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IT'S A TOUCHY SUBJECT
At the pinnacle of motocross racing, feeling is everything. With this in mind, we set out to design the most precise and articulate glove to date. The all new Draft glove features four way stretch panelling with structural silicone inlay for the ideal balance between flexibility and support. As the final barrier between man and machine, there’s no room to settle for “close enough".
JASON ANDERSON'S DRAFT INDI GLOVES - MINNEAPOLIS SX
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More Holeshots. More Victories. More power, more torque, higher rev limit... The completely new CRF450R’s Unicam engine has been radically improved to get you out front right from the drop of the gate. And help keep you there.
Engine Mode Select Button
The new handlebar-mounted button lets you dial between Standard, Smooth and Aggressive, depending on track conditions.
New Showa® Spring Fork An all-new 49 mm Showa® fork features a conventional spring design that helps increase the CRF450R’s front-suspension precision, handling and feel.
The all-new
2017CRF450R
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Honda Motorcycles Canada
@HondaMotoCA
2016-11-23 4:32 PM
Titanium Fuel Tank
The CRF450R’s new titanium fuel tank reduces high-mounted weight, thereby lowering centre of gravity and improving mass centralization.
Updated Twin-Muffler System
The CRF450R’s dual exhaust is even more compact for 2017 and positioned lower in the frame’s center to take weight off the rear end for improved handling.
New Cylinder Head Layout
Completely new Unicam cylinder head design uses finger rocker arms, oval cross-section valve springs, bigger intake valves, and increased valve lift to boost horsepower and allow a higher rev limit.
Riding a motorcycle can be hazardous. For your safety, always wear a helmet, eye protection and protective clothing whenever you ride. Never ride under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Never engage in stunt riding. Inspect your vehicle before riding, read your owner’s manual, and Honda recommends that all riders take a rider training course. Always obey local laws, use common sense and respect the rights of others when you ride. Visit honda.ca for additional safety information.
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CHAMPIONSHIP
SWEEP KTM SX-F FACTORY EDITION
Congratulations Davi Millsaps, Cole Thompson and the entire KTM Thor Racing team for sweeping the 2016 Canadian Motocross Championship aboard the fastest, lightest and strongest motocross machines on the market- the 2016 KTM SX-F Factory Editions.
/ktm_canada_official
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Professional rider on a closed course. Always wear proper safety equipment.
COPLSEON
THOM
#1
MX2
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M O T O C R O S S P E R F O R M A N C E // V O L U M E 17, I S S U E 1
MX P C O N T E N T S
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F E AT U R E S 36
P O S T C A R D S F R O M T H E T- D O T
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TESTING GROUNDS WITH KRIS KEEFER
Andy W hite chats with one of our sport’s best test riders. 50
C OV E R S T O RY
Dean Wilso n is finally injury free and trying to get back on track.
Palms takes us through what happened at the Toronto Supercross.
T H E 19 8 9 T O R O N T O SUPERCROSS
Mike McGill recounts the tale of the first ever Supercross inside the Skydome. 64
ROAD 2 TORONTO
70
COAC H IN G TH E SPO RT
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M X P C H AT T E R W I T H SHANE DREW
Krystyn Slack takes us through the rocky road from Anaheim to Toronto. Introducing the brand new USMCA coaching association.
Palms sits down with Shane Drew and talks about his incredible career. 80
THE GR AND PRIX DE SNOW
82
T H E M O T O VA N S N O W B I K E N AT I O N A L S
Lawrence Hacking takes this fine event to the snow.
Brock Hoyer takes his first ever Canadian N ational title. 86
YO U N G A N D O N T H E R I S E
Evan Stewart gets ready to take on 2 0 17 .
COLUMNS 24 26
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FA M O U S L A S T W O R D S
by Chris Pomeroy
GUEST COLUMN
with Mike Alessi
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UPSHIFT
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E V O LV E D N U T R I T I O N
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INSIDE LINE
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FROM THE DESK OF
by Brian Koster
by Drew Robertson with Andy W hite Mark Stallybrass
SPECIALS 14 20 88
EXPOSED CAUGHT ON CA MER A GEARING UP
A SMOOTH TR ANSITION
From Canadian MX1 Champion to KTM Team Manager, JSR tells us how he did it. 10 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM
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PODIUM PERFECTION
TWENTY17 I YZ250F ALL-NEW CYLINDER HEAD I REFINED ALUMINUM FRAME I REVISED TRANSMISSION
EXPERIENCED PRO OR HARD-CHARGING AMATEUR, THE REVOLUTIONARY YZ250F PROVIDES THE POWER AND AGILITY TO GET YOU FROM GATE TO FLAG BEFORE YOUR COMPETITION.
Unit shown with optional accessories
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T I M E S TA M P Cole Thompson prepares for re-entry at exactly 7:21pm. Photo by: James Lissimore
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F L AT L I N I N G AT 3 5 . Chad Reed showed us in Toronto that you’re never too old to celebrate a heat race win. Photo by: Krystyn Slack
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P L AY I N G I N THE SAND Eve Brodeur does her best to navigate a deep at the RC Amateur SX in Daytona. Photo by Krystyn Slack
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R A D I U SX AN AUTOMATIC CLUTCH THAT PUTS MORE POWER TO THE GROUND ON-THE-FLY EXTERNAL ADJUSTMENT FOR CABLE MODELS, ADJUSTABLE SLAVE CYLINDER FOR HYDRAULIC MODELS IMPROVED TORQUE TRANSFER OVER OEM Distributed in Canada by:
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MXP MAGAZINE
TM
MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE VOLUME 17 ISSUE 1
FOR SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES CALL SUBSCRIPTIONS: 416-635-MXP1 PUBLISHER:Charles Stancer/Mark Stallybrass V.P. OF SALES AND MARKETING: Charles Stancer EDITOR: Chris Pomeroy SALES MANAGER: Al Jaggard SENIOR WRITERS: Brian Koster, Brent Worrall, Mike McGill SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR: Blake Breton STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: James Lissimore CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: James Lissimore, Drew Robertson, Brian Koster, Virgil Knapp, Leticia Cline, Andy White, Matt Wellumson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Krystyn Slack, Virgil Knapp, Clayton Racicot, James Lissimore, Bill Petro, Matt Wellumson, Frank Hoppen, Hoppenworld, Summer Denzler, Matt Wellumson, Steve Dutcheshen COVER PHOTO: James Lissimore
MXP has the exclusive rights to the CMRC’s mailing list of racing license holders. Every CMRC license holder from coast to coast receives and reads each issue of MXP. In addition to this exclusive list of readers, we are partnered with several motocross and off-road enthusiast organizations across the country including the FMSQ. TEL: 416-633-1202 Email: charles@mxpmag.com Online: www.mxpmag.com
FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES CONTACT
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Left: As he prepared to celebrate his 35th birthday, Chad Reed was ready to have some fun in the Rogers Centre. Above: There is never a dull moment in the Fox Canada suite. Right: The cold Toronto weather didn’t seem to phase Mookie.
Left: FXR clothing kept everyone warm in the cold Toronto pits. Right: The Brothers Thompson were all style and speed in Toronto.
Left: With his recent results, there is a reason why Blake Baggett is all smiles. Right: Jesse Wentland was all business as he made his return to Canadian soil.
20 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE ¡ MXPMAG.COM
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Left: Deano came to Toronto ready to battle, and with a fresh hair cut. Above: Zach Osborne gets the biggest gift a man could get after winning the 250SX main event. Right: Although his face might not have said it, Davi Millsaps was happy to finally be back in Canada. Left: I wonder if the Rock remembers winning the Toronto SX in 1989? Right: Cole Thompson explains to Justin Bogle why Canada is so cool.
Left: The Michigan Mafia was alive and well in Toronto. Right: Mike Alessi was all jokes during the Toronto track walk.
22 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE ¡ MXPMAG.COM
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T EAMWORK MAKE DREAMS WORK WITH CHRIS POMEROY I PHOTO BY KRYSTYN SLACK ell, here we are again on the cusp of a brand new season of Canadian motocross. If we count my early years when I was just ripping around my parents’ farm with little or no direction, 2017 will mark my 40th season of being involved in this fine but complicated sport. In these four decades I’ve been lucky enough to have raced in such cool places as Bermuda, Germany, New Zealand, America, and of course right here in Canada. I’ve been able to compete against, as well as sit and watch, great riders like Kevin Moore (RIP), Doug Hoover, Ross Pederson, Jeff Surwall, JSR, and Blair Morgan. This distinguished list could be a mile long if I named everyone. I’ve also sat in Anaheim Stadium, in the rain at the 1987 MxoN at Unadilla, and stood at the fence at Moto Park watching the best riders in the world compete at a Grand Prix. Now, please don’t think that I’m bragging, that couldn’t be further from the truth. All I’m stating is that while this sport sometimes has knocked me down and brought me to tears on more than one occasion, I do feel unbelievably blessed to have been a part of it for so long. Growing up and transitioning through life as part of a sport is a pretty cool thing when you think about it. These days, so many of my old MX friends and competitors are now husbands and fathers, and while I’m sure some don’t want their kids to ever look at a dirt bike, inside there is always that part, big or small, that can’t wait to see their child riding around and enjoying everything that this sport has to offer. If you can keep in perspective the sometimes enormous cost of motocross, as well as how dangerous it is, oh, and also the endless politics, there really is no better sport on the planet. Over the years, I’ve assisted many families introduce themselves to motocross. What starts as just curiosity, in most cases, quickly turns into an unbreakable bond that includes multiple bikes under the tent, a large travel trailer, and a summer full of exciting racing. One of the really interesting aspects is that there are no stereotypes for these eager motocross families, as they come from all walks of life. Once they experience the quality family time and see the massive smiles of their child’s faces, they’re hooked! Whenever I see this force awakened in other families, I
W
F A M O U S
L A S T
W O R D S
“ONCE THEY EXPERIENCE THE QUALITY FAMILY TIME AND SEE THE MASSIVE SMILES OF THEIR CHILD’S FACES, THEY’RE HOOKED!”
always end up thinking back to my early racing days and just how meager it was. Like most riders back in the early 1980s, we didn’t have much, just a bike, some tools, a gas can, and a old red truck. Even though our exsistence was small at the race track, we fit right in and each week I couldn’t wait to go riding. In those days my Dad also raced, so I’m sure part of my affection for the sport came from wanting to be like him. We rode together, we drove to the races together, and we endured this sport’s ups and downs together. We were a team in every sense of the word, a team that really had no expectations, we just loved what we had in common. I recall one situation that clearly demonstrated just how well we worked together in those days. The old infamous Ontario track Hully Gully used to hold House League races on Thursday nights and Saturdays, I believe, and since I was only riding a 60cc then, we used to attend these events from time to time. Well, one night my Dad had a massive crash and almost ended up going into the pond that the track encircled. He was pretty banged up with a badly injured right shoulder and could barley move. After a few gracious people helped us load our bikes (lucky we didn’t have much gear), we sat there together, side by side in the front bench seat wondering how my Dad was going to be able to drive the 5-speed standard red Dodge home. After some thought, we realized there was only one way, and that was for me (an 8-year-old) to work the stick shifter while my Dad did the rest. So for the next hour and a half, the two of us teamed up and ended up making it home in one piece. Fast forward to now and I’m pretty much reliving it all with my own son. Thankfully we haven’t been in a situation yet where he has had to help me drive home from a track, hopefully we never will. However, we still find ourselves having to work together to perform a certain task, or we just hang out and talk about racing. At every race I travel to these days, I walk around the pits and see families doing the same thing and it always makes me smile. So as we head into this 2017 racing season, I hope that every family out there has a safe year and I hope you can continue to build special memories. The cost of the sport will never go away, the risk will always be there, and of course the politics will never disappear, but let’s all go out and have a great year! I hope you also enjoy this first issue of MXP Magazine for 2017. We have some very cool stories about people like JSR, Shane Drew and Kris Keefer. We also take a look back at the Toronto Supercross from 1989, the first ever at the SkyDome. So sit back, take a read and please enjoy. See you all at the track!
24 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM
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F UTURE ENDE AVOURS WITH MIKE ALESSI ike Alessi here. Just wanted to give you a little update and let you know what I’ve been up to since the summer. The 2016 National season went pretty well. I really had a blast riding for the Monster Energy Alpinestars Kawasaki team. I’ve had a lot of fun over the years coming to Canada and racing the series. Before 2014, the only time I had ever been to Canada was for the Toronto SX every year. It was nice to see what Canada looks like in the summer and how beautiful all of the countryside is. I have to say it’s probably one of my favourite places to travel. All of the tracks are great. I think one of the smartest things Mark does is he plans the races to go from West to East, the series doesn’t jump all over the map and it saves the teams a lot of money on travel. We had a lot of really good races this past 2016 and some podiums. I always have a great time at every round. I did hear Nanaimo is out this year, so I’m kind of bummed about that. I’m glad I won a race and was on the podium there this past year. I liked that round and the Island, but I’m excited to see what the new round in Prince George will look like. I think one of my favourite rounds is Calgary. I really enjoy the track being right in the middle of the city; it makes for some ridiculous photos!! This past year we went into town and saw where the Calgary Stampede is held. Regina was pretty awesome this year, too. I’m glad she wasn’t a wet, sloppy one like in 2014. That was, if not the worst, one of the worst mud races I have ever raced! Then we went up to Gopher Dunes a week early and hung out with the entire Schuster Family. I finally got to see Frank’s collection he has going on there. He has some pretty sweet cars in that shop of his. Along with a John Deere Tractor, my wife wanted to drive one right off the property. I plan on taking my RV this summer to the east coast rounds.
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C O L U M N
REGINA WAS PRETTY AWESOME THIS YEAR, TOO. I’M GLAD SHE WASN’T A WET, SLOPPY ONE LIKE IN 2014. THAT WAS, IF NOT THE WORST, ONE OF THE WORST MUD RACES I HAVE EVER RACED.”
