DEKlaN HENsHaW

By VIRgIl KNapp

Deklan Henshaw breaks the stereotype that you have to start racing at a young age to achieve success in the pro ranks. Although he first tried snocross in 2014, he didn’t commit to it on a regular basis until the 2019 season and in just a few short years, wrapped up his first title in the Pro Lite class. On the outside Henshaw breaks another stereotype resembling more of a rugby player or big wave surfer with his shoulder length hair and stocky build, but on the inside he’s all racer.

How did you get involved in snocross?

My Dad raced sleds, my brother Connor and I have always ridden growing up and I wanted to compete. I tried to race a CSRA round in 2014 and ended up fracturing my tib/fib in the Sault Ste. Marie. In 2019 I tried racing again at The Compound Muskoka and once again I was hooked.

You have a pretty unique name, what’s the backstory?

My parents liked the Movie "The Jackal" and one of the characters was "Declan". My mom and dad didn't like the look of the name with a ‘C’, so when I was born they changed the ‘C’ to a ‘K’ and I became Deklan.

Take me through your 2022 campaign in The Pro / Lite class, what did you do right that led to winning the class?

I have the best in the business backing me up with a LP-Racing Ski-Doo race sled; I had to focus on the main goal at the end of the season, which was the championship. I had to pass well and stay fast, because the ProLite class was stacked.

Taking a quick scroll through your Instagram, it looks like you live a pretty active lifestyle. How do you spend your time away from the track?

I am always busy doing something, In the summer months where I live it’s really busy with work and fun which leads to a lot of boating and wake surfing. I’m also thankful to have a bunch of close friends who are quick on an mx bike to keep me ready for when the snow flies.

I also noticed like many snocross racers you have a passion for motocross. Where would you rate your mx skills compared to your snowmobile skills?

I honestly think I have more skills on a snowmobile over an mx bike; motocross is such a crazy sport with everybody evolving so fast and pushing the limits. Motocross is one of the only things that us snocross racers do in the off months to keep us in shape and ready to race.

Reflecting back on the 2022 season what do you think you did differently over previous years that resulted in winning a championship?

The 2022 Race season started off hectic with the first race basically being a whiteout with wind and snow in the Sault (see attached photo for reference). I had to push through and do what I’ve been training to do, which is finding fast lines while staying smooth. Believe it or not, 2022 Was My first full CSRA race season.

I saw you spent some time in Australia, how did that compare to life in Canada and what did you like most about your time there? Australia was a really cool experience; I had gone over to visit some friends and travel. The major difference between Canada and Australia was driving on the opposite side of the road. That took a couple times to get used to, but everyone was out to have a good time, similar to how Canadian’s are.

Professional sports are constantly evolving as athletes get bigger, stronger and faster; where do you see snowcross 10 years from now?

I hope all the motorsports continue to evolve and progress. But if you look at how many kids are in the younger classes, in 10 years there will be some serious competition.

I know from my time racing motocross you can’t really have fear if you want to be successful, is there anything about racing that truly freaks you out?

I can say one thing that freaks me out is the first corner, you have 10 or more sleds trying to squeeze together going down the start straight and it could go wrong in a split second.

Who has helped you to get to this point in your career?

I am super thankful for my amazing sponsors for helping me and the LP Racing team out this season, Ski-Doo with the sleds, FXR with the gear and helmets, Scott goggles, CTI Braces, Stud-Boy, C&A Skis, ROX speed FX, Bert Lee and all My Friends and family.