do since I was a kid. I enjoy riding whether it’s motorcycles, street bikes, enduro, trials, I love to have fun riding. To be honest, after all my injuries and everything I’ve sacrificed, I love what I do. This is my passion and it’s hard to be able to do your passion every day for work. Racing is all I ever wanted as a kid and I’m thankful for all the support that I have. I definitely don’t take anything for granted.

THANKS FOR YOUR TIME, I LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING YOU IN KAMLOOPS, AND BEST OF LUCK WITH THE LAST MONTH OF YOUR TRAINING. ANY PARTING WORDS FOR YOUR NEW CANADIAN FANS? No problem and thank you. I just want to let everyone know that I’m very excited to come to Canada to race some new tracks and make some new friends. I will see everyone in Kamloops.

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2017-05-04 3:18 PM

N O S A E S W E I V E PR ST. PIER

BY ST EP HEN

OS BY JA RE | PHOT

ME S LIS SIMOR

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This year marks the 25th Anniversary for the CMRC Rockstar Energy Drink ­Motocross Nationals presented by Motovan. Coming off a record setting series in 2016, race fans can expect more exciting racing this season. The series will visit a new circuit this year as the Blackwater MX Track, a natural terrain track laid out on the side of a mountain in Prince George, BC, will host the second round. Riders have been preparing themselves all winter and race teams have been looking to put all the pieces together to challenge for the titles in both the MX1 and MX2 class. The anticipation for the first gate drop is reaching its peak as we approach the first round in Kamloops on June 4th.

The 2016 CMRC Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals belonged to the KTM Canada Thor Racing team as they won the championship in both the MX1 and MX2 classes. American superstar Davi Millsaps spent his summer in Canada and had his hands full en route to his first MX1 Championship, and Canadian Cole Thompson dominated the MX2 class elevating the competition in the process. Although Millsaps is contracted to race in the USA this summer, rumours have been swirling about Davi returning to defend his title, while Thompson has been sharpening his skills competing in the Supercross series down south and will be looking to capture back to back MX2 titles.

Canadian race fans will be better able to stay on top of the action in 2017 as the MX1 series will air weekly on TSN, and the MX2 class will do the same on Fox Sports Racing. Live streaming of every moto will again be available this season for free on the Conx2share app for both your mobile device and computer.

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1 X M The Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals is the highest level of professional racing in Canada, and the ability of the series to attract world class foreign riders will continue in 2017. Rockstar Husqvarna announced this winter that Christophe Pourcel of France will be lining up to compete in the MX1 class this season. Pourcel has been competing in the USA since 2007 and comes to Canada with the most successful resume of any rider to compete in our National Championship. Pourcel won two Supercross Lites titles, an FIM MX2 World title, multiple wins in the elite MXGP class at the FIM World Championships, and has 19 AMA wins, the most of any racer to come to Canada. The 28-year-old Frenchman has also had some very serious injuries during his stellar career, but continues to be incredibly fast and has every intention of winning the MX1 Championship in Canada this summer.

American Matt Goerke will be back on his Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha for his third season of competition in Canada. Goerke finished 2nd in the MX1 class in both 2015 and 2016, picking up three wins last

Right: Mike Alessi is back for 2017 and is looking to win his very first MX1 title.

Far right: After a successful winter of training, Colton Facciotti appears ready to win another MX1 Championship in 2017.

year. Matt is certainly one of the favourites coming into 2017, and has been staying sharp by competing in the US Arenacross series this winter.

Following back to back MX2 titles, KTM Canada Thor Racing’s Kaven Benoit finished third overall and captured his first MX1 win in 2016 as a rookie.

Benoit stood on the podium four times, and if not for mechanical issues in Regina and Nanaimo could have been a title contender. Kaven was the top Canadian in the series and comes into 2017 with his eyes on the title. After having a career-best performance during the Motocross des Nations last fall in Maggiora, Italy, he suffered a broken ankle during an off-season supercross race in Germany, but is back on his motorcycle preparing for the upcoming season.

Monster Energy Alpinestar Kawasaki’s Mike Alessi has been competing in Canada each summer since 2014, when he finished second in the MX1 class, and will return this summer. Alessi will have something to prove this season as 2016 was the first time since coming to Canada that the likeable American did not win an overall. Mike finished fifth in 2016, has been

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“ Colton has been training down south this winter and will come into the series well prepared and in good form on a race bike and team that he has a lot of confidence.”

After a great year in 2016, Kaven Benoit is now one of the favourites to win the MX1 title.

competing in supercross all winter, and returns to Canada intent on winning the title.

Five-time Champion, Honda Canada Racing Fox GDR’s Colton Facciotti will have the #10 on his race bike this season after injuring himself last summer at Round 8 and not finishing the series. Facciotti also relinquished the crown of top Canadian to Benoit, and will be looking to grab his sixth title to prove that he is still the man to beat in this country. Colton has been training down south this winter and will come into the series well prepared and in good form on a race bike and team that he has a lot of confidence.

Turo, Nova Scotia’s Tyler Medaglia finished sixth in last year’s championship after coming on strong and grabbing two podium finishes in the last four rounds.

For 2017, Tyler will be aboard a Honda on the newly formed Royal Distributing Motovan Piller’s Race Team. Tyler is a two-time MX2 Champion and has competed for his country five times at the Motocross des Nations. He will surely be rejuvenated this season with his new team.

Replacing Australian Brett Metcalfe at Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha is Quebecer Tim Tremblay.

Tremblay is no stranger to racing in Canada and notched two fifth place finishes in the MX1 class last season while competing in only three races. Tim has had tremedous success in snocross over the years, and finished second this winter in the Open Pro class.

Redemption Racing will again support South Carolina’s Cade Clason, who has finished seventh overall in each of the last two seasons in Canada, with a number of top fives, but is still looking for his first podium finish. Canadian Keylan Meston will be sporting a single digit on his number plate this year after finishing eighth in the series in 2016. The talented Calgarian will be back on a Yamaha under the RM Motorsports tent.

The rumour mill has been working overtime and speculation has American Jacob Weimer coming north and riding for the Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha team, as well as fellow American Kyle Chisholm on a Honda, who won here in 2014 and finished fifth overall in the MX1 class. Chisholm has been linked to the newly formed Royal Distributing Motovan Piller’s Race Team. Both of these talented American racers, who have been competing in Supercross all winter, would be a welcomed addition to the series.

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2 X M Right: The Calgary round is one of the most popular of the Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals.

Right: Last season, Jacob Hayes’ MX2 series lasted just one corner.

This year, Hayes is looking for redemption.

Below: As it did last season, the final round will again take place at the historic RJ Motosport Park in Barrie, ON.

Coming off a record setting championship season where he won 7 of 10 races in 2016 and never finished off the podium, KTM Canada Thor Racing’s Cole Thompson will be seeking his second MX2 title this year at the tender age of 23. Thompson raced selected 250 supercross events this winter while training at the Millsaps Training Facility in Georgia, and has been looking super smooth and comfortable on his KTM. After crashing at the Indianapolis round, he decided to focus on the upcoming outdoor series, but flew to Costa Rica for the second time this off-season to pick up a few more wins. After signing a contract extension at the end of last season, the MX2 class favourite Thompson is making the most of his time with the Austrian manufacturer KTM while they become a dominant force in the sport around the world.

Saskatchewan’s own Shawn Maffenbeier has been winning Nationals since 2013 and is coming off his best season ever where he finished second to Thompson, after starting the year with a victory at last year’s season opener in Kamloops.

This year, Maff is switching back to Yamaha after joining the MX101 FXR team for 2017 and feels that he has found those few missing pieces from last year. Shawn was very strong in the west last year, a legitimate title contender, but will have to carry that across the country this summer if he wants to win the MX2 title. Rejuvenated by his new team and representing his country last fall at the Motocross des Nations, Shawn could be the biggest challenge to Thompson this summer.

After having a breakout season in 2016 where he won the first moto of the year and later got his first overall win, 19-year-old Dylan Wright has changed teams for 2017, joining Honda Canada Racing Fox GDR for the next two years. Wright proved last year that he could beat Thompson straight up and is coming into this season as a true title contender.

Dylan spent most of the winter training in California, and will have to be better in the west this

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“ Jess is from Prince George, BC, which will play host to Round 2 this year, and will be looking forward to showing his hometown fans that he has what it takes to compete for the title.” season if he wants to be in the title chase when the series moves east to the tracks where he has had his greatest success.

Coming off his best season to date, and back with the MX101 FXR Yamaha Team, Jess Pettis is bringing a lot of momentum with him into the 2017 series after grabbing his first podium at last year’s final round and then capturing the arenacross title this winter. Pettis had an up and down start last season, finishing third in the opening moto of the year then suffering a mechanical issue in the second moto, and crashing hard at Round 2 after posting the fastest lap in practice. Jess is from Prince George, BC, which will play host to Round 2 this year, and will be looking forward to showing his hometown fans that he has what it takes to compete for the title.

North Carolina’s Jacob Hayes will be back with the Monster Energy Alpinestars Kawasaki team competing in the MX2 class in 2017. Hayes suffered a season ending injury during the first moto of last season after coming into the series as a

title contender. Jacob is one of the top arenacross riders in the world and is no stranger to Canada having won the Canadian National Arenacross tour in 2015. Hayes also finished second overall in the 2015 AMA Arenacross tour, and third in 2016 winning ten events in the process. With his indoor skills well proven, he looks forward to lining up in 2017 to showcase his outdoor abilities.

Americans Dakota Alix, Brad Nauditt, Mark Worth, and Brandan Leith travelled north last summer to race the MX2 class in Canada and they all stood on the podium in 2016. Their plans for 2017 have not been finalized yet but each of them has spoken about returning to Canada this summer.

Up and coming Canadians Davey Fraser, Hayden Halstead, Casey Keast, and Ryley Gallup cracked the MX2 top ten in 2016, and will all be looking to improve this year and trying to make it into the top five.

These young guns have the ability to reach that next level and will continue in 2017 to lay the foundation to become future contenders for the MX2 title.

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THE 2017 MONSTER ENERGY SUPERCROSS SERIES GOES OUT WITH A BANG!

Top: Hopefully Ken Roczen can recover and be on the starting line in 2018. Bottom: Joey Savatgy had a rough final round. He ended up losing the 250SX East title on the final lap.

oming into the 2017 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, season, there was plenty of anticipation and predictions for how the season would play out. Of course, at the epicenter of it all was the question of if Ryan Dungey would be able to “three-peat” and win his third championship in a row and fourth of his career in the 450SX class. However, there was also plenty of talk about Ken Roczen and his new Honda contract that had him riding the all-new 2017 Honda CRF450R. We would soon discover that Ken was an immediate threat to Dungey’s championship quest.

Of course, if you’ve been following along all season, then you also know that 2017 has been the season where anything can, and did, happen. Here’s how the race to the championship unfolded.

In Round 3, Ken Roczen and his lightning fast speed came to a screeching halt when he crashed in Anaheim – a crash that would prematurely end his Monster Energy Supercross season, as well as his 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross season. A crash that would result in ten surgeries and one that instantly changed the way the 2017 Monster Energy Supercross season would play out. Round 4 in Glendale, AZ was equally as surprising as Round 3 was devastating, when Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac came out of the gate with guns blazing and throttle wide open, taking his first win of the season by 11+

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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY KRYSTYN SLACK

Top: Zach Osborne put in one of the best rides in the history of SX in Las Vegas to win the 2017 250SX East title. Bottom: The 2017 Monster Energy SX Series was full of fireworks and great racing.

seconds over 2nd place finisher Chad Reed and by 16+ seconds over 3rd place finisher Ryan Dungey.