For some reason last year the travel was pretty tricky for me. I almost didn’t make it to Pleasant Valley. On Saturday at about 7pm my chances were looking pretty slim. We were stuck in the airport in Montreal and all the flights were cancelled. We thankfully ended up on standby for a flight and got to the hotel at 1am on Sunday morning. I thought Pleasant Valley was a good track to add to the series but I wasn’t too sure on the start, though. That 180 caused a lot of carnage. I ended up running Facciotti over just past the first turn but I had nowhere to go. The track itself was really good, not to mention Tyler’s wife makes some pretty delicious food in that cafe of hers, so I’m looking forward to that round again. After the race our flights ended up getting cancelled so we ended up heading to Ernie’s place, the team’s truck driver, on PEI. If I could live anywhere in the world I’d probably live there. Ernie showed us all the hot spots and the best places to eat. I’ve never had mussels before but after eating them I’m hooked. I can’t wait to go back this year. I really like the track at Riverglade and I seem to always ride well there every year. Next was Deschambault. I felt really good going into that race and ended up qualifying first in practice, but in the race I had a pretty bad crash. My bike ended up on the other side of the creek that runs through the back part of the track. I actually broke some ribs and separated my shoulder. I thought I wasn’t going to make it to the last round in Barrie but after talking with my team manager, Jason, we decided it was best to try to race and finish the season. After the CMRC Nationals were over I took a nice little vacation with the wife down in Jamaica. I haven’t been there before and it was pretty cool. After our vacation I went back to riding and training to get ready for the Monster Cup that was in October in Las Vegas. I had a good time there. I finished 5th overall on the night. After Monster Cup came the real training for Supercross. For all of November and December I spent countless days at the track, in the gym and on a bicycle. I train at Club MX in South Carolina. Brandon Haas has an awesome facility and a great group of people who help all of us who train there improve and try to be our best. I felt like I was ready for the first round of Supercross at Anaheim Stadium in California, but unfortunately I suffered some injuries after I had a mishap with my bike and came up short on a triple in the main event. I tore some fibers in between my ribs and dislocated my sternum, so I had to miss the next couple rounds because of the injuries. I started racing again in Phoenix and it’s been a few races since then. I feel like I’m finally starting to feel good again on the bike. This weekend is Toronto SX. By the time you read this it’ll be over. I’m hoping to keep improving as the season goes. Stay tuned to find out what happens next. Make sure to follow me on Instagram for all my latest updates @mikealessi_800
26 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM
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B URNING FUEL WITH BRIAN KOSTER I PHOTO BY JAMES
rowing up out in the country as a kid it was not uncommon the get ‘real’ Canadian winters, and when it was winter it was a full-on snow fest. None of this snow, melt, extreme cold, resulting in sheets of ice anywhere and everywhere then repeat. I tell ya, scraping and chipping ice off the car sucks enough but is nothing compared to trying to chip three inches of solid ice off the driveway, I swear I could have laced up the skates and had a full-on game of shinny right where I park the corporate minivan. And as for snowmobiling it has been game-on / game-off, but for the most part of which totally blows. Oh, and how about that liquid stuff they dump on roads these days in lieu of salt? They call it “brine” but if you do any research you will find it’s a toxic blend of “by-products” that can’t even be stored in conventional steel tanks because it’s so corrosive that it will eat right through the steel. It has to be stored in stainless steel tanks, or more commonly the less expensive large plastic tanks…but of course we’re told it’s better for the environment than natural rock salt. Don’t believe me? Try following the brine truck while it’s applying the liquid, open your widows and sunroof and breathe deeply, then see how it makes you feel. Plus I like the foggy “haze” it creates on the busy highways that just hangs in the air like a skull and crossbones flag. Can’t wait to see what brilliant idea the powers that be think of next! In my next life I want to be born in Arizona, or perhaps even better close to the Mediterranean Sea. Enough of my petty musings, how about that 2017 Supercross Series? Yeah, it’s been quite a ride leading up to Toronto, that’s for sure. As far as my last column prediction of Ken Roczen taking the Championship, well that, as most of my predictions, has crashed out in flames. The dude was on fire and seemed poised and ready for his first 450 SX title on the new Honda, but his crash just goes to show how it’s never over till the fat lady sings. How fragile each lap at that level can be. Jason Anderson has been fast but has had some unfortunate luck, and his starts lately are about as fast as an old lady driving a Hyundai off a stop light. In Toronto, El Hombre 21 had his front spokes cleaned out and was a lap down pretty much from the get go, which gave a bunch of other guys a step up in the running order. Speaking of Toronto,
G
U P S H I F T
“SPEAKING OF TORONTO, WHAT A GREAT NIGHT OF RACING FOR CHAD REED. THE CROWD WENT ABSOLUTELY BALLISTIC WHEN HE WON HIS HEAT RACE AND WERE BEHIND HIM ALL NIGHT LONG AS HE JUST MISSED THE PODIUM IN FOURTH.”
LISSIMORE
what a great night of racing for Chad Reed. The crowd went absolutely ballistic when he won his heat race and were behind him all night long as he just missed the podium in fourth. Eli Tomac was dominant in the big smoke to take the win having only to pass Blake Baggett on the opening lap on his way to his fourth win of the season. Points leader Dungey rounded the first turn somewhere around seventeenth, slicing and dicing his way all the way up to second by the time the chequered flag waved. Can you imagine a rider starting that far back and still salvaging second place points with such a deep field of talented riders? If this trend continues and Tomac keeps winning it’s going to come right down to the wire in Vegas for the Championship. Suzuki mounted Broc Tickle looked to have a career best second in the 450 class, well within his grasp until the determined Dungey foiled his plan as he had to settle for a very respectable third at the end. Baggatt, who took a pretty hard soil sample, rebounded to fifth after scoring the holeshot. The 2016 MX1 Canadian Champ, Davi Millsaps, had a good night finishing seventh, and the crowd gave him some good lovin’ on his way there. It has been nice to see ex-Canadian Dean Wilson back in the game, taking over Frenchman Christophe Pourcel’s Rockstar Husky ride alongside future title contender Anderson. Deano is looking really good on the white bike, and in his former homeland rode well to eighth bettering Justin Barcia. Each year the series comes to Toronto it seems the attendance is up, and the stands this year were full of Supercross revellers. Some are just there to party it up and see crashes, some just bring their kids, and others are die hard fans. In the 250 class, the die hard fans were there to see Ontario native and 2016 MX2 Canadian Champ Cole Thompson show his stuff. Cole had to fight hard the entire evening and looked fine on his KTM settling for twelfth place at the final flag. Zach Osborne took the win, which was a real boost for him and more bragging rights for his new trainer Alden Baker of the Baker Factory. Adam Cianciarulo put his smooth prodigy style to work to take second while Christian Craig got to show off his young son on the box as he always does when he makes the podium. A rider that impressed was the number 108 Yamaha of Dylan Ferrandis. This kid from France won his heat and was up front most of the main until fading slightly to an eventual fifth overall. As always the Toronto Supercross did not disappoint and was well worth the effort to attend. I can’t wait until next year’s but in the meantime there is a lot of fuel to be burned right here in the great Canadian outdoors, so get your bike and gear dusted off and we will see ya at the races.
28 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM
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N O S L I W N DEA Y STOR R E V CO B Y C HR
IS
IS SIMO
RE
FO R R A E Y ING E B U I LD A S I ET S O M G O “ TH I S T T T WA N LTHY S A U E J I H O Y S A ME LTS , ST ER U S E R A N OTH T E GOOD G EFU LLY P 2 018 .” O H N I D E N D I A R
OY I P OME R
S BY J P HO T O
A ME S L
Dean Wilson feels right at home on his new Rockstar Energy Husqvarna.
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Since he first set foot on North American soil at the turn of the century, Dean Wilson had but one focus: To be the best motocross and supercross rider on the planet. After years of paying his dues racing every big amateur event from Calgary, to Walton, to Loretta Lynn's, Wilson finally became a pro rider. In those early years in the pro class, Wilson would find success both here in Canada as well as in the USA. Winning the AMA 250 MX Nationals vaulted Dean to instant stardom and a factory 450 ride with the Red Bull KTM Team. Unfortunately, two very serious knee injuries in two years left Dean without a factory ride heading into the 2017 season. Instead of retreating and giving up on the sport he loves, Dean stepped up and rode a privateer Yamaha for the first few rounds of the Monster Energy SX Series in hopes of finishing well, and maybe, just maybe, getting back on a factory team. After a few decent results in the early rounds of the series, Wilson received a call from the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Team offering him a ride for the remainder of the 2017 season. We caught up with Dean recently to find out how he is enjoying his new surroundings.
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Due to multiple knee injuries suffered in the past two seasons, Dean’s time at the Red Bud KTM Team was unfortunately short lived.
With a little more experience in the 450SX class, Dean hopes to be a front runner before the year is over.
Dean, what is going on today? I'm just driving out to the track to do some riding. Where are you riding today? Today I'm going to Chad Reed's to ride with him. For the past two seasons you've been injured during this time of the year. Are you finding that it's turning into a bit of a grind? For sure, I mean it's definitely tough and it's definitely hard mentally to stay sharp. I can't believe how guys like Chad have done it for so long and yet they still get up and do it every day. I ride a lot with Chad and we talk quite a bit. It's amazing that he just turned 35 and he's as motivated as ever to win. I hope I'm like that at his age.
In his rookie year in the USA, Dean won the 2011 Outdoor National Championship.
Before we begin to talk about this season, maybe take us through a typical day for you during the week. For instance, what will you be doing today? Well, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are usually the most difficult days of the week for me. My trainer, Tyla Rattray, has me on a really great program and so far I've been feeling great. Today I woke up early and did a 45 minute cardio workout in my garage. Those are always tough during this time of year as it's still dark outside. After that workout I had breakfast, loaded up my bike and started driving to practice. At Chad's we'll do a warm-up, a 25 minute moto and then we'll do some sprints. Once that is done, I'll drive to my local gym and do a circuit-type workout. Then I'll do some work on my bike to get it ready to ride tomorrow, make some dinner, hang out and go to bed.
That is definitely a busy day Dean. Judging by your results in 2017, all of your hard work is paying off. How has your season been going so far? I think it's going good so far, I've had some good rides and I feel really good about my speed. I wish my starts could be more consistent. I believe I've been averaging 14th off the gate in the main events. Against the best SX riders in the world, that simply isn't going to get it done. When you start outside the top ten, it's just so hard to make up time on the riders in front of you. By the time you get by a few riders, you have another gap to make up, then before you know it the main event is winding down and that's it. How have the tracks been so far in 2017? That is another part that is really tough this year. With the longer main events in both classes the tracks have really taken a beating. You really want to push hard, but at the same time you don't want to make a big mistake and go down. As we spoke about earlier, this is a building year for me so I just want to get some good results, stay healthy and hopefully get another ride in 2018. Most definitely. You have had a really tough few seasons, and in many ways, this is really your rookie 450 year. I have thought that a few times and have realized that has helped keep me patient. I feel really good on the 450 and hopefully in the next few races I can get back into the top five.
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Dean and Kyle Beaton shake hands after their incredible 2010 Walton battle.
“WHEN I GOT ON THE HUSQVARNA I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED THAT IT FELT A LOT LIKE MY OLD FACTORY KTMS. THE FRAME IS THE SAME AND THE SET-UP IS SIMILAR. THIS MADE GETTING USED TO IT REALLY EASY.”
How has the transition been from the Yamaha to the Husqvarna? Well, I know that the Yamaha has gotten a bad rap as a big and heavy bike, but I actually really enjoyed riding it. I think because I'm a taller rider I could throw the Yamaha around and I never noticed it being heavy. When I got on the Husqvarna I was pleasantly surprised that it felt a lot like my old factory KTMs. The frame is the same and the set-up is similar. This made getting used to it really easy. One of the things I really like about the Husqvarna is how great the motor is. It's just so powerful, yet so smooth and useable. I really noticed it through the whoops when the back wheel was hitting the top of each whoop. The Husqvarna really hooks up and propels you forward through the section. I always felt like the Yamaha would rev up too much and not go anywhere. Obviously, being on a factory team has its benefits so everything is good there. Like I said, I just want to have a solid year and build towards 2018.
Well, I definitely think you're doing that, and trust me, you have everyone in Canada cheering for you. In the past few weeks there has been some early discussions about Team Canada and this year's MxoN. If asked, would you consider a return to Team Canada for this year's event? That is a long ways away, for sure. While I definitely would be honoured to be asked by Canada, I think I would stick with Great Britain. I was born in Scotland so I do consider that to be my home country. It's a really tough event, and who knows if Great Britain will even ask me this year. Obviously with it being on their home soil they will really want to do well. We'll see what happens. I must admit, though, that it's great to see the effort that Team Canada is making with regards to this event. Hopefully they can go over there and have another great finish. Thanks for talking to us Dean and good luck for the rest of 2017. Thanks Palms and thank you for putting me on the cover of MXP. I cannot wait to see it!
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At the forefront of motocross progression, is the 2017 Husqvarna motocross range. It features the all-new TC 250 2-stroke alongside the innovative FC 4-stroke models, with their cutting-edge electronics that tame the most powerful engines on the market. Smooth and controllable, yet deceptively fast – innovative functional design combines with the new WP AER48 fork to give riders the confidence needed to break new ground in their never-ending quest for success.
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PROGRESSION IS INEVITABLE
Please make no attempt to imitate the illustrated riding scenes, always wear protective clothing and observe the applicable provisions of the road traffic regulations! The illustrated vehicles may vary in selected details from the production models and some illustrations feature optional equipment available at additional cost.
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Left: The KTM machines await their riders. Clockwise on the right: During his come from behind ride to second, Ryan Dungey had to force his way past Chad Reed. Adam Cianciarulo shows us where he really wanted to finish in Toronto. Canadian Cole Thompson was the lone hometown rider that the Toronto fans had to cheer for. Christian Craig had his best ride of the season in Toronto, and was happy to share it with his son.
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ver the past decade the Toronto Supercross has become so much more than just another round of the Monster Energy Supercross Series. Not only is it the only time that the popular series travels outside of the USA, but it has also become an event that allows so many industry people a chance to get together. Right across Canada, people from each corner of this great country make the annual pilgrimage to Toronto to not only watch the incredible race action, but also to see old friends, as well as make new ones. From the parties on Friday and Saturday nights, to the industry get-togethers, to the actual racing on the track, each year the Toronto Supercross has something for everyone. As the gate dropped on the action this year, the record number of fans were able to witness the best SX riders on the planet battle on one of the best tracks of the series. With a larger than normal floor size inside the Rogers Centre, track designers were able to do a variety of different things. For the Toronto track, there were a number of obstacles to entertain fans and challenge the riders. Most notably was the difficult whoop section, as well as the long rhythm section that kept the riders on their toes. All evening these two technical sections gave every rider nightmares, and provided numerous passing opportunities. Evidence of this was the multitude of riders that were able to charge from behind after getting bad starts in the main events. Ryan Dungey, for example,
had the crowd on their feet when he recovered from a 16th place start to eventually finish in second. There was definitely a lot to cheer for as the action on the track was some of the best we saw all season long. When all was said and done, both Eli Tomac and Zach Osborne made the most out of their trips to Toronto and took home the first place trophies in the 450SX class and the 250SX class respectively. Although there are reports that next year will be the final Toronto SX inside the Rogers Centre, most believe that it would be a massive mistake for Feld Motorsports and the Rogers Centre to part ways. This event is simply just too big and too important for the sport, as well as for the series. The reason behind the rumours is the Rogers Centre is hoping to install real grass for the Toronto Blue Jays to play on. With the race always being held in March, this wouldn’t give the crew enough time to get the playing surface ready for opening day of the baseball season in early April. Maybe something can be worked out and the Toronto round can be moved ahead in the schedule to sometime in February? Whatever has to happen, let’s hope it all gets sorted out and this event will remain for years to come. As with every trip that we take, whether as kids or as adults, we always bring home some sort of cherished reminder. With the 2017 Toronto Supercross being such a fun time for everyone, here are some very cool postcards from what has become the largest two-wheeled event in Canada. MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE ¡ MXPMAG.COM // 37
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Right: Zach Osborne gave the
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Left: The Geico Honda teammates wait for their chance to perform under the Rogers Centre lights. Right: The TLD KTM riders do their best to make it through the difficult rhythm section.
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Left to right: Ryan Dungey makes his way through the deep Toronto ruts and passed Broc Tickle on his way to second overall. Last year’s Canadian MX1 Champ Davi Millsaps had a great night in his first visit back to Canada since August. Broc Tickle was all smiles after taking a well-earned third overall in the 450SX class. MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM // 39
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Right: After breaking his back a few years ago in
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Light. And limber. The Atlas Air, with engineered flexibility. So light you won’t know it’s there.
