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18D_MX33_Debut_sngl_MXP_9 x 10.75 5/16/18 2:31 PM Page 1
MOTOCROSS WILL NE VER BE THE SAME
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20 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM
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SEE THE POSSIBILITIES THE ALL NEW VUE GOGGLE
KEN ROCZEN FOX R AC I N G .CO M /C A
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FAMOUS LAST WORDS
W I T H C H R I S P O M E R O Y
CHANGING SEASONS s I sit down to compose this column, we are on the cusp of a new season of professional racing in Canada. Within a few days of this issue hitting the press, the gate will be dropping on the first ever Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MXTour Series in Calgary, AB. With this being a new series, with a new and enthusiastic group behind it, one could say this is a very exciting time for Canadian motocross. In life and in sport, change is always inevitable, whether it’s needed or not. By nature, we complex humans constantly need change in our lives whether we like to admit or not. So, as we prepare to embark on this new journey that is the Triple Crown MXTour, let’s all be excited for the future, and also let’s embrace the past. After all, it’s the past that has taken us to where we are now. As I’ve mention many times over the past few seasons, the only thing that I’m going to miss about going to Kamloops for the opening round is the long drive to the track with James Lissimore. During that 45-minute drive, James and I probably solved every moto problem on the planet, as well as figured out who makes the best coffee and the best beer in BC. I also learned a ton about the geography of BC, as well as the popular mountain biking scene they have. As you can most likely tell by his awesome photos, James is a smart and artistic guy who generally pays attention to what is going on around him. With the drive from the hotel to the track in Calgary taking all of about five minutes, James and I are going to have to talk fast this year. The change in venue for the opening round is just one of the new items happening in 2018. The racing in Kamloops, and Nanaimo before that, has always been good over the years but it’s hard to argue with the track in Calgary hosting Round 1. The city, the track, and the great fans, over the years everything about Calgary has been first class. I think by now everyone has seen at least one photo from the Wild Rose MX track with downtown
A
Calgary in the background. I mean, it Carpenter, Teddy Maier, Brett Metcalfe, really is one of most awesome and rarDavi Millsaps, Colton Facciotti, Matt est racing facilities on the planet. We Goerke, and Shawn Maffenbeier are are very lucky that it’s been part of our just a few of the names that come to national series since 2000. mind when I think about some of the From Calgary, the series moves to great battles I’ve seen. Also, one of a venue in Popkum, BC. I have never the coolest things about our series been there, but from talking to the has been that all of these riders have riders, it sounds like one of the best been terrific off the track as well. Even tracks in BC. After Popkum, we move last year, Christophe Pourcel took NE to the Blackwater Track in Prince a long time to warm up to the fact that George, BC, before continuing east he was racing in Canada, to another new track in Manitoba. but by the halfway point Yes, the western tracks of the series he was talkwill definitely offer a ing about coming back in little bit of everything 2018. I think that pretty E “TH , THE to the riders during the sums up how special it is first four rounds, as racing our series in CanFANSKS, THE , they always do. ada. The fans, the tracks, RAC ETITION T Even with all of the the competition, just the P M CO THE changes to the series, general atmosphere of T S JU RAL the one thing that will the series has been so E remain constant is the good for so long. GEN SPHERE O entertaining racing on Heading into this ATM E the track. If you looked summer, most of the H T S F O ES HA back through the years, players will be the SERI SO we have been absolutely same. Shawn Maffenspoiled in this country beier is now on a green BEEND FOR with the great riders Kawasaki, but he is GOO NG.” O and their performances. coming into Calgary L O S JSR, Blair Morgan, with the same determiDamon Huffman, Paul nation as always. Last
season, the speed that Maffenbeier had during the opening rounds was just incredible. In the 450 class, the impending battle between Goerke, Facciotti, Alessi, Thompson, Benoit and Medaglia is going to be epic. As I write this there is talk of Broc Tickle joining our series, but that is a long shot at best. I cannot wait to the hear the bikes roar off the line when the gate drops for Moto 1 in Calgary, and also, I look forward to spending my days at the track soaking in the good vibe of Canadian moto. Putting this issue of MXP Magazine together has been very rewarding. With the legendary Mike Alessi gracing the cover, the stories inside are equally as good. We take the first ever ride on Yamaha’s all-new YZ65, we take a look back at Jim Holley’s time racing SX events in Canada back in the 1980s, and we also have Bobby Kiniry talking about some of his favourite photos from his time racing in Canada. As always, I’m very proud of this issue and I can’t wait for everyone to receive a copy and read these awesome stories. I hope everyone has a safe and incredible start to their summer, and now let’s drop the gate on this new series.
24 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM
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GUEST COLUMN
W I T H D Y L A N W R I G H T / P H O T O S B Y J A M E S L I S S I M O R E
RED TEAM READY t’s time to enjoy the great outdoors! I can’t think of a better way to do that than with the launch of the Canadian motocross season which is starting in just over a week out in Calgary, Alberta at Wild Rose MX Park. Despite all the extensive planning and training that takes place during the off-season, this time of year is probably one of, if not the busiest time of the year for teams, mechanics and riders. Sure, the team has been racing arenacross already, but that doesn’t mean it eliminated or reduced the workload for the team in preparation for the motocross season. It may come as a surprise to some of you, but the bike setup, suspension and motor work required is quite different for these two styles of racing. While some riding skills are definitely transferable from one to the other, you need to adapt your technique and approach to the type of track and bike setup. The entire team has to work together to make adjustments and ensure
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everything, and I mean everything, is prepped and loaded on the semi to head to round one. The mechanics have to make sure that the race bikes are fresh and ready to race, and that all the parts, pieces, tools and everything they need are loaded on the rig. As riders, we also need to make sure we have all the equipment and gear we need on the semi and that we’re 100% in shape for the first round. It’s time for us to see where we all sit against one another and see if all the hard work is going to pay off. If the rig is ready to go, it means that we’ve just finished our testing on the race bikes. This is the ambitious process of creating the perfect fit between the bike and the racer. This includes suspension settings and adjustment changes, chassis changes (if we want any) and, last but not least, testing our race engines to make sure they’re tuned the way we want them. Over the last week, we have put in some long hours and I can say that I am very happy with the progress we made with Joe Skidd from Superior Suspension Settings, Matt Jory from Proven Moto, and with my mechanic, the one and only Kyle Ward! As a rider, it’s awesome and humbling to see these great industry professionals who support the team come together
and focus their attention on you. They are brilliant, attentive, patient and committed, putting in their 100% to have us as dialed-in as possible. When it comes to riding technique, I have to give a big shout out to Colton Faccioti, who has been a huge help in my program. He is a great mentor. I have learned so much, especially when it comes to testing, bike setup and riding. Having someone with that much experience helping you out and letting you bounce ideas off him is priceless! Now, if you all think that this is all that we have to do, let’s add a couple of days for the team photo shoot! What’s not to like about showing off some of the latest products on the market. It’s pretty cool to be one of the first in the country to get to wear and try out stuff. How lucky am I to be representing amazing brands, standing next to the new Honda CRF250R, wearing brand new, sick Fox gear with the matching Atlas brace. I mean, come on, it doesn’t get much better than that. I almost feel bad taking that new bike and kit out to get it all dirty riding! All kidding aside, I am so fortunate to be on a premier team with great companies supporting and making us look and feel as professional, comfortable and safe as we possibly can! It also helps to have a world-class photog-
rapher like James Lissimore capturing the moments. He always manages to project your very best side, that’s for sure! But all that being said, it makes for a very busy time of year for everyone involved. Colton and I made the trip back from Georgia about a week and a half ago and had a pretty good idea of what was in store when we got back to Gopher Dunes. It was a bitter sweet good-bye to the amazing weather and riding down at the Georgia Practice Facility where we both spent the whole winter. But it also meant the racing season was just around the corner. It was time to come home and get the last few weeks of prep in before round one. All the hard work, time and effort is about to be put to the test. Colton and I have been putting in the motos and hours in the gym to make sure that, come round one, we know we’re as ready as we possibly can be for battle. But let’s be honest, doing a moto at the local practice track and lining up against the best riders in the country for the first moto at round one is a totally different story. The anticipation is high and the nerves are reaching a feverish pitch. As a rider, you have to keep up the efforts to be ready physically but you really have to step it up mentally as well. So what about the last few days before the N IT E H “W ES races? Well, all the hard work has been done, and COM DING I so we give our driver and TO R NIQUE, team motivator, Randy, H C E T TO a big wave as the rig E V I HA A BIG pulls out of the Gopher Dunes parking lot. While GIVE T OUT U he puts the miles on SHO LTON O Canada’s highways, I will C O , T TI O be putting some last few I C FAC HAS miles on my Marin bike, E O a few last laps on the WH A HUG track and will count on BEEN IN MY all of you to send some HELP RAM.” good luck my way. To all G O PR my fans and followers out there, know that I am technically, physically and mentally as ready as I’ll ever be. I am pumped for that gate to drop next weekend! Hope to see you there.
26 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM
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FEMALE PERSPECTIVE
W I T H S H E L B Y T U R N E R / P H O T O S B Y M J S M O T O P H O T O
SHOWTIME t’s that time of year again. The Canadian Nationals are just around the corner and I have been working and training hard to get ready for the upcoming season. I am so excited to defend my #1 plate this year. It is always a lot more nerve racking going into a season with a target on your back, constantly wondering who is going to show up, if you have trained enough, and if you’re ready to go for another year. I know that personally this year I haven’t been on the motocross tracks as much as in the past. This actually stressed my Mom out more than me. It has been such a strange year for weather in Southern Alberta. We had two feet of snow up until May 1st. And then it all melted and we reached 30 degrees 15 days later. Sometime in that 15 days our MX track at home went from snowbanks to a dry dust bowl. This was extremely sad because I missed the prime day. I don’t even know when that day was. I left for Kamloops and came home four days later and it went bad. Usually In the spring we get out around the 2nd
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week of March and have some amazday seat time is seat time. If you’re ing days, even weeks of riding. That out there riding your heart out and didn’t happen for me this year, thanks having fun it doesn’t matter how you to Mother Nature. So instead I went got there, just that you enjoy the ride. and did some races in the states The women’s class has gone through March. This definitely got through some changes since last me a lot more seat time but less time year. With the new series coming in on the actual Motocross tracks. It is and moving to pro day it’s going to also really strange because last year be interesting to see how it goes. I there was a lot of Southern Alberta know that the first year usually goes Motocross rounds to hit and this year through some growing pains so it they don’t have nearly as many before will be cool to see how it all turns Rd 1 in Calgary. out. I know I personally liked how the Consequently that means more series was laid out in the past with the laps on the beat up dust bowl mowomen being more of tocross track at home. I realthe show on amateur ized quite quickly that day. I don’t think it’s I really don’t know how bad to be with the pros E U’R to ride lap after lap on a but I am a little nervous IF YO ERE “ H motocross track. I guess that we won’t get the T T OU ING I have a short attention numbers we did in the D I R EART span but if it’s not a race, past. The beauty part H R U I really struggle staying about something new O D Y AN focused long enough to is that you don’t know OUT FUN G accomplish anything. I until it happens. I can’t N I V HA ESN’T find myself pounding out wait to see everyone IT DO R HOW two 20 minute motos out there at Round 1 in TE then going and riding Calgary. MAT U GOT an Endurocross session After the Nationals I YO , JUST E because I didn’t feel like am shifting gears and R E TH T YOU I accomplished anything getting ready for the THA THE on the track. On the other Endurocross series in Y O hand, I have ridden way the states. There is the ENJ DE. RI more trails and beat up “Tennessee Knock Out” off-road courses than I in August that I have ever have in the past. I to decide whether or think at the end of the not I want to go to do
that and then turn around and head to Phoenix for Round 1. Unfortunately, I won’t be going to Chile this year to race the ISDE. This makes me very sad. I love the ISDE, it’s one of the few international events women can do to see how they square up against the rest of the world. I know my main training and focus is around trying to better my results at that event. The caliber of women who show up is inspiring and I really want to get a top 3 finish OA. That’s pretty much my next few months in a nutshell. I could probably talk about my upcoming season and all the events I want to attend for days on end, but I have to keep this short and sweet. It’s going to be lots of fun and I can’t wait to get out and race my dirt bike. I would like to thank my sponsors, I wouldn’t be where I am today without their help and support. I can’t thank them enough for all they do for me. Please go check them out and support the people who support the sport! A&E Racing, FXR, Rutted Racing, 6D helmets, KTM Canada, KTM USA, Canalta Hotels, Vee Rubber Tires, Tire Balls, XC gear, Ryno Power, M7 Designs, Mika Metals, DT1 Filters, 4arm Strong, SXS Skidplates, CTI Bracing, Motovan, Alpinestar, and last but not least my Mom and Dad. See you at the races!
28 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM
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CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVEN 2018 KAWASAKI PRO MX TEAM
Tyler Medaglia
For more information visit www.kawasaki.ca
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ffenbeier
Shawn Ma
Mike Alessi
Š2018 Canadian Kawasaki Motors Inc. Always ride responsibly. Always ride within the limits of your skills, your experience and your machine. Wear an approved helmet and protective clothing. The actions depicted here took place under controlled conditions with professional riders.
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MAGIC
BY C H R I S POME R OY
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PHOTOS BY JA MES L ISSIMOR E
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ike Alessi needs no introduction when it comes to the sport of motocross. Not only has he had a long and successful pro career, but before that, his amateur career was something out of a Hollywood movie. After competing full-time in the cut throat US racing scene for many years, Mike decided to try racing in Canada back in 2014 and quickly fell in love with the both the people in Canada as well as the series. For 2018, Mike will once again be racing a bright green bike, this time for the Monster Energy Alpinestars Piller’s Fine Foods Kawasaki Team. He is healthy, happy and ready to hit the track this summer to try to win his first Canadian Championship. Off the track, he is equally at peace with himself as he and his wife, Danielle, are expecting their first child in June. All is good with the Alessi camp, and we felt like it was a great time to put the famous #800 on the cover. We recently sat down with Mike to get his thoughts on the past, the present, as well as his future.
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“THEY ARE ALL
AN AWESOME GROUP AND ARE VERY DEDICATED TO RACING. I THINK IT IS GOING TO MAKE FOR A GREAT SUMMER.”
MXP: Hey Mike! Let’s jump right into this. You took some time off this winter, how are you feeling as we head into the 2018 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MXTour? MA: Yes, I took the winter off of Supercross to rest up the body. I have to say it’s been really nice. I haven’t taken a Supercross season off since 2010 when I rode the 350 when the bike wasn’t homologated. I feel really good going into the 2018 series. I feel like my body and mind are in the right place, and I have a new motivation with a baby on the way.
MXP: That is very good news. You also have new teammates. How have you, Shawn and Tyler been getting along? MA: Yes, I have new teammates. This is the first year I have had Canadians as teammates. The last few years they’ve been Americans and people I already knew. I spent a little bit of time with them at the last arenacross race in Barrie and it was a lot of fun. They are both pretty funny guys. They are serious in racing but off the track we had a lot of laughs. It always makes a season a little more interesting when you’re around new people.
MXP: Yes, congratulations on your soon to be arriving baby, that is amazing news. For 2018, you’re back on a Kawasaki but with a different team. How has the testing been going? MA: Yes, I am back on the Kawasaki. I have really liked the bike the last two years. The team was purchased by Huber Motorsports, and they have an entirely new infrastructure. I had the opportunity to go up to the compound a few weeks ago and get to know all the guys and meet the team owner. They are all an awesome group and are very dedicated to racing. I think it is going to make for a great summer. We made a few changes to the bike that I feel are even better than what I’ve raced with in the past few years.