At the time, most people probably thought that win for Eli was just one of those days where he happened to be riding astonishingly well and he “got lucky” with a great start, especially since his results thus far had been mediocre, at best, compared to the results his racing capabilities should be showcasing.

In fact, during the post-race press conference, one of the most controversial statements of the whole season was directed toward Ryan Dungey when he was asked how it felt to already be “crowned” the 2017 Champion now that Ken Roczen was out of the mix. The usually very calm Dungey answered with a fire of emotion in his voice, stating that this was a 17-round series and no one is crowned champion until they receive that #1 plate. Over the next 13 rounds, we would see a season that was worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster movie unfold into what will be considered one of the greatest Supercross seasons in history.

What happened next was surprising not only to fans but also likely to the riders themselves. As it turns out, that “lucky” win in Arizona wasn’t just a fluke and was only the beginning for the #3 of Eli Tomac. Since making the move to Kawasaki, Eli had shown bouts of brilliance combined with a barrage of mixed results paired with big shoes to fill after moving into the team position once filled by the 4-time

Top: Justin Hill had a great 2017 season. He ended up winning the 250SX West Championship. Bottom: Chad Reed didn’t have the season that he wanted, but he sure rode well in Las Vegas.

Monster Energy Supercross Champion, Ryan Villopoto. It was evident, however, that Tomac had finally discovered the missing piece of the puzzle holding him back from completely gelling with his race steed.

Eli quickly progressed from underdog to potential title contender to completely untouchable in a matter of weeks when one win turned into two, two to three, and before we knew it, Tomac would claim five wins in a row, 9 total on the season; a winning streak unmatched by any rider in any of the classes.

As the wins added up for Eli, Ryan Dungey saw his once 29-point lead get chipped away, point by point, until the riders ended up in a tie heading into Round 15 in Salt Lake City. For the first time in Monster Energy Supercross history, two riders held the red plates very late in the season. Who knew that Ryan’s Glendale press conference statement would become the most accurate foreshadowing of the greatest championship fights in Supercross history? But we mustn’t forget that with every great championship fight also comes an even greater rivalry. For the first time in years, two of the three championships were still on the line when we arrived in Sin City. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Justin Hill locked down the 250SX Western Regional Championship during Round 15 in Salt Lake City when an unfortunate crash by Aaron Plessinger would allow Justin to move up into third place. That third place finish put him right at the “magic number” threshold that would

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declare him the 250SX Western Regional Champion!

As for the 250SX Eastern Regional Championship, only one point separated three riders, Jordon Smith, Zach Osborne, and Joey Savatgy, and they would have to race some of the Western Regional riders as well due to the East/West Shootout format of finals.

And then of course, the mac-daddy of them all, the 450SX championship was also on the line. Only nine points sat between Ryan Dungey, who took the win in Round 16 in East Rutherford, New Jersey after a “mistake” by teammate Marvin Musquin allowed Ryan to slip past the #25 and into the lead just before the checkered flag, and Eli Tomac who finished a devastating 8th on the extremely technical MetLife Stadium track. Regarding “Championship Math,” even if Eli Tomac won the race in Vegas, Ryan would only have to finish 4th or better to still claim his 4th title, which considering he hadn’t finished worse than 4th in three years, the odds seemed to be in Dungey’s favour. But the theme of the season, “anything can happen,” held true through the absolute final moments of both the 250SX Dave Coombs Sr. East/ West Shootout and the 450SX Main Event.

The 2017 Monster Energy Supercross finals will, no doubt, be remembered as one of the greatest races in the history of Supercross and perhaps the greatest hour of racing in motorsports history as well; a storyline so remarkable, that top Hollywood screenwriters couldn’t have written a better story if they tried. As journalists, we’re meant to remain unbiased, reporting the stories from a neutral standpoint. But when you spend 17 weeks with these riders, getting to know them, their wives, their children, their families, and even their pets, it’s impossible not to become emotionally invested in the racing as it unfolds. To witness history in the making was nothing short of exhilarating, and at the very least, one of the most adrenaline-filled and outrageously stressful hours of my life. The fan in all of us sat wide-eyed as we held our breath for what seemed like the entire length of the Main Events as, lap after lap, we were captivated by the emotional roller coaster ride playing out in front of our eyes and tugging at our heartstrings.

When the gate dropped on the 250SX Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Shootout, it was total disaster for certain for the #16 of Zach Osborne, who, up until that moment, was one of three title contenders separated by a point each. But a first turn crash with Dakota Alix left Alix’s foot pegs completely tangled in Osborne’s spokes and Osborne sitting in dead last with Joey Savatgy in second and Jordon Smith in third. The crowd seemed collectively destroyed as Osborne’s championship hopes slipped away into the desert night. Osborne, however, is a fighter.

Top: Ryan Dungey and Eli Tomac battled right down to the final lap of the season.

Bottom: Ryan Dungey and his wife celebrate his well earned 2017 Supercross title.

“Ryan Dungey would finish 4th, giving him enough points to lock down his third championship in a row and the fourth of his career.”

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THREE

IN A ROW CONGRATULATIONS RYAN DUNGEY

Championships don’t just happen by chance. They require preparation, training, teamwork and the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. Congratulations Ryan Dungey and the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team for claiming the 450 SX Championship three seasons in a row; 2015, 2016 and 2017.

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Professional rider on a closed course. Always wear proper safety equipment.

Photo: S. Cudby

»www.ktm.com

5/9/17 10:06 AM 2017-05-11 10:37 AM

Las Vegas

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He had overcome odds stacked against him before and he was determined to do it again. Remember, anything can happen and the race isn’t over until the checkered flag waves. In a surprising turn of events, Jordon Smith crashed hard, knocking him out of the race for the remainder of the evening, as Zach remounted his bike and started picking off the riders ahead of him one by one. Another collective groan of disappointment and utter sadness swept the crowd as Smith was carted off the track by the Alpinestars Medical Team. We continued to watch in shock and awe as Osborne clawed his way out of the pit of despair and a seemingly impossible situation into a potential title contender once again. He had made some remarkable strides in regaining ground on Joey Savatgy and continued to fight up until the very last turn of the race when Joey left the inside open. Osborne gathered every last drop of everything he had left and put it all on the line for a last-ditch effort pass on Savatgy – and it worked!! Osborne was able to pass Savatgy with mere feet remaining in the Main Event, crowning him the 2017 SX Eastern Regional Champion, a feat that was nothing short

of a miracle. An extremely emotional Osborne stood on the podium in his backwards 1E jersey as tears streamed down his face. There wasn’t a dry eye on the entire Rockstar Husqvarna Factory Racing team, and rightly so. At the end of the race, Osborne’s pit board said, “Never Say Die,” a perfect ending to one of the best storylines in racing history. But of course, this was only part one of the emotional roller coaster dubbed Monster Energy Supercross Finals.

Part two began where part one left off, with the entire stadium already emotionally exhausted from the 250SX race. Now it was time to crown a champion in the 450SX class, but how could anything begin to measure up with the racing we just witnessed in the 250SX class. Would Ryan Dungey be able to three-peat and secure his 4th championship of his career? Or would Eli Tomac prevail and knock Dungey off his throne? Once again, it wouldn’t be until the last couple feet of the race that the race order and champion were decided. Dungey and Tomac were engaged in a 20 minute + 1 lap intense game of cat and mouse with Eli ultimately slowing down to match Dungey’s pace in hopes of bunching him up with the riders behind him. Dungey would pass Eli, then Eli passed Dungey, back and forth as the nearly sold out crowd let out collective cheers and gasps. We watched in more shock and awe, eyes wide and breath held as we waited to crown the 2017

Monster Energy Supercross Champion. But it wasn’t just the Dungey/Tomac show. Jason Anderson, Josh Grant, and Chad Reed also rode the hell out of the Las Vegas track. A last-minute block-pass by Eli almost left Dungey on the ground and as the two battled, the #21 of Jason Anderson snuck by to take the checkers and his first win of the season. Eli finished in second, with Josh Grant having the ride of a lifetime coming in third and making his first podium appearance since Red Bud 2013. Ryan Dungey would finish 4th, giving him enough points to lock down his third championship in a row and the fourth of his career.

Who knows what the future holds for Ryan Dungey and Eli Tomac, but what we do know for certain is that these two riders engaged in the most epic, full-season battle ever recorded in Supercross history. If Ryan returns for another season of racing, will he be able to contend for his 5th career title?

Will Eli continue to be, bar none, the fastest rider in the class? Will we ever see another season like the 2017 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship? We won’t know until we drop the gate on 2018, but one can hope!! It’s been an honour and a pleasure to be able to spend the season reporting on all of the jaw-dropping, heart-pounding, and emotionally-exhilarating action of the 2017 season.

The countdown to Anaheim 1 is on. We’ll see you next year for more Monster Energy Supercross!

With all of the excitement of the championship battle, no one should forget that Jason Anderson won the main event.

Las Vegas

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“Over the next 13 rounds, we would see a season that was worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster movie unfold into what will be considered one of the greatest Supercross seasons in history.”

60 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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WELCOME to

PRINCE GEORGE

BY KOURTNEY LLOYD

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hat is the most common phrase I have heard since the announcement came that we would be holding Round 2 of the CMRC’s Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals here in my amazing hometown. It is a small town on a map, but a huge town when it comes to outdoor events. Prince George is surrounded by rivers, lakes, and trails, and every other vehicle driving by has either a dirt bike, quad or a sled deck. My hometown, in which I have been so proud to be from, will now be seen on a National stage.

It all started in the summer of 2012 when Chris Pomeroy and Ryan Lockhart came to Prince George to teach one of our MX Schools. Towards the end of the weekend, Palms said to me “You know, I think this would be an awesome town and track to have a National.”

My reply to Chris was, “I wish, man would that ever be incredible.” I did not think that it would become a reality as the task just seemed too far out of reach. After a few off the cuff jokes to Mark Stallybrass, I told him that if he ever gave us a National I would make sure it was the best one yet. Whether I believed it or not, I was trying to convince him. I am sure I was terribly annoying about it, he would know this better than me, but regardless, I was not about to give up.

Andrew Forbes is a name known around our motocross community as “The Man that Saved our Track.”

Andrew brought equipment and manpower and made changes to the Blackwater Motocross Track that we never even could have dreamed of. Andrew had new starting gates installed, a concrete starting pad, changed the layout, added soil, and kept equipment of his own there for the club to use. Once the changes were made, the community was so grateful and our facility looked beautiful.

Jump to 2016 and we were wanting to showcase our track and invite more members, a fresh new Board of Directors and the newly established MCQMX Series headed by Stu McQueen, who we had all worked with in the Arenacross Series in the Lower Mainland. Stu had offered to bring his series to the North and to include us on his schedule. Stu had promoted professional and safe races in our province, and it was a great fit for Prince George. I had mentioned to Stu that we would love to hold a National in Prince George and that I had been bugging Mark for a few years. If only we could get Mark here to see what PG had to offer, we could maybe make this dream a possibility.

Mark flew to Prince George, and as I was driving him from the airport to the track I could not tell if he was impressed or wondering “Where the heck am I?” We pulled into the Balckwater Track and I immediately felt proud.

Mark was impressed with the elevation style of the track and also at how the entire track is visible for spectators

T

“Local boy Jess Pettis will be a fan favourite when the gate drops for the Prince George National.”

from every spot in the spectator areas.