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KRIS KEEFER T ES T I N G G RO U N DS W I T H
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Kris Keefer has been a staple in the motorcycle industry for over 16 years. He has raced professionally in America, Canada and in Europe. He has been a test rider for just over 17 years and has tested for Factory KTM, Factory Y amaha, GY T-R (Y amaha’s in-house accessory division), American Honda, and now is the Senior Test Editor for Dirt Rider Magazine and owns his own Research and Development Company (Keefer Inc. MX R& D). He also is a huge part of The Pulp MX Show and is known for his witty innuendos and catch phrases. For those of you who might not know anything about Kris Keefer, we sat down with him recently to talk about his career and what it’s like to be a test rider. How did you get started testing for the OEMs like Yamaha, KTM and Honda? It started back when I was testing for Dirt Rider Magazine back in early 2 0 0 0 . The manufacturers would come out to test days and we had one of Y amaha’s test guys at the time, Ed Schiedler, kind of overheard my remarks about a bike. At the end of the day he came up and asked if I would be interested in testing for Y amaha. Of course I jumped at the chance to get paid to ride a dirt bike. I started helping with Y amaha’s 2 5 0 F project and really soaked in a lot of what Doug Dubach was doing. I learned by watching him and how he picked apart a motorcycle. I was always good at nitpicking a bike even when I was on 8 0 s so I think I was kind of born with that gene inside of me. W hen Heather (my wife) and I found out we were having a baby I needed something more stable than a day-to-day test job. Y amaha wasn’t hiring at the time for any inhouse salary positions so I went and got a job at KTM testing for them for a couple years. KTM was great and I had some of my best years racing Supercross with them. Ryan Ragland and all the R& D guys treated me well and I loved helping them develop their 2 5 0 F four-stroke at the time. After a couple years went by, Y amaha calls me and says,
“THIS IS THE FINAL PRODUCT YOU SEE ON THE SHOWROOM FLOORS IN DEALERS. A LOT OF BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS GOES INTO MAKING ONE DIRT BIKE THAT SITS ON THE SHOWROOM FLOOR.”
BY A N DY W H I T E P H OTO S BY J A M E S L I S S I M O R E
“ Hey, we have a R& D position open,” so I made my move back to Y amaha to work in-house. That lasted six years, but the commute was killing my marriage and me, so I left on good terms and went to Dirt Rider Magazine and became the Associate Editor. I am now the Senior Test Editor and am in charge of all things testing based in the magazine. What part of the testing do you enjoy most and least enjoy? The best part about testing is getting to ride all the dirt bikes and really pick them apart. I love helping all the people that are looking for answers on what to buy as well. I really take it to heart that these people take my word on what is good or bad. I didn’t grow up rich so I understand how expensive it is to buy a bike or parts. W hen I write an article I am really opening up a tool to help them make a decision on what could be their next purchase. W hat I least enjoy is that with my job I can never really “ clock out.” If I am not testing I am writing. It’s not like I just go ride dirt bikes all day and come home and take a nap. I have to come home and write about everything I ride. I rarely get to ride just for the sake of riding. I also have to keep in shape like I am a racer. I can’t be having a big beer belly for photos and can’t get tired halfway through a six-bike shootout, you know. It’s all part of being professional and caring about what you do. I know you were involved with tons of current production motorcycles out there now, how many years of testing go into a production unit? Oh, for a new model, let’s say, for instance, a 2 0 17 45 0 production test would have started back in early 2 0 15 . W e are in the year 2 0 17 so production test teams are riding 2 0 19 models right now. There are three phases to production testing. Phase one is the “ proto type.” This is where there are maybe one or two bikes in existence, and most of the parts on the bike are hand made or rapid production pieces. Phase two is “ pre-production.” This is where we take everything that was approved in testing and the manufacturer builds jigs, makes the parts and builds the machine for the R& D team to test to confirm. W e then will tweak anything
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KRIS KEEFER TESTING GROUNDS WITH
we want to make sure the bike is as good as we can. Sometimes in preproduction testing the R&D team only has a certain amount they can change. It is up to the manufacturer to decide if the way the R&D team wants to go is cost effective. The final stage is “production.” This is the final product you see on the showroom floors in dealers. A lot of blood, sweat and tears goes into making one dirt bike that sits on the showroom floor. How did you get into starting your own testing business? I saw a lot of companies coming out with products that weren’t full ready to be sold and thought to myself, man they are really missing the boat on this. I wanted each and every company out there making motorcycles or parts to have a great test guy that actually rides with an un-biased opinion to test their stuff before they go
to market. Don’t just go dyno your muffler and then sell it! Dyno it and have a real rider test it on a track afterwards for a proper evaluation. Just because it shows up on the dyno as “better than stock” doesn’t mean it actually feels that way on the track! I created Keefer Inc. and started testing for companies confidentially so they could get the proper feedback before they sell. This caught on and I have had some great clients and have helped them succeed in making great parts for the consumer.
of the process, plain and simple. I ride a lot, probably a lot more than any current professional racer out there, but I just love it. I get burned out at times but it lasts for maybe a week and then I’m like, “I need to ride!” Or my wife Heather tells me I am PMSing and that I should go ride. I also still want to go fast. I want to be at an elite level no matter how old I get. I love competition and love waking up to a goal. I am very goal driven.
What motivates you to get out on the bikes 5 days a week?
I am sure when MX friends hear you’re a full time test rider, they say “Wow, that must be fun!” Your reply is usually…?
Plain and simple, I love riding dirt bikes. In my life my family comes first and then it’s dirt bikes. I just love everything about them. Also, I love knowing what I am testing will help make the average rider out there even happier with his or her machine. I love being part
I usually say you’re right it is fun, but it is work. Anything you do a lot becomes work; I don’t care who says differently. Yes, it’s fun, but writing in bed until 1am can get old. Some of my 9-5 buddies will want to ride on Sundays, but if I am not racing or have anything on the sched-
ule I usually decline and stay home with the family. You obviously will not be able to test forever, what’s next for Kris Keefer? I would love to grow my business and get one or two quality young test riders to help me build my company. However, it is tough to get a young kid to do all of the other work besides riding. They all think the riding part is cool, but they don’t get the spreadsheets and the writing that comes with it. I want to keep testing until I am in my early 50s. If I keep myself in shape and stay healthy I know I can sustain this pace. Let’s talk about your Canadian adventures. You have been coming up to Canada for many years. I am guessing it’s not for the money? No I don’t race for the money anymore. Those days are gone. I race because I love competition and love meeting new people, not to mention that I love Canada and
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RACING SINCE 1996
ALEX RAY BRING IT ON
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their laid back approach to racing. I started in 2005 with KTM Canada. Since then I have been hooked on going up there. I have had some great moments and some not so great moments, but I always loved racing up there. I remember that year you first came up to race the Quebec Arenacross in Chicoutimi. I believe that was one to remember. Had you ever heard of Chicoutimi?
KRIS KEEFER TESTING GROUNDS WITH
Oh boy! I never heard of that place but I do remember that track was like 18 seconds and I got in a fight with Simon Homans and his dad. It was 2005 and Homans did something to one of my teammates in practice so I took it upon myself to call them out. Well, they didn’t like that and Simon’s dad got in the middle of it. Words were thrown, however I had no idea what the hell they were saying because they spoke French! On top of that I did a nose wheelie in opening ceremonies and endo’d my brains out under the spotlight. Needless to say I was a crowd favourite! I also remember you having a moment with a tree in Regina? I think that tree won the battle, no? Why are you bringing up all the bad memories? HAHA! Yes Andy, I crashed in the ONE tree that is in Regina. It must have had some sort of beam that sucked me in or something. I swapped out coming down that off-camber and got crussrutted and went straight into that sucker. You guys didn’t even know I was in there for such a long time! I must have been in that tree fro a good 4-5 minutes. Finally a flagger found me and got me out.
Anything else you could tell the reader out there about Kris Keefer that they may not know already? Well….. I’m passionate about helping people. I grew up taking care of my sick Mom and I think that is imbedded inside of me. I really try to help everyone that asks me anything dirt bike related. Sometimes I even get asked “life” questions and I love helping them with that too. That is why I built Keefer Inc. R&D, to spread all of my testing/riding knowledge onto others. I grew up middle class and my Dad worked two jobs. We didn’t have the money to go to Loretta’s or big races and my Dad was a great car mechanic, but he didn’t know which pipe to buy or what kind of tires to run on my dirt bike. We ended up shopping blindly as a family in this sport. I want to be the guy to help bridge that gap for the consumer that needs help. It’s funny because you have some of these riders that are so fast on a bike but completely suck at interacting with fans/people. It’s like they are beneath them or don’t have time for them. I want to help as much as I can and make sure they spend their hard earned money in the right places. Thanks for taking the time to do this. I appreciate you guys taking the time to get a hold of me. I hope to be back up in Canada soon to see everyone again. If you need help with setting up your bike or maybe just have a general bike question you can reach Kris at keeferinc@hotmail.com.
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Dome Sweet Dome
The Toronto Supercross Moves Indoors By Mike McGil - Photos by Bill Petro
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hen the SkyDome officially opened in June of 1989, the stadium was considered to be a marvel of modern engineering. It was the crown jewel of sports stadiums around the world and the first of its kind in that it boasted the first fully retractable roof of any stadium in the world. It was, of course, built to house Toronto’s major league professional sports teams, namely the Toronto Blue Jays MLB baseball team and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. Interestingly enough it was actually the last stadium to be built in North America with the idea in mind of being both a football and baseball stadium. Nowadays you need one for each, I guess? The Dome officially opened to great fanfare on June 3rd of ’89, and although the major tenants were to be the sports teams, the first big non-baseball sporting event to take place at the new facility was actually Supercross. June 23rd and 24th, 1989 were to be the dates, and so, only a few days after the official opening ceremonies had taken place, truckloads of dirt were brought into the pristine new stadium to form the track and the new era of Supercross in the Dome had begun. Of course Supercross in Toronto was not a new phenomenon at all. Far from it as a matter of fact. The first race at Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium, or the old “Mistake by the Lake,” as it was not so affectionately known as back then, took place in 1980. US Yamaha factory support rider Donny Cantaloupi took the inaugural win over other big name US stars, such as Broc Glover and Jeff Ward, in a rain shortened main event. In fact, that first event was a mudder of epic proportions, as only a few bikes were actually even able to finish the race, but that did not seem to dampen the spirits of the Canadian moto fans in the least as they came out in big numbers to attend the race
and stayed all night long. Through “the mud, the blood and the beers,” as announcer Larry Huffman was so fond of saying, Supercross really became a staple event in the Big Smoke of Toronto for many years to come. Now the SkyDome, or Rogers Centre as it is now known, may not seem like all that big of a deal to people these days. In fact, the 28-year-old facility almost seems a little dated and a bit past its prime now, although they have made a lot of improvements to it in the last few years. But back in the summer of 1989 it really was the biggest story of the day. Therefore, the timing for the first race couldn’t have been any better as everybody in Canada was basically looking for any excuse to attend an event in the new stadium. Veteran promoter Brian Miles was only too happy to oblige with Supercross. Miles, of course, had plenty of experience, as he had been promoting the Supercross in Toronto since its inception in 1980. To top things off, it was to be a two-day event running on both Friday and Saturday nights. Not only did the Pros get to strut their stuff for two days at the Dome but another unique aspect of the event was the fact that there was also a full amateur event being offered to regular Joes like myself who wanted to try their hand at Supercross on Friday afternoon. These days, as a regular amateur rider, you would have to be insane to try to tackle the same Supercoss tracks as the pros ride but things weren’t quite so technical back in those days so it seemed like a fun idea to give it a try. A fledgling organization, the Ontario Motocross Association, or OMA, got the nod to promote the amateur event. OMA was a breakaway group from the CMA and their idea was to get a full amateur series going in Ontario and the SkyDome race was to be the start of hopefully something big. Unfortunately, the race at the Dome was the only event the organization ever put
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Left: Racing the 1989 RM250, Canadian legend Ross Pederson put up one heck of a fight against the visiting Americans to finish second overall. Above: Even on the podium Damon Bradshaw was an intense individual.
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Dome Sweet Dome
Left: It’s a strange sight to see parking spots instead of condos surrounding the SkyDome. Times have certainly changed. Above: Ross grabs the checkered flag on his way to one of his best indoor rides ever in Canada.
on. I have no idea why but I’m sure politics with the old CMA must have played a part in their extremely brief existence as a sanctioning body. Politics aside, it certainly was exciting for Junior and Intermediate riders that took part. Yours truly was one of the lucky ones who got to line up that day. This actually wasn’t even my first foray into Supercross, as the previous season I had raced the Pontiac Silverdome amateur program, which had been taking place for years. That was scary, let me tell you, but I’ll save that story for another time. Prior to that, in 1985 I had attended amateur day at the Daytona Supercross. Still it was pretty cool to be taking part in the first race at the brand new SkyDome and things actually went pretty well for me as I recall, although the memories all these years later are certainly a little hazy. From what I do remember, I qualified for my final in the 250 Intermediate class, which for me was a pretty solid achievement. Then, just prior to the final, I may have even been warming my bike up at the time, my buddy Jim Brooks, who would be racing later that day in the Pro class, suggested that I try starting in first gear. The reason being is that the start straight had been modified for the Amateurs so it wouldn’t rip up the Pro starting area, I guess, and the distance from the gate to the first turn was extremely short with lots of soft dirt for traction. Second is obviously the gear that most riders use to start a race, but with the shorter opening straight, Jimmy thought that first might be the way to go and I agreed to try it. What the heck, right? Well, what do you know, it worked like a charm and when the gate dropped for the main, I easily, and very surprisingly, pulled the holeshot. Of course I then immediately set to work trying to do the only
thing I could think of to do and that was to block all the fast guys from the first corner on through the 5 lap main event. As you can imagine, the four or five real fast guys, such as current MXP Magazine Editor in Chief Chris Pomeroy, got by me pretty quickly but I was actually hanging on, doing the jumps, and riding pretty well right up until the last lap. Visions of those oversized trophies the OMA were awarding were already dancing in my head when disaster struck. The guy behind me, I believe his name was Scot Poland, over-jumped the table top only a couple corners from the finish line and nailed me from behind. I didn’t go down but our bikes got stuck together and that was it for both of us. We were stuck. I was understandably livid but Scot was quick to take responsibility and apologized, so what can you do? He was faster than me anyways. All in all, it was a great experience and there was still two days of Pro Supercross to look forward to. The weather outside was beautiful, the beer in the cooler was really cold and I was still in one piece. So the way I looked at it was: Mission accomplished! In 1989, Canadian motocross icon Ross “Rollerball” Pederson’s illustrious career was starting to wind down. While the 29-year-old multi-time champ was getting up in age for a pro racer, he certainly had not lost any of his competitive edge and still had to be considered one of the favourites to win when the Supercross came to town that year. Several other top Canadian riders, such as Shane Drew, Carl Vaillancourt and Glen Nicholson, were also set to do battle with Ross as were a bunch of the newer breed of aggressive young Canadian pros like Brad King, Chris Lemmon and Bill Wallin. Unfortunately, three of Canada’s best at that time, Doug
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Left: Mike LaRocco topped the podium on Friday night over Bradshaw and Pederson. Above: Who will ever forget that back in 1989 trucks were still part of the evening events.
