12.05 MXP Magazine

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HIGH EXPECTATIONS THE FRENCH DISCONNECTION ROCKSTAR STEPS IT UP!

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SHAWN

MAFFENBEIER MXoN

LIS SIMORE

PHOTO

THE SASKATCHEWAN TOUGH RIDER

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

JAMES

HIGH EXPECTATIONS THE FRENCH DISCONNECTION ROCKSTAR STEPS IT UP!

DEC 2013 · $4.95

MXPMAG.COM

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MX PERFORMANCE VOLUME 12 ISSUE 4

C ON T EN T S // VOL UME 1 2 - IS S UE 5

F E AT U R E S

OPEN MIC WITH

CAREY HART

42 THE SASKATCHEWAN TOUGH RIDER – Shawn Maffenbeier 48 SHOWDOWN IN THE FIELDS

Parts Canada TransCan 56 THEY ARRIVED IN A BOX 64 PASSING GRADE

A review of the MX1 and MX2 Pros 74 WEC Change is good...right?

82 TOUGH TIMES IN TUETSCHENTHAL 88 THE FRENCH DISCONNECTION 94 OPEN MIC WITH CAREY HART

Words from the Hart 102 INDUSTRY PROFILES GAMMA and SMITH 106 YOUNG AND ON THE RISE

Kennedy Lutz COLUMNS

30 STARTING POINT WITH BRETT LEE A Hard Look 32 GUEST COLUMNIST WITH MIKE MCGILL The Epic Duel 34 UPSHIFT WITH BRIAN KOSTER Fall 2013 108 HIGH OCTANE PERFORMANCE WITH CRAIG STEVENSON Protein Performance for Optimal Conditioning 110 EVOLVED NUTRITION WITH DREW ROBERTSON Green with Envy 112 ON THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR WITH MARC TRAVERS Preparation...How much is too much or when is enough, enough?

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18 EXPOSED 28 COC 35 BEHIND THE GATE 114 THE CLOSER

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18 MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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EXPOSED EXPLOSION Photo by: James Lissmore

2013 was a year of shock and awe for 15 year-old Dylan Wright.

He exploded into the National spotlight with a 3rd overall at Gopher Dunes, and at the Parts Canada TransCan, his style and battle with rival Weston Wrozyna was admired by all in attendance.

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EXPOSED THE KIDS Photo by: James Lissmore

Kaven Benoit is one of many Canadian Pro motocrossers that always takes time to chat with his fans, especially the kids. Maybe it is because he remembers what it was like to be a young motocrosser star-struck by a top Pro, or maybe it’s because he simply loves the opportunity to spend time with the fans. Whatever the reason, it is these types of moments that mean so much to the fans of our sport.

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H E AT Photo by: James Lissmore

Thirty minutes plus two laps can feel like an eternity during a national moto. Dirt pulls the moisture from your mouth and race gear wraps your body like a blanket in the hot summer sun. The physical demands of racing leaves you aching for rest and relief.

Topher Ingalls, among others, felt that pain and relief this summer in the hot motos of the National series.

EXPOSED

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MXPMAG.COM · MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE 23

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24 MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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EXPOSED F LY I N G H I G H Photo by: James Lissmore

Motocross has so many hero moments. Sailing through the air over a finish line with a big ‘M claw’ draped in the background, Teddy Maier enjoyed a lot of great moments in 2013, moments of elation and glory, and yes moments that made him a hero.

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P HO T O S BY M A RC L A NDRY A ND M X P S TA F F

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Top left: Kingsley is making sure his heart rate isn’t spiking before practice.

Left: Even though they had to deal with some issues in 2013, everyone on the team pulled together to make the best of it.

Above: Kawasaki invaded the Walton TransCan in full force with their bike giveaways and VIP area.

Bottom: Cole Thompson’s Dad was very happy to see his son back racing in Canada.

Bottom left: Mini Flippy asks politely for a spot under the Leading Edge tent in 2025.

28 MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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Left: Adam Turner and Kevin Tyler share some funny TDags stories.

Right: C4 Engines have won a lot of championships.

Far left: To the victors go the spoils!

Left: Leading Edge Kawasaki will need more than one red plate in 2014. Great season boys!

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

Left: Men have a very short window to be wanted.

Top Right: They say when you love each other, you start to look like each other.

Right: Hey Mom, why are you always taking photos?

MXPMAG.COM · MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE 29

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> STARTING POINT

>A HARD LOOK

BY BRETT LEE - PHOTO BY MARKUS JÜHNE

henever this country does poorly at an international competition in hockey, whether it’s the World Juniors or Olympics, we automatically take a hard, critical look at ourselves.

We should because we have high expectations of ourselves when it comes to hockey in this nation. In hockey, there is a large investment in the development and an immense amount of pride in how this country produces world class athletes. It isn’t a review of just the players, the coaches, the systems, or the tools we have that must be used to be the best. When Canada fell short of expectations at the 2013 Motocross of Nations, the entire industry needs to look at what it is that is preventing us from performing to our ability at the top level.

Development can never be a top down approach.

Canadian motocross has done a fair job at producing a pro national series and a handful of elite Amateur races, but we really do not have a supported path for young talent to develop against not only the best in Canada but the world.

This falls at the feet of everyone who carves a living out of Canadian motocross, me included. Nations in Europe and America both have well supported Amateur riders and good partnerships that allow elite Amateur access to the insides of Pro racing. The top Amateurs are showcased at elite Amateur events and pushed to attend Amateur World Championships. Long before US motocross star James Stewart lined up to race Pro motocross, he had

W

competed against the elite amateurs everywhere in the world. He trained with some of the best and experienced many aspects of professional motocross. It is a critical element of development to have the experience of racing at the top level before the weight of sponsors, and, in the case of Motocross of Nations, expectations of the country that falls on a rider’s shoulders.

That experience has to be supported. The very best amateur racers in this country need to be supported.

Allowing top amateurs access to the infrastructure of Pro racing, and creating programs to get top riders to large Canadian and US events is a program that needs to be laid out, along with attending World Junior Championships. To send riders to events like the Motocross of Nations as their first International experience is overwhelming. The size of the crowds, the intensity of the events, and the depth of the field affects the very best athlete’s confidence. Only experience overcomes this and experience at a young age is crucial to an athlete’s development. Our Canadian World Junior Hockey program is as much about development as it is competition. One week each year, the very best Juniorage players play under the pressure of a nation with the best in the world. It is a taste of the pressure and expectation that exists at the very top level. Motocross athletes in Canada need this type of experience. When the pressure at the highest level is placed upon them, they can draw from that experience.

Finally, we need to raise our standards because we have elite world class athletes in Canada. The equipment used by our top riders is the best it has ever been. If we are going to compete at the top and be prepared, it should not be taken lightly when we come up short of expectations. That is tough to deliver and tough to hear.

The truth is, just like how we hold our hockey heroes and national goals to a high standard, we need to do the same with our top athletes, coaches and leaders in motocross. If one day there are development programs that enable riders to represent our country, which includes providing the tools to succeed by mentors, coaches and with strong equipment, it is then fair to expect results that represent that commitment. This will be a change in attitude for all of us.

Racing in the world today is a team effort more than ever. So many programs exist that strive to create elite athletes. Without them, we are constantly chasing a moving target; a target that will take something from everyone to achieve to give the world a true taste of how good this country can be.

30 MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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> GUEST COLUMNIST

> THE EPIC DUEL WITH MIKE MCGILL - PHOTO BY KEN MILNER

ack in the ‘80s when I was an aspiring young moto-head we of course did not have access to all of the information that we do nowadays - no internet, etc. We didn’t know each rider’s every move up to the minute like we do now. In some ways I thought that was better. The riders were more like mythical superheroes than just the regular dudes we all know that they are today. The only info you would get was what you read in Motocross Action or Dirt Bike magazine and I have to admit that they did a great job in enhancing the mystique of the riders. The factory Honda duo of David Bailey and Johnny O’Mara were two of my faves from that era. Everything about those guys was on-point. They looked cool, and they had the wicked factory Hondas and great style. They were also in far better physical condition than almost all of the other riders. I remember reading that these two would participate and train for triathlon events in their spare time away from moto. Triathlon was pretty much a brand new sport back then and my interest was piqued.

Fast forward a whole bunch of years, these days I participate in as many triathlons as I do motocross races. In fact, on virtually every weekend of the summer, if our family is not at the motocross track then we can be found at a triathlon event somewhere. I even completed my first 70.3 Ironman distance race this past June at Mont Tremblant, PQ. It takes a lot of time and training to participate in these events and surprisingly it isn’t any cheaper than motocross, but the feeling of accomplishment after completing one of these races is no less satisfying than having a great day/ race out on the moto track.

One of my old racing buddies from back in the ‘80s just so happens to be a triathlete as well. Of course all Canadian moto fans know “Bigwave” Billy Rainford for his excellent coverage of all things that are Canadian moto for the directmotocross.com website. What a lot of you may not know however is that Bill was a top notch triathlete back in the day. Heck, he even qualified to race in the Hawaii Ironman World Championships in ‘96 and ‘97. Towing the line in Kona is nothing more than a pipe dream for most of us triathletes as it’s extremely hard to qualify, so the fact that Bill was able to do it twice just shows that the guy has definitely got some game. For the last few years I’ve been bugging Bill to dust off his old Speedo and come out and join me for a little friendly competition at one of the local triathlons. Usually he would just laugh it off and say he wasn’t in good enough shape anymore, which I knew was a lie, but I kept working on him and this year he accepted the challenge.

The 1st Annual Moto Media Triathlon Challenge was on!

I had no preconceived notion that I was going to beat Bill. The guy used to be a Pro for heaven sakes but that didn’t stop me from talking a little smack before the race.

I even issued a challenge on Twitter just to try to get into his head a little bit. I learned this from reading Ironman World Champion Chris McCormack’s book, “I’m here to win.” “Macca” is well known for the mind games he plays on his opponents so I figured I’d try that strategy on Bill.

I knew Bill was a very good cyclist and he never shuts up about how good his bike is so I figured that he would have

B

I had no preconceived notion that I was going to beat Bill. The guy used to be a Pro for heaven sakes but that didn’t stop me from talking a little smack before the race.”

me well covered on the bike portion. He’s a very strong runner as well so my only hope of victory was going to be to try to put enough distance between me and him on the swim so that if I came out of the water far enough ahead of him and then had the bike and run of my life, I might be able to hold him off. Hey, it doesn’t hurt to dream big, right? The only problem with this strategy is that he’s a pretty good swimmer as well so I was probably going to be hard pressed to even beat him out of the water.

I must say Bill was looking a little nervous as we met at the water’s edge prior to the horn going off to start our race, or “Epic Duel” as I was now calling it. For those of you who are not familiar with triathlon, the start of the race can be a very anxious time. A few hundred swimmers dash into the water as the gun goes off and it’s certainly not uncommon for other athletes to swim right over top of you, grab your legs or inadvertently smack you on the back of the head during the first few hundred meters.

Not unlike the start of a motocross race really. Sensing Bill’s apprehension, I did what any good friend would do in a situation such as this and offered him some friendly advice. “Just try to keep your head above the water,” I said. “And don’t forget to breathe,” I added, “and whatever you, do don’t have a panic attack in the water. That can really ruin your race experience.”

With that the horn sounded and we were off, and I have to say that I was feeling good on the swim right away. Upon completion of the 750 meter swim I exited the water. As I was getting my wetsuit off I noticed the Scott Foil Road Bike of one Mr. Bigwave Billy still sitting all alone on the rack in the transition area awaiting its rider. Excellent! My plan was coming together. I mounted my trusty Trek Speed Concept and set off on my 20km bike ride. However, I was only about 5km in when Billy came hammering past me. “BLAST!” I was hoping he was not going to catch me this quickly. Oh well, I’ve had plenty of hotshots blow past me on the bike before only to find myself re-passing them a couple of kilometers up the road. Sadly, that was not to be the case this time around. As I reached the 10km mark it looked like Bill had put a couple of minutes on me. My only hope now would be that he wouldn’t be able to run once he got off the bike as this does happen sometimes.

Unfortunately, as I entered the run course, my wife Jenn immediately let me know that Bill was waaaaay ahead of me. When I finally caught a glimpse of him he looked like a damned gazelle streaking down the road.

Oh well, the Moto Media Cup was not going to be mine today. I still felt good though and by my standards had a darn good race. I finished 11th out of 35 competitors in my age group and 78th out of 350 overall. Billy on the other hand finished 2nd in our age group and 17th overall. Nice race old friend. You should maybe think about doing this a little more often.

The 1st Annual Moto Media Triathlon Cup was a great time. Congratulations go out to Bigwave on a great race. Not too shabby for his first triathlon in fifteen years, and I for one can’t wait to give it another shot again next year.

32 MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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> UPSHIFT

> MELLOW FALL

BY BRIAN KOSTER

t’s been a pretty mellow fall for me since the Monster Energy MX Nationals and the Trans Can at Walton came to an end. The Nationals were great this year with not one rainy weekend, and to have a guy like Brett Metcalfe up here was a real treat. I watched a few of the rounds on SportsNet; the show was given some pretty excellent time slots this season. I feel the production team has the show looking quite polished with some great imagery and graphics, but as always I would like to see more cameras (okay, maybe one more) for the crew to work with as it would capture more action and make life in the editing suite much easier for Marc Travers and company. The MX of Nations was also a big highlight for moto fans. Canada had a great line up of riders and support in Germany.

Walton was a blast as always and I have to take my hat off to everyone involved with the event this year.

I thought there was an awesome vibe around the track all week, and the security was respectful and mellow, which I know means a lot to the regulars who know how to handle such festivities. Oh, the fireworks and the concert was a nice touch! The amateur racing was fast and furious and really fun to watch. It’s nice to see so much talent congregate at Walton.

Watching the Nationals on TV always seems more satisfying to me versus watching the discs that myself, the crew and the teams are privy to. I like to see the industry commercials because it just seems more “for real”, if that makes any sense. After thirteen years in the booth with Travers, sometimes I forget it’s even us announcing the play by play. I just zone that part out and become a super fan of the sport we love so much. Of course I’m usually quite critical of myself and always seem to find something dumb I said on any given broadcast, but I suppose to keep it fun and interesting risks are taken. My biggest pet peeve about myself this season was during the rounds after Colton got hurt. Every time we entered the booth I wanted to talk about Facciotti and how much I missed him out on the track, but as the racing developed and the action on screen needed attending to, Colton was left on the “cutting room floor”. Colton truly is a Canadian hero and deserves a healthy season to show his stuff and fight for another title. I know it takes a guy with the pedigree of a Brett Metcalfe to challenge a healthy Fatyotes. While there are several Canadian MX heroes in our midst, and a bunch of riders I love and respect, Colton is, in my estimation, currently the lead dog. I’m sure there are more than a few guys just dying to prove me wrong, so as they say “may the best man win”.

I’m not sure Canadian race fans really came to grips with just how lucky they were to have Brett Metcalfe up here this past summer. This guy is the real deal, has had a lot of success in the US and is a true professional. After overcoming injury and being left out in the cold south of the border, it seems his tenure up here in the Great

I

Walton was a blast as always and I have to take my hat off to everyone involved with the event this year.”

White North has rejuvenated his career. Winning the title on unfamiliar tracks, and battling unfamiliar riders in a friendly more relaxed atmosphere has seemed to reignite his fire and his passion for racing. I know being up here has gained him a ton of new fans and an awful lot of exposure. It’s certainly not a new story for a so called “washed up” American star to come up to Canada and garner a second lease on life. Yes, yes, I obviously know he’s Australian, but the brunt of his Pro career has been in the United States, plus he’s married to an American girl and lives in California so you get my gist. Anyway, it was awesome to see him ride so well at the US Nationals he did attend. At that level, up against those factory riders on those factory bikes, it made his results that much more impressive. Whether he gets any better offers down south than what the Monster Energy Leading Edge Kawasaki team is willing to offer him to stay in Canada remains to be seen. I know they want him to stay and why the heck wouldn’t they?

Speaking of the des Nations, how about our Canadian boys? What a heartbreaker for such a strong, well prepared team. Those guys looked poised to make the “A” final but some crappy gate picks combined with some shyte luck had us runner up in the “B” final. Our boys looked great and by all accounts should have handily made the “A” final. I think the track suited the toughness and fitness of our guys. As disappointing as it was, I still see a lot of positives for our team. Cole, Tyler and Jeremy showed well on their own bikes and did us proud none the less on the glamorous world stage that is the Motocross of Nations. I want to thank all of Team Canada’s members, supporters and everyone involved in orchestrating such a daunting task on such a shoe string budget. Our team looked totally pro on and off the track with a sweet pit set up and a group of dedicated mechanics, friends and family members along to maximize our riders’ efforts.

I hope one day soon the CMRC is recognized as the motocross sanctioning body in Canada by the FIM, not the CMA. All political BS aside, it’s pretty obvious, spanning over two decades, who put Canada on the global radar as far as MX goes. I know the CMA has done its part in the past but this is 2013 and I think it’s high time this issue got resolved. I don’t know what I’m missing here but I’m sure that one single move would elevate our des Nations teams’ budget and support. The politics suck! The people of our country don’t like it and our racers certainly don’t either so let’s hope our des Nations teams can continue with the hopes of improving and flourishing. Next year we will see ya in the “A” final!