Andrew was there to discuss the soil, track changes and anything else needed to be done in order for the event to be able to be held in Prince George, in which he was fully on board for whatever was thrown our way. Andrew and our team of volunteers, Darrell Lewis, Devin Wolff, Rob Jose, Derek Hudson, Tate Garlick, Jesse Mayes, Ted Dillman, Phillip DIllman, Trevor Patenaude and many other faces, were there helping to get the projects done that we wanted to complete before the snow hit. The crew got the parking widened, the road widened and many other projects that would make our facility prestine for the event.

The fact that PG was going to hold a National had been a dream for many in our club, as far back as Trevor Patenaudes’ father who had been talking to his son 25 years ago about Prince George being the perfect place to have one. The announcement ignited a fire not only in our club but in our entire community.

Sponsors, business people and enthusiasts that I didn’t even realize would be so excited were messaging me saying how pumped they were to have an event like this in Prince George.

Prince George Motocross Association is a small group of people but we are a passionate and hard working group. The club got together and assigned project groups to work on the tasks in which we are best at.

Shelley Wolff is the woman behind the scenes and is instrumental at organizing, well... everything. As a club we decided to hire UNLTD Media owner Norm Coyne to help coordinate vendors, liquor sales and permits, and he has been amazing in helping us to promote the event to make it profitable for our club.

Prince George is not only where I call home but it is also home to the one and only Jess Pettis. Jess grew up right near the Blackwater and has spent many hours in his amateur career there. Doug and Betty Pettis have spent hours volunteering at our track. Prince George is really behind Jess and he is a local hero to many. I personally have watched Jess grow into such a great ambassador for our sport and for the kids in our community. I am so grateful for the opportunity for our town to see Jess in his element, pursuing his dreams and making a name for himself in our country.

To say I am excited for this to take place in my hometown is an understatement. I want to welcome everyone to Prince George, June 10th and 11th, and I hope you love it here as much as I do.

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CMRC GRAND NATIONAL AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS

MOVE WEST TO REVELSTOKE, BC

WORDS BY MXP STAFF

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or the first time in over 25 years, the CMRC Grand National Amateur Championships will be hosted in Western Canada! With the new format for amateur nationals rotating from Eastern Canada to Western Canada each year, Revelstoke, BC will play host to this prestigious event, August 17-20, 2017.

F

The excitement of this event has been growing ever since it was announced last fall. Now riders and families in the west will be able to experience a high profile amateur national close to home, and easterners now have an opportunity to venture west and visit beautiful British Columbia.

Everyone is welcome! There is no need to qualify for this event, so all riders can preenter or enter at the track. If the gates are full, qualifiers will determine the final forty. However, that won’t be it for those that don’t qualify, because B Finals will run throughout the four days.

One of the most coveted destinations to ride dirt bikes, snowmobiles, snowbikes, mountain bikes or anything that gets you in the outdoors in Western Canada. Revelstoke, BC is the ideal

location to host the prestigious 2017 CMRC Grand National Amateur Championships. The motocross track is set amongst the breathtaking mountain views of this world destination for snowmobiles, snowbikes, skiing and outdoor enthusiasts.

“Revy” also offers their trail system with over 80 km of steep hill climbs, sandy dunes, waterfalls, bridges, rocky feature-ridden trails, smooth and fast beginner trails, and forests and fields. Stop at one of several epic lookouts over the mountains or ride to the lake for a swim in Lake Revelstoke, located across from the Frisbee Ridge trail system.

Since 2008, the Revy Riders Dirt Bike Club has operated and developed the track and trail systems. With a wealth

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of support from local businesses, the tourism council and the City, the club has thrived with an active volunteer club, board and former club President, Chris Pawlisky, and current club President Terry Archer.

In 2016, Stuart McQueen of MCQMX recognized the potential of both the MX track and the community to become a Motocross destination for Canadian racers. In the fall of 2016, Stu and the committed volunteers of the Revy Riders completely revamped the track. They added 5,000 yards of rock free material. The dirt is like a river silt material. The left hand, Talladega start leads into big elevation changes and obstacles to secure a two minute plus lap time. The riding terrain offers a bit of everything.

In February 2017, Revelstoke hosted two rounds of the Motovan Canadian Snowbike Series brought to you by Yeti, that received raving reviews of the area and track.

The MX track and trails are located 15 minutes from the town center or 10 minutes from the TransCanada Highway. It has easy, paved access, and a variety of accommodation options and attractions close by.

Some of these include the classy Best Western Plus, which is one of MCQMX’s sponsors. The Glacier House Resort, located minutes from the track, is a popular lodge that hosts RVs, and

“THE MX TRACK AND TRAILS ARE LOCATED 15 MINUTES FROM THE TOWN CENTER OR 10 MINUTES FROM THE TRANSCANADA HIGHWAY.” offers private cabins, campgrounds, plus has a hotel, pool, and restaurant.

Be sure to book in advance!

The town itself is quaint and lively.

Many know it for its world class ski resort, but it also boasts the Revelstoke National Park with hiking trails within walking distance from downtown, over 40 dining options, and plenty of shops and amenities. The resort is open year-round with gondolas running up to the mid station, and their new mountain coaster opened last year. It’s an ideal destination of the outdoor adventurer. The locals refer

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to it as the 15-minute town; from the city center, you are no more than 15 minutes from world class mountain or cross country biking, hiking, quading, some of Canada’s top motorcycle rides, rock climbing, kayaking or boating on Lake Revelstoke, scenic and private camping, and hunting or fishing are all at your doorstep.

The club also hosts the largest all-female dirt bike event in Canada, the Triple B Rally, a ride, race, and camping weekend run by the girls club contingent at Glacier House Resort that features some of the top riders in the area, and these chicks definitely don’t hold back.

Needless to say, if you haven’t had the opportunity to check out Revelstoke, make sure to add it to your riding bucket list. With the wealth of activities available in Revelstoke added to top level amateur racing, the CMRC Grand National Amateur Championships in Revelstoke, BC, August 17-20, will be a week to remember.

“ONE OF THE MOST COVETED DESTINATIONS TO RIDE DIRT BIKES, SNOWMOBILES, SNOWBIKES, MOUNTAIN BIKES OR ANYTHING THAT GETS YOU IN THE OUTDOORS IN WESTERN CANADA. REVELSTOKE, BC IS THE IDEAL LOCATION TO HOST THE PRESTIGIOUS 2017 CMRC GRAND NATIONAL AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS.”

For more information visit mcqmx.ca/gnac

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FOR THE LOVE OF RIDING PART 1 WITH DREW BEZANSON Last fall Drew got the chance to travel to Gopher Dunes and play in the sand.

BY CHRIS POMEROY PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE AND RED BULL

Drew's Uncontainable project was simply amazing to watch.

WITH SUCH AN EXCITING YEAR AHEAD IN OUR SPORT, WE AT MXP MAGAZINE HAVE DECIDED TO PROFILE ATHLETES FROM OTHER SPORTS WHO JUST LOVE TO RIDE DIRT BIKES IN THEIR SPARE TIME. THROUGHOUT 2017, WE WILL PROFILE TWO FORMER NHL HOCKEY PLAYERS, WHO NOW USE RIDING AS NOT ONLY ONE OF THEIR FAVOURITE PASS TIMES, BUT ALSO AS A GREAT MEANS TO STAY IN SHAPE. IN THIS ISSUE, THOUGH, WE TAKE A LOOK AT CANADIAN BMX LEGEND DREW BEZANSON. OBVIOUSLY, WITH HIS BMX BACKGROUND, DREW IS NO STRANGER TO TWO WHEELS. IN FACT, ONE COULD SAY THAT HE SPENDS MOST OF HIS DAYS ON TWO WHEELS DEFYING GRAVITY WHILE BECOMING ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR ATHLETES IN HIS SPORT. HOWEVER, WHEN HE'S JUMPING HIS BICYCLE AND MAKING FANS SCREAM IN DISBELIEF, THIS ALL-CANADIAN KID GOES BACK TO HIS FIRST LOVE AND FREQUENTLY THROWS HIS LEG OVER A DIRT BIKE.

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first met Drew a few years ago while he was riding at Moto Park.

Since he is a long-time Fox sponsored athlete, Drew was easy to pick out on the track as his fresh Fox gear looked great. But, as I watched him circulate the Moto Park track, it quickly became clear that he knew exactly what he was doing on a powerful dirt bike. Having raced as kid, Drew solidified his moto skills at a very early age, and even though riding dirt bikes doesn't pay the bills these days, he admits that nothing makes him feel as free as getting out on a track and twisting the throttle. Motocross is obviously a very special sport, we all know this as we live and breathe it almost daily. However, I think it's very fascinating that athletes from other sports are also getting addicted to riding. This story idea started off as just that, a story.

However, after interviewing Drew and listening to the passion in his voice as he answered my questions, I decided that an interview would better encapsulate just how much busy athletes like Drew really love to ride dirt bikes. We hope you enjoy Part 1 of For the Love of Riding with Drew Bezanson.

I

Although his profession is BMX, Drew loves to ride dirt bikes.

HERE WE ARE IN EARLY MAY, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO SO FAR IN 2017?

So far in 2017 I've been fairly busy. I've ridden four contests already, I've done some fun activities for Toyota, and also spent a month in California. I just started building a pretty big backyard ramp, which I'm most stoked about. I can't wait to have the office so close.

WORKING FROM HOME IS THE WAY TO GO. WHAT IS NORMALLY YOUR BUSY SEASON? Usually summer is my busy season for travelling and contests, but it's easy to stay busy all year. I like working on filming projects and creating content when I'm not travelling for contests or for sponsorship obligations.

I GUESS FOR SOMEONE IN YOUR LINE OF WORK, THINGS ARE ALWAYS BUSY. WHERE DO YOU SPEND MOST OF YOUR TIME THESE DAYS? I just started renting a place in Stouffville, Ontario. It's 15 minutes from Joyride and I'm a lot closer to family than when I was in California.

I'm stoked to have my own place again where I can get into a good routine and be on a good schedule.

I'M GLAD YOU MENTIONED JOYRIDE AS I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT COOL PLACE IN A MINUTE. LET'S GO BACK TO LAST SEASON, HOW WAS 2016 FOR YOU? YOU'VE RECENTLY GOTTEN AWAY FROM BMX COMPETITION, CORRECT? Last season was an interesting year for me. I feel like there was a lot of miscommunication throughout the year. I had the opportunity to try to qualify for Red Bull Joyride, which is the largest MTB Slope Style contest.

At the same time, I was still doing

everything that I normally do on my BMX bike. I didn't take the year off or slow down on that side of things at all, which wasn't really told. At the beginning of the year my schedule worked to do both. Unfortunately, in early May, I sustained an injury that changed my whole schedule. With the MTB series already started I had to ride a bunch of events that I didn't want to ride in the first place to make the series still work. All those events were either right before or right after a BMX event. With my new schedule I didn't have time to ever get back to 100%

THAT IS A VERY INTERESTING STORY FROM 2016, I THINK MOST PEOPLE HAD NO IDEA ABOUT YOUR STRUGGLES. I HOPE THIS SEASON GOES A LITTLE SMOOTHER FOR YOU. LOOKING BACK ON YOUR ENTIRE CAREER, WHAT, IN YOUR OPINION, IS YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT? So far in my career I would have to say the “Uncontainable” project has been my biggest accomplishment. It was a project that I had dreamt of doing for 6-7 years and it all came together in 2015. I got to go home and do the

“SO FAR IN MY CAREER I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THE “UNCONTAINABLE” PROJECT HAS BEEN MY BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT.” health-wise or get my confidence back on either bike. I had to ride everything at 60%. I felt like being a boxer going into a fight with one arm tied behind my back. It was a very frustrating and disheartening year. The series showed a lot of raw emotion and frustration, which was hard on me as well because people either view it two ways. One, he's human, he has bad days, or two, he's an A-hole. Once someone has an opinion on you it’s really hard to change their opinion especially when you aren't the one telling the story.

