Frankly Speaking | Frank Wood

The Path We Choose

It was a often-followed and well-worn path. I speak of the path that racers Cal Rayborn and Kenny Roberts followed, the same route that Michel Mercier and Jon Cornwell took; the on-ramp to successful road racing from dirt track. In the late 1970s and through the ‘80s it was the norm; these days, not so much.

Today, the future stars of road racing are coming from the mini road racing schools around the world and exemplified here in Canada by Toni Sharpless’ Super Sonic Mini SBK series and school. Toni herself took the old route, coming from success on dirt ovals to even more success on asphalt, her accomplishments enough to secure a place in the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame along with another dirt tracker turned road racer Michel Mercier.

Where Toni’s school and series has the advantage is that the future stars are starting very young and are taught skills that become ‘muscle memory’ and will last a lifetime. It is the new path and while the old way isn’t getting much use, it’s still there and still works; enter dirt track racer Boyd Deadman.

Deadman has been under observation for some time now as a dirt track racer. Flat Track Canada series announcer Todd Vallee has watched him compete since day 1. “Ever since he was riding 50 cc bikes, Boyd has been one of the smoothest riders around and has a focus of where he wants to go, coming out of turn 2 he is already zoomed in on turns 3 and 4. He’s smart.”

In a 16-race series, in which he only competed in eight, Deadman placed third at year end, that was 2011. The following year he won a trials event as well as an indoor motocross and placed second in the PW50 Yamaha class in flat track. In 2013 he won the Paris short track regional series in the 50 cc division and was voted the Most Promising Rider. The promise continued into the ‘14 season as he won both the 65 cc and 85 cc class championships in the Paris regional series and took second in both classes in the national championships. The roll continued into the next season and a move into the 250 cc division where a third at year end awaited him along with a second in the 85 cc class on the national level and another regional championship in both classes. A breakthrough arrived in 2016 as Deadman netted his first national championship in the 85 cc class and came very close in the 250 Junior class as well settling for second at season’s end. He followed that with domination of those same two classes in the regional races of 2017.

The big bikes awaited Boyd for 2018 and the challenge of the much more powerful 450 cc singles that still dominate Flat Track Canada racing. His saddle time training on the lightweight bikes paid huge dividends for Deadman as he piloted the 450 to a Novice national championship, capturing Rookie of the Year award along the way. That Rookie of the Year was also available in the Intermediate class for 2019 and Deadman won that by virtue of a national rank fourth place in the Open class and fifth in DTX.

His 2020 season put on hold (COVID), Boyd concentrated his efforts on personal training, paying for his KTM 450 race bike and set his goals for his sophomore season as an Intermediate. One of those goals was to capture another FTC national championship and once more his goal was accomplished creating a seamless transition into the Pro ranks. His greatest challenges yet await him in professional dirt track motorcycle racing and he is up to the challenge; proof positive was his third-place podium finish in his first race with the fastest at a recent FTC national at the Welland Speedway.

There may be more to tell than dirt track of Boyd Deadman in the near future. He may be on his way to a road race career as well. I got to see him at the FAST riding school this past May at Shannonville Motorsport Park and was very impressed. The smoothness that Todd Vallee referred to was in evidence, and will serve him well should he wish to continue. The instructors and riding coaches at FAST were suitably impressed and he left for home with the day’s Top Rider acknowledgement. With the adage ‘no substitute for saddle time’ Boyd is also getting said time participating in track days at Grand Bend Motorplex.

Mini road racing training was not available to him when Boyd Deadman started his motorcycle racing career and now of course he’s too big. He has to take and seems to be taking to the old path to success in road racing; start by being a really good dirt track racer, and just follow the path trodden by the likes of Cornwell, Mercier, Roberts, Mann, Rainey, Lawson, Schwantz, Spencer and many, many more. Yes Boyd, you can get there from here. IM

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