Brian

PS: Boy do I miss the Montreal Supercross come this time of year. It’s such an awesome event. Let’s hope for a return next year! Peace out.

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INTRODUCING

THE BLACKOUT LENS NEW FOR 2014

T H E F U E L V. 2 S W E AT- X M • A C I D W 3 W I T H B L A C K O U T L E N S • S M I T H O P T I C S . C O M

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STEWART WINS MONSTER ENERGY CUP CHAMPIONSHIP AND $100,000 LAS VEGAS (October 19, 2013) – In front of 33,845 fans at Sam Boyd Stadium and live on FOX Sports 2, Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart, who won two of the three Main Events, captured the first Monster Energy Cup of his career and cashed in on the $100,000 prize on the Ricky Carmichael-designed track.

Kawasaki’s Austin Forkner won his second consecutive Super Mini Championship winning back-to-back Main Events, and Honda’s RJ Hampshire captured the Amateur All-Stars Championship. Tonight’s race will re-air tomorrow on FOX Sports 1 at 1:00 p.m. ET. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, who won the 2011 Monster Energy Cup, raced to the Toyota Holeshot Award in Main Event #1 edging out Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer and Dean Wilson followed in third and fourth respectively. Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin moved into third place after moving past Wilson and Weimer. On Lap 9, Villopoto rode through the Joker Lane, a rugged sand section that the riders have to pass through at least once in each Main Event, and Dungey moved into the lead.

Heading into the final lap, Dungey failed to ride through the Joker Lane and was assessed a five-position penalty, which gave him sixth place.

Villopoto earned the win with Musquin in second and Weimer in third.

“It is definitely a chance (to win the $1 million),” said Villopoto. “I still need to get two more good starts and it’s not going to be easy. “On the last lap, I thought he (Dungey) had already rode through the Joke Lane, but, apparently, he did not.”

In Main Event #2, Stewart out-raced Villopoto through the Toyota Holeshot and set the stage for an epic 10-lap race. Dungey moved into the numberthree position through turn one but was passed by defending Monster Energy Cup Champion Justin Barcia.

Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen passed Dungey on Lap

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2 as the battle up front between Stewart and Villopoto ensued. On Laps 5 and 8, the two traded places.

Stewart protected his lead and rode to his first-ever Main Event win at the Monster Energy Cup. Villopoto, who did not go through the Joker Lane, crashed on the last lap and was unable to finish the race. Barcia finished second and Dungey finished third.

After finishing fourth in the first two Main Events, Roczen won the Toyota Holeshot in Main Event #3.

Stewart made quick work of Dungey for the numbertwo position. On Lap 4, Stewart passed Roczen for the lead and rode to victory. Dungey finished second and GIECO Honda’s Eli Tomac finished third.

“You don’t understand how special this is for me,” said Stewart. “I am speechless right now; this is a huge win for me and I am pretty damn happy. I know we are making the right steps to get our program to where it needs to be.”

Forkner rocketed to the Toyota Holeshot Award in the opening Main Event. Yamaha’s Casey Keast went through turn one in second place before being passed by KTM’s Mitchell Falk. Forkner won the race with Falk and Yamaha’s Chase Sexton finishing second and third respectively.

Coming into Main Event #2, Forkner once again earned the Toyota Holeshot as KTM’s Brock Papi followed closely in second. Yamaha’s Robbie Wageman moved into second place on the opening lap.

Mosiman assumed the number-three position on Lap 2 and the following lap moved into second place. On the same lap, Sexton moved into third place, where he finished. Forkner won the Main Event and Mosiman finished third.

“The triple was the toughest part of tonight’s track,” said Forkner. “Once again I had a great start and started to build a gap. This is a really cool race, and it was awesome to race in front of this huge crowd.”

Hampshire won the Toyota Holeshot Award in Main Event #1 of the Amateur All-Stars race with Honda’s Jace Owen on his back wheel through turn one.

Honda’s Jordan Smith worked his way around Owen on Lap 2 and set chase to Hampshire. During Smith’s last-lap charge, he crashed with one turn to go and the checkered flag went to Hampshire. Yamaha’s Paul Coates finished second and Yamaha’s Keith Tucker finished third.

Kawasaki’s Darian Sanayei won the Toyota Holeshot Award to start the second Main Event. After starting in second place, Smith moved into the lead on Lap 2 and rode to his first win of the night. Sanayei finished second and Hampshire finished third.

“I am stoked about this race,” said Hampshire. “This race is on national television and to win in front of a huge fan base is a major accomplishment for me.”

The Dirt Shark Biggest Whip contest presented by Nuclear Cowboyz hosted a seven-rider prizefight for the $15,000 purse. After earning his spot in the Main Event through the afternoon qualifying session, Tom Parsons earned the lion’s share of the prize money, followed by Edgar Torronteras and Jarryd McNeil.

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Photo by: James Lissimore

MONSTER ENERGY CUP CLASS OVERALL RESULTS James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki (8-1-1) Ryan Dungey, Bell Plaine, Minn., KTM (6-3-2) Ken Roczen, Murrieta, Calif., KTM (4-4-4) Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (5-6-3) Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM (2-9-8) Cole Seely, Murrieta, Calif., Honda (13-7-5) Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki (10-8-9) Justin Barcia, Pinetta, Fla., Honda (7-2-18) Dean Wilson, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Kawasaki (20-5-6) Josh Grant, Corona, Calif., Yamaha (15-10-7) Amateur All-Stars Class Overall Results: RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda (1-3) Zachary Commans, Camarillo, Calif., Kawasaki (5-4) Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., Honda (9-1) Mark Worth, Queen Creek, Ariz., Kawasaki (6-6) Jace Owen, Mattoon, Ill., Honda (2-10) Darian Sanayei, Monroe, Wash., Kawasaki (11-2) Ryan Surratt, Corona, Calif., Yamaha (7-8) Thomas Covington, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki (8-9) Paul Coates, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha (3-15) Keith Tucker, Fuquay Varina, N.C., Yamaha (4-18)

Super Mini Class Overall Results: Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo, Kawasaki (1-1) Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Yamaha (3-3) Michael Moisman, Sebastopol, Calif., Suzuki (7-2) Robbie Wageman, Newhall, Calif., Yamaha (6-4) Brock Papi, Mc Murray, Pa., KTM (5-6) Casey Keast, Kelowna, BC, Yamaha (4-12) Cameron Cannon, Anderson, S.C., Yamaha (10-8) Bas Vaessen, Temecula, Calif., KTM (9-9) Carson Brown, Ravensdale, Wash., KTM (13-7) Mitchell Falk, Costa Mesa, Calif., KTM (2-21) KTM Junior Supercross Class Overall Results: Matthew Leblanc, Breaux Bridge, La., KTM Jordan Biese, Appleton, Wis., KTM Liam Everts, Limburg, Belgium, KTM Slade Varola, Simi Valley, Calif., KTM Tyler Blankenship, Bakersfield, Calif., KTM Gavin Towers, Venetia, Pa., KTM Syrus Butts, Goshen, Utah, KTM Hamden Hudson, Danville, Va., KTM Justin Stalling, Newark, Ohio, KTM Austin Driggs, Duncan Falls, Ohio, KTM

BRETT METCALFE:

CASEY KEAST

Photo by: James Lissimore

British Columbia rider Casey Keast made his way down to Las Vegas to ride in the 2013 Monster Energy Cup and he didn’t let down his Canadian fans. With a strong 4th in moto one, Keast backed it up with a 12 th in moto two for an amazing 6 th overall. We’re sure young Casey turned a lot of heads in Vegas with his strong performance.

DEAN WILSON

Scottish/Canadian rider Dean Wilson had a great night at the 2013 Monster Energy Cup. In his first race back since June, Wilson rode to a strong 9 th overall.

If it wasn’t for a crash and a 20 th place finish in the first main event of the night Dean would have been on the podium.

Considering it his first Supercross on a 450, Dean rode very well and will no doubt be a threat in 2014.

CMRC Canadian MX1 Champion Brett Metcalfe has headed back to his homeland of Australia to compete in the Australian SX Series for the winter.

It will be Metcalfe’s first indoor race in over a year and he hopes to make the most of it. There is a really strong possibility that he will be back in Canada in 2014 but there is no word yet on what bike he will be riding.

TILLSONBURG INDOOR SERIES: BC isn’t the only place in Canada that has a winter Arenacross Series. Chesterman’s Indoor MX has a pit bike series that has classes for every age group. While there are no big bike classes, there are classes for all 50cc, 65cc and 85cc riders as well as three different classes for pit bikes. If you live in Ontario and want to keep racing, this is a great series to do that.

2013-2014 Indoor Thunder Race Series Nov. 2 & 30 Jan. 4 & 25 Mar. 1 & 29

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CANADIAN ARENACROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS As winter approaches and the races move indoors, the Canadian Arenacross Championships start up in BC in November. With top riders like Spencer Knowles and Ross Johnson scheduled to line up, the series will no doubt be full of action.

Rounds 1 & 2 / Nov. 8, 9 - Chilliwack Heritage Park Rounds 3 & 4 / Nov. 22, 23 - Chilliwack Heritage Park Rounds 5 & 6 / Jan. 17, 18 - Cloverdale Agriplex Rounds 7 & 8 / Jan. 31, Feb. 1 - Chilliwack Heritage Park Rounds 9 & 10 / February 7, 8 - Chilliwack Heritage Park Rounds 11 & 12 / March 7, 8 - Cloverdale Agriplex

PARTS CANADA TRANSCAN 2013 CHAMPIONS 50cc Pee Wee (4-6) – Preston Masciangelo 50cc Pee Wee (7-8) – Julien Benek 65cc Pee Wee (7-9) – Jeremy McKie 65cc Pee Wee (10-11) – Jacob Piccolo 85cc (7-11) – Jake Tricco 85cc (12-16) – Joey Crown Super Mini – Casey Keast Schoolboy 1 – Joey Crown Schoolboy 2 – Nick Jones Youth (14-24) – Nathan Bles Ladies – Hailey Larson MX3 Junior – Alex Jeffery MX3 Junior B – Philippe Gallant MX2 Junior – Wyatt Waddell MX2 Junior B – Jesse Kirchmeyer MX1 Junior – Alex Jeffery MX3 Intermediate – Dylan Wright MX2 Intermediate – Dylan Wright MX1 Intermediate – Westen Wrozyna Vet Junior – Brad Cairns Vet Master – Iain Hayden Plus 40 – Chris Pomeroy Dunlop Siver Tire Top Mini Rider - Jacob Piccolo Bronze Boot – Dylan Wright Rick Joseph Award – Tyler Duffy Yamaha Factory Ride Award - Dylan Wright Manufacture Cup Award - KTM

Brent Worrall has a well documented story of highs and lows in his motocross journey. What Brent has always done and continues to do is inspire all those who meet him. His next chapter seems very obvious and exciting as he branches out on his own for a new venture. We caught up with Brent to find out what he is up to.

MXP: How are you these days?

BW: Hey Brett, I’m doing better, for sure. Life is still a challenge but it has been a lot better since I had surgery in July. Also, it has taken a couple of years to get used to doing everything I do with just arms and absolutely nothing below. I have a little Mazda 5 with hand controls, and I can get myself in and out to go to the motocross races once again. As far as my therapy goes, it’s pretty much just trying to keep my shoulders happy as my arms are now picking up the slack ‘til my legs wake up! (laughs) I hang with a group of motivated Para Peer’s once a week and it has been life changing. We are HandCycling, Kayaking, Water Skiing, Hiking, Curling, playing Wheelchair Rugby, etc. A couple of them are Paralympic Gold Medalists. It has really motivated me to be the best I can be at pretty much everything I do.

MXP: So how did the show come about?

BW: Yes, I am pretty stoked to be back at the races with a purpose, for sure. This spring the KDBC asked me if I wanted to try my hand at announcing. I figured why not, I was going to be there watching anyway and I love to verbalize what is unfolding on the track. I thought I sucked but the riders were pulling off the track and telling me they could hear me through their helmets and loved it. So there it began.

John Hellam pushed for me to come out to the two Chilliwack rounds. It was a little tough because I had bladder surgery only a couple weeks before but I managed. I’m really glad I did as it was a bit of a homecoming. I am a Chilliwack native and was actually nominated for Athlete Of The Year there when I won my Mini Cycle title.

Jamie has hired me to do the announcing so I will be on the business end of the mic for the upcoming Arenacross. All is good.

MXP: Where is this going? I know it is BC Motocross but will it become Canadian or will you cover other action sports?

BW: The radio show? Well, that was something Jamie hit me with a couple of nights before the last Kelowna race. I did a little research and started recording interviews at the track that weekend. I’ve got to tell you, once my inaugural show counted down in front of me I was wondering what I was getting into. But I have to say I have never felt more sure about anything in my life. The time is right and I think it will be a great way to help grow and promote the sport to enhance it as well as ensure its longevity.

I love to connect with the riders and what they go through on and off the track. We all know it is not always wine and roses. I guess I am living proof of that (laughs). The moto passion that we share is our common bond that unites us. I look forward to giving everyone associated with the sport a voice to share anything related to moto and the lifestyle it entails.

As far as the future, I am pretty focussed on my short term goals of just filling the 2 hour time slot without any technical issues. Last night’s show (the 16th of Oct.) was flawless and I actually slept (lol). But getting back to your question, I will definitely continue to expand the parameters to include all things moto, past, present and future.

It is called BC Motocross Weekly as it is easier to find via Google search. I have already been talking to some crossover athletes and will actually have Reagan Sieg on my next show as he and I both live in Vernon. I have some very cool, top secret guests that I will wait ‘til showtime to ‘Throw Under The Bus’.

If I know one thing for sure it is that once Motocross is in your blood, not even a transfusion will eradicate it. I look forward to this being something I have the honour of doing for a long long time.

MXP: Thanks for taking the time Brent, and good luck with the moto show!

BW: Thanks for your interest guys and keep up the good work.

You can find BC Motocross Weekly at BlogTalkRadio.com. I look forward to you all tuning in to talk all things moto every Wednesday night at 7:00 PST.

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UNDER THE RADAR Four of the last five CMRC/BCMA Intermediate Championships have been earned by one rider - TJ Dillman of 3-D Racing. This past September he participated in his 200 th career race. How has this popular, devoted, motocross aficionado managed to race under the radar of national sponsors? Perhaps it is because this dedicated young man does not aspire to be in the limelight. He is satisfied to humbly accept his championships and the straightforward praise that goes along with the awards.

Realizing early on in his career that his best was all that he could ask for, TJ became happy with his performance no matter where he finished in the race; in fact, finishing on the podium was just a bonus.

By age 10, TJ had discovered that being a motocross racer would be harder for him to accomplish than the average person because he has a condition known as asthma. During a motocross race, asthma causes a person’s lungs to restrict the amount of oxygen flowing into the muscles and veins. As a result, the body gets extremely tired within a short time, as it becomes difficult to breathe properly. Holding on to the bike is a real challenge. However, the stronger a person becomes, the more the lungs can push oxygen into the muscles and veins. Given the discipline it takes and the exertion to a body that a motocross racer undergoes, it is no easy task to become successful in this sport.

The benefits he has received over his racing career have all made it worth his efforts. Some of the things that he looks forward to at every race he attends are: the adrenaline rush at the start of each race, meeting new riders, meeting friends, the wild crashes he survives, the obstacles he overcomes, the adventure he experiences when racing against Pro riders, and achieving personal goals that he sets for himself.

TJ is from the community of Prince George, which has an unbelievable support system for motocross riders. Over his career, TJ has received support and positive feedback from many different people and businesses in the community including N R Motors, Cycle North, and the Blackwater Racing Club to name a few. His experiences are a testament to the opportunities that the sport of motocross offers.

If becoming a motocross racer is one of your biggest dreams, don’t let asthma stand in your way. It might take a little more effort and determination than you expect, but it will be worth it because you will get to live your dream and be part of a sport that is known to be one of the toughest in the world. If you set goals based on your own performance improvement and evaluate your goals in an honest manner you will find that you can achieve more than just podium finishes, you can win championships.

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK TAKES TITLE POSITION WITH CANADIAN MX NATIONALS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - (October 14, 2013 - Stouffville, Ontario) Canadian Motosport Racing Corporation (CMRC) is pleased to announce the commencement of an agreement with Rockstar Energy Drink to become the title sponsor of the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals.

“I am very excited about the new relationship we have developed with Rockstar Energy Drink, and I look forward to working closely with their team,” stated Mark Stallybrass, CMRC President. “Our friends at Rockstar are very enthused about the sponsorship of this property and are anxious to promote series growth and attract a wider following of the Motocross Nationals and the Rockstar Energy Drink line of beverages.”

The 22nd Annual “Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals” will expand to ten rounds in 2014, and will feature top Canadian and International Professional Motocross talent including returning champion Brett Metcalfe, Bobby Kiniry, Colton Facciotti and Tyler Medaglia in the premier MX1 class. Plans are already underway to create more enthusiasm to catch the attention of an expanded fan base with new, exciting attractions which will benefit the teams, riders, industry and most importantly, the spectators.

“Rockstar is fired up to announce this partnership with the premiere motocross racing championship in Canada,” stated Jason May, Executive Vice President – Marketing for Rockstar, Inc. “I am hugely excited for this new alignment with a prestigious motocross championship which has made major strides in the past few years. The level of competition has risen, and with it, so has the draw for new talent. We believe the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals will be the most dynamic and exciting season to date.”