At the end of the day the main focus of the series was to promote Red Bull Joyride all year, which I think was a success. It showed just how gnarly the level of MTB Slope Style is at now, how prestigious Red Bull Joyride is, and also that it's not easy to get there. I can't thank Red Bull enough for giving me that opportunity, and it’s definitely not the last time you see me on a MTB.

project with my friends and family in Nova Scotia and pick the build crew.

At the end of day, it wasn't just my project, it was everyone's project who helped out.

HOW DID THIS DREAM ALL START FOR YOU? DID YOU BEGIN RIDING BICYCLES WHEN YOU WERE A KID? I grew up racing motocross as a kid, actually. I raced from age 8-12 in the 60cc and 80cc classes. Before I began racing I always jumped a bicycle pretending it was a dirt bike.

When I was 11 they opened up a youth centre in my home town that had indoor ramps, and after going once I was hooked to BMX. It was something I could do everyday where with motocross I needed my parents to take me to the track.

I LOVE HEARING HOW TOP ATHLETES GOT STARTED IN

THEIR CHOSEN SPORTS. WHEN DID YOU REALIZE THAT YOU COULD DO THIS FOR A LIVING? I rode my first Pro contest when I was 17. I honestly had no idea where I would stand up against some of the best in the world. Most of my friends back home said that I should have signed up for AM. I ended up qualifying 9th, and then in the finals I bumped up to 7th.

I remember looking at the results and realizing that 5 out of the 6 guys ahead of me had X-games medals. At that point, I realized that I might be able to turn my passion into a career and that I might be able to go somewhere with it.

AS THEY SAY, DREW, THE REST IS HISTORY. YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY ON THE ROAD QUITE A BIT. WHAT IS THE COOLEST PLACE YOU'VE EVER BEEN TO AND ON AVERAGE HOW MANY AIR MILES DO YOU LOG IN A YEAR? The coolest place BMX has taken me is over to the Middle East to do shows for the USA Troops. It's an opportunity to see stuff firsthand that very few people get to see in person. That life experience is something that I could never buy. I've never kept track of my air miles but I would have to say anywhere from 50,000-100,000 miles per year.

HERE IS A THOUGHT PROVOKING QUESTION FOR YOU, DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR VERY FIRST BICYCLE? My very first bicycle was a 16'' BMX. I don't remember the actual brand of it but I remember the stickers on it said “L’il Lightning.” I then got the same brand of bike in the 20'' version and that was called “Big Thunder.” (laughs) THOSE ARE DEFINITELY GREAT NAMES. MOVING FROM BICYCLES TO DIRT BIKES. WE FIRST MET A FEW YEARS AGO AT MOTO PARK WHEN YOU WERE UP THERE RIDING. WHAT IS IT ABOUT DIRT BIKES THAT YOU LOVE? Motocross was one of my first passions. As a young kid I loved everything about heavy equipment and dirt bikes. Now, dirt bikes are one of the few things that I love in life just as much as BMX. It's complete freedom for myself. Once you put a helmet on then it's just you and the bike, and you have complete creative control after that. It's one of the few things that I can do in life that makes everything else fade away.

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FOR THE LOVE OF RIDING PART 1 WITH DREW BEZANSON

Here is Drew taking a quiet moment on the stairs at Joyride150 in Markham, ON.

I THINK YOU REALLY NAILED THE TRUE ESSENCE OF THE SPORT, THAT'S VERY COOL. YOU ALSO ATTENDED A FEW SUPERCROSS RACES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. WHAT IS YOUR OPINION OF THAT SERIES? I'm a huge Supercross fan. I have so much respect for all of the athletes and how much work they put in. If you would have asked me this question last weekend before Tomac had a bad race in New Jersey then I would have said Dungey looked mentally defeated.

It was like a bad dream for Dungey when he raced Villopoto for four years.

It was the same bike, but instead of Villopoto on the jersey it said Tomac.

The series has been amazing so far, I just wish Kenny (Rozcen) didn't get hurt. It would have been a really good year if he was in the mix as well. I think they should go back to the 15 and 20 lap main events as well so the tracks hold up better. Then you will get better racing. With the tracks getting so beat down you have guys going into survival mode rather than being able to charge.

YOU SEE, YOU TALK LIKE A TRUE MOTO GUY. WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE RIDER? My all time favourite rider would have to be Ricky Carmichael. You can't take anything away from that dude.

Now, I have a lot of riders that I have a ton of respect for like Ken Roczen, Marvin Musquin, Ryan Dungey, Jason Anderson, and Cooper Webb. All of the top riders are just awesome.

“ONCE YOU PUT A HELMET ON THEN IT’S JUST YOU AND THE BIKE, AND YOU HAVE COMPLETE CREATIVE CONTROL AFTER THAT. IT’S ONE OF THE FEW THINGS THAT I CAN DO IN LIFE THAT MAKES EVERYTHING ELSE FADE AWAY.”

Not only did Drew get to ride at Gopher Dunes, but he also shared the track with MX superstars Colton Facciotti and Dylan Wright.

EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE A SUCCESSFUL ATHLETE IN ANOTHER SPORT, DO YOU DREAM ABOUT LINING UP FOR A SX RACE? I mean I definitely dream about it, but my realistic goal is just to be able to make it around a SX track one day. I think from riding BMX dirt and jumping transfers, I would be able to figure out and gauge the rhythms. I rode the Red Bull Straight Rhythm practice track and was able to double-double through everything pretty quickly. Blitzing the whoops might be the only thing I would be okay with not doing. Who knows, maybe one day!

AT THE END OF LAST YEAR YOU TRAVELLED TO GOPHER DUNES AND HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO RIDE WITH THE GDR FOX HONDA GUYS. HOW WAS THAT DAY? Any time I get to spend the day at a moto track I'm stoked. It was a little rough, though, because I flew home from Germany the day before.

I couldn't sleep the night before because of jet lag so I was pretty exhausted trying to ride.

COLTON FACCIOTTI IS ONE OF CANADA'S TOP RIDERS AND DYLAN IS YOUNG AND READY TO CHALLENGE FOR A MX2 TITLE, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THOSE TWO RIDERS? Both Colton and Dylan are rad dudes. I had a blast riding and hanging out with them. I think they are both capable of championships this year.

AND HOW WAS IT RIDING THE TOUGHEST TRACK IN CANADA? Gopher Dunes was gnarly. I enjoy riding sand tracks as long as the jump faces aren't too rutted. It rained quite a bit the week before I rode Gopher, which made it a little easier to ride.

WELL, AT LEAST YOU CAN SAY THAT YOU RODE THE FAMOUS GOPHER DUNES TRACK. WHAT DOES THE REST OF 2017 HOLD FOR YOU? Coming up in 2017 I have X-games and the Fise World Series, which are my biggest events of the year. I'm going to be working on some video projects as well. I want to film a full MTB edit in the fall once travel slows down a bit. Then I’ll be working on getting some bigger projects going for 2018.

THAT SOUNDS VERY EXCITING. MIGHT WE SEE YOU RACE A LITTLE MOTO LATER IN THE YEAR? I sure hope so! I hope my schedule works out so I can do a race at Moto Park in the fall. Then maybe make it out to Red Bull Day in the Dirt as well.

OKAY, WE'RE ALMOST DONE HERE BUT I HAVE TO ASK YOU THIS QUESTION. A FEW YEARS AGO, YOU DID A VIDEO FROM JOYRIDE150 THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY INSANE. HOW DO YOU JUMP A BMX BIKE SO FAR, SO HIGH, AND WITH SO MUCH TIMING AND NO SUSPENSION? I work my way up to all the big transfers I do. Lots of visualization and I also usually try to make sure I have lots real estate on the landing, in case I come up short or go long. I definitely thank my Motocross background for the way I ride a BMX bike. I feel like years of gauging jumps on my dirt bike helped me do the same on my BMX. WHAT IS THE CRAZIEST JUMP YOU'VE DONE? I would have to say the craziest stuff I've done was everything in Uncontainable. In my eyes it wasn't crazy, it was just the stuff I've done with the highest risk to it.

HOW COOL WAS IT DOING THAT UNCONTAINABLE PROJECT? WHAT EVEN MADE YOU THINK OF THAT? I had the idea of building bigger ramp setups for years, but it wasn't until a few years ago that it clicked in my head to use the containers. I was randomly looking at a container yard one day when I started visualizing ramps built up to them. That's when it clicked, using containers was the quickest and fastest way to build the ramps that I wanted to ride. I looked at them as oversized Lego blocks. Also, having my best friend in Nova Scotia owning a crane company made it all make sense.

WELL, IT WAS JUST AWESOME TO WATCH. DREW, THANKS FOR DOING THIS. DO YOU HAVE ANY LAST THOUGHTS OR PEOPLE YOU WANT TO THANK? No problem, thank you for the opportunity. I definitely want to thank my family, friends, fans and sponsors for the continued support and allowing me to live my dreams. Every single one of them is such a huge part of my career and success thus far. I can't wait to see what the future holds.

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“HAVING THE RIGHT RIDERS ON BOARD TO REPRESENT OUR SPONSORS IS ALSO KEY, AND I BELIEVE WE’VE ASSEMBLED A GROUP THAT WILL DO JUST THAT.”

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SINCE THE LATE 1990S, ADAM ROBINSON HAS BEEN A BIG PART OF THE FABRIC OF CANADIAN MOTOCROSS. FROM HIS EARLY DAYS WITH MACHINE RACING TO HIS MOST RECENT YEARS AS TEAM MANAGER OF THE ROCKSTAR ENERGY OTSFF YAMAHA TEAM, ADAM HAS NEVER WAIVERED FROM BEING ONE OF THE MOST PROFESSIONAL INDIVIDUALS IN THE PADDOCK. FOR 2017, ADAM HAS JOINED FORCES WITH THE NEW ROYAL DISTRIBUTING/ MOTOVAN/ PILLER’S RACING PRESENTED BY HUBER MOTORSPORTS TEAM TO TAKE ON THE MX1 CLASS IN THE 2017 ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MX NATIONALS. ADAM IS NO STRANGER TO BUILDING SUCCESSFUL THINGS FROM THE GROUND UP, AND WITH THIS TEAM THAT CONSISTS OF TYLER MEDAGLIA, KYLE CHISHOLM AND NATHAN BLES, HE HOPES TO DO JUST THAT. WE CAUGHT UP WITH ADAM ROBINSON WHILE HE AND HIS TEAM WERE IN MIDDLE OF THEIR FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR THIS SUMMER.

ADAM ROBINSON

BY CHRIS POMEROY I PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE

MXP CHATTER

HELLO ADAM, IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE LAST SPOKE. WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO SINCE THE NATIONALS ENDED LAST SUMMER? Hey Chris! Its has been a month or two I suppose since we last spoke, I hope you guys are doing great! My post MX season has been busy and exciting. I was fortunate to be a part of the 2016 Canadian MXoN team that competed in Italy last September. That was truly an awesome experience and a highlight of my career thus far. We’ve all read and talked about the race by now, but it was such a cool deal to be a part of. I believe that trip gave me new drive to keep going in this crazy business of ours. The race itself was an unreal experience and the team we had made for an unforgettable trip.