MXP: As we mentioned, you decided not to race SX this year. For those of us that don’t know, how long and difficult is a season of racing in the USA? MA: Supercross is a very grueling series. It takes a lot out on the body. It’s 18 races in 19 weeks. It starts first weekend of January and ends the first weekend of May. You get one weekend off for Easter, that is it. I don’t think people realize how much it takes out of you physically and mentally. You aren’t just racing, you are traveling every weekend across America as well as training and riding during the week. Once the SX series is complete, you head right into the summer outdoor series. It’s very difficult to say the least.
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MXP: Do you think this is why we’re seeing so many injuries? MA: I think there are a lot more injuries now because the level of racing is so much higher and it continues to get higher. The risks that are being taken to be competitive are at an all time high. If you decide not to take the risks that some of the other guys are taking, then you’re not going to win. So, you have to take those risks to be competitive and with the big risks comes the injuries. MXP: That is a great answer Mike and a good way of looking at it. You’ve been around for a long time. How would you change the AMA schedule to make it better for the riders? MA: I believe if you are going to have a series that is as competitive as Supercross is with the high-risk factor, the best thing to do, in my opinion, is drag the series out longer. Have more races but over a longer period of time. Almost like the GPs in Europe. Supercross is the money maker for the riders and the industry in
America. It would be better to have a 25-round series dragged out from January to September or a format similar to that. I’m not sure what you would then do with the outdoor nationals, but something needs to be done for sure.
MAGIC MIKE
MXP: Looking back on your pro racing career in the USA, what are you most proud of? MA: I have had a lot of great memories from racing over the years. I have met a lot of great people and have been fortunate enough to travel the world. If I had to pick one moment I am most proud of it would be getting third in the 450 class at Steel City in 2004 behind Carmichael and Windham. I was 16-years-old and was just going for it! It was a great start to my career. MXP: I remember watching that race, it was pretty cool. Are there any moments that you would change if you were able? MA: I wouldn’t change anything in my career. I know there have been a lot of things that I would say I’m not proud of, but to me they were all learning experiences. I feel like everything I did I learned and grew from. MXP: You have obviously had a lot of great races in your career. Is there one that maybe stands out as your best? MA: I would have to say my best race ever was at Calgary in 2014. I have raced a lot and had a lot of great rides but to me that one stands out as the best. I came from way back to win the moto in convincing fashion. That was a great feeling, for sure, and one that I’ll never forget. MXP: That is very cool that your best race happened on Canadian soil. What about your best holeshot? MA: That’s a tough one as there has been a few good ones (laughs). My greatest holeshot would be the heat race at Anaheim 1 in 2014. I went on to win that heat and it was my first ever Supercross heat win. Getting a holeshot in a SX is probably a little extra special as there is just so much energy in the stadium. MXP: Your amateur career is perhaps the most famous of all. Taking into account what you went through as a young rider, what advice would you have for the next generation of riders who want to be the best? MA: I had a great amateur career. If I could fix anything MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM // 33
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MAGIC MIKE about it or give advice to any up and coming rider it would be to ride more Supercross. Supercross is a completely different animal than outdoors, and for me I struggled early on in my pro career learning how to ride and race it. If you struggle in Supercross when you turn pro you will struggle in your career because it is the bigger series of the two. MXP: That is great advice. Where do you and your wife call home right now? MA: The wife and I live in Florida. We have been back and forth between California and Florida since 2007. This has been our first year in Florida full time and it has been pretty great. MXP: When you’re away from the track, what things do you two like to do? MA: We like to hang out at home when we aren’t at the track. We don’t get to be home very often so when we have time off nothing beats being home. We have a river a mile down the road from our house so we take our jet skis out and spend the day on the river. MXP: That sounds very relaxing. What is your favourite meal? MA: My favourite meal is my wife’s famous Chicken with cheesy potatoes and candied carrots. It’s so delicious!!
MXP: Wow! You’re making me hungry. Looking toward this summer in Canada, you must be feeling confident that you’re one of the title contenders in the 450 class? MA: I am looking forward to this summer with the new series and new owners. There are a lot of great guys racing in the 450 class this year. You can never count anyone out. MXP: What are some of your favourite tracks in Canada? MA: I really like all the tracks in Canada. I really like Moncton because of the jumps and the dirt, and I really like Gopher Dunes as well. They changed the track layout and it’s really good. Plus, the entire Schuster family is awesome! MXP: You’ve been very well received over the years in Canada, in fact I think you’re a fan favourite here. Just how much have you enjoyed your time in Canada? MA: I was actually really surprised by how nice Canadians are. The only time I had ever been to Canada was in Toronto for Supercross every year, and it was always super cold. Last year we drove our RV to all the east coast rounds and I had a blast! The countryside is beautiful and everyone is so friendly. I also like the way all the riders and industry are with one another. Everyone is friendly and hang out together. We don’t have that in America in racing.
MXP: Final question Mike, where do you see yourself in ten years and how would you like to be remembered? MA: In ten years I’ll be 40. I think I just see myself raising my kids at home on my farm in Florida. In the industry I’d like to be remembered as a great racer and a good guy. I’ve tried to stay humble and show all the fans that I really do appreciate all of them and all the support they show our sport.
“I WOULD HAVE TO SAY MY BEST RACE EVER WAS AT CALGARY IN 2014. I HAVE RACED A LOT AND HAD A LOT OF GREAT RIDES BUT TO ME THAT ONE STANDS OUT AS THE BEST.”
34 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM
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THE IMPENDING BATTLE
Previewing the 2018 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MXTour Series
BY CHRIS POMEROY | PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE
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s we head into the summer of 2018 and get ready to experience all of the wonderful things that go with it, some of the world’s top motocross riders are preparing for three months of war in the Rockstar Energy Triple MXTour Series. For the past few years, the outdoor motocross series has also sometimes been referred to (in slang) as “The Great Outdoors” because of how exciting and challenging the racing is. Outdoor motocross is truly the grassroots of this sport. It’s where it all began for each and every rider you see competing this summer. Whether it was at a track or just in some field in the middle of nowhere, every rider can remember the first time they threw their leg over a dirt bike with nothing but some dirt below and the big blue sky above. Racing on a wide open rough track with 39 other riders, and at the mercy of Mother Nature, is what these top athletes live for. So sit back and enjoy the 2018 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MXTour Series. As always, a sporting event is only as good as the athletes competing in it. For this series, we have some of the fittest and most determined individuals you will ever see. Regardless of the conditions presented to them, these riders will give it everything they have from the start of the race until the finish. For nine rounds, from one side of this country to the other, the 2018 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MXTour Series will be one of the most entertaining sporting spectacles we’ve ever seen. Now, let’s take a look at some of the athletes that will be racing, as well as some of the venues. In both the 250 Pro/Am class as well as the 450 class, the line-up of riders for this summer is truly impressive. With two of the champions from 2017 looking to repeat their titles this year, the battles are going to be intense. In the 250 Pro/Am class, defend-
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Mike Alessi is more focused than ever to win his first Canadian title in 2018.
"RIDERS LIKE DYLAN WRIGHT, JESS PETTIS, TANNER WARD, AND ROOKIE SENSATION MARCO CANNELLA, HAVE ALL PROVEN THAT THEY HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO WIN RACES IN 2018." 38 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM
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Colton Facciotti is fit and ready to win the 450 class title again in 2018.
ing champion Shawn Maffenbeier will be lining up at the opening round in Calgary with a big target on his back. Switching over from Yamaha to Kawasaki for this season, the 26-year-old Maffenbeier has a massive task ahead of him this summer. Behind him is a group of young and aggressive Canadian riders who have only one goal, to dethrone their 2017 class champion. Riders like Dylan Wright, Jess Pettis, Tanner Ward, and rookie sensation Marco Cannella, have all proven that they have what it takes to win races in 2018. Maffenbeier’s biggest challenge this summer will come from two riders who managed to also win races last season. Honda rider Dylan Wright and Yamaha
Cole Thompson has moved back up to the 450 class in 2018, and he’s more prepared than ever to battle for an outdoor title.
rider Jess Pettis both found themselves on the top step of the podium last summer, and they appear ready to win more races in 2018, not to mention, fast American riders Josh Osby and Joey Crown, who will be racing for the Redemption Racing KTM Team. Both of these American riders have also won national motos in Canada before. The name of the game in the 250 Pro/Am is unbridled aggression, and all of these riders have this attribute in spades. Look for some very intense racing from the moment the gate drops in Calgary. From there, these talented young riders will carry their battle right across this great country. In the 450 class, where the riders will be competing for the Triple Crown Series year end prize of
$100,000, championship contenders Matt Goerke, Colton Facciotti, Cole Thompson, Mike Alessi and Kaven Benoit are ready to begin their summerlong battle on the big 450cc machines. All of these riders have won championships during their successful racing careers, and all of them are capable of taking home this MXTour 450 title. Last year it was Yamaha rider Matt Goerke who edged out Christophe Pourcel for the 450 title by just a few points. Goerke is a multi-time Canadian Champion who knows how to win. Over the years he’s embraced the fact that winning a national title is most certainly a battle of attrition, and that it’s not just how you handle the good races but how you handle the bad ones as well.
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"AS FAR AS THE TRACKS GO THAT THESE WORLD CLASS RIDERS WILL BE COMPETING ON DURING THE 2018 ROCKSTAR ENERGY TRIPLE CROWN MXTOUR SERIES, THE LIST IS VERY DISTINGUISHED." Defending 2017 450 class champion Matt Goerke will once again be looking to come out on top this summer.
As mentioned, chasing Goerke this summer will be a number of big named riders. Colton Facciotti is a four-time 450 class champion who has had a great off-season and appears poised to win his fifth title. Cole Thompson won the first leg of this Triple Crown Series, the AXTour, so we know that he’s ready to go. Cole is coming off two very successful seasons in 250 Pro/Am class, where he won one championship. Cole is a proven winner, and with his smooth style and new training program, the KTM rider is a definite title contender. After sitting out most of last season with an injury, Kaven Benoit is finally healthy and ready to compete at the highest level of this sport again. Look for Benoit to run up front early in this series while he tries to gain back some much needed confidence. As he’s been for a number of seasons in Canada, Mike Alessi is a rider that you can never count out. Always a great starter, Alessi has been a rider that loves to get out front early and be very aggressive. Alessi is coming into 2018 in great shape both physically and mentally. If he was to go out and win this 450 title this summer, no one in the sport would be surprised. Finally, we cannot forget riders like Tyler Medaglia, Dillan Epstein and Cade Clason. All three riders are capable of winning and are coming off very successful seasons last year. The battle in the 450 class is going to be entertaining all summer long and the title will most likely not be decided until the final moto of the series. As far as the tracks go that these world class riders will be competing on during the 2018 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MXTour Series, the list is very distinguished. From the opening round at Wild Rose MX Park, located a few blocks away from downtown Calgary, the series heads west to beautiful British Columbia for Round 2 at Popkum Raceway. From there, the MXTour travels to its most northerly race in the powersport crazy city of Prince George, BC. In
Rookie pro Marco Cannella will be racing in his first ever pro outdoor series this summer.
2017, the Blackwater track in Prince George provided some of the most exciting racing of the series, so look for it to do the same this summer. After Round 3 in Prince George, the series begins its trek east to Manitoba for the final western round, before taking a few weeks off to regroup. The series will then resume at one of the riders’ favourite tracks, Sand Del Lee Raceway, located 25 minutes from our nation’s capital in Ottawa. After Sand Del Lee, the series moves to Southwestern Ontario for what will be one of the toughest races of the year at the infamous Gopher Dunes Raceway. With the heat and humidity of summer in Ontario, as well as the sandy conditions, Gopher Dunes is always a gruelling event. With Gopher Dunes in the rear view mirror, the series takes a week off before heading out east to perhaps the most hospitable rounds of the series in Moncton, NB. Riverglade Raceway has been hosting national
races for decades and the east coast people always welcome the riders and teams with open arms. From there, the series heads back west to Quebec for Round 8 before finishing up at the most famous track in Canada, Walton Raceway. With varying soil types, as well as different meteorological conditions in each part of the country, the Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MXTour is one of the most challenging outdoor motocross series on the planet. From the drop of the gate in Calgary to the final moto in Walton, this series is going to offer fans non-stop bar banging action in both classes. Will Shawn Maffenbeier and Matt Goerke be able to repeat as champions? Only time will tell as we have a very long summer of racing ahead. So grab a seat and get comfortable, the racing is about to begin, and you don’t want to miss a moment of the action. Welcome to the 2018 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MXTour Series.
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2018 MXP - TAG Sprocket&Chain-CAN.pdf
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The Ultimate Sprocket And Chain Combination.
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THE SKY is the
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CRACK OPEN THE CANADIAN MOTOCROSS HISTORY BOOK AND YOU DON’T HAVE TO LEAF OVER TOO MANY PAGES BEFORE YOU RUN ACROSS THE NAME AL DYCK. AL HAS BEEN AN ICON OF CANADIAN MOTOCROSS, AND FOR THOSE WHO MAY BE TOO YOUNG TO KNOW ABOUT AL’S RACING CAREER, HERE IS A LITTLE PRIMER ON WHO HE IS AND WHAT HE’S GOT IN THE WORKS.
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When did you start racing and what were some of your accomplishments you are proud of? Well I was 15-years-old in 1979, I had always dreamed about motocross but was never allowed to race. After several years of begging, my Dad and Mom finally let me race. They said I could race three races. Well, that turned out to be win after win in the 80cc class until they could not say no. When I turned 16 I was working at a bike store (Amor Motorsports) after school and on Saturdays in order to pay for racing. I look back now and can’t think of a single kid that made it in motocross the way I did (having to pay for everything). As far as accomplishments go, I won the 80cc National Championship my first year of racing. In 1979, I went on to win many BC and Manitoba Championships along the way. Winning the Montreal Supercross in ’86; winning a California Pro Championship; I raced 3 Motocross des Nations on Team Canada and won 5 Pro MX championships in Canada. The cool thing about the Canadian Championships was I was one of only two riders to ever win all three classes in one year. (This would be the equivalent of winning the MX1 and MX2 in the same year) How many years did you race as a pro? I raced pro from ‘81 till ‘97 but was only serious about it up until 1991. You see, I reached my goal, which was to be National Champion, so I lost all my drive after achieving my goal. Since ‘97 I had raced up until a year ago in the age group classes but had a 10year gap of not racing at all from 2005 to 2015.
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Y Riders seem to switch bikes a fair bit, but you didn’t race on that many brands did you? I raced Kawasaki in ’79. That was the first year Kawasaki had an 80 and from then I raced on Hondas, winning all of my championships. I also raced Yamaha winning my biggest race at Montreal, then coming back in 2016 I bought a Husky. Now I am back on the Honda CRF250. What was your favourite size of bike? I was always a fan of the smaller bike so that’s why the 250F is my favourite. In my younger years it was the 125. I know you didn’t do that many supercross events. Did you enjoy racing them or were you more of an outdoor guy? Throughout my career I raced about ten supercrosses and qualified for most 250 mains. I did Daytona, Tampa, Dallas, a few in Anaheim, San Diego and many in Seattle. Looking back, supercross was very scary to me. The jumps were huge and I would find myself mentally wasted by the time the main events came, mostly due to the fact I would not have jumped the triple until a semi, for example. Canada just didn’t have anything to compare to racing like the US supercross races. So, to answer your question, I enjoyed outdoor more due to being totally afraid of supercross.