The series will commence the first weekend of June and will visit five provinces over a span of twelve weeks, to conclude in August. Complete details of the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals will be released in the coming months. For additional information, contact CMRC at (905) 642-5607 or e-mail info@cmrcracing.com About Rockstar: Rockstar Energy Drink is designed for those who lead active lifestyles – from Athletes to Rockstars. Available in over 20 flavors at convenience and grocery outlets in over 30 countries, Rockstar supports the active Rockstar lifestyle around the globe through Action Sports, Motor Sports, and Live Music. For more information visit: www.RockstarEnergy.com

Follow Rockstar Energy Drink at: www.Facebook.com/Rockstar www.Twitter.com/RockstarEnergy www.Instagram.com/RockstarEnergy www.YouTube.com/Rockstar

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COVER BOY SHAWN MAFFENBEIER

B Y: C H R I S P O M E R O Y // P H O T O S B Y J A M E S L I S S I M O R E

THE SAS KAT CHE WAN

ntering the 2013 MX2 series, Shawn Maffenbeier was feeling very confident. Not only was he a member of the powerhouse Rockstar OTSFF Yamaha Team, but he was one of the few MX2 riders who would be riding the tried and trusted YZ250 two-stroke. All the stars seemed to be aligning for him. However, like any professional sport, sometimes things don’t always go as planned and Shawn would suffer a broken collarbone in the first practice session at round one in Nanaimo.

It was a devastating injury and one that would put Shawn out for all of the western rounds. With his chance of a MX2 championship gone, most riders would’ve gone home and searched for answers, but not Shawn. Much to his credit, he stuck with his team and continued to go to each of the western rounds to sign autographs, help his team and most importantly just be at the races. At round four in Edmonton, I saw Shawn shoveling wood chips into his team’s muddy pit area. I stopped and asked him why he kept coming to the races even though he was injured and couldn’t race. His reply was simple, which said a lot about his character. “I really love being at the races and if I can be here and help out then that’s better than being at home. Plus, this gives me a chance to watch the MX2 class and see what the guys are

E

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doing. I’ll watch and learn from them so I’ll be better prepared when I come back.”

Shawn’s work ethic and love for the sport of motocross started years ago at the tender age of three. Like most kids in this sport, Shawn was introduced to it through his father who bought him a Yamaha PW 50 to ride. Although he was far away from the success he enjoys today, Shawn loved riding right from day one, and every chance he got he would get his Dad to take him to the track.

There was something about the sights and sounds of a motocross track that made Shawn feel right at home on the bike, and it wasn’t long before he started competing.

Growing up in beautiful Swift Current, Saskatchewan, life was pretty simple for the Maffenbeiers.

Without a lot of deposable income, they knew their best chance of succeeding would come from hard work. These early life lessons have served Shawn well in motocross racing as he has never been the most talented rider on the track since day one. Shawn learned while growing up and racing on the Saskatchewan circuit and chasing more talented riders like Broc Shury that if he wanted to beat them then he had to work harder than them.

During Shawn’s amateur career, there were no big championships and no trips to Ontario to the TransCan. There was just a lot of riding without the stress of any expectation. This formula seemed to really suit Shawn’s laid back personality as he was allowed to enjoy himself while he put the building blocks in place for his future professional career.

When Shawn entered his very first Pro National in 2006, he wasn’t sure what to expect. “I entered my first National as an Intermediate and it was back in the days when you had to qualify to get into the motos. I won the LCQ and felt pretty good going into the motos. In both motos I absolutely grenaded and left there just devastated and wondering what I’d gotten myself into.” After his rude awakening to the Pro class, Shawn knew that he needed a lot of work if he wanted to realize his motocross dreams. Thankfully, another Saskatchewan rider would step up and offer his two cents and help guide Shawn to the next level.

In 2007, Blair Morgan was winding down his illustrious career when he saw something in Shawn that he liked. Blair would place a call to his trainer at the time, Todd Schumlick, to tell him about Shawn and pass along his opinion that Shawn was the real deal. All he needed was a little guidance. At the time, Shawn was just 16 years-old so you could excuse him if he wasn’t quite polished, but he had big dreams. He took very well to PerformX’s strict training program.

“Hard work and effort are two lessons that have served Shawn well in motocross racing since those early days. With a small slice of talent, it was his work ethic that he leaned on to become a better rider.”

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Above: Shawn’s Dad, Randy Maffenbeier, and Step-Mom, Jackie, are pumped with his successes and have been there every step of the way.

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TODD SCHUMLICK - PERFORMX “I was introduced to Shawn through Blair Morgan back in 2007. Blair called me and said there was a pretty good rider coming up in Saskatchewan. He thought Shawn displayed the type of qualities that could make him a good candidate for my program. Over the phone, Shawn and I then connected and discussed his goals and how my program works. Once we got together, I could see he was very focused and determined to reach his highest potential. Before starting my program, I believed he already had the type of personality and attitude it requires for someone to reach their highest potential. This is no small feat.”

“During the initial three days I spent with him to get his training started, I could see there was much room for improvement. More than anything, he first just needed some guidance and direction. We often laugh about our first dinner I had with him and his pops (Randy). Shawn ordered a Caesar salad, coke, and a meal with about 2 lbs. of cheese. He was definitely a diamond in the rough, so to speak!”

“Shawn also committed to go down to the PerformX California MX Camp during the winter months (back in 2008) to further his development. During the camp, you get to spend quality time with any athlete and create an environment that I believe is critical to the task of ‘reaching one’s highest potential’. When I speak with athletes and/or their parents, I explain the training (fitness, nutrition, and mental development) and coaching (on-bike skills) are the tools required to do a job right, but it is the carpenter that must use these tools. Through my experience, one must have or develop the 4 Ds

(determination, dedication, discipline, and desire) and commitment. The program I offer is fairly in-depth, but so are most athletes’ goals. To succeed, this must be met with the proper level of development. I believe Shawn (and his parents) understood this at an early age, and trusted I was the person who could guide him through it.”

“This is why Shawn is the Head Coach of the PerformX California MX Camp.

Not simply due to his performance or success as a competitor, but more importantly, through his journey and development as a person. He and I know each other well and agree on the qualities that are important to fulfill a happy life. I think it might be that simple” For those that have worked with Todd know that he is more than just a trainer, he is a mentor and a life coach. As Shawn’s and Todd’s relationship grew so did Shawn’s maturity on and off the bike. Although Shawn’s raw speed was still lacking, thanks to Todd’s training, his endurance was superior to most of the riders he was racing against which allowed him to build confidence during the long National motos. Finally in 2011, Shawn was rewarded with a strong sixth place finish in the MX1 class.

After a really strong 2011 season, Shawn entered the following season with a lot of confidence. Having trained very hard in California during the off season, Shawn really wanted to prove that his number six ranking was no fluke. Unfortunately, right from the start of the 2012 Monster Energy Motocross Nationals, things would be very frustrating for the twenty yearold. According to Shawn, his team experienced a number of problems during

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“After injuring his collarbone in Nanaimo in June, Shawn knew that his best shot at redemption was to work hard again and return in tip-top condition. Finally at round five at Gopher Dunes, Shawn got to race a MX2 moto.”

the nine round series. “Pretty much anything that could go wrong did go wrong last year, whether it was bike issues or crashes. At round one in the mud, I got a flat tire and finished way back then in Kamloops I hit neutral and crashed. I thought I had broken my back but it turned out to only be bruised. In Calgary we had a clutch basket fall off and in Edmonton we had a front fork just completely blow apart. It was just one thing after another, but I will say that it was a good learning experience for me. Luckily, I still finished tenth in the MX1 series.”

Even though his 2012 season was filled with mishaps, the Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha Team took notice and signed Shawn to a contract for the 2013 season. Because of his youth and versatility as a rider, Shawn was chosen to compete in the MX2 class alongside his teammate Richard Grey, although Shawn would be riding a 250 two-stroke. This change in machinery was tough for Shawn. His first few hours on the new bike were anything but special. “I hadn’t ridden a two-stroke in a long time.

Although I was very excited to ride it, my first few times were just awful. I was down in California and it probably took me a month of riding before I showed any promise.”

It was times like this when Shawn would draw on his patience.

With continued help from his trainer, he got it together and prepared for round one in Nanaimo. After injuring his collarbone in Nanaimo in June, Shawn knew that his best shot at redemption was to work hard again and return in tip-top condition. Finally at round five at Gopher Dunes, Shawn got to race a MX2 moto.

Although his day maybe wasn’t what he wanted, it was still great to be back on the track. To help stay focused and stay acclimatized to the humidity of the east, Shawn stayed at Iain Hayden’s house near Moto Park in Chatsworth, Ontario all summer. Iain liked what he saw from Shawn and knew that it would only be a matter of time before he would start winning, “When Shawn stayed at my house in the summer I was instantly impressed. He was always up early working out and he seemed very focused. With snocross, I got to spend a lot of time with another Saskatchewan hero, Blair Morgan, and Shawn reminds me a lot of Blair. His personality, his work ethic and his quiet confidence; I was so happy to see him win in Quebec and again in Walton. It was a great way to end 2013. Together, we’re looking forward to next year.”

During the final five rounds of the MX2 series, Shawn not only won a moto in Quebec but he would end the series the way every rider dreams - he took home the overall win at Walton. Shawn’s win at Walton was not only great for himself and his team, but it was also great for the legion of two-stroke fans who desperately wanted to see their beloved two-strokes back in the winners’ circle.

After his big win at the final round in Walton, Shawn is entering this off season feeling a little different than in the past. “I get bored really easily so I have to keep busy. We still have a little racing to do in Saskatchewan so I’ll do that, and then I will find a job to work at until it’s time to go to California in February. Knowing that I can win now, I am really looking forward to 2014. If I can stay healthy I should be a threat for the MX2 title next year. I can’t wait!”

At just 21 years of age, Shawn is still young and has a lot of racing ahead of him. With a good foundation and a great work ethic, in the near future, Shawn could be the first Saskatchewan National Champion since Blair Morgan last accomplished the feat in 1999.

Whether a championship is in his future or not, Shawn will continue to enjoy himself and live the dream that is being a professional motocross racer. It has been Shawn’s great riding in 2013 along with his laid back attitude and infectious smile at the race track that has earned him the cover in this issue. We’re sure that we’re not alone in our thinking that few riders in Canada deserve it more than Shawn Maffenbeier.

46 MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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own d ow h S ~ S D L E I F E H ~IN T

BY BRETT LEE PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE

n Canada, one event held over one week creates the most intense arena of competition that motocross has to offer. It is the Mecca for everyone; from young racers representing the very best from every corner of our vast country, to industry representatives waiting with product in hand for the leaders, to dedicated motocross fans. The 2013 Parts Canada TransCan offered racers, young and old, an outstanding stage on which to compete. The racers delivered the show.

The 2013 event was a glimpse of the future and a nod to the past. Nothing was more symbolic of the nod to the past than the historical panorama forming the backdrop that spanned the entire distance of the starting line; on it a host of riders from the history of the event and CMRC Pro Nationals. Each rider who had won a TransCan title as an amateur and won a National Pro event was featured in a long display of “TranCan Giants”. The riders pushed their bikes under the backdrop that included many of the

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heroes that accomplished the very goal that they came to Walton themselves to achieve: to win the Grand National Championship.

The first class to open Walton and last moto to close the Amateur portion of the event was MX2 Intermediate. What laid in waiting in this class was a rivalry and competition that will now be part of the event lore. The battle between Dylan Wright and Weston Wrozyna started the week off with an explosion. Wrozyna had a long list of amateur accomplishments and despite his age had packed away a number of championships. Wright had built a steady fan base of supporters around him. The MX101 Yamaha rider finished a remarkable third overall at the Gopher Dunes National, and to build the legend of an amateur hitting the box, he did it on a two-stroke. The two riders, both fiercely competitive, brought fans scrambling to the fences to witness the heat they created on the track and then at the winners circle post moto interviews.

The future may be named “Jake”. The future of

our sport has always shown itself in Walton. From unknown BC kids named Colton Facciotti, Darcy Lange and Dusty Klatt to Quebec phenoms destined to be Canada’s best, like Kaven Benoit and Marco Dube, it is an event that provides a sneak peak of the future stars. This year, fans caught an early glimpse of what is to come from two young kids, Jake Piccolo and Jake Tricco. Piccolo and Tricco spent six motos showcasing their skill and racing abilities. Piccolo showed flashes of speed, Tricco was controlled and calculated. It was like watching a younger version of another rivalry featuring two champions, Ryans instead of Jakes.

It was fun to watch and exciting to imagine the years ahead.

In the older mini classes, kids from all corners waged war. British Columbia’s Casey Keast, Ontario’s Marco Cannella and Michigan’s Joey Crown set a blistering pace that the entire field of mini racers tried to match. It was just one more chance to discern the future of Canadian Motocross.

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Showdown ELDS~ ~IN THE FI

(Top) Westen Wrozyna - Less than one year ago, Weston was racing in the 85cc class. As the saying goes, skill is skill and you can’t teach speed. A MX1 class championship showed the skill and speed possessed by Wrozyna.

(Bottom) Hailey Larson made the long drive from Washington State to Walton. The two-time CMRC Western Canadian Women’s Champion earned her first Parts Canada TransCan Championship with perfect 1-1-1 scores.

Women’s motocross continues to grow and flourish. The best women in the country were able to come together on one track and the two stars of the future emerged as frontrunners to be the next Ladies class hero. A couple of young teenage girls, not old enough to drive, Eve Brodeur and Kennedy Luntz, served notice to two-time Champion Hailey Larson that the she may have won but it is going to continue to get harder. Not to be outdone, a couple of veteran racers, Vet Junior to be precise, raced themselves to moto podiums.

Renee Reindeau made TransCan history when she became the first female to ever win a predominantly male division when she won the first moto of the Vet Junior class, and that was followed by Cindy Trudel finishing second in moto two.

The Junior class was full of surprises with Alex Jeffrey storming to two championship. beating out the MX2 TransCan National Champion, BC’s Wyatt Waddell in MX3, and Quebec’s Philippe Gallant in MX1. An impressive and clutch ride!

What about the men of the sport? The Vet Junior riders reminded us how fun motocross can be. With passionate races and memorable podium speeches, they made us all smile. Pro riders like Nathan Bles, Zach Deiana and Nicky Beatty set a hectic pace and battled in the Youth class that rivalled the intensity of the best Pro races.

Iain Hayden, Ryan Lockhart, and Kyle Thompson renewed battles they had as kids 15 years ago, giving no quarter and posting times a fraction off of the fastest laps of the week. For the +40 class, it was about family and competition. Chris Pomeroy enjoyed his first full TransCan week and first TransCan Championship with son Ayrton and wife Bernadette. Chris edged out the +40 championship ahead of fellow Dads Matt Crown and Dan Tricco.

Not to be outdone, the 50cc class also brought together the country for a showdown. A British Columbia rising star took the 50cc 7-8 championship back to his home province. However, it wasn’t easy as Ontario’s Connor Stevenson and Manitoba’s Ryder McNabb hounded Julien Benek relentlessly in every moto. Benek and Stevenson double classed in 65cc 7-9 and finished 3rd and 4th respectively behind Damon Burbine and Jeremy McKie. In the 4-6 division, little Preston Masciangelo and Hayden Jameson set lap times that matched those of the older class. All demonstrated the depth of talent found in the smaller class.

Walton, the quiet of the town of 100 people, delivered what it does each year and turned fields, an orchard and ponds into the ultimate playground for the most talented kids in the country.

It was a look ahead to the future ‘names’ who one day will rise to dominate Canadian motocross.

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(Top Left) Casey Keast - Kelowna, BC racer Casey Keast was unsure where he stood against the best racers in the country. By week’s end, he was the best. Keast earned the Super Mini National Championship.

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(Top Right) Jake Tricco - One half of the battling Jakes, Jake Tricco captured an impressive win in 85cc 7-11. Tricco has a buttery smooth style and will be tough to beat for a lot of years in the mini classes.

(Bottom) Jacob Piccolo - The name Jake seems to be the name of the future for Canadian motocross. BC racer Jake Piccolo and Ontario’s Jake Tricco swapped paint and championships at Walton.

Piccolo came out on top and walked away with the Dunlop Silver Tire for being the top mini racer at Walton.

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Showdown ELDS~ ~IN THE FI

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Joey Crown arrived at Walton fresh off a Loretta Lynn’s Championship, which served notice that he was the man to beat, however it wasn’t an easy week. Problems in the Super Mini class and tough competition in his other classes meant he left with only one championship in the 85cc 12-16 division. In 2013,

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(Top Left) Dylan Wright was a force at Walton. Winning the MX2 and MX3 Intermediate Championships, the Yamaha Factory Ride and the Alpinestars Bronze Boot.

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(Top Right) Ryan Lockhart dominated Youth and Plus 25 and earned another Parts Canada Trans Can Championship.

(Bottom) Jeremy McKie received a welcome in the winners’ circle from WASP Marketing Director Danny Brault who signed McKie to a sponsorship deal on the spot. McKie clinched the 2013 65cc 7-9 title.

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(Top Left) Nick Jones surprised a few people at Walton this year.