Hoover, Al Dyck and Kevin Moore, all had to sit this one out - two with injuries, in the case of Dyck and Moore, and in the somewhat puzzling case of Doug Hoover, retirement. Hoover decided to pack it in after the ‘88 season even though he was still relatively young at the age of 24 and the #2 ranked rider in the country at the time. As was the norm at this event, several top American pros also made the trip north to compete. Journeyman pros like Pennsylvania’s Mike Jones, California Pro Circuit Honda rider Larry Brooks and former Factory Star Keith Bowen were in attendance. Also, in what turned out to be a bit of a surprise, the whole U.S. Factory Yamaha Team, which consisted of Micky Dymond, Jim Holley, Mike Larocco and a 17-yearold Phenom out of Charlotte, North Carolina named Damon Bradshaw all made the trip to Toronto. The man responsible for bringing the US Factory riders to the race was none other than current CMRC President Mark Stallybrass, who at the time was in his first year as Marketing Coordinator and Race Team Manager for Yamaha Motor Canada. Eager to make a good impression with his bosses in his new position, Stallybrass coordinated with Yamaha US Team Manager Keith McCarty and arranged for the American stars to make the trip. Stallybrass secured the bikes for the boys, so they were not going to be riding their full factory equipment but they did bring their factory suspension and undoubtedly some trick motor parts with them. Interestingly enough, while he was only 17, this was to be Bradshaw’s second go round at the Toronto Supercross as he had actually utilized a loophole in the old CMA rulebook that allowed him
to race even though he was only 16 at the time in 1988. He competed and won the 1988 race at the old Exhibition Stadium. So there was definitely no questioning the fact that Ross and the rest of the Canadian pros were going to have their work cut out for them. More than once over the course of the weekend, Ross, perhaps only half jokingly, mentioned to Stallybrass, who he happened to be good friends with, that he (Stallybrass) had cost him a lot of money by bringing in the top American riders. Marshall Plumb, who was Pederson’s mechanic at the time, and had been for several years at that point, concurs. “Yeah, win bonuses from the manufacturers were pretty substantial at the time,” agrees Plumb. “Maybe 30 or 40 grand. I’m not sure exactly but it would have been a lot of money.” Plumb went on to add, however, that Pederson was always up for any challenge. “Ross was ultra competitive, even at that age. He truly believed he was the best and that he could win at any time against anyone. That’s what made him so successful.” Adding somewhat to Ross’s dilemma was the fact that after several years on Yamaha he was back on Suzuki for ‘89. “The Suzuki wasn’t great in ’89,” recalls Plumb. “And the Yamahas were very good. We knew that because we had been on the Yamaha right up until the Spring of ‘89.” None the less, in true Rollerball fashion, Ross put together two great races and ended up on the podium both nights. “It was a very close race if I remember correctly,” states Plumb. Indeed it was, as Larocco took his first-ever supercross win on Friday night followed closely by Ross and Bradshaw, and then on Saturday, Bradshaw emerged victorious and took his second Toronto Supercross win in as many years. Pederson and Larocco MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM // 55
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Thunder Bay, ON rider Shane Drew was one of the
rounded out the podium again on the second night. The other big name American rider, former 125cc National Champion Micky Dymond, didn’t fare quite as well. A solid 4th on Friday was followed up by a not so solid 24th in the Saturday night main event. The rumour was that Stallybrass had thrown quite an entertaining after-party following Friday’s race and a few of the riders enjoyed it a little more than they probably should have, Dymond perhaps being one of them. By all accounts, the first Supercross in the SkyDome was a rousing success. Attendance was great, around 40,000 for each night, and the racing was fantastic. Even though our Canadian hero didn’t win he put on a great show for the fans, who also seemed to really enjoy the efforts of young Damon Bradshaw. So much so in fact that the crowd seemed to be almost evenly split between Pederson and Bradshaw on Saturday night. No surprise really as Bradshaw was always a fan favourite throughout his career no matter where he went. Supercross in Toronto went on for several more years following the original SkyDome race in ‘89. Long time sponsor Molson dropped out after the ‘89 event, however, and by the mid-‘90s attendance had started to drop off as well. The last race of this kind took place in 1996 and was won by none other than rookie pro rider Blair Morgan, who of course went on to have a very successful career in both motocross and snocross in Canada and the U.S. Following the ‘96 race only Montreal remained as a Canadian Supercross destination. That is of course until the Monster Energy AMA Supercross series made the big international move into Toronto in 2004. Since the AMA series and the true superstars of the sport
Canad ian riders who loved racing Supercross in 1989.
came to town in 2004, Supercross has experienced a real resurgence in Toronto. The crowds, while not huge in the first couple of years, have grown in size and now virtually fill the upper levels of the massive old stadium every year. They come out in droves to see the stars of the sport compete at the highest level. It really is an experience. I guess it’s great for the sport but I for one kind of miss the old days when it wasn’t quite so slick, or quite as professional. Back then there were plenty of Canadians to cheer for and a couple who even had a chance of winning, and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. Marshall Plumb agrees. “I really miss those old races,” states Plumb, who now works for Dunlop Tires on the weekends and runs his own race shop out of Stillwater, Oklahoma during the week. Marshall hasn’t missed a U.S. Supercross race since 1984, so he knows what he’s talking about. Even though he’s lived in the States for many years now he’s still a Canadian at heart. “When we come to Toronto,” remarks Plumb, “it just breaks my heart that there are no Canadians lined up to race. It’s really sad. I really wish there were a few that would give it a shot.” Such was not the case back in the ‘80s and ‘90s when there were plenty of local pros more than willing to mix it up and give Supercross a try. In fact, they looked forward to it all year. The same guys that you saw, and maybe even hung out with at the local races on the weekends, were out there banging bars and going for it on the biggest stage. For me that’s what made the whole thing so much fun, and really, such a great event. It was 1989. The year the Toronto Supercross moved indoors. Another great memory in the history of Canadian motocross.
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A Smooth Transition BY CHRIS POMEROY
| PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE
n recent years we’ve seen a number of former professional riders make the complicated transition to running a motocross team. Obviously, ‘The Man,’ Roger DeCoster, was one of the first as he made his way from a very successful racing career to being the Manager of Team Honda, Team Suzuki, and most recently the Red Bull KTM Team. Roger’s attention to detail and hands on approach has definitely set the bar for other riders like Mike LaRocco and most recently here in Canada Jean Sebastien Roy. Moving over from the fast paced and selfish world of being a pro athlete, to being the man in charge of those very individuals, can be a very difficult task. The days of just focusing on training and racing are a thing of the past; a Team Manager’s new duties are not just making
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| ILLUSTRATION BY MIKE CHAN
sure their riders are doing exactly what you used to be doing on a daily basis but now the job description becomes a lot more difficult. All of the sudden you’re having to deal with budgets, bean counting bosses, and a same self-absorbing athlete that you once were. On the outside this job may appear to be a dream for most, however, only a chosen few are able to make it work. I remember the very first time I met Jean Sebastien Roy some 27 years ago. Ironically, it was at the most famous track in Canada, Moto Park in Chatsworth, Ontario. He and his family were there for the 1990 Canadian Amateur Nationals as he was one of the top Intermediate riders in the country. I was there strictly as a spectator since I had already turned pro and was in the process of mending from a broken leg. In those days, JSR only knew about three English words, so communicat-
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Even in those early days, JSR was an organized time management specialist, planning his days right to the minute.
ing was a slight problem, but like most young athletes he was able to make it work with hand gestures and the odd common word. I recall JSR winning a title that weekend, and when he turned pro the following year, our competitive friendship grew even further. Throughout the 1990s we would spend a lot of time riding together, travelling together, and just generally playing the role of two Canadian riders having fun while trying to make some money racing dirt bikes. One morning in early 1996 while he was staying at my house, I came downstairs to find him sitting at the kitchen table writing things down on a piece of paper. When I inquired about what he was doing, he told me that he was updating his training log, as well as his yearly budget plan. He went on to explain to me that he enjoyed being as organized as possible, and the more he was, the more confidence it gave him. From that day on I did my best to imitate the Champ, and while I probably never matched his discipline, it certainly helped me. Even in those early days, JSR was an organized time management specialist, planning his days right to the minute. A few years later he went on to win five MX1 Canadian Championships in a row, solidifying himself as one of the most successful riders this country has ever produced. After one of his most exciting wins at the Montreal Supercross in 2008, JSR retired from racing and turned his focus to managing his multiple apartment complexes near his Quebec home. He also had started, what everyone knows,
Above: JSR’s final big win of his illustrious racing career came at the Montreal SX in front of his most cherished fans. Right: As a championship winning team manager, JSR has the utmost respect from his peers.
the ultimate time management task, a family, as he and his girlfriend had added two kids to the Roy family. Life was progressing just how you’d think it would for a 30something ex-pro who had been fortunate enough to retire at the top of his game. However, after a few short years completely away from the track, JSR felt the calling back to the sport he cherished so much. What started out as limited duty regionally in Quebec with the fastest growing manufacturer, KTM Canada, everyone in the industry knew that it wouldn’t be long before JSR would be playing a much larger role with the Austrian born company. With his feet now wet in the corporate world, opportunity came knocking at the beginning of the 2015 season and JSR was offered the position of the KTM Canada Race Team Manager. With a lifetime of racing in his blood, and the talented duo of Cole Thompson and Kaven Benoit under the Orange Brigade tent, JSR began his tenure as team manager with all of the entangles he needed to be successful. Other than some complaining from other teams about how unfair Kaven Benoit’s KTM 250 two-stroke was, JSR’s first season in 2015 went very smooth. Thompson would win a few motos on his way to 4th overall in the highly competitive MX1 class, and Benoit would of course win the MX2 title, his second in a row. Away from the intensity of the race track, JSR used his time management skills to make sure everything kept running smoothly. As 2015 came to a close and we ushered in a brand new race season, Benoit moved to the MX1 class and Thompson was moved back down to the MX2 class. At first, moving Cole to the MX2 class seemed like a very strange move, however, JSR and KTM knew that at the end of the day Thompson was their best chance to win yet another MX2 CMRC Canadian title. So as the calendar turned to 2016, JSR had his team all set for another successful season. Being the race manager of a factory team is a lot more than just showing up at the track and overseeing the races. It is a 12 month a year, sometimes 7 days a week, juggling act between keeping sponsors happy, dealing with riders’ egos, making sure the team’s mechanics have everything they need, and about 100 other logistical items. As JSR told once told me halfway through 2015, “Being a racer was easy compared to this.” What JSR meant was that when he was racing, his main focus was on himself and making sure he was as prepared as possible for success. He was the man responsible for making sure an entire group of people were prepared for that same success. And we all know, at this level of racing, if you’re not first, you’re last. As the snow began to melt last spring, it was announced that KTM Canada had signed legendary USA rider Davi Millsaps to back up Benoit in the MX1 class. It was a very surprising announcement indeed, as most thought that Millsaps would be racing the American outdoor series. However, with the support of KTM USA, it was determined that the best thing for Millsaps would be to take a run at a Canadian MX1 Championship. As soon as the news was made public, the entire industry went into speculation on how Millsaps would fair in the Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals. JSR remembers how he felt when the Millsaps deal was finally done. “I knew Millsaps a little from being at the track and I always liked
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him. Obviously his riding talents were well known, and from talking to everyone who knew him at KTM, they told me that he was a very hard worker and a really great tester of his motorcycles. I knew that he would fit right in with our team and he would be very good on the Canadian tracks.” By early April, JSR had his team all set and everyone was very excited as they met in California for a photo shoot. Benoit was fit and excited to have Millsaps as a MX1 teammate, Thompson was confident in his ability to win his first Canadian title in the MX2 class, and Millsaps was ready for a brand new chapter in his long and storied racing career. If everything went as planned and if everyone did their job correctly, the 2016 KTM Canada Thor Racing Team had the potential to dominate Canadian motocross. When the gate dropped on the National series in Kamloops, BC in early June, dominate is exactly what JSR and his team did. From BC to Alberta and Saskatchewan, all three KTM riders were at the front of the pack. When the series began its eastern swing, both Thompson and Millsaps were atop the points standings in their respective classes. JSR and his staff had the team running smooth as they battled the series’ best riders. On the track, their success was obvious to everyone. Off the track, so was their team chemistry. Everyone appeared to feed off Millsaps’ experience and success in racing; his dry wit also served well in keeping everyone relaxed and loose on race days. This definitely didn’t go unnoticed to JSR. “Having Millsaps on the team was great and he fit right in. Not only was he winning races for us but he was also serving as a mentor for Kaven and Cole. As you saw in the final few rounds of
the series, Kaven really picked up his riding; I think part of that was due to being around Millsaps all summer.” There was little argument on that from anyone as both Thompson and Millsaps won the MX2 and the MX1 titles respectively in convincing fashion. With Benoit finishing on the podium, the team had a dream season and JSR made sure that everyone had done their jobs. With such a successful season last year, the big question is, can they do it again in 2017? JSR and his team will be without the services of Davi Millsaps as he will be racing in the USA all summer. However, after his solid first season last year in the MX1 class, Benoit appears ready to make a run at the championship. As for Cole Thompson, he will undoubtedly be the favourite to repeat as MX2 champ when the gates drop on the series in June. When asked how things are looking for 2017, JSR replied, “Everything will be the same, we’re just making a few changes to the bikes, but other than that we’re ready to go. Thanks to having Millsaps here last year, we have a much closer relationship with the KTM factory in the USA, so we’re getting a lot of data from them. This makes our team and our bikes that much stronger, I’m very excited for 2017.” As JSR has made the successful transition from rider to team manager, no one is surprised at the level of success that he’s been able to achieve in such a short time. As the challenges have grown, JSR has learned to adapt and apply his skills when they’re needed most. Who knows what the future holds for him, this is a tough business and no one knows that more than JSR. However, for right now, he is just going to continue to enjoy the ride!
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By now you’ve probably seen the name Krystyn Slack of Freestyle Photocross plastered all over the MXP website, Facebook, and Instagram throughout the 2017 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship season. But who is the girl behind the “Behind the Lens” and “Supercross Recap” segments each week?
S TO RY A N D PHOTOGR APHY BY: K R Y S T Y N S L A C K
Hi MXP fans and friends! Allow me to introduce myself – I’m Krystyn and I own and operate freestylephotocross.com out of Sacramento, CA. I’m sure you’re thinking, “What’s a California girl doing working for a Canadian motocross magazine?” Like all of you, I love to see that 30-second board go sideways, hear the bikes rev, and watch the excitement of Monster Energy Supercross unfold when we #DropTheGate. I became involved with moto as a fan around the age of 13, and like a rider with a clear track ahead after grabbing the holeshot, I haven’t looked back since. Three years ago, I decided I would venture to merge my love for photography with my love for motocross – and Freestyle Photocross was born. An opportunity came up to partner with MXP to give all of you an insider’s look into the entire 2017 Monster Energy Supercross season and I couldn’t say “no” to the chance to become an hono(u)rary Canadian for the 17 rounds of racing. Eight rounds, more than 18,000 miles traveled, nearly 23,000 photos taken, and 81 gate drops later and we have arrived at the moment the entire country of Supercross fans have been waiting for, the pinnacle of the 2017 Monster Energy Supercross season, the return to the Great White North. If you’ve been following along then you know that Round 9 of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, marks the dead center of one of the most exhilarating and memorable seasons of racing in recent years. What better way to celebrate the halfway point than the Rogers Centre in Toronto with some of the best and most enthusiastic fans on the circuit? In Toronto, we also celebrated the second race of the season for Canadian rider, Cole Thompson. It’s no secret that Canadian fans were excited to see Cole race for the 250SX Eastern Regional
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Championship, especially after dominating the MX2 class during the 2016 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals. As one of the only Canadians racing Monster Energy Supercross this season, many fans are fully on board to cheer on the lone Canuck, especially during the only Canadian stop on the tour. The 2017 Monster Energy Supercross season has already been filled with plenty of career firsts, rookie debuts, epic battles, and surprise title contenders. Let’s take a look back at some of the most memorable events of the first half of the season on the “Road 2 Toronto.” Anaheim 1 kicked off with a sellout crowd at Angel Stadium on January 7, 2017. As one of the most anticipated races on the circuit, there is always plenty of excitement buzzing about Round 1. There was also plenty of buzz this year about the #94 of Ken Roczen. In the off-season, Ken was pursued by Honda Racing Corporation and signed a contract with the team. His first event on the new bike was the 2016
Monster Energy Cup and he immediately looked very comfortable aboard his new race machine. When we dropped the gate on the first Main Event of the season, it was clear that Ken Roczen would be a force to be reckoned with this season as he took the first win of the season a commanding 16 seconds over the second place finisher, Ryan Dungey. The other talks of the town were the rookie debuts of both the #2 of Cooper Webb in the premier class and the highly anticipated debut of the #24 of Austin Forkner in the 250SX class. Cooper was the back-to-back 250SX Western Regional Supercross Champion in 2015 and 2016 and looks to make a splash now in the Premier Class as well. Rookie Austin Forkner is also one to watch this season. Anaheim 1 also marked the first ever career SX victory for the #38 of Shane McElrath. Shane had put in so much work in the offseason with his Troy Lee Designs Red Bull KTM team, which is clearly paying off for the 250SX rider. Round 2 in San Diego marked the 4th
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From left to right (clockwise) Justin Hill was almost unbeatable in the first few 250SX West rounds and currently leads the points race. It appears that Eli Tomac has found his grove and feels right at home on his Kawasaki. Racing in his first year as a 450SX rider, Yamaha rider Cooper Webb has had mixed results. There is nothing like a champagne shower on the podium. In the first few rounds of the series, Ken Roczen was the rider to beat. However, a hard crash at Round 3 sidelined the Honda rider for the remainder of the season. At Round 5 in Arlington, TX, Marvin Musquin took his first 450SX win of his career.