Another welcomed change for me in the MX off-season was joining Huber Motorsports, a great team based out of the Kitchener, Ontario area.

The Hubers have been involved with snocross racing for the last several years and I had a great opportunity to team up with them.

SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAD A VERY BUSY OFF-SEASON. THE ROCKSTAR ENERGY OTSFF YAMAHA TEAM APPEARED TO HAVE A GOOD YEAR IN 2016.

HOW WAS IT FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE? Coming from a championship season the year before, it was decent. There were a lot of race wins and podiums split between Matt & Brett over the course of the season. The team ended with a second overall in the series, which is very respectable.

IT WAS A SHAME THAT BRETT METCALFE GOT INJURED AT ROUND 9 AS HE WAS REALLY STARTING TO RIDE WELL. WHY DID IT TAKE METTY SO LONG TO FEEL COMFORTABLE ON THE YZ450F? It was a heartbreaker to see Brett get hurt after how things started to come together for him once we headed out east. To answer your question, there are certain bikes that suit certain tracks. The Yamaha is outstanding on fast, rough tracks, and there are other brands that shine on harder packed, slippery, tight tracks. With the varying styles of tracks from coast to coast, we naturally got better as the series came east.

I’M SURE A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE WONDERING THIS, BUT IN YOUR OPINION, WHY DIDN’T METTY COME BACK TO CANADA THIS SEASON? Good question Palms and I’d love to know the answer. I guess he’s the best guy to answer that question. I can say that he is a great dude to work with and I’m happy to have had a chance to work out of the same trailer.

YES, METTY IS DEFINITELY GOING TO BE MISSED. SO NOW YOU’RE MOVING FROM THE LONGEST STANDING TEAM IN CANADA TO THE NEWEST. TELL US ABOUT THIS NEW RACE TEAM THAT YOU’RE A PART OF? I’m excited and proud of what we’ve put together in a short amount of time. There are some great companies involved with our program. These partnerships have allowed us to lay a solid foundation. In my opinion, our program will be a solid threat to other teams that have been around for years.

IT’S ALWAYS EXCITING WHEN A NEW TEAM COMES ON THE SCENE. HOW EXCITED IS EVERYONE INVOLVED? Everyone involved is very excited.

There is a lot going on right now getting ready for Round 1, so there isn’t much time to high five and carry on, but there is a great positive vibe all around. The riders are liking their motorcycles, which makes my job much easier.

WHAT IS THE PROCESS THAT MUST BE FOLLOWED WHEN STARTING UP A NEW, HIGH PROFILE TEAM? I don’t know that there’s a handbook to follow. There are countless other pieces to be put in place, and all need to be handled with the greatest attention before we even get to the races. I’ve been around for a while and have a good handle on the right pieces that need to be part of the equation.

It’s mostly been about making the right decisions at the right time. At one point, we were heading in a direction mid-winter that was taking shape and everyone was happy with, but it didn’t work out. We regrouped, adjusted, and got to where we are now. Having the right riders on board to represent our sponsors is also key, and I believe we’ve assembled a group that will do just that.

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ADAM ROBINSON

YOU’VE ALSO BROUGHT IN SOME VERY HIGH PROFILE SPONSORS FOR THIS ENDEAVOUR. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW YOU GOT MOTOVAN AND ROYAL DISTRIBUTING ON BOARD? That has been a multi-layered partnership that will give us one of the best supported teams in the series.

Both companies are also major series sponsors, which offers all sponsors involved a great opportunity for exposure.

“WINNING IS ALWAYS THE GOAL AND THAT’S WHY WE KEEP RACING. I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN BE IN THE MIX FOR A PODIUM POSITION EACH WEEK.”

YOUR TEAM WILL BE RACING HONDAS. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE HONDA AS YOUR BIKE OF CHOICE? I had the choice to race any bike on the market. I want the best equipment for my guys, and the new 2017 Honda CRF450R was a natural choice. Like anything new, there will be a learning curve but we have the best companies in the business supporting our bike development to get us to where we need to be.

YOU ALSO HAVE A VERY STRONG LINE UP OF RIDERS FOR 2017.

LET’S TALK ABOUT KYLE CHISHOLM, TYLER MEDAGLIA AND NATHAN BLES? With us being a new team, I had a big job to do proving that we can deliver a program worthy of high profile riders.

It means a lot to me for these guys to put faith in what we are going to achieve. I had been talking with Tyler for quite a while about racing for us, and there were some sizable hurdles to get over but I’m proud we finally have him under our tent. He and I had worked together back almost 10 years ago and I’m looking forward to teaming up with him again. Kyle and I worked together for another team a few years ago and we always got along well. I knew he was racing Hondas this winter in Supercross and thought it would be a good fit. He will be fast and sharp after 17 weeks of gate drops and racing under his belt leading into Kamloops. Nathan has good speed and has had some great results over the last few years. Last summer he was injured, but has since been racing snow-bikes and snocross all winter so he will be in shape and ready to rock!

I’m proud that we have a well-rounded mix of top Canadian riders and a great American to add to the series.

MXP CHATTER

OBVIOUSLY, YOU WANT TO SEE THESE RIDERS UP FRONT AND WINNING RACES, BUT WHAT KIND OF RESULTS WOULD MAKE YOU AND YOUR VALUABLE SPONSORS HAPPY? Winning is always the goal and that’s why we keep racing. I believe that we can be in the mix for a podium position each week. With the stable of riders we have I’m not biased toward any one guy. I would like to see each of them get the best results possible and see each one succeed. If the team can end the series with an overall podium, I think that will be a great accomplishment.

WE’VE KNOWN EACH OTHER A LONG TIME AND I KNOW THAT YOU NEVER DO THINGS HALFWAY. IS THIS A MULTI-YEAR PROGRAM? Yes. Everyone involved is focused on laying down a good foundation for year one and continuing to build with a goal of winning championships in the coming years.

THE OPENING ROUND IN KAMLOOPS IS FAST APPROACHING. WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT WITH THIS NEW TEAM MAKING ITS DEBUT IN JUNE? Honestly, I’m excited to get the ball rolling and go racing. I think there will be good energy under our tent and the boys will feed off that to get some great results THANKS ADAM FOR DOING THIS. WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOUR NEW TEAM TAKE TO THE TRACK THIS SUMMER. Thanks Chris! I appreciate you taking the time to interview me and talk about our new program FINAL QUESTION ADAM, WHO ARE YOUR SPONSORS FOR 2017?

Royal Distributing, Motovan, Piller’s Fine Foods, Shot Race Gear, TCX Boots, Zox Helmets, Luqui Moly, Torc-1, Bondi Engines, Factory Connection, Marin Bikes, Dunlop, FMF. The list of great sponsors we have supporting us goes on, so head to our website - www. hubermotorsports.com and check them all out!

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JUSTIN HILL

2017 250SX WEST CHAMPION

RYAN DUNGEY 2017 AMA SX CHAMPION

ZACH OSBORNE

DUNLOP IS RACING 2017 250SX EAST CHAMPION

AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE WON ON DUNLOP TIRES

146 SX AND MX CHAMPIONSHIPS AND COUNTING @RideDunlop DunlopMotorcycleTires.com. ©2017 Dunlop Motorcycle Tires.

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! r e b m i T Brian Koster Goes to Idaho to Ride the New Timberseld

BY BRIAN KOSTER | PHOTOS BY BRETT BLASER

everal variations of the snow bike have been gaining popularity these past several years and have clearly captured the imagination of dirt bike riders far and wide. From word of mouth experience to some sick YouTube videos, it’s hard not to be drawn into the allure of a dirt bike that can morph into a snow machine with about an hour or so of do-it-yourself shop time. Add to the fact that snow biking was introduced at the always prestigious 2017 Winter XGames and you can see the trend in a full upswing. You can watch Canadian pro MX rider and Timbersled pioneer Brock Hoyer take the inaugural Gold Medal on YouTube, and in beautiful style I might add.

Talking with Brock about Timberselds at the MX

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Nationals out west over the years, it’s easy to see his enthusiasm for the budding sport. Awesome is a word that seems entirely synonymous with Timbersled, which is one of a few brands out there competing for snow bike supremacy. Another Canadian pioneer with the brand is Freestyle sensation Regan Seig who sends it large on a dirt bike as well as a Timbersled. Both these guys have been involved for a while and have a wealth of experience ripping up the back country of Western Canada, helping test and develop for the brand.

I got the call from MXP to fly out to Northern Idaho to the factory and ride and test the new 2018 Timbersled Aro and the new 2018 Timbersled Raw platforms. How could one refuse such an offer? Sure, the weather at home was breaking and spring was in the

air but the allure of the mountains is a strong one especially when burning gasoline is involved! Arrangements were made and before long I was situated in beautiful Sandpoint, Idaho awaiting the morning introductions, factory tour and product education. To be honest, I have always heard Idaho is a hidden gem.

You don’t hear a lot of hoopla surrounding the state but rest assured it is a total diamond that I’m sure the residents just love to keep for themselves. I know a couple of ridiculously wealthy people who could live anywhere they want on this planet that call Idaho home. It truly is a beauty with ATVs bombing around the streets and easy smiles on the outdoorsy people lucky enough to call Idaho home. I felt right at home with the gorgeous scenery and endless mountain range.

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Wednesday morning finally rolls around with the host hotel a mere two minute drive from the Timbersled headquarters, which is a nice sized facility with all the comforts of an enthusiast based operation.

They definitely have room within for expansion and an ample assembly area for when the production line is at full operation. There is a lot of workmanship that goes into each and every unit, which are essentially hand made by skilled workers. The top secret development area was off limits but we did get a sneak peek inside when we unloaded late after a long day in the mountains…all I can say about that is these guys are at the top of their craft, and pride and passion for the brand is clearly evident. They are quality people who test and develop tirelessly to the benefit of the consumer who truly is the ultimate winner in the

Timbersled equation. I met the guys from Dirt Rider Magazine over breakfast at the hotel then we met with our main contact at Timbersled, Brett Blaser, who is the Sales and Marketing Director. Brett, an enthusiast who can blaze a mean single-track in his own right, is a pioneer in the snow bike arena. He and his partner started a company called 2moto and built the earliest rendition of the snow bike. An early customer named Allan Mangum, a professional logger who was busy manufacturing high performance aftermarket skid frames for mountain snowmobiles in his off season from logging, put his skid frame experience to work. Having a father that owns a large machine and fabricating shop, he went ahead and married some of his innovation to what 2moto was doing, and as he puts it “designed a better mouse-

trap.” When one of Allan’s earliest prototypes was able to eclipse all comers up the steep mountains of his own private backyard in Idaho, he instantly knew he was on to something. Those first few prototypes had a lot going for them but were far from what the company is able to produce today. The evolution of the Timersled had many obstacles to overcome and many areas to address. Weight is always of the utmost importance, but even before that, handling and tractability were a main concern. Then of course ease of operation and the task of performing the conversion itself became a focal point. Allan and his team were on point and systematically tackled each issue as they came, and as it stands now it is without question the perfect time to get your hands on the fruits of their labours! These things rock and can climb the unclimbable and can traverse a steep mountain range better than anything man has ever invented.