Nick has the ability to step up his game and compete. It is the marking of a top rider and Jones is a rider to watch in the future: Schoolboy 2 Champion.

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(Bottom Left) Chris Pomeroy returned to racing in 2013 along with his son Aryton. The Pomeroy family soaked in the entire week of racing. A former Pro National winner, Chris edged out Michigan’s Matt Crown for his first ever TransCan Championship in the +40 class.

(Bottom Right) Brad Cairns and all of the Vet Junior racers are true fans of the sport. Listening to Cairns and others on the podium reminds you of all the things good and fun about motocross. Cairns won the Vet Junior Parts Canada TransCan Championship.

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Preston Masciangelo has been popping up as one of Ontario’s next fast kids. In Walton, the Ontario rider added a National Championship to his resume. Preston has a lot of natural talent and speed, and as we said before, it is hard to teach talent and speed.

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Showdown ELDS~ ~IN THE FI

2013-10-23 4:45 PM

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THEY ARRIVED IN A BOX S

BY BRETT LEE PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE

itting alone in the field the Saturday before the 2013 Parts Canada TransCan in Walton, ON behind the opened the gates sat a large grey shipping container, unmarked except for a stickered logo that said ‘Big Steel Box’.

A large, gold padlock hung from the door.

Inside that box were 10 motocross bikes, four bicycles, lawn chairs, tools, gear, parts, tents, and the hopes and dreams of four BC motocross families.

“It was a little nerve racking packing this all up and just shipping it out,” said Dean Keast as he fumbled with a key.

His son, mini racer Casey, anxiously watched his Dad work to open the lock.

Dean kept being distracted with the excitement of what was happening.

“This is an amazing area of the country.

I cannot believe how nice lawns are.

Who is the competition this week?”

Finally, Dean pulled open the door then Casey scrambled immediately up to the top deck to untangle his bicycle from a mash of bags and chairs. Underneath, lined up and secured, were 10 prepped motocross bikes. “Wow,” mused Dean looking into the container. “It’s all still in place. I guess it is race time.”

“The idea to send the bikes came together at Raymond,” said Oliver Benek.

Oliver was a former Pro National racer turned mini dad to BC 50cc star, Julien Benek. “We all wanted to make it to Walton. It is a great event and we just needed to figure out a way to make it affordable.

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We drove last year and had issues getting there. It was just exhausting and we didn’t even want to put a helmet on when we arrived. So when they mentioned this idea at Raymond, I said “We’re in!” Dean Keast had met Gerald Heinrichs from Big Steel Box a number of years ago. Gerald’s son Ryan began his racing career around the same time as Casey and through racing formed a friendship. “I really like the Keast family and Dean and I hit it off,” said Gerald. Gerald, a partner in the shipping container company Big Steel Box, got into motocross more and more as his son did the past couple of seasons. “We support Future West and this year we had our $10,000 contingency program in BC. Part of the deal is riders must run our stickers so 80% of the bikes in BC run our stickers to be qualified for the contingency. It is a good market for us. People in motocross are in line with who our customer tends to be. On top of that we love the sport.” Gerald laughed that the idea to send the kids to Walton was hashed out over a couple of beers in Raymond. The friends came up with the idea to send everyone out east. Big Steel Box provided the container, the logistics and shipping; the families just had to get themselves there.

In BC, the boys knew that on any given weekend they were the riders to beat. Standing in the field at Walton was more of an unknown. ”Maybe because we are parents, we are very proud of our kids and believe in them, but we did believe each of them could win,” said Oliver. “Sure you never know for

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Left: After winning, Wyatt Waddell was congratulated by Cycle North’s Kourtney Lloyd who spent the week keeping a close eye on all the BC riders. Above: Casey Keast was the first to arrive at Walton Raceway and leave with his first ever National Championship in the Super Mini class. Bottom right: The look of a champion: Even on the podium, it was hard for Jacob Piccolo to turn his game face off.

sure who is there, maybe a fast kid from out east or an American, but we wouldn’t have made the trip if we didn’t think we could compete.”

It was Jake Piccolo who would strike first. When Jake rolled into the winners’ circle the entire group shared in that moment. “For the other three boys seeing Jake win, being interviewed by Ryan (Gauld), getting the WASP cam handed to him and especially the yellow winner’s bib was something all the boys wanted. It was motivation. It was motivation for all the boys to compete on the track and it help to push them,” said Oliver. Dan Piccollo, Jacob’s Dad, echoed the thoughts. “It was awesome for the boys to have each other and for us as families to be working together like we were.” Jacob spent the week dueling Ontario rider Jake Tricco in the 65cc 10-11, 85cc 7-11 and Super Mini classes. The two kids captured the race fans on site with their obvious skill and speed, and split championships, Piccollo taking the 65cc but also the Dunlop Silver Tire for outstanding mini rider at the event. “Everyone really fed off each other. We helped each other and this group was part

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THEY ARRIVED IN A BOX

Top: Piccolo took home a victory in the competitive 65cc Pee Wee (10-11) class.

of the success for each other,” continued Dan. “With Jacob battling Jake Tricco and the on-track rivalry that built up was exciting. It is fun to think about the years of battling ahead too. The thing was, with us all pitted together we had someone headed to battle all the time. It was exciting in our area, for sure”. No doubt the shared space of pits, made tighter thanks to a motorhome that had pulled up close Monday night, made the area a hub not only for the group but for BC people at Walton. With each rider riding a least two classes, one was coming and one was going. As the week wore into the weekend, BC fans attending the event started to make the Big Steel Box a hang out. “The entire week was one of our favourites. We travel to World Minis and a lot events, but this (Walton) is our favorite,” continued Dan. “My wife came this year to Walton.

This experience was just something we really loved as an entire family.”

Wyatt Waddell was the oldest in the group. Waddell was perhaps the most unknown competitor in the group; a quiet, polite young racer that had been building his confidence on the BC scene all year who had been successful at the Western Canadian Amateur Nationals in Raymond. The unanimity didn’t last. Wyatt was at the top of the board all week with fast lap times and eventually earned a championship in MX2 and the runner up spot in MX3 Junior. Although they were part of the BC network they had never spent a lot of time this close with the entire group. Wyatt, although young, was the oldest of the group and soon found a role as the big brother. “I was very proud of Wyatt, not just for his results, but by the way he was with Jacob and Julien,” said Laurie Waddell, Wyatt’s Dad. “Funny how it goes, his results were great and he rode 60 MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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THEY ARRIVED IN A BOX

Above: #70, Julien Benek with the yellow bib, is the 2013 50cc Pee Wee (7-8) National Champion.

awesome but I am proud of how he acted as the oldest in the group. I was proud of him for a lot that week, of all the kids.” The experience of watching the racing, of interacting with each other’s family and working to earn a championship was something that brought them all close together. “We all knew each other but this experience has really changed our own friendship. We went to Kamloops after Walton and by chance we all parked together again, all four families.

Other families and riders came up to us to congratulate us on Walton. It was a great way to wrap it all up. To hang out and race together one more time, to have such a great response from BC racers and the community, it really was an experience we can’t wait to go back and do again.”

As the crowds trickled out Sunday and Monday morning, the pits that were packed for the week were emptied. A few workers and staff moved around the pits but there was remarkable calm compared to the past week. Unmarked except for a stickered logo that said ‘Big Steel Box’ and a large, gold padlock that hung from the door, inside that box were 10 motocross bikes, four bicycles, lawn chairs, tools, gear, parts, tents and the successes and accomplishments of four BC motocross families who made it happen.

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BY RYAN LOCKHART A N D K Y L E B E ATO N PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE

B

efore the 2013 Monster Energy Motocross Nationals began back in June, we commandeered the help of Ryan Lockhart and Kyle Beaton to come with their predictions for the MX1 and MX2 Series. With both series complete, it’s time to reflect and take a look at the top ten and grade each rider accordingly. Once again, we called upon these two for their expert analysis. Here are Professor Lockhart and Professor Beaton and their grades for each rider.

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MX1 CLASS

Professor Lockhart

1st

Brett Metcalfe

GRAD

A

E

It’s not a surprise to many people that Brett is your 2013 MX1 Champion. It has been said many times this year what would’ve happened if Colton Facciotti stayed healthy. I think the outcome would have been the same. The experience that Metcalfe has is second to none and his ability to turn it up when he had to was really something to see. I was a bit surprised that he didn’t dominate more on the sand tracks in the east but since his starts were on par with Kyle Keast, that didn’t help matters. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that he’s back for 2014 as he’s a great addition to the series.

2nd

GRAD

E (S)

ABC

D

Bobby Kiniry

Bobby’s season had a little bit of everything in 2013. At the end of the day, Bobby was still awesome winning the last moto of the series at Walton, and that is something that will no doubt motivate him to come back next year and try to win the MX1 title. It was really weird: one moto he would be fighting to get into the top 5 and the next moto he would win. I’m sure being a new father put a little distraction in his program and made it tough to fit in the extra time to put motos in during the week. It has to be frustrating for him being 2nd two years in a row but I think it fuels the fire for him to come back.

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2013-10-22 9:58 AM

Passing Grade GRAD

B

3rd

E

Tyler Medaglia I give Tyler props for adapting to a new bike so quickly with his last minute switch to KTM. I personally think it was a good choice for Tyler as it landed him as the top Canadian. There were times throughout the series when it looked like something was wrong and he was struggling, but when the going got tough Tyler got going and he seemed to excel in the really extreme conditions. Tyler is one of the more outspoken Pros at the track as he really cares about his fellow riders and safety. I like this about him and I wish more riders were like that.

4th

Jeremy Medaglia

GRAD

A

E

Jeremy was an unknown coming into the season as far as what people thought he could do on the big 450. He proved a lot of people wrong and had an outstanding season in my eyes. Winning his first overall and battling it out through the whole season was something he should be very proud of. Even with a few DNFs he was still in the hunt going down to the wire with his brother for third in the championship.

Next year Jeremy will be a threat to win a championship regardless of the class he rides.

5th

Teddy Maier

I’m sure Teddy will agree with this grade I have given him for his season. When I saw him in the spring testing he had the speed to be a title contender, but bad luck, struggles with bike set up and consistency issues hurt him all summer. We saw signs of the champion he is with winning a moto straight up, but with as many great motos that he had, he followed with a string of bad motos. I was happy to hear that Teddy will be back with the Leading Edge Team in 2014. Hopefully he can get back to the front of the pack.

GRAD

C

E

66 MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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Gavin Gracyk

6th

GRAD

B

7th

Two years in a row of getting a very late start on his preparation for the series really put a damper on Gavin’s results.

Being the good guy in the series and spreading the word of God still makes Gavin very valuable to Canada and I hope he returns in 2014. Since he just signed on to race in the USA Arenacross Series over the winter, he will no doubt be better prepared next summer. Sixth is not a place where I’m sure Gracyk is happy with, but just being at the races and having the opportunity to race is as good as a win for him.

E

Morgan Burger

Very similar to Brock, Morgan was on fire in the west battling for podiums and top fives. However, when the series headed east the wheels seemed to fall off. Bad starts and crashes really hurt him as he had to fight to stay inside the top ten. The end result of the eastern swing dropped Morgan in the standings from sixth to seventh and I’m sure he wasn’t happy with himself. The potential is there with Morgan, he just needs to put it together for the whole series.

GRAD

C

E GRAD 8th

Brock Hoyer

B

E

The working class hero of the MX1 class gets a B for his great effort this summer. Brock was a full-on privateer and battled with the best this summer with not a lot of help. The western rounds went extremely well for Brock but I feel like he struggled a little in the east. It’s not easy being on the road for two months straight but his never-give-up attitude earned him the title of third best Canadian rider in the series, which is definitely something to be proud of.

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2013-10-22 9:59 AM

Passing Grade

Cole Thompson

9th

It was great to have Cole come back to his home country and race in front of his many fans. The cool thing is that he was able to jump into the mix of things halfway through the series on a bike that he was not familiar with and still look really comfortable. At times I thought his speed would be a little better, but his performance at Walton was good enough for a perfect grade. Also, that trip into the pond in Moncton will go down as one of the craziest moments of 2013.

GRAD

A

E

GRAD

C

10th

E

Ross Johnson

It was awesome to have the talent of Ross compete in the full MX1 series this year. He suffered from some sickness so his tenth place finish was no indication of the actual speed Ross had. He had his share of holeshots and he was a cool guy to have around the pits every weekend. He easily has top five speed and with better preparation in 2014 he will no doubt end up with a better number.

MX2 CLASS

Professor Beaton

1st

Austin Politelli

GRAD

A

E

I for one didn’t think that Austin would dominate the MX2 series the way he did, especially in the west. He began the series the way every rider wants to by winning motos and doing the hard work early. I was a little surprised to see him struggle in the east, but he did what he had to do and got the job done.

I hope he’s back in 2014 but I think it might be tough for Leading Edge to keep him here. He is capable of doing well in the USA and I think that’s where he wants to be.

I wish him good luck and congratulations on a job well done in 2013!

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GRAD 2nd

A

E

Josh Clark Josh Clark was also a huge surprise in the 2013 MX2 series. He was almost always in the top five and it was that consistency that almost landed him the championship. During the nine round series, Josh’s worst moto finish was an 8th and his worst overall was a 5th. You could say that Josh put on a clinic of how to be consistent. He always got decent starts, he rode smart, he didn’t get tired, and most importantly he didn’t have any really bad motos.

There’s a lot that I like about Josh’s riding. His style is great, he is one of the fittest riders on the track, and off the track he seems as low maintenance as they come. Like Ingalls, Josh had a real shot at the MX2 Championship with two rounds to go after he won his first National in Quebec. Unfortunately, a subpar round, by Josh’s standards, in Moncton pretty much sealed his fate and he finished second overall.

Who knows what might happen in 2014? I think Josh proved that he deserves to be under the tent of a factory rig. We’ll see what happens in the next few months.

3rd

Topher Ingalls

Topher Ingalls is probably the most intense of all the MX2 riders on the gate. When each moto is done, it isn’t hard to tell whether it was good or bad by the look on his face. At times during the MX2 series, Ingalls was the fastest rider on the track as he proved with two moto wins, an overall victory and a few trips to the podium.

With two rounds to go in the series Ingalls actually had a shot at the MX2 championship, but Politelli and Clark stepped it up to finish in front of him.

If it wasn’t for bad luck in the form of bike issues, who knows what might have been for Ingalls in 2013? He worked hard to get to each round and he deserved a little better. However, this is motocross and sometimes bad things happen to good people. As the off season comes and goes, we’ll see if he can find more support for 2014 to come back and take a shot at the MX2 championship.

GRAD

B

GRAD

E 4th

Brad Nauditt

C

E

Brad probably won’t like this score from me but he should’ve at least been on the podium in the overall MX2 standings. After a great start to the series in the west, everything began to unravel at Gopher Dunes and the next three rounds were a struggle for the likable kid from the USA. Bad starts, bad luck and a few mistakes really cost him in rounds five, six and seven, and he slipped out of the top three.

Nauditt was finally able to stop the bleeding in Moncton and finished third overall. This set up a showdown between him and Topher Ingalls at the final round for third overall in the series. Unfortunately, a bike issue caused him to DNF a moto at Walton, which allowed Ingalls to grab the final spot on the podium. Other than those three bad rounds, I thought Nauditt and his team had a great year. Let’s hope they’re both back in 2014.

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Passing Grade 5th

GRAD

B

E

Jared Allison

I wanted to give Jared a D because that is probably the marks he gets in school (lol).

Like his brother Parker, Jared Allison is always a welcome sight on the Canadian National circuit. This summer went well for Jared as he was one of the most consistent riders in the series. Always fast and always in shape, Jared proved this summer that he can do well on any surface, whether it’s hard pack or sand.

Jared’s best finish of the series came at the final round at Walton where he finished 4th overall. He also had a couple of 5th place finishes and if it wasn’t for a DNF at Sand Del Lee, Jared could’ve found himself even higher in the points standings. From the time they turned Pro the Allison brothers have represented their sponsors with the utmost professionalism. They are also big on social media so their fan base is fairly large. Let’s hope that Jared and his brother will be back in 2014 and beyond.

Kyle Swanson

6th

GRAD

A

Kyle absolutely killed it this year especially out east and he did it all on his own, even after driving all the way across Canada as a full blown, true privateer. Kudos to his efforts for getting his first podium in Canada!

Kyle has to be the surprise of the 2013 MX2 series with his 6th place finish. After starting a little slow out west and missing Gopher Dunes all together, the rider from Texas really found speed and confidence in the remaining four rounds.

Swanson really seemed to enjoy himself in Canada this summer so hopefully one of the teams took notice of his success and will offer him some support in 2014.

This kid works hard and he loves to race motocross. He also jumped through hoops to even get to Canada this summer so he must be happy with his results.

E

GRAD 7th

Blake Savage

C

E

Gopher Dunes Honda rider Blake Savage came into the 2013 MX2 series with very high expectations. Unfortunately, just before the series began, Blake seriously injured his wrist. Even though he still showed up at round one, he was at a huge disadvantage. To Blake’s credit, he started the season and rode through the pain. As the summer went on, his results got stronger and stronger.

Once the series moved east and the tracks demanded that you use your legs more than your arms to hold on, Blake really turned things around. At round seven in Quebec, Blake finally got on the podium with a third overall.