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consecutive Military Appreciation Night, complete with special graphics and gear honouring the branches of the US Military, a unique “Holeshot Challenge” race featuring military veterans, and a special auction benefitting the San Diego USO that featured race-worn and autographed gear and bike plastics. San Diego marked a “two for two” race for both the #94 of Ken Roczen in the 450SX class and the #38 of Shane McElrath in the 250SX class as both riders carried their Round 1 momentum all the way through the checkers in their Main Events, claiming their second victory each on the season. This victory was especially sweet for McElrath as two weeks prior he had never won a Monster Energy Supercross Main Event, but now was a winner two weeks in a row. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Justin Hill put on an impressive performance as the evening’s top qualifier and then 2nd place finisher in the Main Event.
Hill is looking incredibly more confident and comfortable on his second chance run with the Pro Circuit team. We traveled back to Anaheim for Round 3 of racing, and in typical “Anaheim” fashion, there was plenty of excitement to talk about and great racing to witness. After a tricky off-season, the 2016 250SX Eastern Regional Champion, Malcolm Stewart, found himself without a ride heading into 2017. But the pieces finally came together and Mookie was able to make his 450SX Rookie debut at Round 3. His return to racing was probably one of the most anticipated and talked about, and fans are certainly excited to see the #47 of Stewart back behind the gate. The young, scrappy, and hungry Cooper Webb is improving each week and definitely searching for that elusive first trip to the box in the Premier Class. Anaheim 2 got him closer to that goal as he secured his first SupercrossLive.com Holeshot of
his 450SX career. The race was also exciting for the #46 of Justin Hill who led all 17 laps of the 250SX Main Event, claiming his first victory of the season. But what would an Anaheim race be without a little drama as well? In a racing incident between Jason Anderson and Vince Friese, tempers flared and the two got into a bit of a scuffle, with Anderson shoving Friese as they exited the track. Per AMA regulations, Anderson was immediately disqualified for the remainder of the evening and wouldn’t be allowed to line up for the Main Event. Ken Roczen continued to look lighting-fast aboard his 2017 CRF450R, but tragedy would strike nearly halfway through the Main Event. Ken was thrown violently over the bars, resulting in a compound fracture of his left radius, a dislocated left wrist, and dislocated left elbow. Currently, Kenny has endured nine surgeries to repair the damage on his left side and will likely have to go through a few more before he is even able to be-
gin on his road to recovery. This brutal crash unfortunately was an immediate season-ender for the title contender. With Roczen out on the evening, the reigning champ, Ryan Dungey, was able to move into the points lead for the first time this season. As each round progressed racing seemed to get more exciting. For Round 4, we headed to University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ, home of the Arizona Cardinals. After Ken Roczen’s untimely departure from the 2017 season, it was speculated that the only real contender left would be defending champion Ryan Dungey. However, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac proved us all wrong when he claimed his first victory of the year in Glendale. Not only did he land on the top step of the podium but did so with almost an 18 second lead, practically in a separate race from the rest of the competitors. In the “other” Main Event happening behind him, the fan favourite, Chad Reed put on an impressive
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performance and had blazing fast speed through the whoops that led him to a 2nd place finish, his first podium appearance since Atlanta of 2016. In the 250SX class, Justin Hill continued to dominate the Western Regional Championship with his second 1st place finish in a row. At the beginning of 2017 it was unclear as to who may even present themselves as title contenders in the 250 SX Western Regional Championship, but after four rounds of racing it became clear that both Shane McElrath and Justin Hill were ready to contest for the crown. Round 5 took us back to California to the Oakland Coliseum in what has been an unseasonably wet winter for the Golden State. In fact, four of four races in California this year were affected by inclement weather. But as weather cooled down, racing was just beginning to heat up. After beginning his season on a privateer backed and dad wrenched Yamaha, Dean Wilson was signed to the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team for the remainder of the 2017 Monster Energy Supercross season. He
was signed in Christophe Pourcel’s place, as Pourcel will take the remainder of the season to prepare for the Rockstar Energy Drink Canadian Nationals. Dean is no stranger to working under a factory rig, but unfortunately injuries have plagued his former seasons. Not this season, however, Deano is healthy and hungry to run near the front of the pack with his new team. In the Oakland Coliseum, the #95 of AJ Catanzaro was the 2nd fastest qualifier in the 250SX class, a mere .843 seconds behind Justin Hill. Justin Hill would qualify in first and then go on to win his third 250SX Main Event in a row for the season. This win would put Hill in the points lead for the first time in his career, proving that Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki made the right choice in giving the rider a second goaround with the team. Another Kawasaki rider, the #3 of Eli Tomac, also continued to build upon his momentum and captured his second win in a row in the 450SX class. While it was a slow start to the season for Tomac, two wins in a row prove that he had found his groove and was ready to
challenge Ryan Dungey for the title. It was also a memorable night for the #2 of Cooper Webb who landed his first career 450SX Heat Race victory as well as his first career 450SX Podium with a 3rd place finish. Although only in his rookie year in the premier class, Webb knows what he is capable of and hopes to build enough momentum to maybe even secure a win in 2017. You’ve probably heard that “everything’s bigger in Texas,” and yes, that even applies to Monster Energy Supercross racing. For Round 6 we traveled to AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. The stadium was bigger, the racing was bigger, and the outcomes were bigger. All in all, an exceptional week of racing, and the final round of racing for the 250SX Western Regional Championship riders before the break. Round 6 could probably be penned as one of the most exciting races of the 2017 Monster Energy Supercross series. Although, throughout much of the race, it could’ve been speculated that we were watching a NASCAR race and not a Supercross race with the unusually high amount of activity that went on in
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the mechanics’ area. Not two, not three, not four, but FIVE of the top guys in the sport entered the mechanics’ area at one point during the race, including championship contenders Shane McElrath and Eli Tomac. However, with all the commotion and bike troubles, it led to some epic victories on the evening, including a 4th in a row victory for the #46 of Justin Hill in the 250SX class as well as the long awaited and well-earned career first victory for the #25 of Marvin Musquin in the 450SX class. Dean Wilson also finished the evening with a career best finish in 5th place. He had only been on his new bike for two weeks at this point, but he is adjusting to the new team nicely. With his progress it’s possible we see the #15 make his career first 450SX podium before the end of the season. We continued on our “Road 2 Toronto” via Minneapolis, Minnesota, the second closest round to Canada, and the first round of racing for the 250SX Eastern Regional Championship. US Bank Stadium was a brand new stop on the circuit for Monster Energy Supercross, The first return to Minnesota since 2013 brought with it many excited fans ready to cheer on their “hometown hero,” defending champion Ryan Dungey. As the 250SX Western Regional riders hung up their Supercross suspension for the break, the 250SX Eastern Regional riders lined up for the first time this season. With the new stadium and start of the new championship hunt also came new riders, both new to the Eastern Regional Championship and rookies entirely new to Supercross. Cameron McAdoo, the 2016 Monster Energy Cup Amateur All-Star Champion made his professional Monster Energy Supercross debut with an impressive 15th place finish on the evening. In an epic cat and mouse chase between the #44 of Jordon Smith and the #17 of Joey Savatgy, it would ultimately be Joey Savatgy striking first in the East and taking the first win. Savatgy raced the 250SX Western Regional championship in 2016, finishing only one point behind the champion, Cooper Webb. Cooper Webb, now racing in the 450SX class, didn’t have the best of luck in Minneapolis. He went down hard in his heat race, counting him out for the remainder of the evening. Social media posts alluded to Webb being ready to race the following week in Atlanta, but his shoulder injury from the crash prevented him from returning in Atlanta and ultimately was still out in Toronto. The unfortunate shoulder injury counted Webb out for the evening, but counted in was the #51 of Justin Barcia. After a pre-season wrist injury, Minneapolis marked the first race back for the JGR Suzuki rider. Fans sure love to see “Bam Bam” back in action. One thing for certain, his style is undeniable. The final stop before we returned to the Great White North was Round 8 in Atlanta, Georgia, under the legendary Georgia Dome. Unique to this round of racing was the inclusion of AMSOIL Arenacross racing in addition to Monster Energy Supercross racing for a combined weekend of epic racing in the inaugural MotoFest. First-ever MotoFest, but last-ever moto events in the Georgia Dome as next year we move into the brand new Mercedes Benz Stadium. As a legendary stop on the Monster Energy Supercross circuit, it was important we went out with a bang. Atlanta did not disappoint! For the final hurrah in the Georgia Dome, in the 250SX class the
#16 of Zach Osborne would claim his first ever career Supercross victory on his 49th start, nearly ten years after starting his pro career. Atlanta also marked a career best finish for the #26 of Alex Martin, who finished just behind Osborne in 2nd place. Rebounding to a podium finish after a rough first round of racing in Minnesota was a great confidence builder for the TLD Red Bull KTM rider. While adding first to the list, in the 450SX class the #4 of Blake Baggett made his first podium appearance since Budds Creek in 2015 and the first ever podium for his new Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS team. Baggett certainly has looked comfortable aboard his new steed and working with his new team. The final checkers in the final race in the Georgia Dome went to none other than the defending champion Ryan Dungey, who claimed his
second win of the season and maintained his points lead in the championship hunt. This marked the 5th ever win under the Georgia Dome for the champ, who joins the ranks of legends Ricky Carmichael and Jeremy McGrath, tying them for all-time wins on the red Georgia clay. We head into the halfway point in the season to the home turf for many of you MXP fans. Excitement has been building for eight rounds and now we make the return to the storied Rogers Centre in Toronto in front of some of the greatest fans on earth!! It’s an hono(u)r to be sharing my photos and recaps to some of the finest Supercross fans on the planet as part of the MXP team for 2017. Hopefully you’re enjoying the ride and the season from the lens of Freestyle Photocross.
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I N AU G U R A L CO AC H E S S U M M I T WORDS AND PHOTOS: KRYSTYN SLACK
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THE LOVE FOR TWO WHEELS IS THE UNIFYING FORCE IN THE MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY WHETHER THE LOVE STEMS FROM STREET BIKES OR DIRT BIKES, RACING OR WEEKEND WARRIORING, OR ADMIRING AND SUPPORTING FROM THE STANDS, WE SHARE A PASSION THAT CONNECTS US AS A COMMUNITY. FOR THOSE OF US IN THIS SPECIAL NICHE GROUP, IT’S PROBABLY HARD TO THINK BACK TO A TIME WHEN MOTORCYCLES WEREN’T PART OF OUR LIVES OR TO A TIME IN THE FUTURE WHEN MOTORCYCLES WON’T BE PART OF OUR LIVES BECAUSE IT’S SOMETHING THAT IS SO INHERENTLY WOVEN INTO THE FABRICS OF OUR BEING BY THIS POINT. ecause it’s something we couldn’t imagine missing from our lives, it’s probably inconceivable to learn that “new unit sales of motorcycles are less than half the level they were before the Global Economic Crisis, and economic experts are predicting a further decline of 1520% over the next few years.” The amount of new riders entering the community is also declining, and if it continues to decline at the current rate we could see a disappearance of the industry all together in the next few decades if we don’t work together to try and grow the industry. Enter the United States Motorcycle Coaching Association, a non-profit organization spearheaded by three industry legends and influencers in an effort to combat the rapidly declining entry of new riders into the community. Founded by industry expert Jon-Erik Burleson, AMA Hall of Fame Legend Mark Blackwell, and AMA Hall of Fame Inductee Jeff Emig, the United States Motorcycle Coaching Association (USMCA) saw an opportunity to bring more new riders into the sport as well as strengthen the skills
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of existing riders by building a network of certified coaches at all levels, first-time riders to riders at the professional level. The inspiration for the founding of the USMCA came from not only the decline of entry to the sport but from other sports facing similar challenges, although they have more success with attracting and retaining new athletes, namely skiing, snowboarding, and cycling. Paramount to the success of these other sports has been their well-established coaching structures for beginner to Olympiclevel athletes. USMCA VISION: Establish a network of skilled, certified coaches to provide coaching, encouragement and support to foster growth in the sport of motorcycling. Coaching is carried out by qualified people who work with clients to improve their effectiveness and performance, and help them achieve their full potential. USMCA MISSION: The USMCA is a non-profit corporation founded to oversee and foster the creation of a robust, nationwide network of
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motorcycle-riding coaches in the sport’s major disciplines, including onroad and off-road riding. A structured, systematic program will help these coaches be as effective and as safe as possible, and will enable them to subsequently share their own knowledge and skills with both new and existing motorcyclists through a highly consistent and reputable process.
As a result, parents and individuals seeking coaching will be confident that they can choose from a wide selection of well trained, certified coaches. Although in its infancy, the USMCA has already attracted the support of most of the major motorcycle manufacturers from the US, Japan, and Europe. The goal over the remaining months of 2017 is to host seven regional
coach’s certification workshops, aimed at developing the baseline coaching curriculum and certifying 100 coaches by the end of the year. Although not a complete solution for the decline in motorcycle sales, as well as the decline of entry of new riders, the USMCA believes that a “robust coaching infrastructure can provide a foundation for renewed industry growth.” The USMCA aims to
Jeff Emig, Jon-Erik Burleson and Mark Blackwell are the three main individuals behind the USMCA.
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grow the sport in an inclusive matter while focusing on rider safety. By creating a fundamental set of standards for motorcycle coaching, regardless of discipline or rider level, the entire USMCA Board of Directors firmly believes that they are cultivating something that will aid in the development of more elite riders, but will also help new riders feel welcome into the industry as they learn the basic skills of motorcycle riding. Two of the biggest areas of opportunity for bringing in new riders comes in the form of riders under the age of 24 and female riders. In 1990, 24% of riders were under the age of 24; currently that number has dropped to a very low 8%. As far as female riders, they only make up 14% of the riding population, yet females currently account for 51% of the breadwinners in the United States. With statistics like that, it is evident that there is a huge opportunity to bring up a new generation of riders in an effort to both grow and save our industry. The inaugural coach’s summit took place at AT&T Stadium, February 9-10, 2017, before Round 6 of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, and brought together some of the most well-known and sought after coaches and trainers in the industry along with a variety
of guest speakers. Although this was the inaugural summit and meeting of USMCA members outside of the initial planning meeting with the Board of Directors, the USMCA isn’t out to reinvent the wheel. The Board of Directors and founding members of the USMCA have sought guidance from all of the most knowledgeable sources who have come before them, including looking at the coaching structures and success rates for sports like skiing, snowboarding, and cycling. These are sports that face similar barriers to entry and similar challenges that we face in the motorcycle community, but challenges that seem to be overcome more readily than we have been able to mitigate in our industry. The summit brought together not only the biggest names in the motorcycle coaching industry, but also experts from outside the industry who were able to give us their unique perspectives as well. One such speaker was former pro soccer player turned soccer coach, Jacques LaDouceur. His coaching philosophy is that in order to be successful you must love people first. If you don’t first love the people you’re trying to coach you will not be successful. Beyond loving people as his foundation for coaching, Jacques then teaches his athletes how to love the game, or in our sport, how to love the races. Jacques believes that no athlete will ever be successful at his sport without first loving the sport. It is that passion that pushes
athletes past conceivable boundaries. And finally, after loving people and teaching them how to love the game, then and only then does Jacques teach his athletes the skills needed to win. It is this winning combination that will also prove useful for the USMCA certified coaches. The Inaugural Coaches Summit is just the beginning for what the United States Motorcycle Coaching Association has envisioned for the industry over the next few years. Collaboration over competition will ultimately be our key to success as we bring new riders into the industry and grow the riders that are already there. With all of the great coaches and training facilities that we’re lucky enough to have in Canada, look for something similar to begin in Canada in the near future. For more information on the USMCA, as well as information on how/ where to get certified as a coach, please visit USMCA.org.