Race teams in Canada really didn’t exist back in the day. Each top rider had a budget direct from a manufacturer. It was really left up to the riders themselves to get the rest of the sponsors in place. Did you enjoy knocking on doors for support or did you have a manager or a friend help you out? I would get support through a dealer and then get bikes and a parts account. There was no manager or friend helping. It was a great way to learn about life and to be able to budget, manage the van, parts and bikes, hire a mechanic as well as make enough money at the races to be able to pay for everything. I think this will help regarding the Sky Holeshot race team. Your good friend Joe Skid was your mechanic for many years back in the ‘80s I believe. Now you two are working together again. How did that happen? Joe and I are great friends. It started back in ‘79 when Joe was at the National in Aldergrove, BC where he met me. His dad was in the Armed Forces so he was stationed out in BC for 1 ½ years. Then in ‘83 I was in Valley Jonction, QC where Joe saw me again. He noticed that I would come from a moto, hop back on the other bike and go off to the next race while my bike I just raced sat there needing work. Joe came over and
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on g n i h t w o st r h i “F n d was to i my m ou l d it be e k c oo l w ome one l i al l s rs e v te a p h o ic l d e n H a y s it Sk p r ou ov e r t r ac k.” on t he L E F T Sky Holeshot Racing’s Cade Clason will be looking for more podium finishes this summer.
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L E F T Sky Holeshot Racing will be fitted in FXR Racing gear for the 2018 season.
The newest chapter in your race career is managing the newly formed Sky Holeshot race team. What made you want to own your own team? I was helping a rider at a few nationals last year and was approached by some riders needing suspension service, so I figured I would travel the nationals this year doing suspension. After more thought I figured that I was going to be at all the nationals so I may as well start a team. I have done the nationals before and was successful, so what the heck, why not do it again! I started all the planning back in September 2017. It all just kind of came together. I believe I have the easy job in organizing the team. It’s the riders that have the tough job. I’ve been there before and I know what it takes so I want to make it easier for them so they can do the best they can.
Now you have some cash support and a good size dealer backing you, it’s time to find some good riders. How did you select the two riders you have on your team? So, I now had Sky Helicopters, the next thing I looked for was a great dealer because after that you need bikes and parts. The first place I spoke to was Holeshot Motorsports. Holeshot has been Canada’s #1 Honda dealer for the last two years. After talking to Larry and Dan from Holeshot, they came on board. We not only have the national pro team but we are also focusing on the local motocross scene by attending the races in order to help out with the local amateur programs for Holeshot riders. So now with the biggest pieces to the racing puzzle, Sky and Holeshot were on board and all I needed was riders. My thinking was to have two or three MX2 / 250F riders. So, I put out an ad, “Riders Wanted.” Well, I had a lot of riders sending in resumes. I wanted Canadian riders first. I had a resume from Jared Petruska from Calgary, AB so I looked into who this guy was and talked to a lot of people about Jared. Then I offered Jared a ride at one of the arenacross rounds in Chilliwack and that gave me an opportunity to meet him. I thought with his results from last years nationals as well as meeting him, he would be a great fit for the Sky Holeshot Race team. From that I met Jared in California to do some testing and have been very pleased with choosing Jared. He is very easy to work with and is focused. I was still looking for other riders. After talking with Andy White of FXR he brought up Cade Clason’s name. Cade had a Honda and was looking for a ride. I had always noticed Cade and had heard great things about him. I figured I could change my program from just 250s and mix it up like GDR does with 450s and 250s. After discussions with Cade and Holeshot Motorsports we put a program together with Cade. Cade will be racing the 450 / MX1 class for us. Both Cade and Jared have been a pleasure to work with and we are looking forward to working with them. I also want to add that Sky was just going racing not expecting too much but rather making a presence at the Nationals. Now with our riders we feel top 10 is a goal but a top 5 looks possible. In the 450 class with Cade we would like to get him on the podium as it’s one of his goals to do better than his best, which was a 4th place finish. We have just added another 450 rider named Steven Anderson from Ontario who will make his pro debut under the Sky Tent; we are looking forward to his progress this season. Steven is the type of rider that Sky was going to start with this season but feel we have lucked out with three great riders for 2018.
You have a solid sponsor Sky Helicopters. How did that come together? First thing on my mind was how cool would it be to have someone like Sky Helicopters all over our pits and on the track. Sky Helicopters is an Adventure company that allows people to explore BC. Our nationals are kind of like an adventure that take us all over the country, so Sky Racing will share its experiences during the season. I promoted arenacross over 10 years ago and one of my main sponsors was Apex Communications. The owner of Apex is Andrew Westlund, he has many companies, and is the president of The Westlund Group. One of the companies just happens to be Sky which is run by Bryce Westlund. I approached Andrew with my Idea and the rest is history. Sky Racing was born!
Now you have to go find support for your team. Is it easier that you’re knocking on doors with a team in place? Well support is not as easy as it was 30 years ago. Things are not free anymore for a start up team like it was in my days. First, I went to the great sponsors who helped me in my racing career. My decision was to talk with Brady and Brad at Matrix Canada who also have 100% as well as Tag Metals. Then I went to another one of my old sponsors at Yoshimura. Sky Racing did not want a million sponsors where everyone gets lost in the sponsors’ list. We want a clean look and are building for years to come. The Sky Holeshot team’s sponsors are FXR, SSS, Yoshimura, Matrix Concepts, Tag, Rekluse, Fusion Graphics and Vinyl Labs.
wondered if I wanted some help. From there he invited Shane Drew and myself over to his house in Batawa, Ontario. Well, for the next few years I hired Joe in the summer until we won our first title in 1988. The funny thing is I taught Joe how to do a lot on the bike like splitting trannies and top ends. Then in ‘88 we started doing my suspension, leading to a championship, and then in ‘89 we did customers’ suspension. Now Joe teaches me regarding suspension [laughs]. I was doing suspension since ‘89 but for the 10 years I got out of racing I did not do much suspension. So, a couple of years ago, I got back into suspension and approached Joe. So now I do Too Trick Suspension as well SSS in BC.
A B O V E Fans will enjoy watching the Sky Holeshot Racing #9 Honda of Cade Clason this summer in the 450 class.
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What are your expectations for year one? It’s pretty simple really. Sky Holeshot Racing wants to help our riders do the best they can. Top fives and top ten finishes would be great as well as personal bests are what we are shooting for. Build on the future. What will your set up look like for the series? Our set up is like no one else. We have a sprinter van with a 14’ trailer. Our awning is from Europe and is 28’ x 20’ wrapping around the back of the van. We are not as big as the factory teams but hope to start a trend with a professional look, which I think will help the sport grow in Canada. Everyone knows suspension is probably the first item you test with your riders. Since you’re a SSS dealer, I’m pretty sure you will this area covered. This will be a big advantage over some of the bigger funded teams. Yes, we will be set up with everything we need to be able to change suspension settings right at the track. We will have things like a vacuum pump on board for shocks, which gives the best performance as well as know-how to help our riders do the best they can. So, for a smaller team, I believe we will have an advantage over other teams who might just have a spare set of suspension that they swap with what’s on their bike, hoping it works better. We can do all the fine tuning.
A B O V E With top riders in both classes, 2018 should be a successful season for this new team.
Is this a one-year test? If it goes well do you continue doing this for many years to come? The toughest thing has been setting up the van and trailer for the nationals and that is still on going as we speak. Andrew at Sky thinks I should have a couple of teams like this. So, no, we are in this for years to come thanks to Sky and Holeshot. I believe it will just get bigger and better. In addition, our set up does not take a truck driver’s wage, running a big rig, etc. Costs are way down and we can get around much easier. My personal situation and support from my wife makes this easier for the future, and all I see is it getting easier. Thanks for your time. I know you probably would like to thank a ton of people? Make sure you follow @skyracing17 on Instagram this racing season, and if you need suspension service at the nationals call Al Dyck at Too Trick Racing (604) 309-9440 and hopefully we can help you out! I would like to thank first my wife, Sky Helicopters, Holeshot Motorsports, FXR, SSS, Yoshimura, Matrix, Tag , Rekluse, Fusion Graphics and Vinyl Labs.
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JIMMY DECOTIS JGR SUZUKI FACTORY RACING
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THIS KID T “LASMER SUMCO MAR HED FINISD THIR ALL R OVE E 450B H T IN S AT CLASTTA’S, LOREWITH AND OINTS P THE E BEING S A H C LLY REA E WAS S CLO E HUNT IN THT INTO RIGH INAL F THE .” O T MO
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ROCKS STORY THE MARCO CANNELLA
BY STEPHEN ST. PIERRE
•
PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE
After a very successful amateur career, which included a championship in 2015 at the biggest amateur event in the world, Loretta Lynn’s, Ontario's Marco Canella will be competing in the 250 Pro class aboard a Yamaha YZ250F for the MX101 team in 2018. Called into action early when his teammate Jess Pettis got injured competing in Supercross down south this winter, Marco was tested in the Arenacross portion of the newly created Triple Crown Series and rose to the occasion, finishing second overall in the 250 class behind 2017 MX2 Champion Shawn Maffenbeier. His finish gave us a small taste of what is in store for this very talented 18-year-old rookie. Marco had been on the radar of Team MX101 Yamaha owner Kevin Tyler for a couple of years, and with the departure of Maffenbeier during the off-season the decision to sign Marco for 2018 seemed to be a perfect fit. Marco was already on a Yamaha, and MX101 has always been on the lookout for young Canadian talent, to successfully groom them into race winners and champions. Kevin said that one of the questions he asks himself before signing a new rider is, "Is he going to fit, and does he want to be here? The right attitude can fix a lot of stuff." After talking with both Marco and his family, Kevin felt they were all in. Kevin is also impressed by how Marco has developed such a strong race craft at the young age of 18. "He has a great ability not to panic, analyze what’s going on around him and remain patient, which is coupled with a very smooth riding style.”
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What Kevin wasn't ready for was to put Marco into action so quickly. "We had the budget for one rider to do the entire Triple Crown Series and that was Jess Pettis. The plan was to bring Marco in slower than we have. He was going to do a few amateur races over the winter to be ready for the season opening outdoor national in Calgary.” When Pettis got injured the call went out to Marco with a week to go before the opening round of the Arenacross series. He was given the choice and he jumped on it. “It was not what we had planned and I felt we were a little underprepared. I tried to not have too many expectations, and if not for a few mistakes in the first couple of rounds he could have easily finished on the podium. Needless to say, after finishing 2nd overall in the Arenacross series he exceeded any expectations we may have had."
Marco is from Waterdown, Ontario, near Hamilton, and started riding at the age of 3 on a PW50 that his dad modified and put training wheels on. The highlight of his amateur career, the "peaking point" as he called it, was a Championship in the Schoolboy 1 Class in 2015 at Loretta’s. "I don't even know how to describe the Championship at Loretta’s. I was hoping for a top 5 and won the first moto by 10-15 seconds. After finishing third in the second moto I was running in fifth for most of Moto 3 until the last lap near the mechanics’ area when I railed the corner and hit handlebars on the next straightaway with the guy ahead of me. I just edged him out in the next corner and won the championship by making that pass on the last lap. It was like a race from a movie, and my 1-3-4 scores gave me the overall win." To go along with his title at Lo-
retta’s, Marco has won 10 Championships at Walton, the Eastern Canadian Amateur National at Deschambault, finished second at the Mini O's in Schoolboy 1, top five at Freestone, and a second at Ricky Carmichael’s event in Daytona. Last summer Marco finished third overall in the 450B class at Loretta’s, and with the points chase being really close was in the hunt right into the final moto. After that event he competed in his first Professional Canadian National at the final MX2 event of the series at RJ’s in Barrie. “I wanted to be in the top 5 at RJ's. I did it, and it was definitely a learning experience with the longer 25-minute plus 2 lap format. I would have raced a few more pro events in Canada if not for the rule changes that prohibited guys who raced MX2 Pro in Canada from racing in the B class at Loretta's.”
IS CINGD A R “ B AN A JO E END AT TH E DAY H OF T HAVE YOU AVE TO H I JUST . FUN T TO BE N WA OD AND A GO BLE A LIKE ON, A S R PE THAT GUY LE P PEO T TO N A W E TO SEE COM HAS WHO OF T A LO .” S FAN
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The deal to ride for MX101 in 2018 is a great fit for Marco. “I have been riding Yamahas since I was on an 85. They supported me a lot through Iain Hayden and Motopark, and I wanted to stay on a Yamaha going into my first pro year. I felt like it was the right thing to do. They have been great to me and I wanted to support the brand. The spot opened with MX101 when Maff left, and it has been great working with those guys especially getting the call to do the Arenacross series, working with Kevin and Cale, Alan Brown, Joe Skidd and all the mechanics. I was going to continue training at Club MX in South Carolina and do a few more amateur races, Freestone and Daytona, and then get ready for the outdoor season in Canada. The week before Arenacross started I got the call to fill in for Jess. I had never been out to Vancouver and Calgary. It was a great experience and I’m glad that I went.” Motocross is a dangerous sport and injuries are a big part of it. Over the past few seasons we have seen a number of big name American riders fill in for injured racers, and more and more race teams are pulling guys off the couch and giving them the opportunity to fill in temporarily for another injured rider. Justin Barcia and Dean Wilson are two big names that have rejuvenated their careers in this fashion. It’s all about timing and seizing the opportunity, and that is just what Marco did this winter when the call came to fill in for Pettis. “You get that chance to get that one breakout ride and the rest can be history." Marco has always looked up to Ricky Carmichael and Ryan Dungey, who he considers to be “clean cut guys who are always positive.” “I wasn’t a big James Stewart fan at the beginning but the more I watched him ride the more I began loving it; there is nothing like watching him ride. He is one of my all-time favourites. I enjoy watching fast guys at any level and seeing how much the sport is progressing. I think it’s so cool watching kids on 85s throwing upside down whips.” When the subject turns to Canadian riders, Marco said that he was too young to have seen Jean Sebastien Roy in his prime. “When I grew up it was kind of Colton Facciotti running the show. This year in arenacross I really looked up to Cole Thompson. I can learn a lot from how smooth and good and he is.”
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Off the track, Marco really enjoys road biking and did a 100 mile ride this spring. “They have a really cool wakeboard park down here where I am training, (Club MX in South Carolina). This is one of my favourite things to do when I am not riding or training. I also like hanging out at the beach or the mall with friends and family, and just chilling and doing nothing. My Dad has been training for a full Ironman this year, and two years ago we did a half Ironman together. My goal was to do it in less than 6 hours and I came in at 5:58. It was pretty gnarly. During the off season I would like to do some more of that stuff, and when I’m done racing I would definitely like to do stuff like that.” When it comes to his choice in music, Marco says he listens to 80s rock or Metallica, but added, “You can’t go wrong with Trap,” which is a form of Hip Hop originating in the south. When I asked him about the future he says that he has not put a lot of thought into it, “My focus is on the Canadian Pro Nationals but I would like to do some outdoor nationals in the States when I’m ready. I’ll know when it’s time. I would love to do some Supercross races also and just have fun. Racing is a job and at the end of the day you have to have fun. I just want to be a good and likeable person, a guy that people want to come to see who has a lot of fans.” His Expectations for 2018? “Just be consistent all summer and into the Supercross portion of the Triple Crown Series. You never know where I will end up. There are a lot of fast guys coming up to race like Joey Crown, Osby, Maff, Wright and Ward. There is going to be a lot of close racing and bar banging. I just want to be a consistent podium guy, to always be running up front and learn from the guys who have been doing this for a number of years and build every weekend.”