Even though Blake was struggling with an injury for the better part of the summer, he kept working hard and didn’t give up. If he could’ve started the MX2 series healthy then I believe he could’ve challenged for podiums at every round.

Hopefully he’ll get another chance to show his speed and talent in 2014.

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Richard Grey

8th

GRAD

D

GRAD

C

E

I know little Richard is not happy with his overall result and either am I. He’s had a few years to get to know the tracks and figure out the Pro ranks so he should be doing better. Richard’s results in the east, on the tracks that you would’ve thought he’d do well, were abysmal at best. It’s tough to see a rider with that much talent struggle so badly, but once it started and the pressure built up it was a downward spiral.

The good news is that he made it through the series in one piece. After parting ways with the OTSFF Rockstar Energy Yamaha Team after Walton, Richard will now have a fresh start on a new bike for the 2014 season.

Although he’s still young and had time to mature into a consistent top five rider, more and more fast, young kids like Dylan Wright and Weston Wroznya are coming up that will want to do well. Let’s hope Richard can find the right fit for 2014 and can come back strong.

E

Nathan Bles

9th

Nathan Bles is one of those kids that just loves to race dirt bikes and he always seems to have a smile on his face regardless of how his day went.

This summer, Nathan was very close to being a consistent top six or top five guy, but starts and a few miscues had him playing catch up on more than one occasion.

I thought Nathan’s series started off really well out west as he spent a lot of time inside the top ten. This was interesting as I thought he might struggle out west and really shine in the east. It turned out to be the exact opposite as he really had a hard time once the series moved east. This kid is a very hard worker as well but if he wants to be a top guy he has to find a way to get better starts on a more consistent basis. Hopefully we see Nathan again in 2014 as a full time member of the series and maybe on a 450 as I feel he is very good big bike rider.

GRAD 10th

Parker Allison

C

E

I think Parker had a pretty mediocre 2013 by his standards. I would suspect that maybe the Allisons’ busy off season of going to school might be catching up with Parker. He had a slow start to the series so maybe he didn’t come in 2013 in top condition. That hurt him at the first four rounds.

As the summer moved on Parker got stronger and stronger, and he had his best finish of the series at the final round in Walton where he finished a very impressive 6th overall. I hope the Allison brothers race for another ten years on the Pro circuit as they are a class act, both on and off the track. Parker works very hard and it would be interesting to see how he would finish with a lot of support behind him and some seat time during the off season.

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T H G I R …

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hey say that change is a good thing, that variety is the spice of life, and that everybody should try something different every once in a while. I tend to agree with this philosophy. In keeping with this, I decided to try something new this year. You see, this season happens to be my thirtieth year of racing motocross. I lined up for my first race way back in 1983 at Hully Gully Raceway and since that time I‘ve raced pretty much every year.

While I’ve always been interested in other forms of dirt bike racing, I’ve never strayed from the familiar confines of motocross - until now that is.

An organization called World Enduro Canada has been holding events they refer to as Cross Country for several years now. As a matter of fact, for the last couple of years I have been toying with the idea of entering one. The premise of a cross country racing event is simple: They take elements of motocross, trail and bush riding and combine them together to form one long loop. Some people refer to these races as Hare Scrambles. The events are advertised as being motocrosser friendly. I noticed that this season the WEC was planning on holding a four round Eastern Canadian Championship series. The first two rounds

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were to take place at Gopher Dunes on one weekend and a couple of weeks later the next two rounds would be held at Walton. Since the Dunes has always been my favourite place to ride, and I knew that the Schuster family would put on an well-organized event, I decided this would be the year that I would finally give it a try. And this is how it all went.

First, a little background info on WEC Cross Country: Four years ago, the powers that be at World Enduro Canada decided that Ontario needed a new cross country series. While Ontario has always been rich with motocross racers and tracks, the Province was starting to fall behind other provinces in our offroad skills - BC and Alberta specifically. The manufacturers also noticed that the sales of off-road equipment were lagging in Ontario so a decision was made to implement a regional cross country series in Ontario that would emulate the Grand National Cross Country Series in the States. They were looking for something that was a little more wide-open than your average enduro and would appeal more to the motocross crowd. “The series was pretty well received right off the bat,” comments WEC’s Trevor Wideman. “Entries were good the first couple

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“I have to admit that after two 1 hour motos on a hot August afternoon, I wasn’t so sure if this type of racing was for me or not.”

Left: Jason Schrage’s Honda CRF 450 looked like a tank compared to many of the other competitors machines. Above: Machine Racing sponsored Brian “Wojo” Wojnarowski is a great off-road rider who certainly has no problem going fast on a motocross track. Below: Here I am modelling my new Thor gear. I decided to put on some hand guards for the Walton round but most of the guys just laughed at them.

of years, but they fell off a bit last year.” Wideman believes conflicting events and scheduling glitches were to blame for this, “However this year they are back up.” Sean Weisner, whose company Weisner Insurance is one of the sponsors of the series, adds, “We average around 80 riders per event. We wouldn’t mind a few more but any more than 150 and we would have to start buying a lot more stuff, so 80 to 100 riders are perfect.”

Race day dawned bright and early; well, not really.

We drove to the track the night before as we usually do because I never like to be too rushed in the morning. I rolled out at about 7:30 and much to my surprise there were about three other trailers parked in the Gopher Dunes pits. My buddy, Brett Cormier, a fellow motocrosser, decided to give this race a try as well. He and his family pulled in at about 8:00am.

“Where the heck is everybody,” were his first comments. “I guess we didn’t have to be here this early,” I replied. As it turned out, the format that day was to be a two - 1 hour moto deal. The kids were to start their first race at 9:00am while the Vets didn’t go until 11:00am. The Intermediates and Pros weren’t scheduled to race until 12:30 – 1:00ish. There’s no practise for these races so all we could do was fire up the coffee machine, set up the lawn chairs and enjoy the beautiful, late August weather. It was kind of nice actually. Gopher Dunes’ owner Frank Schuster wheeled by on his quad and offered to take Brett and I for a little tour of the course just to show us what we were getting ourselves into. This proved to be kind of helpful as I was able to scope out what I believed to be a couple of hot lines. I must admit, I was getting kind of excited about the whole thing. As mentioned, it was a beautiful day and the trails looked absolutely primo. Riders were arriving and I noticed most were pulling into the wooded area beside the track and

trails rather than into the traditional pit area that my friend Brett and I were parked in. We joked that once the horn sounded to line up for the start of the race that these guys were going to come pouring out of the woods like some kind of marauding army. We weren’t too far off the mark actually as when it was finally time for the Vets and Beginners to line up for the start of their first moto, pretty much all of the gates were taken.

It was time to race. I slung my camelback on, which I must admit felt kind of weird, and headed to the line for my first of two 1 hour motos. I had no idea if my bike would be able to hold enough gas to last the whole one hour but I talked to a couple of guys who assured me that my CRF 450 should be able to make it. That was good enough for me so I didn’t bother taking my gas can with me to the start area.

I have raced plenty of times at Gopher Dunes so when the gate dropped I pulled off a fairly easy holeshot.

As I completed a lap of the motocross track, I took a quick look back and saw that I had a pretty sizeable lead as we headed into the woods. It wasn’t long, however, before I could feel the cross country specialists nipping at my heels, and it wasn’t long after that that I blew through a course marker and ended up stalled in the middle of some thick brush. Any thought of winning my initial foray into cross country racing was quickly put to rest as the pack was long gone by the time I got going again. No matter, I certainly had not expected to win. I was just here to have fun so that’s what I tried to do.

I have to admit that after two 1 hour motos on a hot August afternoon, I wasn’t so sure if this type of racing was for me or not. Man I was sore, my hands and butt especially. I also had skin rubbed off on places all over my body. Derek Schuster stopped by after the races to ask me what I thought. “I’m still

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trying to decide if that was fun or not,” I answered.

The next day, the format was to be the more traditional single 2 hour race. I wasn’t sure if I was up to it. Brett, on the other hand, was not as undecided as me. He’s a great rider and actually finished third overall in the Vet Master class but he’d had enough.

“I had fun but I’m outta here”, he proclaimed. “Are you coming back tomorrow?” I asked. “Nope!” Okay, it was just going to be me on Sunday I guess. To be honest, I could have just as easily packed up and headed home myself but my family loves to camp out at the track and I felt that I should give this cross country thing a little bit more of a chance, so we stayed. For Sunday, I definitely made a few changes to my set up. Not so much the bike because I didn’t really have a clue what to do with it, more to the body. I ditched my knee braces and just put on some knee pads. I also decided not to wear my Leatt brace.

I was going for comfort over safety for sure but figured if I was going to be riding for two hours I needed to be as comfortable as possible. I also got

out the tape and Band Aids and went to work on my hands as well as a few other spots that I won’t bother to mention.

I have to say that my limited preparation for Sunday’s race paid off as I was much more comfortable and had a much, much better day. I actually led my class for the first three loops and eventually finished second. With the help of my wife and son, we pulled off a relatively successful pit stop after lap three and I felt like I rode so much better. I was standing up through the tight sections, using my front brake a lot more, and really concentrated on staying smooth.

No stalls and no falls was what I kept telling myself and it seemed to work. In the course of forty-eight hours, my whole outlook on cross country racing had run the gamut of emotions; from initial apprehension and anticipation to excitement to “this sucks”, all the way to the eventual enjoyment and satisfaction of a job fairly well done.

Another great thing about sticking around for Sunday was that it allowed me the opportunity to

Top Left: Wojo didn’t slow down much for these logs, in fact Wojo didn’t slow down much for anything.

Bottom Right: The conditions at Walton on Saturday were pretty terrible and it made for a tough day for many of the competitors.

Top Right: Unfortunately, KTM Canada rider Josh Long crashed hard while leading the second moto on Saturday at Walton. Here he airs it out over the step-down on his way to winning the first moto in convincing fashion.

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watch the Pros go at it one more time. The Pro field for this event was actually quite impressive as all the big off-road manufacturers were well represented.

Yamaha had their top off-road guy Brian Wojnarowski or “Wojo” as he is more commonly referred to in attendance. Former pro motocrosser turned off-road specialist Josh Long was representing KTM’s interests. Not to be out done, Honda Canada shipped in their top guy Jason Schrage who was just fresh from placing 2nd overall in the Western version of the Series Championship. The dark horse for the weekend had to be Gopher Dunes Racing’s own Nathan Bles. Nathan is a great motocross racer as I’m sure you are all well aware but, like myself, had never raced any off-road competition before. GDR Team Manager Derek Schuster, along with a little prodding from Honda Canada, was able to talk Nathan into participating. When it was all said and done, I’m betting he was happy that they did. You see, Nathan absolutely waxed the Pro field on both Saturday and Sunday. In fact, the speed he showed the other competitors through the woods sections and trails of Gopher Dunes was somewhat mind blowing. “It

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was actually kind of scary,” commented WEC’s Trevor Wideman. “When you are travelling at that rate of speed through the woods, one little mistake can be catastrophic.” Luckily for Nathan he didn’t make any mistakes and took the Pro wins on both days.

WEC Cross Country regulars Josh Long and Brian Wojnarowski filled out the podium. Although they were gracious in defeat, you just knew that they were already itching for another chance to race Nathan.

Fortunately for them their opportunity would come in just two weeks as the third and fourth rounds of the series were to take place at Walton Raceway on the September 7th and 8 th weekend.

As for me, I wouldn’t say I was hooked yet but I was definitely getting there and quickly decided to give it another shot at the Walton rounds. The layout of the course at Walton was billed to be a little tighter and more technical than the Gopher Dunes loop.

I figured it should be fine as long as it didn’t rain. Well, wouldn’t you know? It rained. And it rained hard. It rained hard for at least a couple hours as a matter of fact, which didn’t seem to bother most of the guys.

I think it actually made some of them quite happy.

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Among those who were not at all displeased with the downpour was Honda’s Jason Schrage who admitted that he was “way out of his element” at Gopher Dunes but that “it was a great learning experience.” Jason also went on to add that the rounds at the Dunes “definitely got me out of my comfort zone but hopefully made me a better all-round racer.” Well that’s a good attitude, I must say.

Saturday at Walton turned out to be a tough day.

The conditions steadily deteriorated throughout the course of the day, and as a rider, much of your time was spent just trying to keep the bike on two wheels.

Goggles? Forget about it, they were gone quickly.

I soon learned that the key to any kind of success in conditions such as these was to just keep moving forward and try not to fall down. Wasn’t it Winston Churchill who once said “When you’re going through Hell….keep going”? This of course was much easier said than done. Just ask Nathan Bles. He figured he crashed at least twelve times during the first Pro moto on Saturday. KTM rider Josh Long however seemed right at home in the wet conditions as he jumped out to an early lead and absolutely blitzed the rest of the field in Saturday’s first one hour race. Unfortunately and somewhat ironically, Josh had a bad get-off on the motocross section of the course while leading the second moto and was forced to retire for the rest of the weekend with a broken collarbone.

Left: The Champ: The weather was absolutely perfect for the final race at Walton. Nathan Bles seemed to really enjoy it as he cruised to victory and the title. He is your 2013 Eastern Canadian Cross Country Champion.

I was able to keep it going well enough to finish 2nd in my class once again, and although the conditions were challenging, to say the least, I actually had a pretty good time. I was starting to like this cross country stuff, even if I did receive a bit of a verbal tongue lashing from a fellow competitor after the race. At first I thought he was joking. After all the races were over and he had a cold one in his hand as he came walking over, I soon found out that it was no joke. This guy was actually mad at me. You see on the final loop of the second moto, I came up to the diabolical log section for the final time only to find another rider laid out right in between two of the big logs. Now, I had been riding over these damn logs all day long and they were getting sketchier every time around so I decided, in the best interest of safety and my own exhaustion, to by-pass the last two logs this final time around.

Well, the fellow in question didn’t like that move one little bit as I was to find out. In his defence, he probably thought I had been skipping the logs all day long but for the record I had not. So fellow competitor, I hope you read this and understand that I just really didn’t want to run you over, even though you seemingly wanted me to.

By now, with a little bit of hard feelings aside, I was actually starting to feel like a part of the series, and therefore I feel the need to mention how impressed I was with the organization of these

events. The WEC has some great sponsors in place for the National series such as the title sponsor, which is Royal Distributing. Other major sponsors include Honda, Yamaha and KTM while the minor sponsors for the series are Rekluse, Parts Canada, Emperor Racing and Goldentyre. All the volunteers who work the events are very friendly and helpful.

You can tell they are really into it. The transponder scoring system they use seems to work flawlessly and the cost of a transponder for the rider is only twenty dollars. Yes you read that correctly, twenty dollars. One thing that is kind of cool is that they have a monitor set up for when you come around to finish a lap, and if you want you can take a quick peek at the screen to see what place you were in as the race is going on. They also do other neat things like offer $100 holeshot awards for specific classes at each event. I was a little disappointed I didn’t win one of these. Oh well. Apart from the Nationals, they even run a little mini-enduro series that is for kids-only. I for one think this is a great idea as we definitely need more kids riding dirt bikes.

The two hour finale on the Sunday at Walton was to be the final race of the series. It was a beautiful day and I even decided to break out some brand new riding gear for the occasion. My wife and son didn’t make the trip so I had to find someone to be my refueling pit crew for the day. This is no problem however as there are plenty of people willing to help out.

I stalled my bike a few times on the first lap but after that things went pretty well. I ended up 3rd overall, which I was pretty happy with. The improved weather conditions obviously suited Nathan Bles much more than the wet stuff on Saturday as he was back to his winning ways. Bles took the win on Sunday and with it the Eastern Championship. Wojo struggled with bike issues at Walton but still managed to finish second in the series, and a hard fought third place overall went to Honda mounted Jason Schrage who seemed quite pleased with his result. “I worked extremely hard and pulled off a 3rd place overall for the series, which I am very proud to have done considering the format,” stated Schrage on the podium. As for Nathan Bles, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him get a little more involved in the off-road scene next season. After all, the kid seems to be a natural. Can anyone say ISDE? As for me, I’m no natural but I really enjoyed my time in the WEC. I just wish that there were more races left this season. There’s always next year I guess. For any other motocrossers out there who are looking for something that’s a little different, I would recommend cross country racing. For one, you get plenty of seat time, which is what it’s all about really, the days are finished early, which is nice, especially on Sundays, and the whole atmosphere is pretty laid back, friendly and relaxed. Unless you skip a log section that is then all bets are off.

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Tough Times ~ in ~

TEUTSCHENTHAL THE HARD LUCK STORY OF TEAM CANADA AT THIS YEAR’S MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS IN TEUTSCHENTHAL, GERMANY WRITTEN BY DANNY BRAULT // PHOTOS BY FRANK HOPPEN

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After a great summer, everything seemed to be going Jeremy Medaglia’s way heading into the 2013 MXoN. Unfortunately, a foot injury on Saturday would bring an early end to his weekend.

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verything was in place: hotel rooms were reserved, flights were booked and a professional pit area was arranged. KTM built up four, factory 450 SX-F race bikes for their racers Tyler Medaglia and Cole Thompson; Jeremy Medaglia was fit, fast and confident and his YZ250F race bike was ready to go. Every detail was covered as Team Canada prepared for the 2013 Motocross of Nations in Teutschenthal, Germany.