After our tour and briefing, we loaded up the Ford pickups and drove about 15-20 minutes from the factory up a mountain pass to the snowline. Not a group to leave any detail to chance, Timbersled even invented their own loading ramp and wheel dolly system for the snow bikes! Wow man, the dollies are slick and this is not your ordinary ramp. These guys put a ton of effort and development into how it works and the materials chosen. The thing is a work of art, and was designed to be multi-functional for not only Timbersleds but for pretty much any off hi way recreational vehicle. Made from aluminium and a very special grippe plastic face, it has to be the trickest folding loading ramp I’ve ever seen! On the way up the steep mountain, we passed scores of deer similar to where I live in Ontario, but it was the larger Cariboo that were present that really caught my attention as they grazed lazily and without much care to us as we 4x4ed by. I was in the truck with Phil, who is a senior employee with Timbersled and a hearty soul who spends countless days testing and doing his best to pound the machines into submission. A great rider with the mountains in his blood, Phil is the guy you would want with you if any type of disaster came to be. In those mountains, as with any winter mountain sport, avalanches are a real danger. The locals are well trained and have the necessary safety gear in every rider’s backpack. Each backpack has a shovel, avalanche beacon and an auto fill air pack as well as a high-powered radio. With there being more springlike conditions, we had some wet snow and a little drizzle at the later stages of our day so avalanche risk was at a minimum, but still present none the less. The packs are heavy, and by the end of the day my weakness was evident as I struggled just to stand upright instead of opting to flop out in the snow and being too lazy to remove my gloves to remove the pack.

I had heard the early snowbikes suffered some darting issues, especial on hard pack or groomed trails, so this was something the engineers worked hard at to address. Heck, I’ve owned snowmobiles that used to dart around wildly so I was prepared for the worst. So finally, it’s time to ride and we have about a 10 minute ride up the hard pack and icy road to the blissful deep snow of the gorgeous mountain range. There is a definite learning curve here. At first

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it is a weird feeling trying to steer, but as soon as more throttle is applied and the taught techniques of weighing the foot pegs is initiated, it becomes easier and easier. Plus, I found the darting to be a non-issue even on the really hard and icy sections. It’s a mix of dirt biking, snowmobiling and riding a watercraft… perhaps only more fun than all of those dare I say it…especially for trail riding! Once up top in the good snow, we built a little track to get more familiar with the bike’s turning and jumping capabilities. We switched machines and continued until we all felt confident enough to do some more challenging hill climbs and epic single-track. I started on a 2017 CR450F with the brand new, top of the line 2018 “Aro” platform. This embodies the ultimate, newest and lightest Timbersled technology. The Aro is awesome that comes with an enclosed pre-bled brake system, retention of the stock air box, 1” of chain adjustment that’s easier than a dirt bike to adjust, an easier to install, all-new front ski with no drilling required, increased suspension travel and an all-new, lighter rear section with a new 11.5” track width with a specially designed paddle track. Also, the complete conversion for the Aro was designed to be simpler and takes about 1 hour to install. Front suspension remains fine in box stock condition; just add a little more air if desired or for more aggressive riding. The new front ski being the same width was developed to cut a perfect path for the track to follow and to increase overall stability, which it does. Wow, what

a marvel of technology! You won’t stop smiling once you get accustomed to the required techniques. The Aro is a winner!

Next, I rode a new Husky 501 fitted with the 2018 “Raw” platform. The more economical Raw system is not far off the prowess of the Aro. The Raw takes about a half hour longer to install, but shares the same all-new front end and ski, and still offers no drilling required. I believe it’s somewhere around 12 lbs heavier in the skid frame area using a little more steel versus aluminium on the Aro. You still utilize your stock air box but the brake system required just a basic bleed job. However, it is quite a substantial cost savings. For any rider who wants to get into snow biking and save a few bucks, the Raw is definitely for you. The Raw is basically the previous year’s technology utilizing a 12.5” track width, but I’ll tell you, in the real world only the most discerning riders will feel a heck of a lot of difference from the Aro. I honestly felt better and a little more comfortable as soon as I switched from the Honda equipped Aro and got on the Raw equipped Husky. Brett informed me this could be due to a bit softer front end set up on the Husky, but whatever the case may be, I was thrilled to stay on it for the remainder of the day.

Wow, what a monster of a motor. Another plus of snow biking is your motor virtually lasts forever. No dirt or dust to suck through, and after every ride your bike still looks like brand new. No pressure washing or coin wash required…Sweet!

In closing, I want to thank Timbersled for their gracious hospitality and the opportunity to ride the 2018 versions of their adult line up. They have also tested with two-stroke bikes with good success but we just rode open class four-strokes. They also offer a version for mini cycles, so the kids won’t be left out. I was blown away by the traction and hook up of the Timbersled. We were climbing verticals I thought were impossible. I’m not gonna lie, a few times I was scared out of my wits as the machines in front of me pointed up the seemingly unsurmountable and went for it. Everything in me said “no” but up I followed, and sure enough as I was told, second gear will climb anything. Before long the machine instilled the confidence to tackle all the mount could through our way. A few times I got sucked into deep tree wells that would have a snowmobiler digging for an hour, but as told I just pinned it and out I would climb, disaster averted.

There is a definite technique required and I definitely do believe with more seat time any rider’s skill would improve, but I was happy with the progress us newbies achieved in the first day. You can rail berms just like on the moto track. It’s so cool to be on a dirt bike with gears and a clutch going places a snowmobile would struggle with. As snow bike racing gets more popular in Canada, it’s a no brainer purchase for any dirt biker with an adventurous soul who wants to break free of the status quo and blaze your own way to new heights.

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HAYDEN WOLFF Y O U N G

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BY CHRIS POMEROY I PHOTOS BY TALIA STEVENSON

HAYDEN WOLFF IS NO STRANGER TO THE FRONT OF THE PACK. FOR THE LAST FEW SEASONS, THE PRINCE GEORGE, BC NATIVE HAS WON RACES IN THE 85CC CLASS AND THE JUNIOR CLASSES. FOR 2017 IN THE INTERMEDIATE CLASS, HAYDEN LOOKS TO DO THE SAME. COMING FROM A VERY HARD WORKING AND MOTOCROSS LOVING FAMILY, HAYDEN TAKES THIS SPORT VERY SERIOUSLY BOTH ON AND OFF THE TRACK. HAYDEN IS ALSO A VERY SUCCESSFUL STUDENT AND PLANS TO ATTEND UNIVERSITY WHEN HE’S COMPLETED HIS HIGH SCHOOL STUDIES. WITH THE 2017 ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MX NATIONALS ALL SET TO TRAVEL TO HAYDEN’S HOMETOWN IN JUNE FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE THOUGHT HE’D BE THE PERFECT SUBJECT OF THIS MONTH’S YOUNG AND ON THE RISE. HEY HAYDEN, LET’S START OFF

BY YOU TELLING US HOW YOUR OFF-SEASON WAS? My off-season was really good. I kept in shape for the upcoming motocross season. Between working and going to school, it all kept me pretty busy, but I am glad the motocross season has started.

YES, WINTER ALWAYS SEEMS SO LONG. WHAT TYPE OF THINGS DO YOU LIKE TO DO DURING THE OFF-SEASON? Well, living in Prince George we get quite a bit of snow, so I did some snowboarding and played a bit of hockey. Basically, I just tried to do everything I could to stay in shape.

GOING BACK TO LAST SEASON, HOW DID 2016 GO FOR YOU? It was going really well until I broke my arm at the Rockstar National in Kamloops in June in the Intermediate MX2 class. Unfortunately, that injury put me out for six weeks.

ONCE YOU RETURNED FROM INJURY, WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS After being off for six weeks with my broken arm, it set me back from what I had wanted to do for the season, but I started racing again in August and went to a few Peace (PMA) races and did a few races in BC as well. It definitely wasn’t the season I was looking for, but I tried to make the most of it.

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YOU’RE RIDING HONDAS NOW, HOW DO YOU LIKE THE RED BIKES? I love my Hondas. I just got a 2017 CRF450R and it handles better than any bike I have ever ridden, and the power is amazing. I always thought 450s were big and heavy, but the new Honda is incredible.

YOU’VE BEEN A CYCLE NORTH RIDER FOR SOME TIME NOW. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE ABOUT HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO YOUR PROGRAM? I have been supported by Cycle North for seven years now and have appreciated all the support they have given me. Besides my parents, I really couldn’t do what I love to do without the help from Cycle North and Kourtney Lloyd. Cycle North is a huge contributor and a big part of the community, and without their services and I could not have gotten to where I am today without them.

TELL ME HONESTLY, HOW OFTEN DO YOU GO INTO THE CYCLE NORTH SHOP AND JUST HANG OUT? Well, I would have to say that Cycle North is my favourite place to shop and hang out as they have pretty awesome people that work there. I think it’s my Dad’s favourite place to be too. (laughs) OKAY, THE NEW RACING SEASON IS NOW UPON US, YOU’RE RACING HONDAS, HOW EXCITED ARE YOU FOR 2017?

I am really excited for this upcoming season. This year I’m focusing on the four Western Pro National rounds, which I have never attended all of them. I know it’s going to be very tough racing against the pro riders, but I’m very excited. Other than that, I’ll probably just race some local BC events and maybe the GNC in Revelstoke in August.

“THIS YEAR I'M FOCUSING ON THE FOUR WESTERN PRO NATIONAL ROUNDS, WHICH I HAVE NEVER ATTENDED ALL OF THEM. I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE VERY TOUGH RACING AGAINST THE PRO RIDERS, BUT I'M VERY EXCITED.” WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU LINE UP IN THE MX2 PRO CLASS IN THE WEST. ON JUNE 11TH, THE CMRC NATIONALS WILL MAKE THEIR DEBUT IN PRINCE GEORGE, BC. HOW EXCITED IS EVERYONE IN PG FOR THIS BIG EVENT? The excitement is really high to have such a big event being held in Prince George. The community is really behind it and it’s going to be great to promote the sport of motocross by holding the National here in Prince George.

HOW IS THE BLACKWATER TRACK SHAPING UP FOR THIS RACE? The PGMA has done so much work over the last year. Countless hours are being put in to making the track in top shape for the riders. Many volunteers, riders and parents have been helping out, contributing to make this event a huge success.

AGAIN, WE CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS RACE, IT’S GOING TO BE HUGE! HOW OLD ARE YOU NOW? I am currently 16, but will be 17 at the end of May.

OH RIGHT, WE SHARE THE SAME BIRTHDAY, I HAD FORGOTTEN THAT. HOW IS SCHOOL AND WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SUBJECT? School is going really well this year so far. I am going into Grade 12 in September and will be going into the electrical program in January. I would have to say that my favorite subject would be automotive, which makes my Dad happy because I can help him out working on my bikes.

THAT’S GREAT HAYDEN. WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN FIVE YEARS? I will always want to have racing to be a big part of my life. I want to go to University after I graduate and pursue a career; I am just not sure what that is yet.

FINAL QUESTION, WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO THANK? I am very grateful for the sponsors that I have. I would really like to thank Cycle North and Kourtney Lloyd for all of their encouragement and support, Shift, 6D Helmets, Parts Canada, Mika Metals, DT1 Air Filters, 100% Goggles, Yoshimura, MP1 Suspension, Rekluse Clutch, Sunset Glass, Direct Automotive, Dave & Sue Carlyle and Doris Steele. I would like to thank my Mom, Dad and sister for being my biggest supporters because without them none of this would be possible, and also thank you MXP Magazine for this opportunity.