EN I “WH UP IT W GRE KIND WASOLTON OF C IOTTI FACC ING N RUN HOW. S THE YEAR IN S THI ACROSS N ARE LLY A E I R ED K LOO COLE O T UP PSON. M O TH LEARN I CAN FROM T H A LO SMOOT W O H GOOD AND HE IS.” AND
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D O O W Y L L HO TH Y R R O O T N JIM HOLLEY S
F ACK ST O N SL Y T E H O LL S H Y T R K A S A N S A O LD AN D LE Y F H O L E T S U S LO N G , C E R , TRO E M I P J E L G LD L H W I T T G NO HA MYB LE O N S K SHOW T Y DU R I N A LITT , R E M E D OS B A T F O R N E S A H E E A R S D P C G A O S R I LL RCR PR E - R A Y SATU S WHO LE LON OCROS I NG G E C P M T U E R TT SU GO IKE A LI EVE IAN E OF O MO N LI N O UT BY M N A D , TH E O C RO S S R TH O S S P O R T V E L P R E A N D RO S S A C R E L E E O T H E L H MOS DAY LIV OR SU P NTH S . F U N D T A H IG H SHY ST Y E S WIT R F U L L O . E F O U A R AC E D U P NTE R M E E N AR HOLLEY I M ’ S F L CK BATT A COLO SS . M B I O J A ” WAR DIAN W D HAVE WOOD R IG HT. ON -TR RY, AN D E NACR R Y A Y N N A A L N N A R, CA HOL H I S OW H I S MA LEG E N D SS AN D EVE IM “ HOW I M A S J R I DE R I N D WITH I N DE E D E RCRO P H E B E R R C R O S S , CO U P L O N A R E D I A N S U S Y E A R T P N I E U L A D S A E OF C L” P SO N PE R LE R BAL I STORY H L “ RO O F TH E T PAR im Holley grew up riding Jeff Ward and Chris Hackman, the son dirt bikes in and around of actor Gene Hackman, who Holley his hometown of Northand his father became good friends ridge, California, which with over the years. Gene, the actor, is situated smack dab in even helped a young Jim Holley out by the middle of Southern buying him a new bike once when he California. This area was the was 11. hotbed of the ‘70s and ‘80s motocross While Holley quickly developed into in the US, which is where Jim got his a world class rider who was completely start racing on legendary tracks like capable of pulling a top ten in a US Indian Dunes and Saddleback Park. National or Supercross at any time, the Ironically, Holley didn’t start out as a much coveted full-factory ride eluded motocrosser. Jim’s father, Al Holley, him throughout the early part of his was a Nationally ranked flat-tracker career. Therefore, in order to suppleand speedway racer in his younger ment his income and keep his racing days so Jim got his start in twodream alive, Holley quickly developed wheeled racing competition in that a reputation as a rider who was willing discipline of motorcycle racing. “Yeah, to take a chance and race in pretty I got started in flat track,” remembers much any part of the world. As long Holley. “I would race against guys as the promoters were paying, Holley like Wayne Rainy and Eddy Lawson.” was willing to give it a try, and this Both would of course go on to be Road adventurous spirit that he possessed Racing World Champions in Europe. led him to not only Canada but to “There just wasn’t any money in Flat places like Panama, Japan, Australia, track at the time,” remembers Jim, “so South Africa, Guatemala, Indonesia, some guys like Eddie and Wayne went Costa Rica, and even India and all over on the asphalt while I concentrated Europe as well over the course of his on motocross.” It was a decision that racing career. Holley would never regret as he won a Jim’s willingness to race year-round National Mini-cycle Championship on all over the world certainly paid off an 80 in 1976, and after turning pro for him as it culminated in him being in ‘78 Jim cut his teeth racing in the crowned the first World Supercross ultra competitive SoCal circuits of Champion in 1985. The series was offithe late ‘70s against guys like Johnny cially called the Rodil Cup and the tour O’Mara, Kenny Alexander, A.J. Whiting, included events in Costa Rica, Spain
T HE
J
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TO R E D ND R O A , N I E , E M E R O V C O I L F N I E HIS A A R M E A H T E “T MEN G DR LOPED O PLE RACIN Y DEVE ER WH E P U S HIS ICKL ID HANC R P A U KEELLEY Q ION AS KE A C H ANY HO PUTATG TO TA Y MUC RLD.” RE ILLIN PRETT HE WO W E IN OF T S A W D RAC PART AN
and Canada before culminating in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. This, paired with his impressive 6th overall standing in the 250 Outdoor motocross standings in the US Nationals, earned him his one and only full factory ride with Yamaha for the 1986 season. Jim improved on his National results in 1986, moving up one slot in the 250cc rankings after finishing 5th overall, slotting in behind superstars Rick Johnson, David Bailey, Johnny O’Mara and Jeff Ward. Holley also finished 6th overall in the supercross standings that year but unfortunately his results were not good enough in the eyes of the brass at Yamaha US. Even though he was the top finishing Yamaha rider in the Nationals, he lost his ride for the following season. You would think Holley would have been bitter about the demotion but that could not have been further from the truth. “They wanted wins,” states Holley, “and I didn’t win,” he states bluntly. In fact, Holley, never one to burn a bridge, remained loyal to Yamaha and stayed on the brand for the rest of his professional career. Holley was also well known for wearing O’Neil riding gear and Arai helmets for his entire career. The 1980s were literally the “Golden Age” of motocross as the opportunities for riders to make a decent living racing around the world were never greater than they were during this period. It was for this reason that Jim Holley found himself racing in Canada on a regular basis. “The money was good,” recalls Holley, “and there were plenty of races.” Indeed, some younger fans may find it hard to believe but Canada had its own Supercross Series in the mideighties, which featured stops in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver as well as Toronto and Montreal. There were plenty of Arenacrosses spread out through the country back then as well, in places like Winnipeg, Hamilton and throughout Quebec, so there was plenty of opportunity to make more than a few bucks if you were fast enough to get yourself on the podium, and Holley certainly possessed those qualities. “Stu Peters turned me on to the scene in Canada,” remembers Holley. Peters ran the CMC sanctioning body for motocross in California at the time and promoted the prestigious CMC Golden State Nationals as well, a title that Holley won in 1985. “He told me that there were a lot of races going on and some money to be made,” chuckles Holley. “That was good enough for me!” Of course, Holley had already formed a relationship with Ross Pederson at this time so he was not completely in the dark when it
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OD O W Y HOLLTH NOR H O L L E Y S T O R Y T HE JI
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came to the racing scene in Canada. “I first met Ross in 1979,” recalls Holley. “We were both young Pros at he time and I was down in Texas doing some training. This guy pulls into the track driving a Camaro Z28, pulling a small trailer. He was all by himself. It turned out to be Ross and we just became good friends right away.” Holley immediately admired the strength and determination he saw in Pederson and the friendship between Holley and Ross lasts to this day. Holley believes it was the similarities between the two that led them to become such buddies. “We raced hard and we both loved the competition,” recalls Holley. “We could go out on the track and battle to the death for twenty laps but then go out, have dinner and hit a couple of clubs together,” he adds. “Ross liked his beer and I would drink Coke,” he laughs, “but other than that we were very much the same.” Coincidentally, Motocross Action Magazine conducted a poll amongst the top Pro Riders of the day in the late ‘80s, and the consensus was Pederson and Holley were the two toughest riders to pass in all of motocross. “Well, we were both big guys for motocrossers,” explains Holley. “I always joked with Ross that he should have been a hockey player, because he was so big and scrappy, but there was more to it than that. All the riders knew that if you passed one of us, more than likely we were going to at least try to pass you back, and not gently. We didn’t just settle in behind a guy, we fought back and more often than not we would pass the guy back. Both Ross and I were like that, and not a lot of guys were.” Holley’s relationship with Pederson developed to the point where Ross would come to California to train and stay with Holley in his guesthouse. “Yeah, we would train together all the time,” remembers Jim. “Ross would ride every day because that’s what he would like to do. I would ride every other day and then we would go for a run and hit the gym. Afterwards we would go out at night and chase the girls around. We really had a great time.” Later in his career, after Pederson had switched to Yamaha, Jim’s father, Al, would actually help out with Ross’ bike doing some motor work for him. Something that was really unheard of in the pro ranks. “It was fine with me,” recalls Holley, “I had no problem with helping other guys out. I didn’t care if they were my competition, I guess that’s just the type of guy I am.”
Holley’s Canadian adventures started in 1983 with events in McMahon Stadium in Calgary and Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. “Those were good races,” he recalls, “I really enjoyed them and I did well.” Holley recalls that the competition was stiff at those races as guys like Rick Ryan, who would go on to become the only privateer to ever win a Supercross main event in Daytona in 1987, Factory Honda rider Jim Gibson, along with other top American Pros like Tom Carson and Eddie Hicks that joined in with top Canadian talent like Doug Hoover, Mike Harnden, Denis James, and of course Pederson. Holley goes on to recount an experience he had at the Edmonton round. “I invited Tom “Wolfman” Webb up for that round to do a story for Dirt Bike Magazine,” remembers Holley. (Holley also worked for many years as a test rider for Dirt Bike as well) “In practice”, Holley goes on to explain, “Webb told me that if I really went for it I could probably turn the big double into a triple that no one else was doing. He said it would save me a lot of time. “Well, I was feeling really good that night, so I decided to go for it.” It turned out to be a big mistake as Holley cased the
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jump hard and ended up in a heap in serious pain, not even sure if he would be able to race the rest of the night. “I can laugh about it now,” says Holley, “but at the time I wasn’t too pleased.” It didn’t help matters that Honda decided to bring in Bob Hannah for that round. Hannah was of course one of the all-time greats of the sport and was in the first year of a factory Honda contract after a long and incredibly successful stint with Yamaha. “It was a heck of a race,” recalls Holley. In the end, Hannah took the win while Holley and Pederson battled it out for second and third. “Ross nipped me for 2nd that night,” states Holley, “but I got 3rd, and considering what Webb did to me in practice I was pretty happy with that,” he laughs. “I always had a great time racing in Canada, and I was always treated very well by the folks up there.” After a slight pause, however, Holley corrects himself. “Well, almost always. There was that one Arenacross in Winnipeg and the promoter, a fellow named Bruce (Bones) Rathbone, decided he didn’t want to invite me because he wanted a Canadian to win.
That kind of pissed me off,” states Holley, who just happened to be in Millville, Minnesota at the time, only a few hours away from Winnipeg by car. “Screw him, I thought. So, my Dad and I jumped in the truck and headed for Winnipeg. On a side note, one thing I’ve discovered about Jim Holley’s stories is that just when you think they can’t get any better, they usually do. Case in point, when Holley rolled into Winnipeg for the race he somehow managed to get himself booked into a slot on the local Winnipeg morning wake-up show, which was hosted at the time by Rod Black. Black is of course a name most Canadian sports fans will recognize as the current television voice of the Toronto Raptors. “I took my bike right onto the stage, did a couple of burn-outs and wheelies and really started talking it up,” Holley laughs. “Right out of the WWE you know. Rod loved it. Of course, the Rollerball was never one to shy away from that type of hype either so he got right into as well,” laughs Holley, “and the fans ate it up, so I really did that promoter a favour.” In the end, Hollywood and
the Rollerball put on a great show for the fans, took the top two spots on the podium, as they usually did, and the lion’s share of the purse. “Then Ross and I celebrated by going water skiing on the Red River,” laughs Holley. “It was all good.” While Holley is quick to point out that there were many people who helped him out during the times he spent racing in Canada, he makes particular mention of two who really went, in his opinion, out of their way to support him throughout his Canadian career. “Walt Healy for one,” says Holley. Healy was the owner of Healy Motorsports in Calgary, a Yamaha dealership that closed in 2014 after 83 years in business. Walt Healy himself passed in 2004 but throughout the ‘80s he was always there to help Holley out with bikes and support during his Western Canadian swings. “He was just the best,” remembers Holley. “Kind of a Santa Claus looking guy. My kids loved him and I have to say he helped me out a lot.” Another contributor to Holley’s Canadian racing success was Mark Stallybrass, who was with Yamaha Canada
at the time. “Well, he wanted to beat Ross,” remembers Holley, (Pederson was on Suzuki at that point) and he did everything he could to help me win. Holley goes on to mention that in one instance, after he had competed in and won the Montreal Supercross in 1988, Stallybrass drove Jim and his father all night to Broome Tioga, New York so that he could race the AMA National the next day. Speaking of the Montreal Supercross, this event really was the crown jewel of Supercross racing in Canada throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. Toronto was always a big show as well, but near sellout crowds of close to 65,000 fans would gather at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium to enjoy the spectacle. There really was nothing else quite like it in this country and Jim Holley was able to win there on a couple of occasions. “Yes, I would probably have to say those were my biggest wins,” says Holley. “The crowds there were so into it and we definitely put on a good show for them in those days.” Unique to the Montreal event at that time was the prize for first
S E R U T N E V D TS IN ND A ” N . N A A N I E O Y D NA ITH EVALGARDMONT A C ’S 1983 W IN C IN E Y E L L D IN UMADIUM I D “HOR A E T N ST H ST A T S MAHO EALT MC MONW COM
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place. “It was a pound of gold,” says Holley. “Well, it was actually fourteen 1oz. pieces of gold, which supposedly made up a pound. I actually questioned the promoter Pierre Corbeil about that,” remembers Holley, “because I thought it was actually sixteen ounces in a pound, but he assured me that the amount I got really did weigh a pound so I took his word for it,” chuckles Holley. “It’s fine,” says Holley. “I still have it in my trophy case at home.” Jim figures that the gold was worth around $4,000.00 at the time and today it would probably be valued at closer to $20,000.00 but he has no plans on cashing it in. In a roundabout way it was the gold and his big win in Montreal that year that ended Jim’s career in professional AMA Motocross. As previously mentioned, Jim, his father/mechanic and Yamaha Canada’s Mark Stallybrass made the all-night trip to Binghampton, New York to race the 500 National the next day. “I had a decent day,” remembers Holley. “I think I was 6th overall or something close to that. Well, I was standing in the payout line waiting for my envelope of cash, because that’s the way they did it back then, and when I got it, it was about 3 or 4 hundred bucks. So, I’m thinking and doing some math. The night before I made four grand in Canada and the next day I busted my ass in two 40-minute motos on a 500 for a measly 400 bucks. It just didn’t make sense to me anymore.” Right then and there, Jim decided that he was done with full-time AMA Motocross. “There just wasn’t enough money in it,” claims Holley. “I decided I could make
a much better living by doing other stuff, like racing in Canada,” he laughs. The following season, at the age of 28, Holley decided to go in a different direction and augmented his usual worldwide racing commitments with a new series. The Mickey Thompson Off-Road Championship Grand Prix Ultracross Series, was, apart from being quite a mouthful, basically a hybrid of Supercross. The tracks were a little more forgiving as they also had trucks and buggies competing on them on the same nights. “Yamaha asked me if I wanted to do it,” remembers Holley, and it turned out to be a good move on his part as he went on to win the Championship in the Mickey Thompson Off Road Series in ‘88 and again in ‘89. While Holley continued to compete in selected events into the early ‘90s, he was approaching his thirties. Even though he was still doing quite well, his competitive racing career was definitely winding down. Never one to sit back, take it easy, and relax, however, Holley continued to offer his services as a coach and trainer to riders from around the world that were seeking to break into the pro ranks of US motocross and supercross. Most of his students came from Japan. Holley proved to be a very successful mentor as he was able to coach several of his students into Supercross main events over the years. It was also during this period that Jim really did make it to Hollywood as a stuntman for the movies. Holley performed the motorcycle stunts for films such as “The Italian Job,” “Wild Hogs,” “8 Legged Freaks,” and the Tom Hanks film “Larry Crown”
among others during this period. “It’s kind of funny,” states Holley. “I spent most of my life trying not to fall off a motorcycle and all the sudden falling off motorcycles became my job.” Of course, once motocross gets into your blood it’s tough to leave it altogether, and Holley was the first to admit that he wanted to stay in the sport in some way or another. That opportunity came for him in the early 2000s as he was offered a job calling the Supercross race action via the internet. Webcasting was brand new at the time and Holley got in on the ground floor. The races themselves were not broadcast live on television at the time so thousands of fans began to rely on Holley’s live calls to get their race results and Supercross fix. Over the years the gig with the online Supercross show has morphed into what the fans now know as Race Day Live. For any avid supercross fan, Race Day Live is an integral part of the viewing experience every Saturday afternoon. For those that may not be quite as hardcore into the sport, perhaps a brief explanation is in order. Race Day Live is the online webcast show that basically gives fans a pregame show leading up to the race later in the day. This season, another ex-racer, Daniel Blair, joined Jim in the booth. They give the enthusiasts a very interesting look into the day’s events and give their expert takes on what’s happening throughout practice and qualifying. “It’s a lot of work, but I really enjoy doing it,” claims Holley. Holley even got to throw a leg over a bike this season as he participated in the Amateur Supercross at the Glen-
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dale, Arizona round. Of course, all the action was captured for a segment on Race Day Live. When it comes to Motocross and Supercross, it can truly be said that Jim Holley has seen and done it all. He did what he needed to do to pursue his dream and make a living. He’s been around the world more times than he can count and can honestly say that he enjoyed every minute of it. “Things you read about in history books and what not, I’ve actually seen in person,” says Holley, “and I think that’s pretty cool.” The movie work is behind him for the most part now, and while Holley keeps busy with the Race Day Live show, he also enjoys spending time with family and following the sporting exploits of his two sons James and Jared. James, the eldest, is a professional golfer, and in following the script written by his father plans on participating in a few Canadian Tour Events this season. The younger boy, Jared, recently completed a baseball scholarship at the University of New Mexico and is currently coaching at the school while completing a Masters degree. “They both could have probably been really good riders,” says Holley, “but this is their thing, and to be honest I’m fine with that. Motocross is a tough sport.” In closing, Holley reiterates his feelings about his time spent racing in Canada. “I just loved racing in Canada,” says Holley. “It was a beautiful country and the people were great. I won a lot of races and,” with a chuckle states, “a lot of money.”