“THE INSPIRATION FOR THE FOUNDING OF THE USMCA CAME FROM NOT ONLY THE DECLINE OF ENTRY TO THE SPORT BUT FROM OTHER SPORTS FACING SIMILAR CHALLENGES, ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE MORE SUCCESS WITH ATTRACTING AND RETAINING NEW ATHLETES, NAMELY SKIING, SNOWBOARDING, AND CYCLING.”
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BY C H R I S P O M E R OY P H OTO S BY J A M E S L I S S I M O R E
WHEN I FIRST MET SHANE DREW BACK IN 1990 I WAS A ROOKIE PRO RIDER IN NEED OF SOME
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GUIDANCE. EVEN THOUGH SHANE WAS ONE OF MY COMPETITORS, HE WAS MORE THAN HAPPY TO HELP ME AS THAT IS JUST THE TYPE OF GUY HE IS.
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riginally from Thunder Bay, ON, Shane spent almost a decade racing the pro class in Canada before retiring at the end of 1992. Eager for the next step in life, Shane got a job in California working for Clark Jones at the Noleen Suspension shop. From there, Shane began to pay his dues before moving on to work for riders like Kyle Lewis, Sebastien Tortelli and Mike LaRocco. These days Shane can be found under the factory Yamaha tent alongside the most popular rider on the planet, Chad Reed. We caught up with Shane at the Toronto SX as he was trying to stay warm in his old homeland. MXP: I guess the first question is, does it still feel special whenever you come back to Canada? Shane: Of course, I always take note of when this race is and I always look forward to coming back to Canada. It’s obviously changed a lot since I first left but it still feels like home. MXP: Do you remember racing at the Rogers Centre in 1989? It was a two night event back then. SD: Yes, I sure do. I think I did really well on one of the nights, actually. It was fun racing back in those days. It was tough, for sure. I was a lot different than it is now, but it was definitely fun. Another thing that has changed is back then I used to hate going to big cities like Toronto. I was a small town kid, I wasn’t used to busy cities, so other than racing I would always try to avoid them. Now, I love going to different cities and seeing all the cool things they have to offer. MXP: When was your final full season on the Canadian national circuit, and what did you do after that? SD: I raced full time until the end of 1992 before calling it quits. I was 28-years-old, broke and banged up from years of racing. Anyway, I got an invitation from a friend in Winnipeg named Jan; he asked me to come and work at his machine shop and learn the trade. There were just three or four of us working there and that is when I first got started. MXP: How long were you there for? SD: I was there for two years and in that time I learned so much. It was amazing and it really gave me what I needed to get to the next step. MXP: Everyone needs a start in this industry. I think it was great that you
basically started at the bottom and worked your way up. SD: I really didn’t have a choice as I didn’t know enough at the time to make it. I mean, I had been working on my own bikes for years, but the stuff that Jan taught me was invaluable. MXP: So you worked in Winnipeg for a few years paying your dues; where was the next stop on your journey? SD: From there I received a job offer in California to go and work for Clark Jones and the Noleen Yamaha Team. That was my very first team. MXP: Did you know Clark Jones already? SD: I had met him prior to that through Joe Skidd, but I didn’t know him that well. All I know is that when I called Clark to talk to him about the job he said that Joe had recommended me and that was good enough for him. From there, I flew to Geneva to be a mechanic for Larry Brooks at a Supercross. MXP: Talk about jumping in with both feet! SD: For sure, it was definitely trial by fire. After that, I flew to California and worked for Noleen for two years, first with Larry and then with Kyle Lewis. Again, it was a lot work, but it was fun and I learned so much. MXP: Did the riders appreciate the fact that you raced at a high level and that you could give them advice that other mechanics couldn’t? SD: I think a few have over the years, I don’t really say too much unless they ask. But, it’s been so long now and the sport has changed so much, I don’t even remember what it was like to be a racer (laughs). MXP: You’ve been around so many top riders over the years, and like you said, the sport has changed a lot. However, do you believe that the recipe for success is still the same? SD: Without a doubt. Regardless of the year or era in any sport, the best riders will still rise to the top. These days bike set-up is obviously important, but it really always has been at the highest level. I think with four-strokes and the added weight and power, they have to handle properly or they’re un-rideable. Technology is better now as far as gathering data, so we’re able to get ahead much quicker and figure things out. The sport is really cool right now, the rid-
ers are awesome and the machines are very good. MXP: Since we’re talking about bike set-up, maybe now is a good time to talk about the rider you’re currently working with. How is Chad Reed to work with? SD: I first started helping Chad out in 2011 when he started riding Hondas on his Two Two Motorsports Team. I don’t know why but we’ve just developed this great relationship over the past few years, and it’s been really good. Through the past few seasons and with all of the ups and downs that Chad has had, me, Goose and Chad, we’ve just found a way to stick together. When he signed with Yamaha last year he asked me to come on board again to help out with the chassis and bike set-up, so here I am. I feel like I know exactly what Chad is looking for as far as set-up, and I also know the language he speaks when it comes to testing and relaying information. We just all work really well together and it’s been fun. MXP: Apart from all of the bike setup and race results, I can’t believe that Chad is still out there each and every weekend. You know him as well as anyone does, what do you attribute that to? SD: I have no idea what still drives him, but I can tell you that he sure is driven. He’s going to be 35 in March and he’s still as energetic as a kid. He still wants to improve and he still wants to do all of the things that a pro is supposed to do. It’s pretty amazing. MXP: I still think he has a few wins left in him. SD: Oh, for sure, I do as well, another is coming soon. Trust me, he feels the same way or he wouldn’t be out there. MXP: I saw an interesting interview with Wayne Gretzky a few weeks back and he spoke about one of the things that top athletes have in common is that they just love their sport. He said that even in his final seasons in the NHL, despite all of his aches and pains, he still loved the game. He loved the practice, he loved playing, and he even loved the road trips. Does that sound like Chad to you? SD: That’s Chad Reed, for sure. He still loves this sport. Just as Gretzky said, Chad loves all of the work that goes into trying to be the best; the
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training, the travel and the racing. I feel like he really embraces his age and he loves the process of trying to prove people wrong when they say he’s too old to win. He’s really very motivating to be around. Whenever he does decide to retire, I feel like there will be a big hole left in the sport. MXP: You’ve been at this for over 20 years now; is there one moment that really sticks out for you? SD: I couldn’t name just one, there have been so many. I’ve been able to work with some of this sport’s best riders and some of the best people in the industry. When I think back to working with riders like Kyle Lewis, Tortelli, Kevin Windham and now Reed, this has been more than I ever thought was possible for a kid from Thunder Bay. MXP: I feel like you’ve earned it though Shane. There is one other thing I wanted to ask you about, how did you end up with Team Honda back in the late 1990s? SD: Well, that is an interesting story as it went from good to bad, to good again. Before the 1997 season I was supposed to go and work for Showa and be part of the factory Suzuki team, but things dragged on and I wasn’t sure if it was going to happen. Then, while I was waiting for Suzuki to sort things out, Honda called me and offered me a job to go and be Jeremy McGrath’s mechanic. Well, no one in their right mind was going to turn that down, so I took the Honda job and actually tested with Jeremy a few times with their all-new aluminum framed CR250. As we all know, McGrath and Honda parted ways soon after, so instead of being his mechanic I went in-house at Honda as a test mechanic. As much as I was bummed about the McGrath deal, going to work in-house at Honda was incredible and it really taught me a lot. It also allowed me to build relationships with the people at Honda and that definitely has served me well over the years. MXP: It’s funny how things work out. One day you’re going to work with the best rider in the world at the time, and then you’re not. Shane, I love your story and I know I speak for all of Canada when I say that we’re proud of what you’ve been able to accomplish. You’re only in your early 50s and you still have a lot of years left. SD: I hope so! It’s been a great run and I’ve met so many awesome people along the way, and that includes the fine people I met in Canada when I was racing. MXP: One last question, for the people that don’t know. What is a typical day like for you at a race? SD: Well, my official job description is that I’m the guy in charge of the chassis. So I work closely with the suspension guy to make sure everything is working well and that the bike is balanced. We come into the weekend with a plan and with some ideas from what Chad has ridden with during the week. We’ll start the day with those settings and go from there. Throughout the day we may try a few different things if Chad is looking for a certain thing from the bike, but other than that we’re good. With the type of rider Chad is and with the experience he has, he knows exactly what he wants the bike to do. During the night we may make a few clicks to the suspension, depending on how the track changes. But Chad is very good at anticipating which way the track is going, so that is helpful to us. That is pretty much it. At the end of the night we’ll have a quick meeting and come up with a plan for the week ahead. Then we go to sleep, get up, fly home and begin another week. MXP: Shane, thanks for your time and thanks for giving us a glimpse of what your job is like. Congratulations on everything so far, and good luck with everything in the future. SD: Thanks Chris, it’s been great to catch up with you.
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LOOKING AHEAD TO THE 2017 MXON B Y M X P S TA F F I P H O T O S B Y J A M E S L I S S I M O R E
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t maybe several months away but the planning for Team Canada’s participation in the 2017 Motocross of Nations has been playing out since the checkers flew in Maggiora, Italy. “We really want to build a program that can be shared and built upon,” said Kourtney Lloyd, the 2016 Team Manager. For many years the connection from year to year hadn’t existed. The most prestigious race in the world had become an afterthought that was put together each year with last minute enthusiasm. Part way through the 2016 season, the discussion began around building up the program. “We started talking about riders and the experience of the big races,” said Kourtney. “The consensus was experience was the biggest thing riders and team members were missing. Being exposed to world class events and riders was something that needed to be introduced.” In 2016, Lloyd and
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others started planting the seed with young riders that this program was something they could eventually be part of, ensuring there would be a team for years to come. Recently, the 2017 Youth Ambassador Program was announced. Two youth riders will go to experience the Motocross of Nations, to be part of the team and experience what it takes to compete at the highest level. The hope is to gain the experience, which will translate into riders better prepared to take on the world at the elite level. The team itself has always focused on the three riders selected but that too was something Team Canada wanted to change. “The three we select are from a larger group of riders,” said Kourtney. What I want to see is riders, who are the very elite in Canada, get some recognition for being in the conversation, and also take pride that they are among the very best in Canada. With an influx of American riders to the Canadian series and the distinct division between MX1 and MX2, recognizing
who are the top Canadian riders has become more and more open to debate. “I want the top 10 or so riders to see that we are looking at them early and I want them to take pride in that,” said Kourtney. The top riders in Canada form an interesting list of riders capable of competing. Keylan Meston and Davey Fraser represent two riders perhaps on the fringe of the selection but both are no nonsense racers. Each is a dogged racer that would eagerly answer the call if asked. BC’s Jesse Pettis and Ontario’s Dylan Wright are two of the younger riders on the list but both are capable of being on Team Canada. Both landed on the podium in 2016 and became established pro racers. Wright may have the nod but both are legit considerations. Both riders race in the MX2 class and do not have MX1 programs, which puts them in a specific conversation about selection. If there were forgotten soldiers in motocross they may be Tim Tremblay and Shawn Maffenbeier. The Saskatchewan rider, Maffenbeier, has been nothing short of solid each year he has raced. A prepared professional, he has quietly put together a solid career in Canadian motocross. He also represented Canada for the first time in 2016 at the MXoN. Tremblay is a world class athlete in snowcross, who just finished the US series in second. His participation at the X Games and world class snowcross events gives him some valuable experience. He also shocked many by logging a top 5 qualifying time at the Southwick AMA National last season. While they both may not be the first names mentioned, they both represent experience, consistency and a trusted approach. Tyler and Jeremy Medaglia have been a staple of Canadian motocross and have perhaps the most experience abroad of any racers in Canada. Tyler was a solid selection in 2016, while Jeremy stepped away from motocross last summer. Both are capable of competing at a world level, and Tyler especially seems to
be at his best later in the season when the Nationals unfold. Kaven Benoit and Colton Facciotti are the closest to being sure things that Team Canada has. Both had solid 2016 seasons, and are seasoned pro riders with strong des Nations experience. Benoit in particular broke out at the 2016 MXoN event. He battled the world’s elite in all of his motos and elevated his confidence to new highs. If Benoit and Facciotti are sure things, the one unknown is Cole Thompson. Thompson was unquestionably the dominant rider in MX2 competition in Canada last year, earning the overall championship. However, he also runs the longest program of any Canadian. Competing in Costa Rica and the US Supercross series, in addition to the Canadian program, doesn’t leave Thompson looking for more events. The entire rider outline also brings into sharp focus that the selection and logistics of bikes becomes a real debate. Who goes to represent Canada if everyone is healthy and wanting to represent Canada? Who rides what class and what bikes exist for those riders? “Our plans for the 2017 MXoN team is so important to share with the industry and fans,” continued Kourtney. “We want this to grow and be part of the planning for teams and the industry. We want the goals to be about stability in the program and working towards long term goals of finishing top 10, then top 5, and someday maybe winning this damn thing.”
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~ first annual ~
GRAND PRIX DE SNOW BY LAWRENCE HACKING |
PHOTOS BY ANDREW MCCRACKEN
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hen one decides to stage a motorcycle event in February in Canada there really is no telling what you are going to end up with. If said event is called the Grand Prix de Snow you can safely say there should be some amount of white stuff on the ground at the very least to make the photos look good. This past February 19th was the first GP de Snow, or more accurately the GP de Slush, with a wide scattered mud or snow mix that could be called snirt or snud. The temperature rose up to a balmy 12 degrees C, and some people were riding in t-shirts. The record setting weather anomaly generated the abnormally strong turnout especially considering it was the first one. Speculators voiced their opinion on why so many people showed up (135 riders registered and the onsite Town Moto BBQ team fed close to 300 people). The warm weather surely contributed, the pent up need to ride a dirt bike mid-winter came into play, and the opportunity to demo ride a fleet of Husqvarnas was probably the most significant attraction. The line up to ride the new Huskies was always in place but the wait was short and the Husky ambassadors lost track of how many people ripped up the frozen ground on their ice studded bikes. Most people got a chance to ride their fill around the 6corner track laid
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out in the backyard of the Mohawk Inn, just North of the 401 highway in Campbellville, Ontario. The Mohawk has a long history in welcoming motorcycle events to its facility, and the owners are riders who don’t seem to mind the lawn being chewed up once in a while; time heals all wounds including grass. The GP de Snow was billed as a social event; riders from all facets of the sport attended, and a great number rolled in from the metro Toronto area as a result of an extensive social media campaign launched by the event’s driving force - the staff of Town Moto. Town Moto is a motorcycle themed clothing and accessory shop in the heart of the city… 132 Ossington to be more exact. The Town Moto phenomenon is one of the current success stories in motorcycle marketing. The owners are acutely switched on to their customers’ desires and they brought forward the idea of doing a winter event after
ripping it up on their own dirt bikes in the snow. I thought it was a great idea to get everyone together on a winter weekend, so a few quick phone calls to the Mohawk and Husqvarna Canada’s marketing whip, Victoria Hubacek (nee Hett), and the rest fell into place like lego. The Town Moto crowd put the touch on many of their suppliers for prizes, and once the word spread the prize table overflowed with great items from Biltwell helmets, Red Wing boots, Deus ex Machina jackets, Stance, Roland Sands clothing, Joe Rocket shirts, and Fast Times magazine. Not forgetting to mention Husqvarna dumped a load of caps, shirts and swag onto the prize table as well, then other prizes showed up organically including some cool NFL-logoed hard hats and some bottles of bike wash, which was highly sought after the sludge fest. The GPDS format was as relaxed as a motorcycle event gets; practice all
morning, sign in when you get there, and an hour long lunch before the 4-lap races. If you missed the rider’s meeting, well, too bad. The classes were made up on the fly depending on whether you were an experienced racer with a studded bike or without, a non-experienced racer, or a rider on a vintage bike. There was even a vintage SkiDoo in the mix with an English bull dog riding on the handlebars. It was a tossup whether the icing on the cake was the Ural sidecar rig doing laps, or Oliver Solaro’s winter camping seminar featuring his CCM rally bike and detailed explanation on how to survive in extreme cold. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves including two-time Canadian motocross champion Tyler Medaglia who took home one of the coveted recycled trophies that were whipped together by Marika Thoms, Town Moto’s head honcho. In fact things were so relaxed the scoring consisted of asking the race winner’s name as they crossed the finish line. Tyler won the Husqvarna team race over Victoria Hubcek by a narrow margin after having to start with his bike facing backwards as some form of handicap. The other races used the time-honoured tradition of the Le Mans start; riders had to run to the waiting machines, start them and take off. This spread out the field, and the person who grabbed the holeshot usually won. But the focus wasn’t on winning or losing, the GP de Snow was designed to make everyone feel like winners whether you rode or just hung out with friends. At the end of the day the entry fees went to the Mohawk Inn owner’s favourite charity, the Milton United Way. The riders` donations added up to a whopping $2,050. One could guess the shock of the state the lawn was in after the event was somewhat softened by the handsome donation. As the final motos wound down and all the prizes were given out, everyone made their way out of the jammed parking lot with a smile on theìr face and the intention to return June 11th for the third annual Grand Prix de Mud, hopefully under ideal muddy conditions.