WE’RE ALMOST DONE HERE HAYDEN. CAN YOU TELL US YOUR FAVOURITE TRACK AND YOUR BEST EVER RESULT? I have always had a hard time picking a favourite track because I like all different types of tracks. I like tracks that flow nice, but I also like tracks that have great dirt, a lot of different lines and big jumps. I would have to say that my best result would be earning the most points in the Team Green Program in 2012 and 2014 and winning two bikes from Kawasaki Canada.

MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM // 83

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TEN MINUTES WITH CHAD REED WORDS AND PHOTOS BY KRYSTYN SLACK

84 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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CHAD REED DEFINITELY NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION AS HIS CAREER AND LEGENDARY STATUS IN THIS SPORT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. COMING INTO 2017, REED WAS AS FIT AND PREPARED AS HE’S EVER BEEN TO BATTLE HIS YOUNGER COMPETITORS. HOWEVER, DURING THE MONSTER ENERGY SUPERCROSS SERIES, REED’S RESULTS HAVE NOT EXACTLY BEEN WHAT HE THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE. WITH JUST ONE PODIUM FINISH IN 17 RACES, REED FEELS LIKE HE LEFT A LOT ON THE TABLE. WITH THE SX SERIES NOW OVER, REED PLANS TO TAKE THE SUMMER OFF TO RELAX, SPEND TIME WITH HIS FAMILY, AND REGROUP HOPEFULLY FOR ANOTHER SEASON OF BEING ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR RIDERS ON THE PLANET. EVERY JOURNALIST WILL TELL YOU THAT CHAD REED IS ONE OF THE TOUGHEST INTERVIEWS TO GET IN OUR SPORT, HOWEVER, WE MANAGED TO TRACK HIM DOWN AND GET HIS THOUGHTS ON LIFE, RACING, AND WHY HIS AGE IS JUST SIMPLY NOT A FACTOR.

MXP: LET’S GET RIGHT TO IT. HOW DID YOUR SEASON GO? CR: Terrible. It’s been a disaster from the first race. Yeah, it’s been difficult.

I felt like my off-season was positive, it was solid, and yeah, some things happen out of your control. I didn’t foresee this happening, that’s for sure.

It hasn’t been a whole lot of fun. It’s been one high point and then that’s it.

It’s been a lot of struggles so it’s been testing, for sure. But every Monday you pull yourself out of bed and try to work on being better for the next one. As tough as it’s been, you know, I still like it; I still enjoy it.

IF YOU COULD DESCRIBE YOUR SEASON IN ONE SENTENCE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Total disaster, most of the time.

YAMAHA MADE A POST THAT THE WEEK OFF WAS GOOD FOR YOU, THAT YOU PERHAPS HAD SOME LINGERING INJURIES. HOW ARE YOU FEELING NOW? I don’t know what the post was alluding to exactly, but it was nice to have a week off. Nothing really changed.

I didn’t ride a whole lot over the week off. I have a couple finger injuries dating back to Minneapolis that I really don’t understand to be honest with you. It’s just something that kind of constantly hurts. I’ve got an x-ray and there was a fracture, but we’re way past a fracture. After Vegas, I’ll get a scan and see if there is something more serious.

ONCE THE 2017 SUPERCROSS SEASON IS OVER, WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE SUMMER? Working on my summer plans – you know spend time with the wife and kids and try to do some sight seeing.

Go around. Enjoy the kids. But as far as racing, my services are not needed at the races I guess. I will enjoy my time off and enjoy the kids and family.

HOW DO YOU BALANCE BEING A PRO RACER WITH BEING A DAD AND A HUSBAND AS WELL? It’s a team effort. Ellie understands.

It’s not like she’s new to this. Prior to kids and everything like that, it’s always been, it’s consumed our lives for the past 18 years she’s been around. There are times you feel like you’re missing out on things, but I’m there a lot. I know other fathers that have jobs that travel during the week, but being a racer, you get to be home most of Sunday through Thursday night. It’s really only Friday afternoons after school and Saturdays that I miss. I’m thankful that I have a job that allows me to be home as much as I actually am.

MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM // 85

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I HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING PRETTY CHEESY. YOU ARE ACTUALLY THE REASON I’M EVEN INVOLVED WITH MOTORSPORTS TO BEGIN WITH. Well, that’s cool. I’m glad you’re still around then!

IT’S FUN FOR ME TO GET TO INTERVIEW YOU FROM THIS SIDE NOW, AS A MEMBER OF THE MEDIA, AS OPPOSED TO THE FAN SIDE. I’VE FOLLOWED YOUR CAREER FROM THE BEGINNING AND NOW I’M OUT HERE. Awesome. Hopefully a couple more years!

SPEAKING OF A COUPLE MORE YEARS, DO YOU HAVE PLANS TO RACE IN 2018?

I do. I have big plans. Like I said, I’m tough on my season, but I expect much more of myself and the results. So that’s the reasoning behind that.

Moving forward I would like to create a situation that’s better. It hasn’t been the planned season that I had, and I believe that’s still there. I feel that here in the coming weeks we’re going to learn that we’re going to lose a champion, so we’ll be one less guy on the grid. They seem to be dropping like flies but I still somehow maintain the passion, the drive and the ability to still want to come out here, and I’m thankful for that. I kind of think my wife, my kids and just my friends help keep me grounded, and enjoying and loving what I do. I’m at a point where I feel that motocross is something that I don’t love anymore. I enjoy it, but don’t love it, however supercross is something that I really love. So, stepping away from motocross allows me some time at home – you know, regroup, refresh the brain, and kind of get ready for that January through May grind.

“THERE WERE A LOT OF YEARS THAT I WON A LOT OF RACES. I WAS CHAMPION, A LOT OF PODIUMS, A LOT OF SECONDS, AND I REALLY DIDN’T ENJOY IT. I KIND OF WENT THROUGH THE MOTIONS.”

YOU SAID AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE IN ANAHEIM THAT AGE IS JUST A NUMBER, AND OBVIOUSLY, PEOPLE GIVE YOU A LITTLE GRIEF ABOUT THAT. BUT WHAT KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED TO BE OUT HERE? Just believing that there’s more, and not being content with what I’m getting out of it, I guess. I believe that the effort is always there and the ability doesn’t change. Obviously, everybody ages differently, but I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life. You know, you have a perspective and an outlook that makes you appreciate what we have going on. I would like some of my earlier years’ results to go along with my new appreciation of life in general. That’s the goal, to be in a position that you can enjoy it better. There were a lot of years that I won a lot of races. I was champion, a lot of podiums, a lot of seconds, and I really didn’t enjoy it. I kind of went through the motions. Win or lose, I wanted more and I just wasn’t in a great place in life. I feel like I’ve come a long way since then and I would like to go back to being my consistent self of being on the podium a lot and challenging for race wins.

YOU HAVE HAD ONE OF THE LONGEST CAREERS AND YOU ARE STILL A TOP 10 GUY. I KNOW YOU BELIEVE IN YOURSELF TO DO MORE AND ARE CAPABLE OF MORE, BUT IT’S NOTHING TO SCOFF AT THAT YOU ARE STILL A TOP 10 GUY. THE SPORT NEEDS TOP 10 GUYS, TOO. There’s always a place for everybody, for sure. I’ve never been that gate filler guy, no disrespect to those guys.

I expect a lot from myself and I feel like I haven’t let go of the fact that I believe that I can still do it. I believe that there are just situations that are out of your hands, and you know, you’ve got to try to weather that and be better in the coming years. All I’m focused on right now is just understanding why the year has been the way it has, and trying to be more prepared and understand it better going into next year.

86 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF FIVE YEARS FROM NOW? Five years? Hmm… tough to know, you know? There are moments when I feel like I would enjoy being at the races in some role from a team standpoint, but there are other times that I couldn’t think of anything worse than being around this industry. It’s kind of a love/ hate relationship. Sometimes I want to be here and other times I really question why I want to stay around so much. It’s up and down so it would be difficult to predict where I’ll be five years from now.

IF THERE WERE ONE QUESTION THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO ANSWER THAT NO ONE HAS ASKED YOU, WHAT WOULD IT BE? I guess I don’t know, because I haven’t been asked it. It’s always difficult to answer something that hasn’t been asked or anything like that. There’s always what people see from the outside and then what people understand when they’re on the inside. There are facts and there’s reality, and I believe that when you combine those within your small circle, I still have the potential to be a podium contender, a race winner and a championship contender. So that’s what I hold on to. A lot of people get hung up on my age and my current results, but I feel like there’s still more.

CHAD, THANKS FOR DOING THIS. I KNOW I SPEAK FOR EVERYONE WHEN I SAY THAT WE HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT SUMMER, AND WE ALL HOPE TO SEE YOU HEALTHY AND HAPPY AT ANAHEIM 1 NEXT YEAR. That is the plan! It was good to chat with all of my Canadian fans.

“SOMETIMES I WANT TO BE HERE AND OTHER TIMES I REALLY QUESTION WHY I WANT TO STAY AROUND SO MUCH. IT’S UP AND DOWN SO IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO PREDICT WHERE I’LL BE FIVE YEARS FROM NOW.”

TEN MINUTES WITH CHAD REED

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88 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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90 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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92 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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11/05/2017 4:35:37 PM 2017-05-12 10:29 AM

F OOTBALL MOTOCROSS

BY DREW ROBERTSON hat the heck do these sports have in common? Let’s have a look and compare these sports in terms of the physical requirements such as strength, size of the athlete, and energy systems.

Let’s take the great American pastime first; football.

With football, there are many different positions that require completely different athletes. Take an O-lineman for example. They are tall, powerful men.

The average height is 6’3” - 6’5”, average weight is 300lbs and the average 40M time is 5.1 - 5.3 seconds. Let’s look now at a running back: the average height is 5 ‘10”, average weight is 240lbs and the average 40M time is 4.75 seconds.

Same game, two very different athletes. Football is a collision sport. They wear protective gear, and for good reason, because it would be like getting into a car accident each play. In terms of training, these guys have to be agile on their feet, powerful and mobile. For example, Alabama had a quarterback a few years back who, at 220lbs, could squat 600lbs, yet he was still fast and mobile! In the NFL combine, they test the following: 40 yard dash, bench press (225lbs), vertical jump, broad jump, 20-yard shuttle, and the three cone drill. The NFL has determined that these tests can help determine who will be able to play football at the higher level. These aren’t the only factors, obviously, the athlete has to have a high knowledge of the game as well. Testing is an integral part of training for football. Every 4-8 weeks, guys get tested to measure their progress. Are they jumping higher, are they lifting more? Testing helps determine if the training program that the athlete is in is working and they are headed in the right direction.

Let’s look at motocross now; the average height of the athlete varies but you don’t typically see guys or girls riding Pro at 6’3” and above. The average weight can vary greatly as well. Considering 8-10lbs of weight = 1 HP, the athletes want to keep their weight down. Motocross athletes need to have incredible anaerobic endurance; at the Pro level they are riding two 30 minute motos on race day! During these motos the heart rate is 80-90% of their max.

They need to be flexible and mobile as these traits will help to prevent injury. I’m sure everyone has

E V O L V E D

N U T R I T I O N

W

“AS A RIDER YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL THE BIKE, NOT THE BIKE CONTROL YOU. IF WE PUT ALL THIS TOGETHER, A PRO MOTOCROSS ATHLETE NEEDS TO BE STRONG, HAVE GREAT ANAEROBIC ENDURANCE, HAVE GREAT MOBILITY AND MAKE SURE THEY DON’T GET TOO BIG.”

heard the term, “It’s not if you are going to crash it’s when you are going to crash.” Strength is important, the 450 bikes weigh anywhere between 250 and 290lbs with fuel and oil. As a rider, you want to be able to control the bike, not the bike control you.