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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.
Photo: Cudby / Shepherd
www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS Elevating the sport might mean something different from one person to the next. To Husqvarna Motorcycles, it means taking a pioneering approach to evolving man and machine while never resting on your laurels. Together with Jason Anderson’s tenacious mentality and our 115-years of dedication to progression, we celebrate reaching all new heights with our first-ever Supercross premier class win. Congratulations Jason Anderson and the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team- a pioneer’s journey is never over.
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ILE “WH AIN S, M HIS PETITOR COM IN V D MAR UIN AN Q S MU MAC, O ELI T GGLED S U STR CRASHE WITHMISSED AND S, E RAC RSON E D AN WHAT K O TO RACE D EACHRED AN E E H F T OF BED B S T A N R G OI LY P EAR .” LEAD
Heading into the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross Series, everyone in the know predicted that Jason Anderson would most certainly be one of the title contenders. However, there weren’t too many people out there who bet on how calm and consistent he would be throughout the 17 round series. In the first five rounds of the series, Anderson came out of the gate like a rocket ship. He managed to get three of his four main event wins before the series was even a quarter way complete, while his main competitors were up and down like a yo-yo. His Ryan Dungeylike consistency was remarkable, and in the end this is the main reason he’s the 2018 Supercross Champion. If you don’t believe me, have a look at some of his season stats:
4.0
27
0
3.6
6.9
4
AVERAGE QUALIFYING POSITION SEASON HOLESHOTS AVERAGE STARTING POSITION
MAIN EVENT LAPS LED AVERAGE FINISH SEASON WINS
RRIOR 356
FINAL POINTS (CHAMPION)
THE CONSISTENT WARRIOR
BY CHRIS POMEROY
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PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE
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In August of 2015, I was at a Husqvarna media event in Washington, DC. We were all staying at this fancy hotel just down the street from the White House, so it was very cool to say the least. During the first night we all gathered in the hotel dining room for a welcome dinner. After all of the media and Husqvarna brass were seated and the presentation began, in walked Jason Anderson and he sat down at our table. At the time, he had a few rounds remaining in the outdoor series so he was pretty exhausted to say the least. As we all sat there and began to eat dinner, Jason started talking to us like we’d known each other for years. I can tell you that in most situations like that, the famous rider is not the person asking the questions. However, with Anderson, he was so down to earth and relaxed and he was the one asking us questions. The biggest thing I took from that evening in Washington was just how normal Jason Anderson is. Of course, the following day we all headed out to Budds Creek to ride, and from the moment he threw his leg over his Husqvarna FC450, he was anything but normal! Fast forward to this season in SX, and Jason Anderson’s results were again anything but normal, but compared to his competition, Anderson was the quiet, boring guy who lives down the street.
Anderson came out of the starting blocks very strong in the opening rounds of the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross Series. While his main competitors, Marvin Musquin and Eli Tomac, struggled with crashes and missed races, Anderson took what each race offered and grabbed the early points lead. From Anaheim 1 to Glendale to San Diego, Anderson won races and garnered some very important podium finishes. Always known as a very aggressive rider, Anderson picked his spots very well in the early part of the season. As you can see in his season stats, throughout the series Anderson had zero main event holeshots. I find this stat amazing for a series champion. This means that Anderson never got to start a main event with a clear track and no one in front of him. This tells you exactly how cerebral his riding was all season
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WARRIOR
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T N’S RSO 7TH THA E D N D O A T “ LIFIE RGE CHA T EXEMP IN NIGH NDYING ON TO W I U T HIS RMINA ITLE.” DETE 018 SX T 2 THE
long; no mistakes while trying to pass riders in the early laps of a chaotic main event is an amazing feat, in my opinion. During the first half of the series you could see Anderson’s mindset go from thinking it was awesome that he was leading the series, to really believing that he was the guy to beat. They say that in each year of the Monster Energy Supercross Series, the real series doesn’t begin until the halfway point. In years past, we’ve witnessed riders enjoy a great opening half, only to let the pressure get to them and falter down the stretch. This is where I think the team that Jason Anderson had around him this season was key. His trainer is Aldon Baker, his riding partners are Zach Osborne and Marvin Musquin, and his team manager is Bobby Hewitt. Anderson has
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surrounded himself with winners, and that is another reason that he’s a winner. This is a great lesson for all riders out there who want to be successful. Yes, you have to have talent, and you have to work hard, but you also have to surround yourself with good people. Anyway, back to Anderson’s crucial middle part of the 2018 SX series. Heading into Round 10 in Daytona, Anderson’s season was sailing along and he really hadn’t faced any adversity. That would change at 9:31pm local time when he would find himself face down in the dark Florida sand after going down in the first turn. Timing and scoring had Anderson in 14th on Lap 1, not exactly where the series points leader wanted to be. What Anderson did next was precisely what champions do in that situation. They get up, they dust themselves off, and they do whatever it takes to get back into title contention. Anderson’s charge to 7th that night exemplified his undying determination to win the 2018 SX title. After Daytona, the days turned into weeks, and once again Anderson was cruising along in the series. With only two races remaining and a large points lead, the feeling was that what could possibly go wrong at this point. Well, as the gate dropped on the main event at Round 16 in Salt Lake City, it appeared that Anderson and his Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Team had one more uphill battle to face. After getting tangled up with another rider in the first turn, Anderson was forced to pull into the mechanics’ area for bike repairs. Although the repairs only took a minute, for Anderson it more than likely felt like an hour. By the time he got back into the race, Eli Tomac had crossed the finish line twice. Like Daytona a few months prior, Anderson put his head and clawed his way back to an amazing 17th place finish. This
JASON ANDERSON
WARRIOR
result meant that heading into the final round in Las Vegas, all Anderson needed to do was finish inside the top ten, if his closet rival Musquin won the main event. As it turned out, Musquin could only race to a distant second place finish behind Eli Tomac, while Anderson would ride yet another silky smooth main event and finish fifth. It was an incredible conclusion to one of the most consistent seasons we’ve ever seen from a rider. At 25 years of age, Anderson is just coming into his prime and perhaps his best is still yet to come. As I watched Anderson celebrate his SX title on the Las Vegas podium, I thought back to that dinner we attended in 2015. The laid back, down to earth personality that he showed us that night in Washington is just who Jason Anderson really is. Yes, he’s competitive, yes, he’s aggressive on the track, but it was his ability to remain calm and limit his mistakes that won him his very first 450SX Championship. I can’t wait to see what he does in 2019 as an encore.
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R E M I N I S C I N G
W I T H
Bobby Kiniry
’ve a, we an a d t h a s C in wi e ar s rider as t he y O ver itnessed a rmination k e t w e e e y l d nd eaw r ar e ear t a would tak that h h c es mu y. It in the tim y K inir Bobb bout all of om behind e r a f p y lk e et t o t a t h e r c am h s om g g ei u o y r in ir h K in o de t s an am a z o f e or r a rac . K inir y wa was one t. ry t he ins of inju watch, bu race aga s o t o t s r y is fan ride s t gu nd all of h e h g u a the to r gave up reciate his ed ir pp ve a e n y ll is ret e H to rea ys, K inir y me d e ho s e em T he s e da in his ily. t s. lives m d a f n e ff or a is acing ork with h career, r m o fr le wY o f Ne credib t he s tate rate his in some of im t b a le eh k v e o loo To c d ha ided t f K inir y an bout c e d we rs a so e mb e ph o t o nt s. gr e a t h a t h e r e m e d m o m e r w u t s tell u ecial, cap sp t he s e
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BY BOBBY KINIRY
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PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE
2018-05-24 2:52 PM
Looking back at this photo what I can recall is me trying to help Shawn with his racing. It was always nice being able to talk to someone that just wants to succeed and has no problem with constructive criticism. That’s a hard thing to find especially with arrogant dirt bike racers, but Shawn is someone who will let his guard down and not get hurt or down about what someone is telling him. In some way I feel like I saw some of myself in Shawn. I would always seek out constructive criticism because I feel all it does is make you more aware of some of your weak points, and all people are trying to do around you is help. Shawn is a great person and I wish him all the best in 2019.
This is one of my favourite photos of my time in Canada. I can kind of laugh when I look at this because to me it just shows one of the routines I had. Sometimes after long, hard days at the track, getting pressure washed in between motos was one thing that seemed to help me recover and cool down. I think this was taken after yet another frustrating moto in Nanaimo. In this case, I was letting the water wash away my bad mood.
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While I was definitely not known for my whips, it was easy to be stylish off this jump. I remember what a cool feeling it was growing up with guys such as Matt Goerke, Kyle Chisholm, Mike Alessi and Teddy Maier. We raced together almost our entire lives and it was incredible. We didn’t always see eye to eye on the race track, but I feel like we always raced each other fairly. You learn to know every rider’s tendencies, habits and weak points over that many years of racing. One of the things I miss about racing is hanging out with these guys. We definitely were the best looking riders on the track that day.
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R E M I N I S C I N G
W I T H
Bobby Kiniry
Looking back at photo number four, I remember being up at Moncton and taking a pretty aggressive crash and suffering a concussion. I also ended up splitting my chin open, breaking a couple ribs, breaking my foot and dislocating my jaw. All this happened in Moto 1 so I probably should’ve called it a day. Upon going back to the truck I do remember arguing with my team manager, who was a very close friend, and he was trying to talk me out of racing Moto 2. I do remember getting in a little argument with him about it. He even told me he’d pay me as if I finished the second moto. But, I ended up getting my way after convincing him to let me race Moto 2. I also recall going home, being so stubborn the week after, suiting up and trying to ride on Tuesday with Shawn, but I ended up crashing hard again. I just didn’t want to quit or give into any pain. I really had no business racing Moto 2 that day, but looking back now, I’m glad I did.
This was a tough day of racing for me in a season that really didn’t go the way I wanted it to. I really put myself in a position to win that day after having a fairly sizable lead. Unfortunately, on the last lap, my bike locked up and that was it. One thing that was tough for me about this was on the first lap of practice that day I pulled in and complained about a noise in my motor and expressed my concerns that the engine was not going to last. But at that point of the season Matt Goerke was leading the championship and he was a priority for the day. Thankfully, I didn’t crash here as my bike just locked up mid-air. As you can see, I was in no hurry to push my bike back to the pits.
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I just remember some of my stubbornness shining through again. That was at Round 1 where a muddy, sloppy weekend almost cost me my vision. I remember it being a very wet race track with standing water all over the place and rivers running down the track. I remember getting a good start but getting splashed a lot and using all of my tear-offs. So I took them off and rode 35 minutes with no goggles in a mud race, simply because I was in a podium position. I did not want to pull off and get new goggles. I wanted to start the season out on the right foot with a podium position, putting myself in championship contention right off the bat. In doing this I ended up scratching my eye balls very badly. I remember not being able to see going to staging for Moto 2 so that was a bit of a problem. It was so bad that I had trouble seeing well enough to get dressed for Moto 2. I’m not exaggerating at all, it was intense. During the first few laps of Moto 2, the same thing happened. I got a good start, got splashed and pulled my goggles off again! Looking back it was probably not the smartest thing I’ve ever done, but I did finish on the podium again starting my season out on the right foot. I remember going to the optometrist the following week. He couldn’t believe how badly my eyes were scratched, told me not to be so stubborn and to look out for my own health more than my racing,but that’s not who am!
This photo was taken at Sand Del Lee while I was trying to get a good lap time in practice. Maybe I was going a little too fast around the sweeper because I hit a big, round hay bale and moved it in about 10 feet into the middle of the track. It was a massive impact and I ended up breaking my collarbone. That’s always a frustrating feeling when you know that you broke a bone and the rest of your season is done. All the hard work and all the testing, just thrown right out the window. I guess in racing you have good days and bad days. This was most definitely a bad day for me.
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R E M I N I S C I N G
W I T H
Bobby Kiniry
This photo puts a smile on my face and I really like looking at it. Just knowing what I did in my career and to end up with the King of Walton sword was very memorable. That’s always such a prestigious race and there’s only a handful of people that have ever won it. I’m glad to be in that category and I still have the sword hanging in my house. I remember the time I wanted it really badly, and I had to bulldog through because Dusty Klatt was on his game that year. He did not make that day very easy for me to come out on top. The one other interesting fact is I had the championship more or less won the week prior with a 40 point lead going into the last round, but before that day of racing was over, mechanical issues forced me to DNS both motos, give up up my 40 point lead, and ultimately my championship.