Things were looking so good, in fact, that many fans were touting this to be Canada’s best year yet at the ‘Olympics of Motocross.’ The Canucks’ top result, to date, came in 2004, when JSR, Blair Morgan and Dusty Klatt found their groove in the deep sands of Leirop, Belgium (Interesting to note: Canada’s top moto finish at the MXoN is held by Mike Harnden, who finished 5th on a borrowed CR250 at the 1985 MXoN in Germany).

Fast forward to a decade later and Team Canada of today reflects a similar feel when you consider experience and racing success. Although there is no substitute to the Motocross of Nations, as Thompson admitted after the event.

When it comes to teams performing well at the Motocross of Nations, it often relates to the riders’ experience at big events, and that means racing outside of Canada. No matter how mentally tough you think you are, when you line up against the world’s fastest racers, far away from home in a strange new land with tens of thousands blanketing the track, you won’t feel as comfortable as you do rolling into The Wastelands or Gopher Dunes Canadian Nationals. When you consider the 2004 Trio of JSR, Morgan and Klatt, we had three proven Canadian Champions, and the two vets, JSR and Morgan, spent years abroad racing AMA Supercross and Motocross and many overseas events.

They had speed but also patience and wisdom.

Thompson and the Medaglia brothers are not far off. Each has entered AMA Supercross and Motocross events, and both Tyler and Jeremy have raced at the MXoN previously but on separate occasions (Tyler in 2008 at Donington Park, UK, and Jeremy in 2010 at Thunder Valley in Colorado). Even though Thompson had yet to race overseas or at a MXoN, his speed would more than fill the gaps. All three had also just come off strong results in the Canadian Nationals where they battled each other most of the summer for wins and podiums in the Canadian series. There was certainly no lack of racing experience and speed.

In some past MXoN events, Canadian racers have had to deal with borrowed bikes, lack of parts inventory or uncomfortable sleeping conditions due to lack of budgets and support for Team Canada. It’s not for lack of trying, but it’s just one of those things that is not easy to fund and rally financial backing.

That wouldn’t be the case this September. The Red Bull KTM Royal Distributing Fox Racing Team and RM Motor-

sports MX101 Yamaha stepped up, making sure their racers were well equipped to represent the Maple Leaf proudly and professionally. Bikes, parts and gear were organized prior to the event and shipped over to Germany a week before where they would be broken in a few days before the race.

The stage was set and everything was in place for Team Canada to take on the world. Wait! Did anyone learn how to speak German?

FROM GOOD TO BAD “And the last gate pick goes to… Team Canada.”

Just as things began to roll along nicely for the friendly Canadians, our poutine was drizzled with despair as we drew last call for Saturday’s qualifying gate picks. Sometimes a gate pick doesn’t mean everything but on the Tuetschenthal track with its awkward, downhill, left handed start, it does matter. “It brought me down seeing us pull the final gate pick,” sighed Tyler Medaglia who was dreaming all week of nailing a holeshot in a moto.

First at bat for Canada would be Thompson in the MX1 division. After rounding the first turn inside the top 20, the KTM rider would eventually work his way up to 14 th at the finish. Not a bad start to the day. Despite feeling out of his comfort zone, Thompson’s lap times were within a second of the top 10. “I had never really seen or ridden a track like that before; it caught me off guard,” Thompson was later quoted. “There are so many people and at times it’s difficult to even hear your bike they are cheering so loud.”

Unlike Thompson, Canada’s MX2 contestant, Jeremy Medaglia, couldn’t make the bad gate pick work for him as he was stuck outside the top 30 around corner one. Never one to give up, however, the Yamaha rider started picking off a rider almost every lap and at one point had worked his way up to 23rd. Sadly, he would lose every spot he gained before the finish after catching his foot in a rut and taking time to get going again. A 14 th and 27 th would put Canada in 19 th position. Not bad but it put them on the brink of qualifying with Tyler still to go in the Open class.

Unlike his dreams the night before, there would be no epic holeshot for Tyler. The two-time Canadian Champ tried sneaking around the outside of the pack in the first corner, but it didn’t work and he was left fighting back from 37th on lap one.

When the checkers waved, Tyler had passed a handful of guys but it wasn’t enough because Canada was forced to ride the B Final on Sunday morning.

“I may have been riding a little impatiently because I didn’t want to let our team down. I wanted to get us into the A final,” said Tyler. “After my bad start, it seemed like I kept getting caught up in small pile ups and couldn’t move forward.”

Even after dropping Tyler’s score, Team Canada sat 24 th and would be forced to ride the B Final Sunday morning (which they needed to win to advance to the A Final. No pressure!).

BAD TO WORSE As the pressure mounted so did the blood and bruising in Jeremy’s ankle; so much that he was unable to race at all on Sunday.

“I twisted my ankle badly in a rut during my qualifier,” recalls Jeremy. “It didn’t seem too bad at the time, but come Sunday, I couldn’t fit my foot into my boots and that put an end to it.”

Upon returning home, it was discovered that Jeremy broke a bone in his ankle. “I ended up chipping a bone on the outside MXPMAG.COM · MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE 85

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of my ankle. At the time, I could handle the pain but I just couldn’t get my foot to go into the boot.”

With their MX2 rider applying the ice, Canada’s hopes rested on their 450 riders, Tyler and Thompson. Finally some breaks came our way as Tyler got off to a great start within the top three and Thompson was inside the top 10. Each lap, the two of them continued picking off riders, and at one point Canada was sitting first overall with Thompson in third and Tyler in fifth. They were in position to make the A Final, that is until the (bad) luck of the Irish kicked in.

“I was alone on the last lap and had time on the guy from Ireland, but then some riders in front of me didn’t do a jump and it slowed me down,” Tyler recalls. “It allowed enough time for Ireland’s guy [Irwin

Graeme] to close up on me. He then drove right into the side of me and I lost the position.”

On the last lap, Latvia’s Matiss Karro made a pass for the lead and that was it for Team Canada. Tyler and Cole would finish 5-8 for fourth behind Ireland, Puerto Rico and Latvia who would advance to the A Final.

LESSONS LEARNED Speed certainly isn’t the issue. Looking at lap times from qualifiers and practice, the Thompson and the Medaglia duo were on pace. No problems there. We had the bikes and parts, mechanics and moral support. So what exactly went wrong with this year’s MXoN effort? It’s a difficult question to answer.

After chatting with the three racers and their team

behind them, there isn’t one thing to blame. For Thompson, it was his very first time taking in a MXoN so his nerves may be a little more relaxed next time around.

“I would be thrilled to represent Canada again,” begins Thompson. “This whole year was a huge learning experience and it’s only helped me for my future in racing. If I were given the chance again, I’d do it right and be more ready.”

Results aside, Thompson was thankful to be chosen to represent Canada and looks forward to more invites in the future. “It’s been a dream of mine and the greatest racing experience that I’ve had,” adds Thompson, who is now preparing for the East Coast Supercross Series where he will remain on KTMs. “There were so many wild fans screaming that it

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made it hard to hear my bike at times. No other race compares to the MXoN. It’s a very unique race to be part of and hopefully I can return next year.”

For the Medaglia brothers, neither offers up any excuses. They too are begging for another chance to redeem their country. “Compared to 2010 when we raced the MXoN in Colorado, there were a lot more faster riders in Germany,” reflects Jeremy.

“But compared to 2010, which was also a well organized team, our effort this year was excellent.

Some people ask what we could have done differently, but honestly, there’s nothing I would have changed. We had everything we needed. I really believe that crappy gate pick got into our heads and everything snowballed from there. Both Tyler and Cole rode awesome in the B Main and were so

close to making it happen. Oh well, I really believe we are only one lucky bounce away from Canada’s breakout year.”

Tyler’s post-race thoughts echo that of his teammates. “We had a top 10 team this year but we made too many mistakes. I would love to have the opportunity to redeem Canada next year.”

In one of Jeremy’s online interviews, he made a comment about turning a positive into a negative.

“Other countries wanted it more than we did and they made it happen,” he says.

It was evident that Ireland wanted it when Graeme Irwin smashed into the side of Tyler Medaglia. It’s that determination that Canada would learn from.

We need to compete at more high profile races, and when we do, we’ve got to want it.

Left: Canada came within a lap of making the A Final on Sunday. On the last lap, Tyler Medaglia got taken out by another rider which sealed our fate. All of our riders rode hard on the tough German track.

Right: Cole Thompson posted Canada’s best finish in qualifying on Saturday in Germany. Considering this was only Cole’s second time in Europe, he seemed to really enjoy himself and hopes to return in 2014.

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CARL VAILLANCOURT

JSR

MARCO DUBÉ

KAVEN BENOIT

“Since those glory days, there has been a lack of Quebec riders at the top of the standings.

Only Tim Tremblay and Kaven Benoit have made somewhat of an impact on the National scene.”

MARCO DUBÉ

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SIMON HOMANS

As we said goodbye to heavy metal and the mullets of the 1980s and welcomed in the cool looking florescent clothing of the ‘90s, the province of Quebec was the place to be if you wanted to make money racing motocross and if you wanted to race against the fastest riders in Canada. On any given weekend you could travel there to race a highly competitive arenacross on Friday and Saturday night then a well paying Provincial on Sunday. With the Quebec circuit building momentum and the CMA Nationals slowly grinding to a halt, this weekly battle in Quebec began to produce a vanguard of some really fast riders.

Although Drummondville, QC’s Carl Vaillancourt had been racing the Nationals since 1987, once the calendar changed decades, Carl began to have his best years. Not only did he win multiple National Championships but he also served as a role model for every young Quebec rider who witnessed him racing locally on any given weekend, including his heir apparent Jean Sebastien Roy. JSR, as he is known throughout the motocross world, grew up not far from Carl in Acton Vale, Quebec and remembers very fondly watching Carl race in their home province.

“I was obviously younger than Carl and I remember going to the races in Quebec and Carl would show up with his cool box van, his mechanic and his well prepped bikes then he would go out and dominate the Pro class. His presence at the local races, whether it was an arenacross or a Provincial, really motivated a

group of us younger riders to train and get faster.”

The mid ‘90s is where this monkey see, monkey do mentality really seemed to pay off for the Quebec riders. If you look at early CMRC National Series in 1995 and 1996 when the races took place in Ontario and Quebec, the gates were full of fast and hungry French riders trying to fill Carl’s shoes. For instance, in 1995 at the Roberval, QC National, if you scanned down the starting line you would’ve seen riders like JSR, who was just starting to find his speed, Carl Vaillancourt, who was competing in his final year of racing, Alex Langevin, who was in his sixth year as a Pro and was still getting faster, Simon Bezile, a young rider who had a ton of potential, and a young and determined rider from eastern Quebec named Marco Dubé.

This conglomerate of talented French riders made it very tough on whoever dared to travel to Quebec to race. As Carl said goodbye to the sport at the end of 1995, JSR’s speed on the track and his popularity off the track really began to flourish. MX101’s Kevin Tyler, who used to travel from his home near Ottawa to Quebec quite frequently to race in those days, remembers how JSR was treated. “In the mid 1990s I raced a lot in Quebec. Just from going there a lot I got to know JSR pretty well. I used to stay at his house a few times, and when he lived in town you could ride from his house to his practice track. When we did this there would literally be people running to the end of their driveways to wave at him. It was

crazy. Also, if you stopped for gas, even outside Acton Vale, people would recognize him and come over and say hi”.

If JSR was the King of Quebec motocross in the mid ‘90s then Marco Dubé was the Prince. Although Marco didn’t have the style of a Carl Vaillancourt or the flash of a JSR, what he did have was speed and a blue collar mentality to outwork anyone else on the track. As JSR left Canada to chase his dreams in the USA in the late ‘90s, Marco would fill the void nicely in Quebec and on the National circuit as he was a frontrunner in both. JSR’s absence would allow Marco to build his own fan base at home. It wasn’t long until another young Quebec rider who grew up watching JSR would join the party and become yet another National Champion from La Belle Province.

With another decade gone and the millennium upon us, Quebec was about to have its pinnacle year in Canadian motocross. During the 2001 season, the CMRC National Series was booming with rounds in almost every province and riders from across the globe competing. It was time for Quebec riders to shine. When the summer was over, JSR and Simon Homans were National Champions in the MX1 and MX2 East classes respectively. Both riders dominated their respective series. Looking back, it was a defining moment for Quebec motocross. For the next few years, JSR would win four additional MX1 Championships and numerous Montreal SX main events.

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KAVEN BENOIT

JSR

Homans would not win another Championship but he did win a couple of individual National races after he moved up to the bigger 450 machines. Marco Dubé would stay at the top of Canadian motocross for a few years before injuries would force him to retire. By 2009, all three riders went on to different ventures in life, which left a huge void left in Quebec motocross.

Since those glory days, there has been a lack of Quebec riders at the top of the standings. Only Tim Tremblay and Kaven Benoit have made somewhat of an impact on the National scene. Is this a cause for alarm or is it just the regional cycle of Canadian motocross? Andy White is not only the current Red Bull Royal Distributing KTM Race Team Manager but he has also been around Quebec motocross for many years. Andy had this to say about the current state of Quebec and its talent pool. “I know we’re not seeing the amount of top riders coming out of Quebec that we saw in the last thirty years, but we still have guys like Kaven Benoit, Tim Tremblay and Michael Dasilva.

Everyone has to remember that in 2008, not only did one of this country’s best riders ever (JSR) retire but we also went through a huge economic slowdown.

Today, people have a lot less money to spend and they can’t afford to go across Canada to follow the Nationals. I think a lot of Quebec’s fast riders chose

to stay home and race locally so maybe you don’t hear that much about them. It will be very interesting to see what happens in the next few years as this is also a National issue. I think riders in every province have fewer funds to travel far from home.”

With Provincial races and arenacrosses still prevalent throughout Quebec, JSR also thinks that more riders are being very selective about where and when they race. “As the guy in charge of KTM’s Amateur program, I travel a lot inside Quebec to local races. Trust me - there are still some really fast kids.

I just don’t think as many travel to places like Walton to race. It’s not anyone’s fault but it’s just the reality of today’s racing. By the time a Quebec rider travels to say Walton, it probably costs around $1500 by the time they pay for gas, food, lodging and sign up. Back in the early ‘90s, we could go across the country and back for that money. I don’t know how to fix this part of our sport because things aren’t getting any cheaper”.

JSR does have a valid point as simple economics are keeping more and more riders from venturing away from home. One thing JSR fails to mention, as he is still one of the most humble individuals in motocross, is the effect his retirement might have had on the future of Quebec riders. For many years

Quebec riders had JSR as a measuring stick and as someone to emulate. His success both in Canada and on the World stage gave every French rider the feeling that they could do the same. Since his departure from the top of the sport, it’s possible that the morale of the up and coming Quebec riders has really slid off the map.

Johnny Grant, who heads the MX101 talent factory program, has a different perspective on the lack of top Quebec riders. “I think in this day and age, you need a few things to fall into place if you want to be a top rider. Today you need a good development program to guide a kid from a young age to the Pro class. BC has their AX Championship that has worked well, and Ontario has MX101 and Moto Park.

I‘m not sure if Quebec has anything like this other than JSR teaching schools. This up and coming rider also needs a good regional system to race in. This is getting tougher and tougher in each Province as we’re seeing more and more fragmentation among sanctioning bodies. Quebec, more than any other province, has seen this happen. There always seems to be another sanctioning body popping up and confusing things. Finally, the one thing that remains the same in this sport as it has forever is that you don’t peak until your mid-20s. I think with bikes and racing in general being so expensive now, fewer and fewer fast riders are racing past their 23rd birthday.

Although this is a Canada-wide problem, it must be happening in Quebec as well. We as a sport must find a way to combat this problem as some riders are missing out on what could be their best years. It will come around though, it always does.”

So does Quebec have a void of fast, young riders, or do they just stay home and remain somewhat out of the spotlight? While there are possible future National Champions like Benoit, Dasilva and young Jeremy McKie, the days of multiple Quebec riders like JSR, Dubé and Homans all lining up simultaneously will take a few more years at least. One thing is certain though, Quebec is a Province filled with pride and heritage. While they might be behind the motocross eight ball now, it will not last for long. If a rider like Kaven Benoit can stay healthy in 2014, we might be talking about yet another Quebec National Champion in a year’s time. In the meantime, it will be interesting to see which riders from which province work hard in the off season and come out next year to prove that they’re the best.

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HART

CAREY

OPEN MIC WITH

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BY CHRIS POMEROY PHOTOS BY GARTH MILAN

WORDS FROM THE HART

Back in the late 1990s Carey Hart was a struggling privateer on the AMA Supercross circuit. After wrapping up the 1998 series in his hometown of Las Vegas, Hart was tired, sore and eager for new challenges. What followed was a combination of hard work and being in the right place at the right time. In what could almost be described as a fairy tale, Hart is now a successful entrepreneur, a supercross team owner, a loving father and is also married to one of the world’s most successful rockstars. How did all of this happen? We caught up with him as he and his family was gearing up for the final leg of his wife’s tour.

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CP: Hey Carey, thanks for taking the time for us. What is going on today?

CH: Not too much, just travelling with the family. My wife’s tour is starting back up so we’re headed to Oakland.

Let’s start off ith how your RCH Team is doing. Were you happy with how 2013 went?