If we put all this together, a pro motocross athlete needs to be strong, have great anaerobic endurance, have great mobility, and make sure they don’t get too big. Having said that, how many motocross athletes get tested, and what the heck do they test? For the young racers that I work with at the MPA (MotoPark Academy) I test the following: Beep test, 1 mile run, 2500M row, 500M row, max pullups, and max push-ups. After 4-6 weeks, we run the athlete through all of the tests again to measure their improvements. At the MPA, the athlete is graded on the bike as well. Each athlete is marked on skills such as starts, cornering through different types of corners, body position, line choice, and jumping. We also measure and record their lap times under different track conditions, then re-test every 2-3 weeks to see how they are advancing.

The guys who improve on their physical scores and develop their on-bike skills each year, drop seconds on their lap times. Funny how that works!!!

Now back to looking at the two different sports and talking about training. Football players are strong, explosive athletes, who have to be able to withstand big hits and dish out big hits. They have short duration plays; the average play in the NFL is 5-10 seconds, sometimes followed by a long break.

These plays are at or near their maximum output each time. In motocross, we see smaller athletes who need to have strength and incredible endurance. You could argue that these two athletes are on the opposite ends of the training spectrum.

It doesn’t matter the sport, the athlete needs to understand what their sport requires, make sure the training they are doing is appropriate for their current level, and for the long term, think of what training they’re going to do to give them the physical attributes that will help them become a dominant player at the highest level. Testing in sport is incredibly important; this helps to measure the athlete’s improvements and guide their training. If you’re struggling to see improvements on the track, ask yourself, why? Are you increasing your endurance? Are you increasing your endurance specifically for motocross? Are you working on your skills?

How are you measuring these improvements?

The MPA fires up July 3rd at Moto Park. I will be out there that first week running everyone through a bunch of physical tests, and making recommendations based on those tests as to what each athlete needs to be working on. Make sure you come up there and see us!!!!

Till next time, appreciate the skill and physical requirements of all professional sports (maybe not soccer), and make sure your training program is taking you in the right direction by getting tested every so often.

COACH….OUT!!!

94 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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WITH

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T H E

I N S I D E

L I N E

“SPECTATOR TURNOUT WAS GOOD TOO WITH APPROXIMATELY 15,000 SHOWING UP FOR QUALIFYING.” his past Spring I had the opportunity to fly over to The Netherlands for some business, and it just so happened that my timing fell smack dab in the beginning rounds of the MXGP series, so I could attend the big race in Valkenswaard.

This MXGP has been on the schedule since the early ‘70s and has to be a favourite for both riders and fans.

FXR has a distributor in Holland (TMV) and I needed to meet with the sales reps and show them the new 2018 MX collection. When I looked at the dates, I noticed that there was a MXGP event only 20 minutes away. I thought to myself, “Well, this works out perfectly! Why not check out one of the oldest running GP tracks in Europe!” This track is one that separates the men from the boys. I had a chance to walk it Friday morning and it didn’t look too bad, but I knew this track is unreal when you

T

line up for the second moto of the day. This track kind of reminds me of Southwick for its sand texture and the natural rolling hills.

On the schedule for the weekend, MX1 & MX2 are the main classes and the two support classes are EMX125 and EMX250. The EMX125 are 125cc two-strokes with riders between the ages of 13-17. This class is open to pro level riders and you can compete on a full-on factory prepared weapon. That’s right! No rules except keep it a 125cc bore. The factories support this class at the highest level.

The only manufacturer that’s not investing big coin into the class is Honda. You’re thinking, hang on, Suzuki and Kawasaki don’t make 125cc bikes anymore. Well, they don’t make production 125cc units but they are building full factory screamers. TM and Yamaha had full-on semi trucks with full teams. Husky and KTM also had their riders ripping around with finely tuned two-strokes. There were just over 109 entries for the weekend with riders from countries as far away as Romania and Hungary.

It sure sounded nice to hear them out on the track, because it brought back a lot of memories. The EMX250 class is open to pro riders that are competing in the European series just like the EMX125 class. For this class you are allowed to compete on a 250 two-stroke as well, just like they do in the CMRC Nationals.

The EMX250 class had just over 100 entries as well.

Friday was set up day and tech inspection. The teams pulled up with their cool looking euro semi trucks.

They are not as big as the ones in North America but they look very professional. The teams in Europe take pride in their set up. The banners and signage are by Formula One standards. Each team has a super size expresso machine, and if

you’re the least bit important, they will serve you homemade cake. After visiting a few teams, I had to say no to any more coffee and cake. One cool thing about the teams, they bring campers and most riders and team members sleep at the track.

They cook dinner in the campers and relax at the track. I guess it really saves on hotel costs, which can cost a ton in Europe.

On Saturday morning, the125 guys went out on the track for a 45 minute practice / timed practice.

Yes, you read it right, they do their free practice, then their timed practice back to back at the same time with no break. If you don’t make the cut for the top 36, you go directly to the first moto. The next 40 go to a LCQ race where the top 4 transfer to the motos. Guess how long that LCQ moto is? If you said 25 minutes plus 2 laps you are right. I couldn’t believe when I read it on the weekend program - a 25 minute LCQ, holy $#@t!

Now you line up for the first moto at around 5pm, and that is another 25 minute moto. The following day you do your second moto before noon.

One thing I have to say is these Euro riders have to be in shape to compete at this level. The EMX250 guys follow the same schedule. The MX2 and MX1 guys have timed practice, then they have a full-on 20 minute moto for gate pick for Sunday’s two motos. Spectator turnout was good too with approximately 15,000 showing up for qualifying. Lots of fans bring their own campers and party all night, but fortunately they don’t park near the riders, thank goodness.

On Sunday morning at 9am, the 125 riders are out on the track for one sighting lap before they are subjected to hell, because they don’t rebuild the track from Saturday to Sunday. The only areas that were

touched up were the start area and the face of three jumps. That’s it folks! It’s a blown-out sand track.

I heard about this but now I have witnessed it. I can’t believe they leave it, but I guess those are the rules in Europe. I remember Jimmy Decotis telling us about his adventures back a few years when he was hired by Bud Racing Kawasaki to compete in the European MX Championship. He told us that they don’t prep the track for Sunday. We all looked at him and said, “Did you know that going over there?” Jimmy said the team manger forgot to mention that, plus a few other important items like you will probably ride twice as long in Europe than what you’re used to.

Jimmy said after the first weekend it took him a few days to recover (lol).

Unless you witness it in person, you really can’t appreciate just how incredibly fast the top GP riders are.

Herlings, Tony Cairoli and the rest of those riders are the real deal. They are pinned from the second the gate drops right to the checkered lap. Their lines in the sand were incredible. Their bike set up is much different compared to the US bikes.

That was obvious when the MXoN was in Lommel, Belgium a few years ago. The Americans would pound their way around the track where the Euro riders would skip over the bumps and jump the sand whoops like how Marvin rides the SX whoops in the US. The 30,000 fans love their local heroes and they are not shy to show it. I could hear dozens of chain saws and horns all the way around the track. I heard a rider comment that he knew when a Dutch rider was coming up behind him, because the fans would wave their flags to support their athlete. This is one event I will never forget and I already have my flight booked for 2018! See you at the races.

96 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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2016-12-14 11:20 AM

R E A DY FOR TA K E OFF WITH MARK STALLYBR A SS e’ve got another busy and exciting summer ahead of us. The Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals presented by Motovan are weeks away, regional racing is in full flight, and the amateur nationals are shaping up to be fantastic events. The weeks will fly by and before you know it, we’ll be talking about the great racing that happened throughout the country and we’ll be looking forward to getting going again.

I couldn’t be happier with the progress of the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals presented by Motovan, because the series is now running on all cylinders. Behind the scene, our new advertising agency has introduced a new strategy to improve how we get the word out for each national, which will ultimately increase the on-site attendance, our PR agency, who did an amazing job last year, is knocking on every media door out there, and our social media campaign is on the rise. The national television package, which now includes TSN, Fox Sports Racing, RDS and MAVTV in the States, is the strongest it has been in a long time, if not ever. The live streaming video coverage of each round of the Pro Nationals, available for free through the ConX2share app, will be greatly improved now that Marc Travers will be joining Brian Koster for the live call. Their entertaining commentary will be heard online as well as through the house announcing system at each English speaking National. We have also made plans to reduce the down time of the live streaming throughout each Sunday National to make for a full day of entertainment. Each television show will be posted on www.mxnationals.ca soon after the national broadcasts, press releases, results and news will be updated on our websites, live timing will be available through mobile.cmrcracing. com, and MXP will offer in depth coverage of each

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S T A L LY B R A S S

“I COULDN’T BE HAPPIER WITH THE PROGRESS OF THE ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MOTOCROSS NATIONALS PRESENTED

BY MOTOVAN, BECAUSE THE SERIES IS NOW RUNNING ON ALL CYLINDERS.”

round as the series unfolds in the magazine, on www.mxpmag.com and through social media. And that’s just what our team will offer, I’m sure there will be a lot more coverage through all Canadian Motocross media sources.

I’m anticipating some amazing racing as well.

In the MX1 class, I believe there’s more parity than previous years where a wider variety of riders will hit the podium. Goerke, Benoit, Alessi, Pourcel, Facciotti, Chisholm, Clason, Medaglia, Tremblay, Bles, Meston, and Epstein make for one stacked class. Who wouldn’t want to come out to see it live? And this year, the level of talent in the MX2 class will be just as deep. Our national champion, Cole Thompson, just may have his hands full if he wants to repeat. Maffenbeier, Wright, Hayes, Pettis, Surratt, Leith and a number of lightning fast up and comers could make the racing within the top ten the tightest it’s ever been. The fun part is, no one knows, which is why we’ll be hanging over the fences watching it all unfold. The series is in great shape, and we’ve taken another step forward to take it up another notch, so I hope everyone gets the chance to attend at least one round for the mere fact that it is the best motocross racing in the country.

There’s also great racing in the amateur levels as well. Revelstoke will host the CMRC Grand National Amateur Championship in the third week in August, which will mark the first time in over a quarter century that a GNAC is hosted in Western Canada. The organizers are busting their butts to make it the most memorable experience not just on the track but after hours as well. It’s also nice to see that the city of Revelstoke is 100% behind the event, and they’ll be doing their part to increase the overall experience to make the Revelstoke national a must-attend event for years to come.

On the other side of the country, there’s the popular Eastern Canadian Amateur National (ECAN). If you haven’t attended an amateur national in Deschambault, Quebec, you have to mark it on your calendar. Not only is the track one of the best in the country, but the feedback we hear from people about the good times and memories from the event is enough to make anyone want to share the experience. To boot, you get to watch the ninth round of the Pro Nationals on the Sunday to wrap up your days in Quebec. Doesn’t that sound like a pretty cool race? Thousands think so, you might want to give it a try.

It seems like the racing calendar gets smaller and smaller, with less racing in a year than it was back in my days of spending every penny I had to attend races. But on the flip side, all of the racing that is jammed in to the summer months is the best it has ever been, at both the pro and amateur levels, so if you’re obsessed with the sport and want to take in some incredible racing, pack up the truck and hit one of the many races you’ll remember for a lifetime.

98 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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2017-05-10 11:34 AM

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2/23/2016 10:52:44 AM