This awesome photo was again taken at Round 1 in Nanaimo. There was a lot of hype surrounding Mike Alessi coming to our series and being one of the championship contenders. I guess I wanted to let him know it wasn’t going to be an easy year for him. So coming into the first turn in Moto 1 of the season, I decided to be a little aggressive. I remember everyone saying he was the holeshot king, but I felt like I was pretty good at starting too. These are the types of moments that racers live for, two riders going for the same real estate and not wanting to shut off. For record, I ended up with the holeshot!
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6 5 UN D Z Y 018 ST SO 2 E “TH N’T JU RMAL O S DOE YOUR N CYCLE , LIKE MOTOR S A 65CC BIKE HAUNT TO THIS ATY GR S YOU E O THR AT MAK THE IT THT TO HIT WAN K.” C TRA
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For the past decade, this sport has welcomed in a number of new and exciting models. Features like fuel-injection, air forks, and a lightweight chassis have all dominated the press releases from the OEMs in recent years. As incredible as all of this innovation has been for consumers, the one common denominator has been that almost everything has catered to big bikes. Well, thanks to Yamaha, the focus on innovation has turned to the youth of our sport as this year they have introduced the all-new 2018 YZ65. ack in November, when the word first trickled out that Yamaha was indeed going to jump head first into the 65cc market, it was met with excitement all over the motocross world. In a competitive market that has been mostly dominated by KTM, the BluCru wanted to change this. Having not designed this size of motorcycle for over three decades, the drawing board would be the first place this new 65cc would come to light. Yamaha knew that with consumers being more educated and more style conscious than ever before, this new bike had to look good, and definitely could not stall out of the gate. With its main competitor in the 65cc class having a motorcycle that looked identical to its bigger siblings, Yamaha decided early on in the design process that the YZ65 had to look like a shrunken down YZF450. This new bike also had to have all of the features that not only would make it appear cosmetically sound, but it also had to have all of the important items to
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make the bike work good right out of the box. Items like upside down forks, a solid engine package, disc brakes (front and back), strong wheels, and durable components are all musthaves for today's consumer. We're sure that everyone will agree that from the first moment that we laid eyes on the 2018 YZ65, we were blown away by both how good the bike looked as well as Yamaha's attention to detail. From the tapered handlebars, the blue rims, and the perfectly contoured rad shrouds, this bike looked like a smaller version of Matt Goerke's 2017 Championship winning YZF450. The folks at Yamaha were obviously very excited about this new model and their launch into the 65cc class, but I feel like for the first time in a while, the entire industry was elated that another OEM decided to take such a large and courageous step in helping the youth of our sport. However, looks and hype are one thing, but the big question was how would
this new 65cc bike perform on the track against models that have been tried and tested for years? When MXP received the call from Yamaha Motor Canada to inform us that this new bike was finally ready to be tested, I was very excited. In almost all testing situations, I would normally do it myself as I've been testing bikes for years. However, since this bike was just a tad too small for me, I had to hire my 10-year-old son Ayrton to take on the task of actually riding this new bike. Ayrton has been racing the 65 class for two full seasons so he's quite aware on how these small bikes handle, as well as how the power delivery is. Also, due to the fact that he's been racing Orange bikes for the past five years, his input on how the new Yamaha would stack up would be invaluable. For testing this bike, I basically went through all of the steps that I normally do before I even start a bike up. I first adjusted the bars and
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2018 YAMAHA YZ65 levers to how he usually likes them and I set the sag. Although this 65cc was a different colour, I wanted it to feel as close to his own bike as possible. Then came the moment that every test rider loves - the first time a new bike fires up and you rev the throttle! If the incredible looks of this new Yamaha don't get your attention, then the sound of it will definitely have your senses tingling. The 2018 YZ65 doesn't just sound like your normal 65cc motorcycle, this bike has a throaty grunt to it that makes you want to hit the track. Right from the moment that my test rider threw his leg over the YZ65, he felt comfortable. The only item that was going to take a little time in getting used to was the cable driven clutch lever. With the clutch lever also being a little further away from the bars than on other models, smaller hands will have to reach just a little extra more. Once we gave the clutch lever a little more play with the customary Yamaha clutch adjuster, everything was good and it was time to hit the track.
KEY FEATURES • Powerful-feeling 65 cc liquid cooled, single-cylinder 2-stroke engine with Yamaha Power Valve System (YPVS) • Crankcase reed valve • 6-speed transmission with optimized gear ratios • Newly designed semi-double-cradle steel frame, aluminum sub frame • 36mm inverted fork with 12 levels of compression and 10 levels of rebound damping for solid front-end feedback • Motocross rear suspension with 10 levels of adjustment for both rebound and compression damping • Newly designed aluminum swingarm • Aluminum tapered handlebar with four positions of adjustability • New seat for improved comfort, body weight transfer and easy maintenance • 14-inch front and 12-inch rear wheel
KEY FEATURES • Powerful-feeling 65 cc liquid cooled, single-cylinder 2-stroke engine with Yamaha Power Valve System (YPVS) ENGINE • Powerful-feeling 65 cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, 2-stroke engine with crankcase reed valve. • Styling based on high-end YZ models For this exciting test ride, I chose the home of Yamaha’s training facility, Moto Park. As everyone knows, Moto Park has been around for decades, and these days it's one of the best tracks in Canada. Since Yamaha Motor Canada plays such a big role at Moto Park, I thought it would be the perfect place to test and to introduce this new bike. We arrived early on a Saturday morning and the track was not only perfectly groomed but it was also mostly vacant. As my test rider hit the track, I could tell that he was wisely taking it easy for the first few laps. With MP having the perfect combination of slow and fast corners, as well as cool jumps, a rider can really get the feel on how a bike is working. After a few laps you could tell he was feeling more comfortable. Standing on the side of the track, the first thing that I noticed about the new YZ65 was the sound. Once the throttle was opened up a little and the bike began to pull, it sounded more like an 85cc than a 65cc. Jumping and cornering didn't seem to be a problem either as the new Yamaha appeared to handle very well. As my test rider came in for his first
break, I was eager to hear what his initial thoughts were going to be. “This bike feels really good, it just feels a little different than what I'm used to. I can tell you one thing, this bike is fast. I mean, it kind of feels a little slow in the corners, but once you come out of the corners, it's really fast. It feels normal off the jumps and I can't wait to try jumping the stuff I normally do here. This bike does feel a little smaller than my bike, but I don't feel too big for it. I really like the way the bars feel and the brakes seem to work well. I don't really like the clutch lever but I think I could get used to it. I don't know, this bike feels really good. Can I try going fast on it now?”
G, N I L D T N S A U H J E H TO T , R M E “FRO E POW FEEL, HAS H L T L LY A O E R T T E K I V R N I O O F THE AHA DE HOMEW AS YAME THEIR W YZ65T OF E DON THIS N IGHT OU WITH REAT R G IT’S BOX.” THE From the handling, to the power, to just the overall feel, Yamaha definitely has done their homework with this new YZ65 as it's great right out of the box. The next question will be with its durability, but that can only be answered over time. As far as this new bike being competitive in the 65cc class? There is no question that you're going to see a lot of blue challenging for podiums in 2018. This new bike is hitting Canadian dealers as I write and it will retail for $5,499. In closing, I'd like to thank Yamaha Motor Canada for allowing MXP Magazine to be the first Canadian publication to test this awesome new motorcycle. With our young riders being such an important part of this sport, it's great to see another OEM step up and give these kids another great option in the 65cc market.
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FROM THE PROS HOW TO START WITH MIKE ALESSI
P H O T O S B Y J A M E S L I S S I M O R E
OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FEW ISSUES OF MXP MAGAZINE, WE WILL BE ASKING OUR TOP PRO RIDERS FOR SOME VERY IMPORTANT RIDING TIPS. THESE WILL BE RIDING TIPS THAT RIDERS OF ALL LEVELS WILL BE ABLE TO USE TO BETTER THEIR OWN TECHNIQUE AND RACECRAFT. TO KICK THIS FEATURE OFF, LET'S TALK ABOUT STARTING WITH ONE OF THE BEST HOLESHOT ARTISTS OF OUR TIME, MIKE ALESSI. or years, Alessi has had the uncanny ability to either grab the Holeshot or at the least start in the top three. It may be his God given ability, a skill that he's worked on over the years, or maybe it’s just luck. Actually, no, it cannot be luck as he's holeshotted way too many races. Since he turned pro and has been in the bright spotlight, Mike Alessi has holeshotted more big races than anyone else in our sport, he's just that good. Since his first season in Canada back in 2014, we've had a front row seat to Alessi's unique skill-set, and
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honestly, it's been really fun to watch. His ability to qualify well and get a good gate pick, his gate prep, his reflexes, and of course his commitment to holding the throttle on longer than his fellow competitors as they charge into the first turn, all of these things are important if you want to holeshot as often as Mike Alessi has. At first, Alessi was reluctant to give away his cherished starting tips. However, after a lot of begging, as well as the knowledge that this would be helping our younger generation of riders, he agreed. So, without further ado, here are Mike Alessi’s Top 5 tips on how to get a good start.
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ONE
Obviously, these days it all starts with trying to qualify well in practice so you're able to get yourself a good gate pick. However, if you're at an event where you just draw a number or close-peg then you will have to rely on good, old fashioned luck…for Moto 1 at least. When picking a gate, I usually go for a gate that I know I will be able to carry momentum into and through the first turn. I have always trusted my ability to get a good quality jump off the starting gate, so that is never a worry. So, have a look at the first turn and see which gate will allow you to carry speed through Turn 1.
TWO
Once I have narrowed it down to a few gates, I then look at which gate is in the best condition on the track side of the gate. Remember, you can do almost anything you want to your side of the gate but you’re never allowed to go beyond. So, I look for which gate has a straight and fairly smooth rut on the other side. This way you can prep your gate and then not have to worry about hitting a bad rut once you get past the gates. Also, look for any rocks or debris that might be in that rut on the other side of your gate. If you can, pick a gate that doesn’t have any of this stuff in the rut. If you really want a certain gate but there’s a rock in the rut on the other side, ask an official to remove the rock for you. Almost every official will do this for you as they don’t mind helping out. Golden rule, don’t ever go in front of your gate, this will get you in big trouble.
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THREE
Okay, so now you’ve picked your gate and you’re happy with it. The next thing that I always do is a little housekeeping around where your gate drops. I always lift my gate forward so I’m able to reach the pin mechanism that allows the gate to drop. This way you can still remain behind the gate and within the rules. For whatever reason, there are always little rocks or hard pieces of dirt that might impede the drop of your gate. If you have the time then make sure you make the effort to clean around the gate as much as you can. This is perhaps the biggest mistake I see riders make, they just don’t take the time to clean around the gate so it can drop smooth and flat. Also, take a little time to pack your gate as much as possible. I’m not someone who tries to make my line level with the starting gate, but I do add some dirt so my line is smooth and packed well. This will allow my tire to hook up evenly and it will hopefully give me the proper traction when the gate drops.
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FOUR Once all of the clean up and prep work is complete, now it’s time to focus on what you need to do. These final moments before the gate drops is unlike anything you will probably experience in your lifetime. During this time, I will try to keep the mood light between me and my mechanic, and I will also try to visualize myself getting the holeshot. Going through this process before each and every race gives me that extra boost of confidence I need prior to the start of an important race. So, visualize yourself getting a great start, and then while the 30 second card is up, get yourself into the proper position. Even though a motocross start is an adrenalinefilled adventure, to be successful at it you have to remain calm and be very smooth with your bike controls. So, get into the right position early, keep breathing, and get ready for the 30 second card to go up.
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As the 30 second card goes up, I always make sure to take one last deep breath before putting my bike into gear and then looking at the gate. At this point, all of the nerves seem to evaporate into thin air as my sole focus is on getting off the gate smoothly. I know it’s hard to release the clutch with any kind of smoothness when you just want to go, but it’s very important to try to not let your clutch out too fast. You want to be smooth with the clutch so your bike doesn’t jump on you; this will make the front wheel want to come up. When this happens, your first instinct is to either pull in the clutch or let off the throttle. When you have 39 other maniacs all trying to get to the first turn ahead of you, little mistakes can’t happen. So, be smooth off of the gate, and then try to make that first shift of your bike smooth as well. Once you get a good jump, just focus on shifting and then holding the throttle on as long as possible. Finally, make sure you practice as many starts as you can during the week. I know that it can be hard on your clutch, so don’t go crazy. Just practice enough each week so you develop a consistent technique and a good feel for each start. I hope these tips are helpful and I hope to see you at the front of the pack all season long. Thanks for reading - MA800.
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Unsung Heroes OF SUPERCROSS Words and Photos by Krystyn Slack onster Energy Supercross is not only a family-friendly Saturday outing but also a sport that recognizes family as an integral component of its success. Many riders are fortunate enough to travel around the country and around the world in pursuit of their championship dreams while being supported every step of the way by their loving and dedicated wives. The wives of this sport may spend a lot of their time in the background while their riders soak up the spotlight, but it should not be overlooked what a paramount role they play in a rider’s overall success. Chef, mom, cheerleader, social media manager, Monster Energy Girl, and assistant are just a few of the hats worn by some of the “moto
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wives” on a daily basis, and often without much recognition. These gals are some of the hardest working people in the industry and it’s about time they got their moment to shine. We had the opportunity to catch up with Brittney Osborne, Keleigh Baggett, and Paige Craig to get a glimpse into the seldom talked about side of the industry – the life of a Moto Wife. Each of these wives bring a unique perspective of what it’s like to be married to a Monster Energy Supercross professional athlete, but they definitely have one thing in common – that even though this moto lifestyle is anything but traditional, they wouldn’t change it for the world. Next time you’re at a race, remember that these super heroes are so much more than just “so and so’s wife.”
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Keleigh Baggett Rider: Blake Baggett Rocky Mountain ATV/MC WPS KTM What is the most challenging part about being a wife to a professional racer? The most challenging part would for sure be calming the nerves. I’m super anxious every Saturday. I get really stressed out and really nervous, just because I have no idea what’s going to happen during the day. That’s a hard battle to fight with yourself if you are an anxious person. I think my biggest challenge is just trying to make sure I’m radiating positive vibes for Blake because I know if I’m not, he feels that. That’s something that I struggle with. My face tells it all. It’s a huge joke that I have the meanest look on my face every Saturday because of how my emotions are on the inside. But definitely just maintaining a positive outlook and thinking that things are going to go better than worse. How do you mitigate any anxiety you’re feeling on race day? I think what really helps me, and it sounds super silly, but meditating in the morning really helps me get my head in a good place and to not worry about what can happen to him when he’s out on the track. I just have to trust that he is in control of himself. He’s smart, and for the most part he makes really good decisions out on the track. I have to remind myself every morning that I need to just trust him. Plus, he’s like the happiest person on earth so he definitely helps me feel positive because he comes every Saturday with a totally great attitude, and that helps me.
