AMSA Spotlight

The global pandemic hasn’t stopped David from turning throttle on his 2021 Beta 430 RR.

PHOTO BY BRITTANY ELLENTHORPE.

Born in Oyama, BC, AMSA Off-Road rider David Amyotte moved to Calgary in his early 20s after travelling with some friends to the Calgary Stampede. The change of scenery didn’t matter much at that time because he was on the road often, as a heavy haul driver, moving heavy equipment all over North America. In his 30s Dave transitioned his career into motorsports and was able to pursue his passion for motorcycles personally and professionally.

Bikes were always a huge part of Dave’s life. Back home he started riding as a young kid borrowing his neighbour’s PW50. The first bike of his own was an old 80 that he bought with $500 he made from mowing lawns. At age 12, Dave started walking dogs for a veterinarian. It was his first “real” job and it allowed him to buy his first “real” bike, a YZ85. Dave laughs about the memory of blowing it up though: “My dad asked me to get smokes for him one morning before I went riding and I was mad so I ripped down the road in fifth gear pinned and blew the bottom end leaving the biggest skid mark you’ve ever seen.” Thankfully his dad helped him fix it and he was back on the gas.

Dave’s first brand new bike was a 1994 CR250. Ken Pople, who worked at the Vernon Yamaha dealership at the time, offered Dave the deal of a lifetime after months of frequenting the shop, staring at the bike. Not knowing Dave from a hole in the wall, Ken asked Dave if he had a chequing account. Thankfully he did and Ken told Dave the bike would be his if he would provide $1,000 cash plus his trade and the balance distributed over 14 prewritten cheques. Dave got a big fat $1000 bill and 14 cheques from the bank and secured the bike. Sadly, Ken passed away tragically when he struck a cable hung across a dirt bike trail in the late 1990s, but his memory hasn’t been forgotten.

It was after those years of ripping on his ‘94 CR250 that Dave started his life in Calgary. When he transitioned into the motorcycle industry, he started in outside sales for Cycleworks for several years. Then Cycleworks bought Seitzco and Dave went with them. During the transition to his current role, Dave also worked for a stint at a Harley dealership where his gained an entirely new perspective on customer management in the motorcycle industry. He realized that there needed to be balance between extraordinary customer service and personal life and that healthy boundaries could be (and needed to be) established. This shift helped him realize that mindset, personal value and self-confidence keep clients coming back and that networking drives the business.

During his years at various dealerships, Dave was passionate about street bike riding and racing. He spent most of his time

riding recreationally west of Calgary and in southern BC and hitting the pavement at Race City in Calgary, as well as tracks in Edmonton and Mission, BC. He rode several Suzuki GSX-R1000s and had one set up as a full race bike, one track day practice bike and one “stock-ish” street bike.

It wasn’t until he turned 37 that Dave set out to race dirt bikes. His first AMSA Off-Road race was at Porcupine Hills and it was snowing and raining, not unusual for May long weekend in the Rockies. In full MX fashion, Dave was decked out with a fresh new Fox kit, which was comical to his Pro AMSA OffRoad friends Jason Schrage and Nathan Knox who had suited up in garbage bags and duct tape, knowing exactly what was in store. That was Dave’s introduction to the XC world, and he stuck with it, achieving third in 30A that year in the AMSA OffRoad series. In the same year, Dave completed both the spring and fall series at the Wild Rose MX track and won the Vet Intermediate class. He topped that off with a trip to Glen Helen and walked away with sixth at the worlds in Vet Intermediate. “I had no idea what I was getting myself into at worlds,” Dave recollects, “my competition was full factory with mechanics and even the MX GP World Champion for women was competing in my class, and she dominated.”

When asked about the most admirable riders in the off-road series, Dave explained, “Schrage and Knox. It’s their massive determination to win. I find myself thinking about other things, but they have the ability to let it all go on the course. It’s awesome because we can still get out for regular fun rides, hill climbing and enjoying the ride and on the course, they are gone.”

Similarly, Dave shared his admiration of Charlie Johnston and Danika White, two MX riders he’s known for years. “They’ve got amazing talent and they both give back so much to the industry. You see them walk through the pits like rock stars in the community, and there they are on Saturday nights setting up BMX jumps. Just awesome people.” Dave highlighted that these two riders are true ambassadors of the sport, understanding the business relationship between industry and racers. “Sponsorship is not an entitlement, and it’s not necessarily about being fast. It’s about relationships, networking and building the community.”

Most recently, Dave was able to take up an opportunity of a lifetime as General Manager for Jack Carter Powersports South (JCPS). Incorporating his lessons learned with his passion for motorcycles and racing, Dave now has 32 people working at his shop offering a combined 400 years of motorcycle experience. “I have amazing, process-driven managers, the backing of Jack Carter, and my role is to drive the culture and vision and build a good team. It’s a dream come true.” Dave’s vision is that JCPS will be the base camp for adventures for his customers and staff.

Complimentary to Dave’s vision, Jack Carter Powersports South stepped up this year to be AMSA Off-Road’s title sponsor for the 2021 season. Stephen Foord, VP of AMSA Off-Road explains: “I’ve known Dave for about a decade. He treats everyone extremely well and has always been supportive of me and riders across all motorsport disciplines. He’s a very diverse rider whether MX, off-road, street biking or sledding. He’s one guy who has extensive knowledge of each discipline from experience and research he’s done. AMSA Off-Road is grateful for his support this year and we thank our riders and sponsors for their continued patience while we work through the challenges of COVID. Hopefully we will get past this soon and get back to racing.”

Jack Carter Powersports and David are proud to sponsor the AMSA Off-Road series.

PHOTO BY BRITTANY ELLENTHORPE.

David at the world championships in Glen Helen in 2016.

PHOTO BY PAT SHIPPIT.

Dave’s goal is to secure top five in Vet Master on his 2021 Beta 430 RR. In addition, he will be battling it out in MX on this 2021 YZ450 where he also hopes to achieve a top five finish. His setup for off-road will include a suspension kit from TNT, Bibs, slightly cut down bars to accommodate bark busters, geared down sprockets, and fresh tires. Once set up for the season, you’ll find Dave living up to his motto: “Ride more dirt bikes and less YouTube.”

Dave’s riding goal for the season is to dial his circle wheelies and his long-term goal is to be awarded a World Vet Championship trophy, which he hopes to achieve once the borders open up and he’s able to travel south again.

All in all, 2021 is looking promising as business, racing, community are all coming together. “I want to be a better person and treat people better,” Dave explains, thinking about his industry contributions. Reminiscing, he recalls what a previous employer once said: “The only reason you’ve made it this far is because you work hard and you’re a good person.” “I’ll take it,” Dave laughs.

Dave would like to thank the Carter Group and JCPS family for making his dreams come true and all the amazing people he has been able to ride and race with over the years. IM