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Above: Fans in Revelstoke also loved watching the freestyle show.
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oyer takes top spot at the Motovan Canadian Snow Bike MX Nationals presented by Yeti X-games, AMA, CMRC and MCQMX have all added something to their list of racing to promote, support and grow..... you got it, Snow Bike MX. February, 2017 marked the first-ever National Snow Bike MX for Canada and it all took place in Revelstoke, B.C. Motovan, Yeti and Red Bull all took front row seats as partners to a series that has MXers and fans from all over hooked! This Revelstoke MX track, run by Revi Riders, was revamped late in 2016 by Revi Riders and MCQMX. The result: a 30 second increase to lap times and a big Talladega left hander start into a right hand, high banked corner. This proved to be a great separator before the first obstacle on this flowing layout. Then for the dirt races planned here, including the 2017 CMRC Grand National Amateur Championships, it was topped off with 5,000 yards of great moto material all over the track. Riders’ feedback on the track was nothing less than perfect, and with a two minute lap time for the fast guys the racing was top notch with very little lap traffic and a clear leader. R
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The first round of the Snow Bike MX Nationals saw almost as many pros on the gate for the Pro mains as X Games, which was great to see. Pro Qualifiers had everyone wondering which Pro would set
the pace with the fastest lap time…Brock Hoyer, Cody Matechuk, Regan Sieg, Brett Turcotte, Spencer Knowles, Justyn McCabe and Carson McQueen were just a few Pro names capable of turning some fast times. As it turned out, Matechuk shaved a half second off Hoyer’s fastest time in the qualifiers for the #1 gate pick for the first Pro main. Pro Main 1 was a story us motoheads know so well, as mechanical issues brought Hoyer to a halt after a couple laps in the lead. Hoyer managed to figure out the problem, got his bike running, did everything he could to gain back the positions but he would have to settle with a fifth. He had to start thinking about Moto 2 as Matechuk walked away with the win, Morgan Kaliszuk finished second, and Cory Graffunder a solid third for Pro Moto 1. For the Pro Main 2 of Round 1, the tables would turn for our leaders as Matechuk battled some tough luck with a 4th place finish and Hoyer capitalized on a great start to gain top points on this one. Overall for the day had Matechuk on the top step of the box with 25 points, and Hoyer and Graffunder finishing with second and third spots respectively. After the day’s racing, MCQMX and the Sledghammers crew had a night of fun in the snow planned for the Valley Moto Sport Night Show presented by Artic Cat. The Show started off with a live band to get things ramped up, and then
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the focus went over to the Dash for Cash under the lights where a portion of the moto track had been lit up by NorVal Rentals for the Snow Bike Pros to go head to head for one lap. The star of the night, Brett Turcotte, then made jaws drop while flipping his snowmobile over a 75 foot gap! Turcotte had equipment trouble while racing the Pro Main 1 during the day, but had this to say following the event, which was filled with snowfall amongst other things that makes it difficult for these athletes to jump. “Glad everyone enjoyed the show, she was a gnarly one! I have never been a part of such an organized, well run race day. I’m bummed I had equipment issues for the races!” All that were worn and tattered from the day’s events went home, and the ones that still hadn’t had enough were shuttled to the Traverse night club after-party with Red Bull. R
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At Round 2, the pressure was on and the tension was high as teams scrambled to make sure bikes were in good race shape and riders were ready to go. The points - Matechuk and Hoyer had a 3 point spread, very little margin for error but this is what makes racing sooo cool! Hoyer started Moto 1 and 2 off with a holeshot only to be chased by Matechuk in both motos for the balance of the race, especially in a couple spots where he could feel the heat of that #2 Yamaha/Timbersled of Hoyer’s. With both rounds in the books we were left with a points tie for that ever coveted red background number plate for the 2018 series. With both Matechuk and Hoyer finishing with 47 points, the overall went to Brock Hoyer with the most moto wins to break the tie! Hoyer commented, “I came into this with one focus and that was to win the Canadian Championship. In my first moto of the series I felt it was unrealistic as I battled mechanical issues but managed to claw my way back to 5th.
From then on I knew I had to win every moto to make this happen. So I put my head down, won every moto from there on and claimed the Championship with most moto wins to break the tie between me a Cody.” With the series wrapped there were just a couple things left to do... present the awards and PARTY!, which is once again what happened at the Valley Moto Sport Night Show. This one started off with a live band that led right into podium presentations where the Red Bull Wing Team and Motovan representative Zoe Verbauwhede were on stage to help get riders looked after with prizing from the day’s racing. The Red Bull fastest amateur lap of the day went to RTR’s Eric Dube while the Red Bull fastest Pro lap award went to none other than Brock Hoyer. Under the lights, the Dash for Cash saw huge spectator involvement as well as a ton of giveaways provided by many of our industry supporters and shops. The highlight of this night show, however, showed up on four wheels. That’s right, a UTV driven by factory Polaris Driver Al MacBeth. Fans witnessed a world record set on the snow where MacBeth not only cleared the 100 foot snow gap, but taped an astonishing 148 foot jump on his Polaris RZR. We were able to follow up with some of our pro riders to get the scoop from them on the series and the racing. The X-games Bronze medalist and Canadian National #2, Cody Matechuk, had this to say about his first Canadian Snow Bike MX Nationals. “This past weekend we wrapped up the Canadian National Snow Bike Championship in Revelstoke, B.C. and as always it was another awesome event put on by MCQMX. We came into the last round in the points lead and ready to put my Black Rider Yeti Snow MX Yamaha on top of the box. With awesome weather and a gate full of fast guys, the day looked like it was going to be good. After qualifying we found ourselves out front with a target on my back. Ready
to hit it hard in the races, things didn’t go quite as planned. Some mechanical difficulties hindered us and we ended up bringing home second overall, finishing behind Brock in the Championships. I have to throw a huge thanks out to all that made this Cycle Works Foothills Yamaha team come together, and the amazing support from Motovan and the BLK RDR program, as well as Yeti Snow MX, Raze Motorsports, RMR suspensions, Raptor Shocks, Devol, Justified Cultires, Dalton Timmis, Tobe, Bike Binderz, Toyo Tires, Seat Concepts, CR Racing, and Lime Nine. Now it’s time to get after back country. Stay Tuned!” It wouldn’t be complete without hearing from the man himself, so here is what Hoyer had to say when asked about the track aspect of the Canadian Snow Bike MX Nationals. “The track layout was awesome! We were racing a full-on Moto track only with snow on it, and just shy of 2 minute lap times with big jumps. The track was also super wide and safe, which made for great racing. When asked to comment on the series as a whole Hoyer went on to say, “For the first ever Canadian Championships, they knocked it out of the park! I have been racing Snow Bike for four years now and this is one of the best venues I have been to. It was a great show and I was stoked to be a part of it. There were tons of spectators with lots for them to do. The night show had a live band and the list goes on and on. Kids were cheering us on in the Dash for Cash and everyone was pumped to watch some racing action. The atmosphere at the Night Show was electric!” When asked if he had anyone to share this victory with, Hoyer stated, “I would like to thank my loyal supporters, Yamaha Motor Canada, Rockstar Energy, Timbersled, FXR, Lime Nine, Limitless, VP Race Fuels, Seat Concepts, DEVOL, Bills pipes, Rekluse, Jr Jackson, GET ignition, DMC Cams, K&N Filters, CR Racing, Forma Boots, CTI,
Mongoose Machine, Cariboo Steel, IWL Construction, RMR Suspension, Fox Suspension, Sledgehammers, 100%, Spectra Powersports, Cycle North, Atlas and Fastway.” MCQMX is already looking at adding more rounds to this series and will continue to help in growing this sport one step at a time. Moto enthusiasts will continue to work out the deals with the manufacturers of the kits to convert their MX bikes over to the snow machines to stay on the track through the traditional off months. If you have a desire to experience moto in the cooler months of the year, keep an eye on www.canadiansnowbikenationals.ca.
Top left: Revelstoke, BC provided the perfect backdrop for the first ever Snowbike Nationals. Right: Brock Hoyer was simply amazing as he took home the 2017 title.
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Evan Stewart BY CHRIS POMEROY |
earching for a rider to profile in this issue of MXP Magazine was extremely tough as Canada is now blessed with so many talented amateur riders. Out west there are riders like Jacob Piccolo and Travis Gibbs who are leading the pack, while in the east we have Damon Burbine, Jake Tricco and Jeremy McKie. However, when looking at riders that had suc success both outdoors and indoors, no one stood out more than Ontario speedster Evan Stewart. Evan is a young rider from Holland Landing, ON who prides himself on hard work and tenacity. After suffering an injury earlier this year while training in Florida, Evan rebounded to have the best summer of his racing career. Although he had many successful races in 2016, his most memorable included National titles at the GNAC in Deschambault, Quebec, and then again in the Canadian National AX Tour in October. We caught up with Evan while preparing for what will be a very busy 2017 racing season.
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MXP: Hey Evan, you’ve had a pretty busy few weeks. Can you take us through why you chose to head west to race the remaining rounds of the AX Tour? ES: After winning the Eastern Canadian Championship, I wanted to go out west to see if I could win the Western Canadian AX Tour Championship. My Dad said that we could, but he also told me to be prepared to race some fast kids that I have never seen before. MXP: Was it just you and your dad that travelled out west, or did your entire family join you? ES: It was just me and my Dad. My Mom could not get the time off work, and my sister Charisma was supposed to come but decided to stay home at the last minute. I wish they could have come but it was cool just hanging out with my Dad and driving through the mountains. I got to see a lot of stuff and a lot of different towns. We went to Revelstoke and Banff and saw some really big trees. MXP: We always say that motocross is the best family sport going. What does it mean for you to have your family supporting you and your dreams? ES: It’s great having my Mom, Dad and sister supporting me. They give up a lot so I can do this. My Mom and sister didn’t go to the races that often until this year. My sister used to dance seven days a week so my Mom had to take her to dance, but this year she wanted to take a break from dance so they have been coming a
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lot more. I really like having them all at the races. My Mom and Dad really believe in supporting my riding and racing, plus I get to miss a lot of school!
MXP: Well, missing school is sometimes fun. So you raced in Penticton and Calgary. How did those races go for you? ES: Penticton did not go so well, because I had a few crashes in some of my motos. I went over the bars on one, and by the end of the day I was pretty sore. I only managed to win the 65cc 7-11 Open but I was still happy with that. I was behind in points going to Calgary. My Dad told me that I was trying too hard, and to slow down just a little and ride my race. Calgary went much better! Again my Dad told me to slow down a little and ride smooth. It worked, I won twelve races straight and ended up winning the 65cc 10-11, 65cc 7-11 Open, and 85cc 9-11 National Championships. I was very happy. MXP: That is awesome, congratulations! How was the competition out west? Were the gates full? ES: The kids were fast! Travis Gibbs and Crayden Dillon were right on my rear wheel the whole time. I knew if I made one mistake they would get by me. In one of the classes they had to run qualifiers, and the other two classes were pretty full. I had a lot of fun!! MXP: We know that you’re fairly new to the sport of AX. Do you enjoy racing indoors? ES: Oh ya!!! I love how tight it is and how you have to be working all the time. You can’t relax for one second. It really makes me work on my shifting and corner speed. If you make one mistake you will get passed, but if they make one mistake you get to pass them. The jumping is a lot of fun, too. What I like the most is the fans being right there beside you. You can hear them cheering and yelling at you. It is really cool. MXP: These were not only your first races in the west but also your first time on an airplane. How was that? ES: A little boring, actually. The take off was fun, it felt like we were in a race car. The landings were a little sketchy. When we flew home the plane landed hard and did a big bounce. My Dad was right, most of the time it is boring. MXP: Well, it sounds as though your first flight was memorable. Let’s talk about last season. You had quite
PHOTOS BY JAMES LISSIMORE
a bit of success, what moments stand out for you? ES: I had a lot of fun this summer. I got to train at Motopark with Zeb Denis and the Academy A riders. But what I had the most fun at was winning the GNAC title in Deschambault. It was also a lot of fun racing for the Provincial titles. I managed to win the 65cc 10-11 and 85cc 7-11. To top all that off, my Dad and I went out west and raced. It was definitely an unforgettable 2016 season, that’s for sure. MXP: How was the race in Deschambault and racing in Quebec? ES: It was awesome!. They have steel bridges over the track that people stand on and watch the races. The track was amazing, it is one of my favourite tracks and it has to be the best track in Canada. I got to meet so many new people there. But the best part was hanging out with my friends Matthew Bazinet, Cedric Racine, Sebastian Racine, Tyler Cryer, Nolan Taylor-Booker and Alexy Dube. We went cliff jumping and swimming, it was wicked. The best night was when me and my friends watched movies outside at our trailer. We all fell asleep outside! MXP: That does sound like a great time and we’re glad you enjoyed your first trip to Quebec. You also had to face some adversity last past summer. How did you recover so well from your injuries? ES: Yes, in March I was down in Florida training and I broke my collarbone. It really sucked because I had to go home two weeks early, then I had to sit around for six weeks. I was back on the bike for a couple of weeks and went to Michigan to try to qualify for Loretta Lynn’s, but the bad luck followed me. On the second lap of 85 practice I overshot a small double and landed hard causing a buckle fracture in my right leg. I was really upset. I had to sit out and wait for another five weeks for my leg to heal. Since I missed the whole spring, my Dad put me into the Motopark Academy to train for the summer. I think it worked. MXP: Definitely a good move by your dad to get you training hard once you were healed. Outside of racing, what type of things do you enjoy doing? ES: Well this winter I did a lot of skiing, skating and I made a few trips with my BMX bike to Joyride 150. In the summer I like riding my scooter and BMX bike, and swimming with my friends. I love racing but I also love just being a kid.