You spend so much time supporting your husband on his racing journey, but who do you turn to for support? For sure my friends and my parents. I think everyone is so emotionally invested in this, especially everyone here on Saturdays, and you just have to look for positive reinforcement somewhere else. I think even if you’re here Saturday, whether it is my parents, who I usually go to for support, then they feel it. It’s such a great environment to be in, but it’s also very high stress for everyone involved and everyone under the tent. When I am feeling like I need to get my head straight, I for sure go to my friends. Favourite racing memory? I think… there are so many amazing moments that I’ve been able to experience with him. His (Blake’s) first championship was really amazing. But I think something that brought so much excitement to me personally was his 450 outdoor season last year in 2017 where he was able to get the Red Plate. Even though he lost it because of his thumb injury, obtaining it just seemed so much more special than it has in the past for some reason. What is one bit of advice you have for new Moto wives? One thing that I really think is hard to do but has helped me maintain my sanity is keeping to ourselves. This industry can be very harsh at times and I think when you keep your circle small, it’s a really good thing. You find that there are really amazing people in this industry that really have been a great additive to our inner circle, so you have to just keep it tight and keep those that you trust most close to you. Keeping positive energy around you and always keeping it fun is just the best advice I can give. How do you still maintain your own identity other than just being “Blake Baggett’s wife?” That was for sure something I struggled with for a little while. You make sacrifices for the one you love and one of them is putting everything that you have inside of you into them. I think as long as you just realize that you’re gaining a new identity and still finding ways to keep yourself happy and entertained with things that you love. It’s just a new identity. I think sometimes a lot of girls or girlfriends or wives feel like they’ve lost it, but really, it’s just part of a new world. How do you like to spend your time when it’s not race weekend? At the beach, 100%. We are in Florida in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of farm town and when we’re in California, we’re inland – it’s just nice to sneak away to a really nice beach for a couple of days. If we can take the dogs, even better. For me personally, I would lay on the beach for four hours with a book and be perfectly happy.
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Brittney Osborne Rider: Zach Osborne Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing What is the most challenging part about being a wife to a professional racer? Zach and I have been traveling the world and pursuing his professional career together for at least twelve years now, so we’ve faced a number of different challenges throughout that time including financial struggles, injuries, and emotional lows to name a few. At this point in my life, though, now that I’m both a wife to a professional racer and a mom, the most challenging part for me is coming home every Sunday exhausted after a hectic weekend of traveling, racing, and little sleep, and still having to unpack, do laundry, get groceries, put dinner on the table, and take care of a 3-year-old before the work grind resumes on Monday morning.
“Our daughter does a great job of keeping me occupied on race days (and everyday), which helps keep my anxiety at bay.”
How do you mitigate any anxiety you’re feeling on race day? I have all the confidence in the world in my husband’s skills, but there are so many variables that go into a race day that cause me to be nervous. There are so many things beyond his control including the bike, the track, and other riders, and my ultimate goal at the end of every race day is for my husband to make it home safely. Our daughter does a great job of keeping me occupied on race days (and everyday), which helps keep my anxiety at bay. You spend so much time supporting your husband on his racing journey, but who do you turn to for support? No one is more aware of the sacrifices that Emory and I make than my husband, and he is really ap-
preciative and supportive of me in return. We both say that marriage is a give and give—both of us give 100% to each other and it works. And then my best friend, Holly, is the wife of Jason Anderson’s mechanic and she’s a mom as well, so she really understands the challenges and always encourages me. Our lifestyle is difficult to understand if you’re not inside the industry, so a lot of my friendships are within this community. Favourite racing memory? We have had so many amazing experiences and have made so many memories together on this journey, but if I had to choose my absolute favourite it would be the east coast supercross championship last year. That elusive first championship seemed so far out of reach at many times throughout our relationship, and I’ve witnessed him sacrifice so much over the years, so it was so rewarding for me to see him celebrate that moment. Having our daughter there with us was just magical! What is one bit of advice you have for new Moto wives? My favourite quote is, “Bloom where you are planted.” Early in our marriage I found myself longing for stability and “roots” if you will. I wanted to settle down in one place and raise our family. I have since learned to just make the most of every opportunity and I know that every season of life teaches us something and helps us grow. My advice is just enjoy the journey and embrace every season. How do you still maintain your own identity other than just being “Zach Osborne’s wife?” I love being Zach’s wife and Emory’s mom more than anything, but I do try to make time to connect with friends and my mom and indulge in some self care. How do you like to spend your time when it’s not race weekend? When we aren’t traveling, I’m a homebody! We spend so much time on the road that I just love to be home whenever I get the chance. If we go anywhere, it is normally to my parents’ house just two hours away where we visit my parents and my brother, sister-inlaw, and niece.
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You spend so much time supporting your husband on his racing journey, but who do you turn to for support? Probably Christian. We’re pretty much each other’s backbone. I don’t really complain to anyone else. If I’m stressed out, he sees it. There is no one else who can read me like he can and vice versa. I really am good at holding things in, so a lot of times I help myself out because I don’ t want to put stress on him, especially during the race season, but it’s pretty easy for him to tell. So, I’ve just learned to work out my own anxiety issues by myself so I don’t make him anxious about my issues. Favourite racing memory? When Christian won (Arizona 2016), that’s probably the best one. I wish Jagger would’ve been there for that one that night, but it’s definitely the favourite. This year when he won the Heat Race in Daytona, that was good. There are a bunch of good ones, but his win will stand out until he gets another one.
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Paige Craig Rider: Christian Craig Team Honda HRC What is the most challenging part about being a wife to a professional racer? The hardest part is probably controlling the mental side. Injuries are one thing, and obviously it’s tough on him because he’s not racing. But when everything is going right, his diet is good, his training is going well, everything is going right, and then the one thing that’s not ticked right in his head is the hardest thing because it’s the one thing I can’t fix. I can bring him his ice packs and bring him his food and make him is protein shakes and do anything that he needs me to, but that’s the one thing I can’t fix. He has a mental coach; he works his butt off on it, but if he’s not feeling it in a day, there’s literally nothing anyone can do besides himself, so that’s the hardest thing for me.
What is one bit of advice you have for new Moto wives? Probably to try to be as positive and supportive as you can. Even though we all have moments, like if he gets 16th you’re pissed. I mean, I devote my whole life to this too. He gets off the track and he’s mad that he got 16th, but 10 minutes ago he could’ve fixed that if you put your head in the right place so I’ll get into coach mode. We have a pretty good balance that I can be like that, and then I know when to shut my mouth and not say anything. Just figure out your balance. Some guys need only support and some guys need tough love, so just figure out what works for them because at the end of the day they need to be in a good mindset.
How do you still maintain your own identity other than just being “Christian’s wife?” Probably through being a mom. That’s a hard question. I feel like my life is his life and his life is my life and we’re all pretty connected, so probably just through being a mom. You are in a unique position compared to some wives in that you’re not only a moto wife but you also work for GEICO Honda, and you’re a mom. How do you balance those roles while also still supporting Christian? I’ve worked with GEICO since I was around 13. When Facebook first came out, I asked my dad, “Do you care if I make one of these Facebook pages for your race team?” So, it started out like that. It’s been pretty easy because the fan base sort of just came to it so I didn’t have to work too hard for it. I honestly don’t feel like I have to work hard for it in general because the fans are so intrigued to the racing life. But I probably slack a little bit when Christian is racing because I have other things to think about, but no one ever complains and I just do what I’ve always done. How do you like to spend your time when it’s not race weekend? We do a crap-ton of stuff! Literally on Wednesdays when Christian is supposed to ride a road bike and rest, we do a road bike and then take Jagger to do something fun. An off-weekends we’ll usually drive to somewhere and do a staycation and not relax at all when we probably should. So basically, just family time – it’s the best!
How do you mitigate any anxiety you’re feeling on race day? I used to be way worse before we had Jagger because it was just Christian and me. I’m super involved in his career, so whatever he feels, I feel, and I just worry about him constantly. But when we had Jagger, it became “whatever Christian does tonight, he’s still going to go home and be a dad.” In Indiana, he got 16th and were so bummed because that’s not where he should be and we don’t work this hard to get 16th. But then we go back to our hotel room and Jagger is there and we know we’ve got next week.
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Mathilde Musquin
the
Unsung Heroes OF SUPERCROSS
Brandi Bowers
Ellie Reed
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hese days, with bikes being so very complicated, riders need all the set-up help they can get. Mike Parliament of MP1 Suspension has been helping riders set up their suspension for years. His experience and innovated approach to making today’s bikes work better on the race track is top notch. Also, being a rider himself, he has a great ability to know what his riders are trying to say to him, and then taking that information and getting their suspension just right. For this month’s industry profile, we caught up with Mike from MP1 Suspension to see how his 2018 has been going thus far.
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MXP: Hey Mike, how is everything going these days? MP1: Things are going really well! Busy... which is great! MXP: Before we get into what is new, can you give us a little background info. Where are you originally from and how long have you been involved in motocross? MP1: I’m originally from Mississauga. I got started in motocross when I was around 15-years-old. A buddy’s brother was into it and he quickly caught the bug as well. I worked and saved up all my money to buy my first bike. There were no nearby tracks where I lived, and I didn’t have a truck or trailer so I would push my bike to the nearest place to ride and ride as much as I could get in before dark. MXP: Sounds like you have a pretty cool story. So, did you have to learn how to do stuff for yourself right from the start? MP1: Definitely, I had to do the majority of my bike repairs myself. I am self taught, I like to figure how things work and why it is the way it is. I spent a lot of time researching things (without the internet, it was a lot tougher). As I got older, I was fortunate to meet some influential people that I was able to mentor. From there it just grew and I became more and more interested in racing and decided to open my own shop. I started with bike repairs and mods, then started getting interested in suspension. I find it really interesting how it is so scientific and data focused, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what the data says a rider should be running, the rider decides and can constantly change under different circumstances. MXP: Growing up, who were some of the riders you looked up to and followed? MP1: Back when I first started racing I didn’t really follow anyone in particular. I just loved good racing. Jeff Surwall, Leno Zecca, Bill Wallin, Ross Pederson, Doug Dehaan, and you, actually. It’s still kind of funny how I line up and race with some of these riders. MXP: How did you make the transition from racing to doing suspension? MP1: I was like a lot of riders. I didn’t really do anything to my suspension at first. I honestly didn’t think much of it for many years. Then I met some riders that tried to explain the importance of it. When I
MXP Chatter with
mike parliament
WORDS BY CHRIS POMEROY
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started trying stuff myself, I thought ”Wow! This works! Cool!” Then I began what would become my hunger to learn more about it. MXP: When did you begin to do suspension full time? Mp1: I began focusing more on suspension and less on engine work in 2013. I still do engine work and all bike repairs but I prefer working on suspension. MXP: Over the years, suspension has changed so much. What are some of the big changes you’ve seen? MB1: The biggest change would have to be bringing air forks out. Now you see them on the way out again. MXP: Is there one or two things that you think the manufacturers could do better with their stock suspension? MB1: Sometimes I wonder if they think about the process of getting the shock out for service (lol), or to even be able to access the shock collars to set sag. MXP: What do you find is the most common thing riders need when they bring their suspension to you? MB1: Outside of the normal stuff like forks leaking, most people ask to have their bike set up for their weight, but in many cases, they aren’t really sure what that means. Sometimes it takes me asking questions and trying to pull some information out of them about what the bike is doing or not doing. Once we are on the same page, we can figure out what’s best for the individual.
MXP: What do you think is the next big thing with regards to suspension? MB1: I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw suspension equipped with more external adjustments or self tuning somehow. That would limit the need for guys like me. I’m not sure, there is always new and exciting stuff on the horizon. MXP: Where is your shop and how would someone contact you? MB1: The shop is located a few minutes south of Tillsonburg, 72 Colonel Talbot Rd, RR6 Tillsonburg N4G 4G9. There is a map on our website - www.MP1Suspension.com. Phone 226-270-2785
MB1: Yes, we will be at some of the Nationals both days, Walton for the week, and possibly the races in Quebec. MXP: Final question, what did you think of the SX season? MB1: It was quite the season! I am a bit torn with how things went down. It was open season for everyone, and the top guys dropped like flies. Sometimes I feel the tracks are too technical, but at other times it’s like the riders are making them technical by trying things that you’d see in a video game. There are some crazy fast guys, for sure, but I think it will be a while before we see a multi-year champ like Dungey or Villipoto.
MXP: Will you be at all of the big races this summer in Ontario?
MXP Chatter with
mike parliament
MXP: You offer full service suspension work as well as race track support, correct? MB1: We offer full suspension work at our shop and at the track. I try to go to a race each weekend with my truck, which is fully equipped to do everything from change leaking seals to re-valving. I obviously can’t stock everything in my truck so what I can’t do at the track I can take home, do the job, then deliver it back to the rider at the next race. I also offer a super easy shipping service, which I can even provide the box and packing for. You just put your suspension in the box and ship it me. I service it and ship it back. I get sets from all over Canada MXP: You’ve obviously dealt with a lot of top riders over the years, which rider has been the most in tune with what their suspension is doing? MB1: Yes, I have worked with a few, but to be honest most can feel something isn’t quite right for their style and we end up having a conversation about the situation. We make a correction based on our combined input. MXP: You still ride and you have a son that rides as well. That is very cool. MB1: I still ride., but not as much as I’d like to sometimes but it’s great that I’m still able to do. My son, Tyson, rides too, and it’s great to see a lot of the guys I rode with or knew in my early racing days still out there with their families. It’s fun to sit around the fire and tell stories about the old tracks and the “good ol’ days.”
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ROYAL DISTRIBUTING PRESENTS UN
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IS
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T HE UP A ND COMING R IDE R OF T HE MON T H
TRISTAN DARES By Austin Watling / Photos by Heather Davison Greig
Ontario 85cc rider Tristan Dares has been one of the most popular kids in the paddock since he started racing. First, there was the long curly hair that made everyone envious, then there was the pet racoon that he used to carry around. For an entire race season, that racoon was the talk of the pits! Now, at twelve-yearsold, Tristan has short hair and currently no pets at the races. However, the one thing that has remained the same is that he’s still a threat to win every single weekend. For this segment of Young and on the Rise, we take a look at one of the nicest kids at the track, Tristan Dares.
MXP: First off Tristan, can you tell us how old you are and where you currently call home? TD: Sure Austin, I turned twelve
in February. My Mom, my sister and I live in the beautiful town of Rockwood, just east of Guelph, Ontario. I live in the house that I was born in which is pretty cool. My Mom is a veterinarian so our family includes many pets.
MXP: That is a nice area of Ontario. When did you start riding? TD: I started in my backyard on
a Honda 70 five years ago. The next Christmas I got my first KTM65 and I was hooked! We were not a motocross family so learning all about it was tough... especially for my Mom.
MXP: Do you remember your first race? TD: My first race was on a
quad at Gopher Dunes. I was so scared on the line but I won anyway. My first bike race was in the 65B class on the old mini track at Motopark. We weren’t very fast. The winner was the one that fell the least. My friends cheered when another rider tipped over (very unsportsmanlike !!) I finished second and was very excited.
MXP: I think I remember that race, actually. Obviously, you haven’t been racing for that long but do you have some favourite riders already? TD: That’s a tough question.
There are so many local riders that have inspired me including Watling, Canella and Ward. I
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love watching Jake Tricco ride, he is so fast and smooth. I love how he gets sideways off almost every jump. On a pro level I like Musquin. He is stylish and determined to get the win. Then of course there is Ronnie Mac! I actually chopped the fenders off my Honda 70 with a hacksaw so I would be like him!
MXP: That’s funny, Ronnie Mac is definitely a legend already. Can you tell us how your 2017 race season went? TD: It was a really muddy
season so I learnt to ride in some pretty rough conditions. We went to the Deschambault National. It rained a lot but I managed a third in the 85 class in very sloppy conditions. It was my first National podium and it was so much fun.
MXP: It did seem to rain a lot last year didn’t it. Sometimes, though, it’s good practice to ride in adverse conditions. Motocross racers and winter usually don’t get along. What things do you do in winter to stay active and entertained? TD: I like skiing and skating,
and I love ice fishing. I have been lucky to train in Florida and Atlanta during the past two winters. That makes winter easier to take. We didn’t have a lot of time but it was still a blast.