Yes, I think it went pretty good. We had some ups and downs like all teams do. Hill got hurt at Anaheim 1 in practice so that didn’t help but when he came back he was able to put in some pretty good rides during the second half of the series. Tickle rode well also. I think the series started off a little slow for him, but that class isn’t easy and you have to get good starts all the time. It was a good learning year for all of us and hopefully we’ll be better in 2014.

Will the riders be the same in 2014?

Yes, we’re going to bring back Tickle and Hill, they’re both great to work with and I think they’re capable of running up front. At RCH we’re still building for the future so at this point we’d rather work on adding the proper technicians than try to go after one of the top riders. Not that many were available next year anyway, but when you have a top rider on the team you need great support staff so I think we’re a year away from going for a championship.

At Anaheim 1 this year you must have had a great deal of pride looking at your RCH Team? You’ve taken things pretty far in a short amount of time.

For sure, I’m so grateful for it all. We’ve been lucky to have a great stable of sponsors that have stuck with us and allowed us to grow to what we are today. Also, bringing Ricky Carmichael on board this past year as a partner was great. I mean, he just brings so much credibility and knowledge on the track and on the technical side, it’s very impressive. It really feels like all the stars are aligning so hopefully we can take our sponsors and keep growing the program.

“I THINK THE STRUGGLES THAT I HAD BACK THEN REALLY HELPED TO MOTIVATE ME IN THE YEARS SINCE. BACK THEN I WAS JUST A KID TRYING TO MAKE IT IN SUPERCROSS. IT’S NO DIFFERENT THAN SOME OF THE GUYS NOW.”

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You obviously have two young riders on your team who are still trying to find that consistency to be a frontrunner every weekend.

How has Ricky been as a mentor to them?

He’s been great, I mean he’s been very serious but that’s Ricky. He knows what it takes to win and to be that guy. He’s really been hands on and that’s great. Last year he came out to California and tested the bikes for two weeks before either Hill or Tickle even got on them.

Ricky’s speed is still top five and his testing abilities are second to none. Our two riders see that so they learn from him. There aren’t too many team owners in any sport who can still go out and perform at the level that Ricky can, so that is one of the many things that makes our team special.

Do you still get out and show the boys how it’s done? (laughs) Yes, I still like to get out and ride as much as possible but this year I had to take a back seat. My wife has been out on tour all year plus I’m currently battling some back issues. Between family and my injuries I’ve had to stay off the bike a little more than usual.

I still found a little time to race this year. I raced Ricky’s race in Daytona and I also rode amateur day at Red Bud, so that was fun.

That’s good that you still get to ride, even with your busy schedule.

Let’s go back in time: I remember you back in 1998 racing Supercross; we actually lined up together a few times in LCQs trying to make some main events. You were working out of a van and doing your best, but times were tough for all of us. Do you look back at those days with fond memories?

Oh definitely, they were tough days but they were good days. I think the struggles that I had back then really helped to motivate me in the years since. Back then I was just a kid trying to make it in supercross. It’s no different than some of the guys now. It’s not easy living from race to race just trying to make the main events. However, I think doing that makes you stronger and you sure get to find out what type of person you are.

When our Canadian riders go down south and race, they’re working out of a van and it’s tough to compete against the big teams. What would your advice be to Canadian riders when they go to the US and try to do well?

Well, I think they just need to keep everything in perspective. If they come down they should just try to be prepared as best as they can and look at it as a learning process, then they will be fine. The riders down here are the best in the world riding the best equipment. You’re not going to come here and beat them. I remember back in 1998 I was just trying to beat a few guys each weekend. That was my motivation, just try and do my best and keep improving.

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“I’VE JUST ALWAYS LOOKED AT EVERY ASPECT OF MY LIFE WHETHER IT BE MY RACING CAREER, MY FREESTYLE OR MY BUSINESS LIFE, AND I’VE JUST TRIED TO GIVE IT 100%”

This might be a really long answer, but how did you go from a struggling privateer back then to where you are now? You have to admit, it’s a pretty cool journey you‘ve taken.

Yes, you’re right; it might be a long answer (laughs). I think it has been a combination of a lot of luck and also being in the right place at the right time. At the end of the 1998 Supercross series I was tired, sore and just over it. I dreamed of becoming a champion but it just wasn’t happening and there was very little support to go around. I was riding for Shift Clothing back then and we had been doing some movies and some different stuff, but you have to remember that in those years that entire freestyle movement was frowned upon. We had tattoos and baggy pants and a lot of people in the industry just turned their noses up at us.

After the 1998 season was done I was signed for the Warp Tour and we headed out on the road to perform the very first ramp to ramp freestyle moto demo. That was the start of it.

From there it led to different tricks and eventually the back flip and the “Hart attack”. That whole movement just took off and snowballed. I was having fun but I was also taking it serious by going at freestyle like I did with my racing. When I did that flip and the mainstream media attention that came with it that really got things moving.

I remember when you did that first flip, it was such huge news. You were literally an overnight sensation on the news and on the internet. How did the business begin off he bike?

As the freestyle stuff was progressing, so was my list of injuries. I found myself hurt quite a bit and with quite a bit of downtime. I have always been really grateful for all my sponsors so even when I was injured I would still go and do signings and keep my name out there. Being injured so much also made me quickly realize that I wasn’t going to be able to jump forever so I knew I had to find other things to do. I always

wanted to open a shop so that is how my fist tattoo shop came to fruition. From there it led to television shows and so on. Really, that is what has led me to this point. I can’t really say there was any magic formula, I’ve just always looked at every aspect of my life whether it be my racing career, my freestyle or my business life, and I’ve just tried to give it 100%. Over the years, what I’ve lacked in knowledge I’ve made up for in sheer determination. I think if you go through life like that, things will be okay.

I like that answer and I think your story is a very inspirational one. I thought you were just going to say that you’re where you are now because you starred in Fresno Smooth? (laughs) Well, I’m sure that had a little to do with it. Speaking of that movie, here is a funny story for you. My wife has been hearing about this movie forever but she’s yet to see it.

We were talking about it a few weeks ago. Just the other day I got a package from Amazon, I opened it and it was a DVD of Fresno Smooth. I guess my wife had ordered it. So one of these nights we’re going to sit down on the tour bus and watch it. That should be interesting.

To be honest, I had never seen that movie until recently when I watched it on YouTube. It’s like a pilot who has never seen Top Gun. That movie is classic for sure, especially when you watch it now after all these years.

We did a Shift ride last winter in Oklahoma and at night they had a big portable movie screen and they played Fresno Smooth for us. That was the first time I’d seen since it originally came out. We all had a good laugh!

In speaking recently to people like Chad Reed, Dave Gowland or Travis Pastrana, I’ve notice that the one characteristic they all seem to share is the ability to try new things

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without the fear of failure. Would you say the same about yourself?

Most definitely. I think you have to be that way if you want to succeed. If you look at when I was competing and trying new tricks, I mean, we never had foam pits back then so there was a little more risk involved.

Also, over the years with business I’ve had to roll the dice and take chances. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t, but you have to try. Five or six years ago when I started my race team I was the last person who anyone thought would venture down that road, but here I am now with a great partner like Ricky and surrounded by great people.

Having seen the ins and outs of both freestyle and motocross are you in awe of how far both sports have come in the last ten years?

For sure, it’s incredible the level that both sports have reached. From an athlete’s and marketability point of view, I think freestyle has had a huge influence on motocross and supercross. If you think back to motocross at the end of the ‘90s, there were no visible tattoos, no one dyed their hair, and everyone was pretty straight laced. Once the media saw the freestyle guys, although they were a little crazy, they were marketable and media friendly. I think this opened motocross up a little bit and made it cool to be a little different.

The economic landscape of motocross has also changed in the last few years and riders seem to be making less and less money. Do you see a day when things might come back to where they once were?

I certainly hope they do for the riders’ sake. There is no sport anywhere in the world that is as dangerous or hard on the body as motocross is and the riders deserve to be paid. However, teams only have so much budget to work with and only so much that can be allotted to riders. I think these days if a rider wants to get paid more then they need to show their worth not only on the bike but off it as well. They have to show the sponsors that they’re going to represent them well. These days are complicated with Facebook and Twitter. It’s so easy for fans to know what you’re doing. This is a good thing but the athlete has to really monitor what they’re doing so they aren’t sending out negative messages.

Even with the tough economic times, you’ve managed to bring in new corporate sponsors to your program. What is your secret?

I do have a few tricks but for now I will keep them a secret. (laughs) Alright, maybe you can write a book one day and tell us. The last decade has been so interesting for you.

How do you see the next ten years going for you?

The way I see both the short term and long term playing out is that a few years ago I found myself spread so thin in everything I was doing. You know, I had night clubs, a race team, tattoo shops, and since I was doing so much I didn’t feel like I was doing any of them really well. Since then, I’ve tried to taper things back and start not only doing less but doing it better. So far it has worked and I hope to continue to do that.

As I get older I want to stay riding dirt bikes so I can ride with my family. I love being at the races with the team; for me it’s as good as racing myself. I also love my clothing business which is a real passion of mine. I would really like to focus on those three things and do them really well. We have some really big plans and a strategy with the race team that will hopefully play out over the next decade or so.

We hope it all works out because the sport needs more people like you in it. Do you think we’ll ever see a Fresno Smooth 2, maybe starring you and Ricky?

That would be cool, Fresno Smooth starring Ricky Carmichael. Trust me though, once my wife sees the movie, there isn’t going to be a part two (laughs).

Probably not. Well Carey, we really appreciate you doing this. Good luck in 2014 and beyond.

Thank you very much and no problem. It’s always good to talk with someone from Canada, we love going up there. We’ll see everyone next March in Toronto.

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INDUSTRY PROFILES

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Even though Jeff Fullerton is just thirty years of age, he has had a long, tough road to get to where he is today.

As the Marketing Director for Gamma Sales, Jeff overseas moto brands Fly Clothing and Dragon Goggles. An avid moto guy himself, Jeff still tries to get out and ride his bike at least once a week and he enjoys every minute of it. We caught up with Jeff as he was busy getting ready for the upcoming snow season.

Q: Good Morning Jeff, how are things going?

A: Things are really good. I appreciate you guys calling us. Right now we’re getting ready for a really busy snow season, we hope, but since the nice fall weather has stuck around it’s been good for riding dirt bikes and doing stuff outside.

Q: Yes, even though we’re all moto guys at MXP, I still think we need a strong snow season each winter. I mean, it’s not going to be nice enough for riding in the winter so it might as well snow.

A: For sure, we obviously count on a good winter each year and when it doesn’t happen, it makes things a lot harder for the industry.

Tell us a little bit about Gamma Sales. Like you said, you’re into snow products in a big way, but you’re also into motocross.

A: We started out with snow products over thirty years ago so we’re very experienced in that industry and we do very well in it. As far as motocross and off-road goes, we haven’t been doing that as long but with strong brands like Dragon Goggles and Fly Clothing, we’re happy with how things are going.

Let’s talk about Fly Clothing for a minute. I think this is a brand that has done a great job of improving little by little as each year there seems to be improvement.

In 2013 the gear looked good and the new 2014 gear looks amazing.

This has been a very deliberate plan by Fly to work at their own pace and not extend themselves too much. In

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moto they’ve had the same riders like Andrew Short and Trey Canard for years, and they like that. They like the family orientated feel that the brand delivers. As far as the 2014 gear goes, we think it will do very well.

Where is Gamma located?

We’re located near Orillia, Ontario so we’re right in the heart of snowmobile country in the winter and cottage life in the summer. It’s beautiful up here. I grew up a little ways north of here so this is home for me.

In the winter do you guys ride your sleds to work?

I personally don’t because I live closer to Bracebridge so it would be a long ride each day. Also, the surrounding area here is getting pretty built up with houses so there isn’t a trail that would allow us to ride right to the front door.

It sounds as though everyone at Gamma Sales is a pretty close knit group.

Definitely, we’re all very passionate about what we do.

We’re a family owned business so there is a family feel here. The original owners of Gamma passed the business onto their son, so there is a family connection here that helps make it a very good place to work.

That sounds great Jeff. To work in this industry you have to be very passionate about what you do. Tell us a little about yourself. How did you get to where you are?

I grew up just outside of Bracebridge and when I was younger I worked at my parents’ snowmobile dealership.

From there I just had a real interest in snowmobiles and

actually raced them for a while and ended up with a few Canadian Championships. I loved racing and I wanted to do it longer, but things always happen for a reason and for me I had knee issues that forced me to retire from racing so I looked for something new.

After I finished racing snocross I started working here at Gamma. I was sponsored by Gamma with Fly product for snocross so that was the tie to getting a job here. I started out doing inside sales and then transitioned to doing inside and outside sales for Western Canada. As we grew as a company, we’ve added western sales reps but I still currently handle Thunder Bay to the western edge of Manitoba. I cover the inside and outside sales for that territory along with all of our marketing/racer support, plus I’m involved in product development. I have been year now for about 7.5 years.

Sorry to hear about your knee injuries but it sounds as though it was a smooth transition to Gamma?

For sure, it was a great opportunity. Although I was sad to leave racing, I knew it was for the best. I still ride sleds a little bit but for some reason it still bothers my knee.

The good thing is that riding dirt bikes doesn’t hurt so I’m all good there.

Well Jeff, it has been a pleasure to speak with you. Good luck this winter and I can’t believe I’m going to say this but let’s hope we have a good winter with a lot of snow.

You need to get yourself a snowmobile and then you’ll love winter. Thank you very much for calling.

2013-10-22 3:19 PM

INDUSTRY PROFILES

Growing up near Montreal, QC, Smith Eyewear’s Rob Retzlaff never dreamed that he’d be playing such an important role in the sports industry today. Although Rob’s first love is skiing, lucky for us he has taken to motocross and loves every second he spends riding with his family. We caught up with Rob as he was waiting with eager anticipation to watch the 2013 Monster Energy Cup on television.

Q: Hey Rob, thanks for taking some time to speak with us. Where are you calling home these days?

A: We live out in Brooklyn, Ontario, just north of Whitby. We love it here. The town has grown quite a bit in the last few years so it’s nice. Honestly, it’s a great place to raise kids, and since my wife and I have two girls it works well for us.

My old mechanic Jesse Wilson lives in Brooklyn and he loves it there. Where did you grow up?

I grew up near Montreal and spent most of my life there. My wife and I lived there and were in the process of raising our family there but my oldest daughter was diagnosed with Dyslexia and her school in Quebec couldn’t help her. The entire school system in Quebec is messed up. When this happened we decided it was time to move. I love Canada and we wanted to stay here, so we packed our bags and moved west. I’m happy to say that the move really helped my daughter and she is now a B student so I think we made the right decision.

That is very good news Rob. Does your daughter like to ride dirt bikes?

For sure, she loves it and we ride together quite a bit. Motocross is an awesome sport and it’s just so addicting. I didn’t grow up riding so it’s relatively new to me. Once I tried it I was hooked. Now I’m into it so much that I can’t wait to watch it on television.

Needless to say, I’m looking forward to watching the Monster Cup this weekend.

Let’s talk about Smith for a minute. Were you happy with how 2013 has gone?

Yes, it was good. Up until 2009 we hired distributors to deal with our line of products. At the same time, we had exclusive Smith reps out there that only sold Smith products. So they were out there selling our Smith Goggles, our snow helmets and our prescription eyewear. Then in 2009 our sales dropped off to our distributors and our profit margin fell. At that time I thought that these guys are professional sales people that deal with a number of different brands but it wasn’t working.

From that point on we changed our way of doing things and now we just have exclusive Smith reps out there. Who is going to know Smith better than these guys? So far it’s working out great and I’m glad we made the change. The motocross market is an interesting one because on one hand it’s fairly small, but there are a lot of different brands in the market so it’s easy for the consumer to lose track of what each product is all about. This is what our reps do really well. They’re out there letting everyone know what Smith is all about. So to go back to your question about 2013, our snow business is on fire, our sunglass business is good, and we also sell prescription eyewear, which means that we provide the frames to the optometrists. That business is doing very well too. Our moto sales are stable so we’re happy with that, but it’s not growing by any stretch of the imagination.

Why do you think that is Rob? I just think it goes back to how many brands there are in the marketplace. Now you have the 100% brand, and Fox is now in the mix. Not long ago it used to be just Scott, us and Oakley. The market is just saturated and there are only so many customers out there.

As a brand we offer a high quality product at a reasonable price point and we also believe that we have a very well proven product. When a motocross rider goes and buys one or two pair of Smith goggles, they will be happy with the product as well as how much they paid for them.

When you’re not riding with your family, what other things do you enjoy doing?

Once the snow flies you can find us at the ski hill as we all love to ski. I consider skiing to be a lot like motocross. It really is a great way for families to spend their time together and we love it. Other than that, I just love to stay really active. In the summer I love to road bike and stay fit. I think in this industry it really helps to be fit and youthful so you can relate to a lot of your customers.

I would agree Rob. With all the travel and long hours, it certainly helps to be fit and healthy. It’s been really good to catch up with you. Hopefully our paths will cross soon. Enjoy the Monster Cup and good luck with Smith.

Thank you very much. Keep up the good work. MXP is an awesome magazine!