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MXP: As we begin to think about this coming racing season, what are your plans? ES: I would like to go to Loretta’s. We are going to try to qualify again this year. I managed to qualify for the regional after I broke my leg, but my speed was not there yet so we skipped the regional. I would like to go to the CMRC Grand National Amateur Championship out west this year as long as it doesn’t conflict with Loretta’s. Also, I’d definitely like to race a lot more AX and hopefully win some more titles.
Gloves, Race Ready Customs and Matt Marshall, ODI Grips, Dunlop Tires, Mika Metals, DT-1 Air Filters, GP Bikes, Titan Engines and Tim Marks, Bondi Engines and Chris Bondi, and Jessica and Anthony Kongmany. I would also like to give a special thanks to Luke Dillon and the whole Dillon family. They have given me an amazing place to ride for the last five years. Most of all, though, I want to thank my Mom and Dad. Without them I could not do the sport I love. Love both of you.
MXP: Sounds like you have a busy 2017 racing season planned. Can you tell us a few of your favourite riders? ES: I have so many. My favourite riders are Ken Roczen, Ryan Dungey and Nick Denniston. My favourite riders to ride with are Crayden Dillon, Ben Kongmany, Tristan Dares, Zach Sullivan, and Ezra and Seth Hughes. MXP: What is your best race ever and why? ES: My best race ever would be my second moto in the 85cc class at Deschambault. I crashed a couple of times, but every time I crashed I went back to 6th or 7th place. Then every time I got up I would battle back to 2nd and crash again. I ended up finishing 4th, I believe. After that race, Marco Dube came over and congratulated me. He told me that winning isn’t everything and that I showed that I don’t give up when things get tough. He also said he was impressed with me and that made me feel better. MXP: That was very nice of Marco, for sure. Let’s talk about school for a moment, what is your favourite subject? ES: My favourite subject is gym and then math. Math is just easy for me, I guess I just get numbers. MXP: What grade are you currently in and what school do you attend? ES: Right now I’m in Grade 6. I go to Good Sheppard Catholic School and I am in Mrs. McCloud’s class. I like school but sometimes it’s a little boring. My parents say that I have to do good in school or no motocross. I’m sure it’s like that for a lot of MX kids.
"They have steel bridges over the track that people stand on and watch the races. The track was amazing, it is one of my favourite tracks and it has to be the best track in Canada.
MXP: Yes, school is very important. We saw you at the Toronto Supercross, what did you think of the racing? ES: I loved it, I thought Dungey rode awesome in the main event. I also thought Chad Reed rode great, and of course we were cheering on Ben Kongmany in the KJSC race. He did a great job to take the win. I love watching SX and I wish I could go to more races. MXP: Final question for you Evan, who would you like to thank? ES: I would like to thank all my sponsors, their help makes it all possible: 6D Helmets, Forma Boots, Marco Dube, 100% Goggles, Mobius Knee Braces, FXR Racing and Andy White, Atlas Braces, Deft Family
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The Z-MX10 is a premium lightweight kevlar/fiberglass competition MX helmet loaded with features, including a superior CoolDry™ liner for comfort, a high-end automotive paint finish for increased durability and a HDVS ventilation system with 7 cavities for maximum venting. ZOXHELMETS.COM
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T AKING THE NEXT STEP WITH DREW ROBERTSON ood day MXP readers! We are getting closer and closer to the gate dropping on what promises to be a fantastic season of racing here in Canada!! I’m sure some of you have been south riding and getting ready for the upcoming season, and I’m hoping that a lot of you have been in the gym, on the road bike and rowers getting the body ready as well.
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“GROWING UP, WE HAD GYM CLASS FIVE DAYS A WEEK, AND AFTER SCHOOL WE WOULD CLIMB TREES AND PLAY SOCCER, HOCKEY OR BASKETBALL. WHATEVER IT WAS WE DID A VARIETY OF THINGS AND DID THEM OFTEN.”
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CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN Now some of you are probably thinking I have fallen on my head!! Why are we talking about climbing mountains when we are preparing to race dirt bikes?! Is this a hidden secret of the pros?! No!! In today’s society we are seeing people try to take short cuts more and more; they need instant success, and they need to be able to update their social media with cool videos or captions!! People don’t want to climb the mountain, they want a chopper ride to the top, take a selfie and fly back down!! This applies to both riding and training. We want to hit the big jumps, whip, hit hero berms, and do a single leg squat because they say their favourite pro rider posted a video on Instagram!! I’m not going to get into the riding side of things, I will leave that to more qualified people than myself!! In terms of training, however, I will break things down and go over what climbing the mountain looks like! Before I get into that, I want to touch on my view of athletic development and where I think we are in terms of development today in reference to our youth. I refer to an athlete’s age in terms of years training and their capability of doing some basic movements. For example, if you were 15, never trained and were unable to do a proper squat, your age would be ZERO. You could have
a kid the same age who has been trying for two years who is able to perform a squat, a proper plank, even a broad jump, they would have a training age of 2. Now having said that, in my opinion, we are way behind the curve in terms of basic development because the youth of today don’t ‘play’ anymore. Growing up, we had gym class five days a week, and after school we would climb trees and play soccer, hockey or basketball. Whatever it was we did a variety of things and did them often!! Today we have all of these kids training for and participating in one sport!! Hold on, before we get all excited and you start asking how playing soccer is going to make you a better motocross athlete, let me clear up what I’m saying. Having a good overall sense of movement and body awareness comes from participating in multiple activities, so I’m not saying to play soccer 3-4 days a week instead of riding, but why not play soccer or basketball, go swimming, or take a gymnastic class every couple of weeks, because in the long term this will make you a better athlete. By playing and participating in multiple sports we become more agile, and we gain strength and co-ordination through a variety of movements. Even though we would like to think that motocross is done in a certain range of motion, I’m sure we have seen riders at all sorts of angles and positions on a bike. If we have only trained the body in a limited number of positions and we get into a position that we are untrained for, we open ourselves up to injury. Climb the mountain - let me come back to this, finally. You need to earn the right to stand on the top. Don’t look at taking the easy way or skipping steps. In order to do a single squat, can you do a squat? Can you do a split squat, a lunge, or a stepup? You want to be able to train hard late in the season so you can recover between motos. Make sure you set a good aerobic base, which mean 4590 minutes of aerobic rides 3-4 times a week in the early off-season. I hear it all the time, “I have trained, why aren’t I getting better or seeing the results on the bike? I’m doing what I saw this top pro do!?” Well, understand that the professionals in any sport earned their way there, they just didn’t magically get things handed to them. When a pro makes a video of some of their training, understand that that is what they are capable of doing. Instead of looking at the video and saying “I need to add that to my routine,” say to yourself “That is what I need to be able to do,” and work towards doing those things. No chopper to the top! No fancy or magical formula! Climb the mountain! The goal is still to be at the top, but the journey up is what will make you a better athlete and ultimately keep you there. Till next time, DREW…OUT!!! For training info: email drew@evolvednutrition.com
94 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM
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2017-03-24 12:05 PM
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T HE IMPENDING STORM WITH ANDY WHITE he tides continue to shift in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross series and it’s hard to keep track of just how many guys are on the injured list, it seems. After returning from the Daytona Supercross, I find it’s such a shame that this event is held in March. Why March you ask? By the time the show rolls into Daytona, there will be a few riders that have already been replaced by not-so-factory riders. Honda America shocked us all by bumping Jeremy Martin up to the factory 450 ride. It makes perfect sense. He has some time off as the series is in the east, so why not? Jeremy is not in the points chase in the west so you might as well get him on a 450 and get another Honda out there on the track. I think this was a really smart move on Honda’s and Jeremy’s part. We know Jeremy is a solid outdoor rider and Honda just introduced a brand new 450 to the market only a few months ago. It would be a shame to leave Roczen’s 450 parked in the race shop collecting dust. I wasn’t surprised to see Jeremy out front in the final. He looked solid. Thumbs up to the Honda factory for using one of their Lites riders to fill in for an injured rider. I wish this would happen more often. I believe we saw Dungey win the championship at Daytona as well. Ryan had his worst start to date in years. I think I heard the last time he started so badly was when his Factory Suzuki wouldn’t start way back at Southwick in 2011. Ryan started in 19th and worked his way up to 4th by the end of that race. Now that’s how you win a championship. The word on the street is that Ryan will be calling it quits at the end of this year. I seriously have a hard time believing that, but hey, I have been wrong before. I was impressed to see our one and only Canadian, Cole Thompson, competing in the Lites class. Cole looks just as smooth as ever. If this kid could get the support some of the other top riders get, I am betting Cole would be a top 5 rider at each round. This is really good practice for this summer’s CMRC Nationals. Cole will jump right into the outdoors with a ton of seat time already behind him. Not just riding seat time but racing experience. I remember back in the day when Blackfoot dominated the CMRC series. Their rider, JSR, raced year round. Today the teams are afraid that their investment will get hurt and not be 100% ready for the first round in Kamloops. Well, they are right on that score too. Look at Kaven Benoit. I don’t think the two-time MX2
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“IF THE REAL POURCEL SHOWS UP, I CAN TELL YOU THAT IT WILL BE A RUNAWAY FOR THE HUSKY TEAM. WE SAW HIM BATTLING FOR PODIUMS NOT LONG AGO IN THE US, AND YES HE WILL BE ON THE SAME TYPE OF EQUIPMENT MILLSAPS WAS ON.”
Champ is riding right now after his ugly get off at the Geneva Supercross a few weeks ago. Kaven is not one for crashing much, but I guess it can happen to anyone. I really hope he is back in full form and ready to race by June. Another rider that had planned to tackle the west coast supercross series was Prince George, BC resident Jesse Pettis. Unfortunately for Jesse, just a few weeks before Anaheim 1, Jesse tipped over in a slow corner and landed on his shoulder. Yes, something as minute as that is all it took. The good news is that Jesse’s bread and butter comes from the outdoor series starting in June. I know he is back on his MX101 Yamaha 250F and feeling good. I’m looking forward to the outdoors series, we will be seeing some new faces. We will also see some riders on new teams too. I almost fell over when I read that Christophe Pourcel is contracted to compete in Canada in 2017. I thought for a minute and then it all made sense. Too injured to compete in the Supercross season, why not pull him out and inject Dean Wilson? That made good sense as Dean rode a factory KTM for the past three years. In my opinion, these two models are pretty well the same except for a different colour and a plastic sub frame. Now what do you do with Pourcel? Send him to Canada of course! If the real Pourcel shows up, I can tell you that it will be a runaway for the Husky team. We saw him battling for podiums not long ago in the US, and yes he will be on the same type of equipment Millsaps was on. If the real Pourcel fails to show up, well then it’s going to be a great season because I feel there are four riders that can win. Colton Facciotti is a multi-time champ, so is Matt Goerke, and don’t count out Kaven Benoit. If he is 100% by June (remember late last year who was beating Davi?), he will be a force to be reckoned with. I am sure Monster Kawasaki will have their 450 guy all dialed in too. Will Tyler Medaglia show up with the speed he had the last few rounds? How about his brother Jeremy? Ah yes, we almost forgot about him. I remember him winning the overall not long ago at the Deschambault National on a Yamaha 450. It’s a bit early to know exactly who will be on the podium but I am sure we will see some great racing again. Let’s not forget about the 250F guys. Cole Thompson has signed on the dotted line for a three year contract to compete with the KTM squad, Dylan Wright jumped to the red team, and Shawn Maffenbeier is now on the MX101 Yamaha team. Will Dakota Alix show up for the full series or just the east like in 2016? Let’s not forget the BC Arenacross Champ, Jesse Pettis. Again, I am sure Monster Kawasaki will have someone on the team that can win too. It’s only March and here we go again. Predictions for the upcoming season? I have no clue how many Americans will head north again for the series. I guess we will hear a lot more in the next few weeks. Summer can’t come soon enough and I can almost smell the race gas.
96 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM
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2017-03-23 10:57 AM
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2016-10-26 1:37 PM
U NBRIDLED ENDURANCE WITH MARK STALLYBR A SS can honestly say that I’m really looking forward to the 25th Anniversary of the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals. Twenty-five years! It’s hard to believe that twenty-five years have passed so quickly. That’s twenty-five years of hard work, organizing events, working with clubs and promoters, finding sponsors, talking to teams, making arrangements with television networks (since ’96), putting together a crew to execute the events (I’ve had a dream team the last few years) and being fixated on weather reports on the weekends of the races. The series started with one single event in 1993 where Canada’s most winningest rider, Ross Pederson, took the title ahead of two GP visitors, Craig Pratley from England and Ryan Hunt from South Africa. It was a last minute decision by the two but they ultimately decided to show up and ride, however Ryan Hunt was without a bike. I ended up lending him my YZ250 and he went out and rode the wheels off of it. I was surprised it held together and I was even more surprised how fast that bike could go with someone riding it who knew what they were doing. Following the inaugural year were the years of Mike Jones and Carl Vaillancourt battling for titles, then throughout the back half of the ‘90s, Marco Dubé (‘96/’98) and Blair Morgan (‘97/’99) swapped top honours in the premier class. In 2000, the first big American name came and dominated. Doug Dubach rode for Dave Gowland’s FedEx Yamaha team and had the luxury of pitting out of the first tractor trailer set up that graced the CMRC Nationals. For this coming year, we’re expecting no less than eight rigs, which is a good measure of how the professionalism of the series has grown, and the prestige attached to winning a championship. I’m not going to go through all
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“I’M A HUGE FAN OF OUTDOOR MOTOCROSS AT BOTH THE AMATEUR AND PRO LEVELS, WHICH IS WHY I HAVE BEEN CRAZY FOR MOTOCROSS FOR THE PAST FORTY YEARS.”
of the champions, teams and tracks because in the next few issues of MXP, we are going to break down the series by the decades and delve deeper into each era to give readers a glimpse of what went down and who the major players were. Most riders of today aren’t even twenty-five years old, so these issues will be quite informative to most. The series has visited many different venues over the years. It has always been a challenge to find a track that meets all of the requirements for a pro national, or that fits into the travel schedule that we create for the financial benefit of the teams, let alone the demands by sponsors to hold them in prime locations. Unfortunately, when I move a national from one venue to another it creates a lot of ill feelings, stress and anxiety because no one likes to lose a national, and honestly, I’d rather stick a needle in my eye. However, they are critical steps to take for the sake of the series’ progress. It’s also one of the reasons why I’d never win a popularity contest, but hey, someone has to do it. The 2017 schedule has got to be the best schedule ever when you consider all of these factors (I have a funny feeling that the new national in Prince George could be the largest one of them all…we’ll see), which is another reason my anticipation is high. I’m a huge fan of outdoor motocross at both the amateur and pro levels, which is why I have been crazy for motocross for the past forty years. I will admit I enjoy watching the pros the most because after watching thousands of regional races, I have a deep appreciation for guys that can throw around a bike with ease at the top level. However, even some of the pro races are yawners because the leader has left everyone and the rest of the field finds their place behind with little or no passing going on, but when there’s a dog-eat-dog battle on the track, nothing in the world makes me happier to see it happen in front of my eyes. The teams and riders are at such an elite level now compared to twenty-five years ago. The money it takes to run a team, hire riders, arrange travel and accommodations, finance their testing down south when there’s snow on the ground at home, and the budget required to develop these technological masterpieces on two wheels is mind boggling. Needless to say, I appreciate every single person, their commitment, hours they log and role they play, that follows the series for ten out of eleven weeks each summer, because it’s not a walk in the park. I’m sure it looks to some like the best job ever, which it is, but it is exhausting work. But they all do it because they love the sport. By the time the 2017 series concludes, I will have executed 204 pro nationals. When I look back at the years, it puts a smile on my face because I’m proud of how far the series has come, and it also gives me the motivation to keep grinding away to take pro and amateur racing in Canada to another level, because that’s been the goal since Day 1.
98 // MOTOCROSS PERFORMANCE · MXPMAG.COM
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2017-03-24 12:04 PM
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