MXP: What is your favourite thing to do other than riding dirt bikes? TD: I love driving my field car,
an old 5 speed Subaru, and I really love fishing. Fishing is my peaceful place with no worries. I love to be by the water and I love the anticipation of catching “the big one”. Oh, I didn’t mention FORTNIGHT, because it’s a “thing” right now.
MXP: What is it with you kids? Bottle flipping, Fortnight, there is always something cool that catches on quickly. Do you have a favourite track right now? TD: I really like Gopher
Dunes because it is the most physically demanding. I also love the corners because you
can hit them wide open. A close second would be Motopark (North). It is more technical than Gopher but I love the layout and the big jumps.
MXP: Let’s talk about school for a minute. What grade are you and what is your favourite subject? TD: I am in Grade 6, and my
favourite subject is definitely RECESS. I enjoy playing sports with my friends and flirting with the girls. I do enjoy science and I’m pretty good at it. Math would be the next choice.
MXP: It’s too bad that recess and talking to girls aren’t school subjects, but we appreciate your honesty. What are your plans for the rest of 2018? TD: My plans are well underway
as I was privileged to ride the Jetwerx AX series in BC, Calgary, Sarnia and Barrie. I had only ridden arenacross once so I was a little nervous, but I managed many wins and had a great time. For motocross, I will try the OPC series as well as the Walton, Deschambault, and Gopher Nationals. My plan
is to win or at least podium at every race.
MXP: It sounds like you have a very busy summer ahead of you Tristan. Okay, here is your final question. Who would you like to thank for helping you out? TD: Firstly, my Mom and sister
who travel and support me in Motocross. They have given up a lot to help me with my dreams. My teenage friends Luke Shaw, Braydon Orpana, Kolby Gammie and Greg Rovers have taught me the basics of riding and made it so much fun. I would also like to thank some of the excellent trainers I have been lucky to work with, MPA, and most recently MX Schools and Moto X Compound. I can’t forget Tonelli Powersports who keep my bikes running. I am proud to be part of Team Holeshot Motosports and I would like to thank Mark Booker, Team Holeshot and all of my teammates, and the associated sponsors for their support. Finally, I would like to thank you and MXP magazine for the opportunity for this interview!
“I LIKE SKIING AND SKATING, AND I LOVE ICE FISHING. I HAVE BEEN LUCKY TO TRAIN IN FLORIDA AND ATLANTA DURING THE PAST TWO WINTERS.”
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THE MENTAL SIDE
W I T H S E A N P O I T R A S / P H O T O S B Y J A M E S L I S S I M O R E
PRESSURE COOKER ne of the most challenging aspects of any sport or performance can be reaching your optimal performance potential under pressure. The concept of high stakes competition can create a sense of heightened cognitive-emotional awareness and symptoms. These may include sensations such as increased heart rate, nausea, trembles, muscle tension, perspiration, lack of coordination and self-doubt. These sensations occur because our bodies are entering our Fight or Flight Mode, just a few gears down from Beast Mode. One of these symptoms, however, is not like the others. Unlike the rest of them, our self-doubt is something that we do have control over. Paying attention to the language we use to describe these finer points of our performance is something I find enlightening. For example, the highpressure situations in sport are constantly described as such a burden. We call it performance UNDER pressure “PUP,” or we say we must OVERCOME the pressure as if we are submerged or buried underneath the heavy weight of the important situation and must fight against it like an enemy. It has been suggested by a great
O
former Olympian that under pressure, use tends to set the tone for how we an athlete can perform 15-20% better think and feel about the issues at hand. or worse. The difference is in how you The things we say to others, but more perceive the environment and the situimportantly the things we say to ouration. To start, we can change the way selves can dictate how we will respond we speak about the pressure we feel once we are faced with the difficult sitleading up to and during a big perforuation in competition. The first step to mance. I have coined the term “POP” training your self-talk is to know what which stands for Performance ON you are already saying to yourself, both Pressure, as a way to facilitate more in training and in competition. Pay control over the situation. Canadian attention to the words you use, both Basketball Coach and Hall of Famer negative and positive statements, and Jack Donohue described it best when write them down. Once you start to he said, “It’s not a case of getting rid notice the patterns, make the approof the butterflies, it’s a question of priate adjustments to those negative getting them to fly in formation.” The statements. For example, “I can’t keep unique cocktail of the cognitive emoup,” replaced with “I will keep up.” tional and physiological changes of Every time you catch yourself using energy that occurs during a perceived the old negative statements, see how high-pressure situation is something long it takes you to recognize it and that can be embraced and utilized to make the correction. The amount of help achieve that 15-20% optimized time it takes should shorten as you beperformance. In a sense, this turns the come more aware, and eventually the feeling of high pressure into a perforpositive statements will overtake your mance enhancer, thus POP. thought patterns completely. Positive There are a few key points to help self-talk combined with the re-framing with altering how we perceive pressure language you can use when referring before a big race or event, as well as to the different pressures and doubts how we can better control how we can change your entire perspective of respond to it. Applying these stratehow you perceive gies to your own current training regithe different chalment or game plan can help lenges of competichange the way you look tion. at and feel towards the E IQU high-pressure situations TRUST E UN L OF H T “ I you face in competition. There is a very A T E K thin line between COC OGNITIV D N C SELF TALK trust and confiTHE IONAL A L As we have discussed dence. I have found T A O C EM IOLOGI already, the language we that everyone S tends to have a PHY GES OF N T A unique interpreA H H C GY T RING tation of both R E N U E SD constructs when R U OCC CEIVED E referring to their R R training or comA PE PRESSU petition. We can H S G HI ION I mostly agree that T A U SIT THING there is something E that differentiates SOM CAN BE D N the two, as many T A A H D T CE P have reported that A L E R EMB ED TO H 15one cannot fully Z I exist without the UTIL VE THAT D IE other. With this in E H Z I C A PTIM NCE.” mind, I have found O % 20 ORMA that building trust in one’s training PERF and abilities can lead to more overall confidence and less doubt in a high-
pressure situation. The next question should be, what is the best way to develop trust in my training and my abilities? The best approach I can suggest is to identify how you have built trust in other skills and relationships in your life. Some common pillars include familiarity, the recognizable routines, patterns and structure of a task or performance. It is for this reason that veterans of any sport are given the edge. Comfort is another factor, referring to the natural flow and ease of the performance. And finally, reliability or past experiences, which have shaped your skill sets and highlighted your strengths and areas for improvement. VISUALIZATION Our minds are capable of creating our own highlight reel or video part consisting of both events that have happened in our reality as well as those events that have yet to happen. This is a valuable tool, as we can use it to help develop the two pillars of trust as well as practice our self-talk and changes in perspective. You can become more familiar with the situation and environment leading up to an important event. You can feel more comfortable with your game plan and abilities, creating the sense that you have already done this before. You can also re-live all of the past performances that have led you to this next point and recognize what you did well and areas you want to strengthen or correct going into the next performance. The key to a powerful visualization is your ability to recreate your reality in your mind. For us, our reality is made up by our five senses (sight, smell, taste, touch and sound) and our sixth sense is our emotions. Integrating all of the necessary senses into your visualization and including your desired emotional state for the situation or performance will create a reality that can be just as effective as physically training out on the track. Consider some of these mental game strategies when preparing for your next big event. I assist athletes and performers of all kinds overcome the pressures of their competition. The goal of my clinic, Focus North Performance, is to help develop and strengthen what I define as FOCUS. I help my athletes build a more functional and optimal concentration under stress.
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W I T H D R E W R O B E R T S O N
UNSTABLE SURFACES tanding on a BOSU ball, balance disc, wobble board or various other training aids, everywhere you look on social media you see motocross athletes using these various tools to train with. These devices have been around for a while. Are they helping us get better as athletes? Let’s look at some of the research and see what we can come up with. People promoting the use of unstable surface training devices often refer to and use terms such as functional balance training, saying that by training with these devices it will enhance the neuromuscular training effect and help to prevent injury. Complex movement patterns require a combination of stability and mobility, and since most traditional strength and conditioning programs are performed on stable surfaces it would be ideal to add unstable surface training. There is a lot of science in terms of studies that show balance disks and other unstable services devices do help the body rehab from injury. For instance, studies have found that 12 weeks of wobble board training following a Stage 2 ankle sprain significantly reduces an injury recurrence rate compared with no training. Without delving into a whole lot of science and explain how our bodies respond to standing on unstable surfaces, understand that proprioception is in fact important. Proprioceptive training improves the efficiency of afferent feedback, helping to attain functional limb control and neuromuscular access to the muscles surrounding the joint or joints involved. We want to reduce the latency period before muscle activity thus providing faster stiffening of joint complexes, preventing them from getting into a position where a muscle or tendon might tear. For example, one of the best ways to prevent an ankle injury is to teach the peroneals to fire quickly. If you have stood on a BOSU ball, for instance, you can feel the muscles of the lower leg firing quickly to help keep you upright, but my question is, are they firing powerfully?
S
IN LUE A V BLE RE IS “THE E UNSTAINING THESACE TRAING, F SUR , BUT TIM S AID RMS OF SIGN, IN TE RAM DEOF G PRO ENTAGEED TO C PER OMPAR NGTH, C USE LE STRE C MUS ER, AND RANCE W PO ER ENDU EY.” K POW ING, IS N I TRA
Power is the ability to produce force quickly.
Would you be able to jump as high from a BOSU ball as from the ground? Would you be able to jump onto a BOSU ball and jump as high compared to jumping on a box of similar height? These two examples involved power production and the ability to redirect power. In Motocross, being able to produce power keeps the bike underneath you, and keeps your knees in alignment preventing injuries, for example. There is value in these unstable surface training aids, but timing, in terms of program design, percentage of use compared to muscle strength, power, and power endurance training, is key. If you’re off-season training early, include some unstable surface training like BOSU ball squats on both sides of the BOSU ball. With the flat side down, do lateral and linear jumps on to the top of the rounded part, being wary of how far you jump when first starting out. You could do some dumbbell chest
press work with your back on a stability ball, or seated DB shoulder presses on a stability ball. A great exercise for your hamstrings is Stability Ball Hamstring Curls early in the off-season. After the first week or so, progress to single leg exercises like step-ups, Bulgarian split squats/ Isometric holds, and DB reverse lunges from the ground and from an elevated surface. You can use a barbell in both the front squat and back squat position for reverse lunges. Do lunges using your body weight at first, then use dumbbells held by your side, then a barbell overhead with the final progression being a one-arm overhead hold DB lunge. Doing anything overhead comprises a considerable stability challenge at multiple joints. A final note, don’t go throwing out all the stability balls, BOSU balls or wobble boards. There is a time and place for these devices, but don’t look to these devices to make up the majority of your training.
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THE INSIDE LINE P H OT O
BY
JA M E S
WITH ANDY WHITE BROUGHT TO YOU BY
L I S S I M O R E
LET THE FUN BEGIN last! The summer is finally here and that means outdoor MX is just around the corner. The new MRC schedule has me pretty excited with three new tracks on the schedule. This year the schedule gets started early and there are a few more breaks over the course of the series. Also, to note, there is one less round this year too. This means I have an extra weekend at home to relax or actually go riding with friends. The three new tracks will be interesting as only one of them we are familiar with when the track was on the circuit a few years ago. Sand Del Lee is located in the Ottawa region and it has been around since about 1978. I first went to it in 1981, and for some reason I feel like there was way more sand back then but I could be wrong. The Royal Distributing Yamaha FXR team calls that track home. The guys steering the team ship, Kevin and Johnny, run a great program. If you’re looking to learn how to ride a dirt bike for the first time, give them a call and they will get you a four-stroke Yamaha to try out. They range in sizes from 70cc to 250cc. If you are looking to put in some serious laps they have the right track for you too. It’s a sandy base with some clay in the wooded area. The Popkum track in BC is another new location on the circuit that has been around for a few years as well. They are supported by Honda and offer the same program as the guys in Ottawa. This track is a little harder packed and is nestled in the woods. It’s going to be interesting to see what the Jetwerx guys do with this track to bring it up to national standards. Now the third track is brand new for me. This one is located in Manitoba just north of Brandon. All
AT
I really know is that the family that own it are full-on moto, and it’s been around for many years. I have heard that this will be a good national track with lots to challenge the pro riders with. At the end of the day all I want to see is exciting racing on tracks that can challenge the riders. Plus, I like it when the tracks get rough, and I’m sure there will be plenty of that. The nationals will now be on Saturdays with amateurs running on Sundays for every round except Deschambault. The famed Quebec track will, of course, have its annual ECAN. The amateurs will run from Wednesday to Saturday and the pros will race Sunday. Now is this going to be better than the past program? I guess time will only tell. My gut feeling is that it will be better. It’s pretty standard because every amateur rider races on Sunday anyways so that does not change. The pro riders will now set up on Friday and race Saturday. If there are any pro riders that want to stay the night, they can actually race the vet class on
Sunday if they feel they need to work on set up or just want to race. I think the biggest winner for this change in the weekend format will be the spectators. They are looking for fun events to attend on Saturday. Sunday is usually reserved for family day or getting things ready for the upcoming week. New for 2018 will be that the Ladies’ class will race on the same day as the pros. I like that idea. Now we get six exciting motos to watch on Saturday. I sure hope the ladies are in shape because now they will be racing on a much rougher track than in the past. The team line ups will see most of the top riders on the same teams as the past year except a few guys. Here is a list of what has changed for 2018. The Huber Motorsports Honda team is now the Monster Kawasaki race team. So, Tyler Medaglia and Mike Alessi are the 450 guys. Their 250 rider is number one plate holder from 2018, Shawn Maffenbeier. The MX101 team is now called the Royal Distributing Yamaha FXR race team. They re-
placed Maffenbeier with a rookie that has been turning heads the past few years. Marco Canella joined the team in the fall and was looking great during his debut at the Rockstar Triple Crown AX Tour rounds. The other two team members are Jess Pettis and Hayden Halstead. Honda’s factory team is unchanged for the 2018 year. They have Colton Facciotti and Dylan Wright and will be supported by Fox Racing. KTM Canada signed on Red Bull as their title sponsor for 2018, and that’s going to help with their budget. Cole Thompson now moves up to the big bike class and replacing him in the Lites class is Tanner Ward. Kaven Benoit is back after missing a few rounds late last year. Yamaha OTSFF has number one plate holder in the 450 class Matt Goerke. New to the team is Dylan Epstein who had an up and down 2017 series on his Kawasaki Nut Up program. Husqvarna, who had Pourcel for 2017, will only have a few support riders this year. Redemption Racing is back and has two very fast Lites ridE K TH ers. Josh Osby, who has N I H turned heads this past “I T EST G R winter racing superG I O B ER F GE cross, will be a tough N N I W CHAN competitor. His teammate is Joey Crown, who THIS E is no stranger to Canada, IN TH END has raced Walton many K E WE AT times over the years. M New for 2018 is the FOR BE THE . Sky Honda Holeshot L S L I R W TATO FXR race program with SPEC ARE Cade Clason and Jared Petruska with Team THEY ING K Manager and Owner, LOO FUN Canadian Champion Al FOR TS TO Dyck. N Like I said, 2018 is EVE ND ON looking to be great, with E T ” . AT RDAY three new tracks and a U T SA few new faces. I hope you get a chance to attend a national in your area this coming summer and see what the new series has to offer. See you at the races.
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