104 MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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O N THE RISE D N A G N U O -Y

Kennedy Lutz A GIRL ON A MISSION - BY CHRIS POMEROY -

hen you look at the success that Yorkton, Saskatchewan’s Kennedy Lutz has had in her racing career, it’s hard to believe that she’s only 13 years-old. At this young age, most kids are enjoying their adolescence and doing their best to have a carefree life. They’re certainly not travelling around North America battling against this continent’s fastest female motocross riders. Welcome to the life of Kennedy Lutz.

Kennedy began riding for the same reason that many of us do; her Dad was a huge fan of motocross and when his young daughter went to the races, she was instantly enamoured with the sights and sounds of the sport. Considering she was just four years-old when she first started riding, Kennedy adapted quickly to racing. Since she spent a lot of time riding with the boys, she was forced to adopt her patented aggressive style early in her career.

After a few years of competing solely on Saskatchewan soil, the Lutz family went searching for bigger and better events. They first found the competition they were looking for in Raymond, AB at the Western Canadian Amateur Nationals.

Riding a 50cc machine, the virtually unknown Lutz captured two titles at the event and quickly served notice that she wasn’t afraid to race anyone or anywhere.

The next step for Kennedy was to make the transition to a bigger bike, which she managed to do with a lot of success.

What followed for her were not only multiple Saskatchewan Provincial Championships but the strong urge to take her talents south of the border in the highly competitive US circuit.

After a few trips stateside to ride and compete in smaller races, when Kennedy was eleven years-old her family packed up their truck and made the long, twenty-six hour drive to Loretta Lynn’s and the infamous Red Bull Amateur National Championship.

For every racer that competes at Loretta Lynn’s they know full well the size of the stage; this is the big time! While some riders excel under this type of pressure, some don’t and leave bitterly disappointed. For Kennedy however, this stage was something she had been dreaming about for years so when she finally got there she was able to control her nerves and ride the way she knew best. In 2011 while competing in the Ladies 9-11 class, Kennedy rode well but was a little surprised at the speed of her American counterparts. There was some work to do but she was up to the challenge.

Later in 2011 while racing in Florida at the Mini Olympics,

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Kennedy finally got her breakthrough ride in the States and won both the supercross and motocross divisions in the Ladies 9-11 class. These finishes not only brought her a lot of attention but it gave her a lot of confidence heading into 2012.

For 2012, Kennedy knew it was time to make things happen so she prepared very well over the winter to be ready for the season. This time at Loretta Lynn’s she was much more comfortable and her results reflected it. After a number of hard battles, Kennedy finished on the podium in the 9-11 Ladies class and in the process became one of the very few Canadian riders to accomplish this feat.

Since that first trip down south in 2011, Kennedy has won five US Amateur titles; again, few Canadian riders can say that. After securing yet another top five this past summer at Loretta Lynn’s, Kennedy and her family made the trek back north but this time they headed east to Walton, Ontario and the 2013 Parts Canada TransCan. Kennedy really enjoyed her time at the TransCan. Throughout the week she was the only rider to keep eventual Ladies Champion Hailey Larson in sight. Kennedy finished second overall at Walton. With it being her last big amateur race in Canada for the year, it was a fitting way to finish it off.

One of Kennedy’s mentors is long time Women’s racer and Canadian Champion Denaye Giroux. Denaye commented about how Kennedy is doing so far in this sport. “Kennedy has always been at the top of her class, whether that be against the boys or the girls. She has had a very successful Amateur career so far. Look for her to raise the level of racing in the next few years. I have watched her grow up on a bike over the years. As her speed increased throughout the years, her heart and passion for the sport continued to grow.

This was Kennedy’s first year on a big bike and the transition seemed to come natural. Her flowing style on the bike has been witnessed by many. She has the speed and talent to do great things in our sport! I have nothing but the upmost respect for this girl. She is willing to put in the hard work to succeed at any level. I can’t wait to see her future unfold.”

For 2014, Kennedy will be competing in the CMRC Western Canadian Women’s Nationals. She will still only be 14 so she will most likely be the youngest rider on the track. She will go into next year better prepared than ever as Kennedy is now home schooled and will be spending a lot more time this winter training down south. Watch out for Kennedy Lutz in 2014 as she is young and on the rise.

MXPMAG.COM · MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE 107

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> HIGH OCTANE HUMAN PERFORMANCE

> PROTEIN PERFORMANCE FOR OPTIMAL CONDITIONING

BY CRAIG STEVENSON B.P.E. (HON), FOUNDER AND CEO ACTIONETIX™

y the time you read this, you’re season will pretty much be done. There will still be a few spots to ride in Canada, but for some of you, your next ride will most likely happen in the US. When the snow starts to fly, it’s a sure sign that it’s time to move from the track into the gym to stay in shape or to get in shape for next season. In the last issue of MXP Magazine, I discussed how long your strength training workouts should be in order for you to achieve maximum results. We looked at what happens to Testosterone and Cortisol if you train with high intensity for more than 60 minutes. In this issue, I’m going to discuss the protein needs of the body and in particular how to recover from training so that your strength and conditioning can continue to improve.

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The endocrine system is a series of glands that secrete hormones that provoke more long-term adaptations to stimulus such as training.”

PROTEIN 101 Protein takes on many roles in your body. It is responsible for growth and maintenance of your body (in particular your muscle), enzymatic and hormonal functions, creating antibodies (fighting infection), as well as balancing and regulating fluids and electrolytes.

Proteins are also used to help maintain an acid-base balance within your body while having the potential to be used as energy if and when your body requires it.

All proteins are made up of smaller building blocks called Amino Acids. There are 20 different amino acids that when combined will form the structure of a protein.

In order for a protein to be used in muscle recovery or other functions, it must contain all nine Amino Acids that are classified as essential. Essential Amino Acids are Amino Acids that the body cannot make or produce itself; they must come from external food sources or supplements. Foods that contain all 9 Essential Amino Acids are called complete proteins. Foods that do not include all 9 Essential Amino Acids are called incomplete proteins.

Foods that are complete in Essential Amino Acids are listed below. Eating any of these foods will guarantee that you are getting all 9 essential amino acids.

1. Meat (beef, poultry, fish, pork, lamb, shell fish, etc.)

2. Dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.)

3. Eggs 4. Supplemental protein from dairy and egg sources (whey protein, casein protein, egg protein) Some common foods that contain incomplete Amino Acid profiles include: 1. Vegetables 2. Grains 3. Tofu 4. Nuts

These incomplete proteins must be combined with one another or with a complete protein if they are to be used effectively and efficiently within your body. For instance, bread is an incomplete protein when eaten alone, however when combined with peanut butter the two create a complete protein. The same would hold true for a stir fry that contained vegetables and tofu.

PROTEIN REQUIREMENTS A strong rule of thumb for hard training athletes should be eating approximately 1 gram or protein per pound of body weight per day. This can go up or down depending on the person’s exact metabolism. I have worked with athletes that have responded very well to 1.5 grams of protein per pound and as low as.8 grams during high-intensity training phases. Individual tolerance to eating a high amount of protein however does need to be assessed in the early phases of adjusting any diet.

Protein is one of the harder macronutrients for the body to digest, so some experimentation needs to be done to settle on exact levels for each individual.

So if you are looking to gain some functional muscle, like many younger athletes that are graduating to bigger bikes, you will need to eat enough protein to satisfy your target weight. If you are 135 pounds, but want to increase to 150 pounds, you will need to eat enough protein to achieve the 150 pounds. In essence, you will need to consume at least 150 grams of protein each day (1 gram per pound) with an upper limit of 225 grams per day (1.5 grams per pound). Conversely, if you are looking to lose some weight to be lighter on the bike you will need to adjust your protein intake down. If you weigh 175 pounds but want to be 155 pounds, you will need to drop your protein accordingly to 155 grams to 230 grams per day.

HOW TO USE PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS TO INCREASE YOUR PROTEIN There are a number of protein supplements on the market today that can make it easier to get the protein you need. Each type of protein has specific properties and can be used for various functions in your diet. Below is a protein supplement chart to help you select proteins that are perfect for you: When preparing for next season this winter, make sure you first have the correct amount of protein in your diet, and also choose the correct protein supplements for your needs. You’ll find more information about performance nutrition by visiting actionetix.com/articles/category/ nutrition. If you have a topic you would like discussed or if you would like a custom designed nutrition plan from ACTIONETIX, just contact us at info@actionetix.com. Until next time, “Train hard, race easy!”

108 MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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ROGERS CENTRE

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> EVOLVED NUTRITION

>GREEN WITH ENVY WITH DREW ROBERTSON

he weather is starting to cool off and we are now staring the dreaded winter months in the face. Has everyone got a plan for the winter?

Are you heading down south to ride? In this article I want to touch on greens supplements and why we should be looking at adding them to our diet. Over the years I have talked with quite a few people at different conferences and have given a multitude of lectures on nutrition. One of the most common questions I get is: what are greens? Should I take them? I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. Do you think I need to take them? I will go over what green supplements are, why we should take them, and provide some interesting stats on how many people actually get enough fruits and vegetables.

First off, what are greens and what do they typically contain? Greens supplements are basically veggies and fruits that have been compacted and distilled into a powdered form. They typically contain a full assortment of grasses (barley and wheat), algae (spirulina and chlorella), alfalfa, herbs, vegetables, legumes, seaweed and fruits.

T

...athletes and those of us who are more active have to make sure that we are consuming more alkalizing foods, and/ or taking a greens supplement.”

Benefits of Greens Supplements Include: · Barley grass contains fiber and oil that may help to lower cholesterol. · Wheat grass is rich in chlorophyll. · In Chinese medicine, alfalfa is used to treat digestive disorders. · Spirulina is full of vitamins and minerals but it isn’t a reliable source of vitamin B-12. · The use of bipolar compounds (such as phosphatidylcholine or lecithin) in greens formulas can help increase bioavailability of both water-soluble and non-watersoluble nutrients.

Think of greens as concentrated awesome or concentrated fruits and vegetables. Should I take greens?

If I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables do I need to take greens? Listed below are some interesting numbers on how many people consume five or more servings of vegetables each day. · Less than 1% of men & 4% of women ages 18 to 24 · Less than 6% of men & 9% of women ages 25 to 34 · Less than 14% of men & 16% of women ages 35 to 49 · Less than 24% of men & 22% of women ages 50 to 64 When I see those stats, my first reaction is shock at how poorly we are eating these days, but in terms of intake, even though some people eat a good clean

diet full of whole foods, they might not be eating this on a regular basis or not eating enough fruits and vegetables. On average, protein consumption among the public has remained higher than fruit and vegetable intake. This can create an acid load in the body and potentially create low grade acidosis. Introducing more vegetables and fruits (including a greens supplement) can help counteract this acid load and preserve bone and muscle. Some of you might be wondering why it is so important to be eating fruits and vegetables.

Ample fruit and vegetable consumption has been associated with a reduction of: · Cardiovascular disease · Colon cancer · High blood cholesterol · High blood pressure · Prostate cancer · Type 2 diabetes · Obesity · Stroke · Eye disease · Asthma · Breast cancer

· Cervical cancer · Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · Endometrial cancer · Gastric cancer · Lung cancer · Lymphoma · Osteoporosis · Ovarian cancer · Pancreatic cancer · Thyroid cancer

For athletes or more active people (working out or active 3-4 times a week), regular exercise can increase acid production in the body due to repeated muscle contractions. Typically, active people and athletes consume more protein as well, and, as mentioned, can lead to low level acidosis. For these reasons, athletes and those of us who are more active have to make sure that we are consuming more alkalizing foods and/or taking a greens supplement.

In general, adding a greens supplement is a great idea as it can benefit energy levels, recovery, antioxidant status, and bone health. Greens are very alkaline and can help to balance dietary acids. I look at greens as an insurance policy that makes sure we get our fair share of fruits and vegetables daily. If you consume at least 10 servings of fruits and veggies per day on a consistent basis then supplementing with greens may be unnecessary. If you have any digestive problems or are taking medication or have any medical problems, always consult your physician before adding anything to your diet.

For greens supplements, contact me and I will point you in the right direction.

Our motto at Evolved: “Do today what others won’t, so tomorrow you can do what others can’t!!”

110 MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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> ON THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR

> PREPARATION…HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH OR WHEN IS ENOUGH, ENOUGH? WITH MARC TRAVERS - PHOTO BY DAVID GRAHAM WHITE

all is definitely one of my favourite times of the year. I can’t say I’m a big winter guy anymore.

I like winter but I don’t embrace it as much as I did when I was a young fella. Certainly winter sports are fabulous, so we keep ourselves occupied through the cold and snow waiting for spring to break then back out doors we go. But Fall? That is a different matter all together. Fall is one of the busiest times of the year for me. Once the motocross season has wrapped up, my life switches gears to working at home, cottage closings, my son’s hockey team, and…the band. The two groups I play in generally take the summer off although we do play one outdoor summer party on the Gopher Dunes weekend.

November 2nd is the big date on the calendar right now.

That is the annual night of the Hill’s Jam. Rob Hill (owner of Hill’s Production Services, your friendly MX TV Production team), Colin Van Hattem (audio man for the MX series) and I are working on the 9th Annual Hill’s Jam, which is a night of live music, great food and lots of cheer. The idea behind the Jam night is to give back to customers, clients and staff who are associated with Hill’s and any facet of their productions. Sure, it is also a glorified excuse for our band, the “Van Deferens”, to play in front of a boisterous partisan crowd, but anytime you can play live it is a great feeling.

What we are trying to accomplish is to give musicians who don’t normally get a chance to play on stage in front of an audience a chance to cut loose. We have work associates who have their own bands that come up and play, we have single and duo acoustic acts and we have players come up and play as special guests with our band.

We pick interesting relevant songs, tight sets, and we also have a DJ spinning tunes in between acts; something for everybody. I’m still trying to get Stally to come out and rip

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on his Stratocaster but we haven’t been able to agree on the right YES tune yet. Apparently Steve Howe is coming this year to watch Stalingus play. Anyway, leading up to the Jam night we practice every week for about two months to learn two sets of news songs plus polish up some gems from the ‘chives. At the end of these practice sessions, which can be quite exhausting, I always wonder, can you practice or prepare too much? Sometimes with music, you just need to feel it to play it. Sure you need to know the structure of the song so all the players in your band are tight but there is something to be said for just going with the flow. I’m not saying don’t practice, of course we do and will, what I’m thinking is there comes a time when you know you’ve practiced enough and you just have to close your eyes and make it happen.

Is sport or life analogous to music in this way? I think so. I see how much practice my son’s hockey team does in preparation for a big game, or how much time and effort my daughter puts into her studies before a big test. So yes, I see the correlation. Can you train and ride too much to prepare for an MX season or race? Can you over-train? I think so. Again, I totally get the notion of practice makes perfect and how your focus, confidence and rhythm is set by how prepared you are, but a lot of how well we do, in terms of actual results or even how we feel about our performance in our hearts, sometimes has to do with just going for it. I’m not a very good guitar player, although I know that I am at my best when it just feels right. I’m sure the same could be said for any athlete in any sport. Maybe I would be a better player if I practiced more – Touché! I suppose the question is - when do you know when you’re ready? I suppose you never really know until you are put to the test.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how the racers we watch all summer long prepare for the season and where the right balance is for each individual. This seems to be the great balancing act. For some, it comes down to fitness; certain riders excel at a certain fitness level.

Other riders seem to be in fabulous shape but rely more on race craft to push them to the top. I suppose the older we get the more we really find out about what makes us tick. You just don’t want to be too old when you find this out, you may be past your prime. That is where having a good coach or trainer helps, somebody who knows you and how you work, and how to get the best out of you.

Ahh, the science of relationships…a good topic for our next column. As always, these are good questions, ones worth thinking about.

I want to put a big shout out to our boys in Red and White for giving it 110% in Germany this year. If effort and heart were the prerequisite for results we would be on the top of the box. I also wanted to send out a big “High Five” to the revamped MXP mag staff. I personally thought the last issue was one of the best I’ve read in a while. Time well spent. So in the immortal words of Jim Rome…“I’m Out”. We’ll see you next issue.

112 MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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2013-10-03 11:00 AM

Photo by: James Lissmore

The sport of Motocross is just beginning to season. Whether it’s in Canada or anywhere in the world, compared to stick and ball sports we are just beginning to build our history. The “Giants of Walton” was a nod to that history, athletes who have won as Amateurs then went on to match their success at the National level.

Giants of the event - Giants of the sport!

THE CLOSER

114 MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM

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Enjoy a Longer and Better Ride on the MICHELIN Commander II! ®

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The MICHELIN® Commander® II is designed to set a new standard in cruiser tire longevity. In fact, commissioned third-party tests have shown that the MICHELIN® Commander® II rear tire lasts almost twice as long as the leading competitors.* But that’s not all. These tires utilize a special casing technology to help deliver excellent feedback and handling, and aramid tread plies in the rear tire for great stability, even at highway speeds. An all-new rubber compound was formulated for exceptional grip – wet or dry, and the unique tread pattern and sidewall treatment will have everyone looking. For more details, see your local Michelin motorcycle tire dealer or visit MichelinMotorcycle.com, and start getting more miles for your money. * Commissioned third party tests conducted in 2011 on public roads comparing MICHELIN Commander II, Metzeler ME880 and Dunlop D407/D408 tires in sizes 130/80B17 and 180/65B16. Individual results may vary depending on motorcycle type and operating conditions.

10/22/13 3:19 PM