Catching Up with Kade Walker in Europe
The globetrotting Canadian would love to race the 2021 season back at home
By Billy Rainford
Kade Walker is the Canadian rider who hails from Quebec but has spent the last number of years crisscrossing Europe racing and living in some different and exciting places.
He made a brief visit back to Canada to line up for a couple races and is now expressing a desire to come home and put in a full season of racing if he can find some support.
We got in touch with him to talk about what he’s been up to and what he hopes for his future.
Direct Motocross: Hey, Kade. First off, tell us where you are spending the Christmas Holidays and what it’s like there?
Kade Walker: Italy. It is nice. Not too cold this year. Where I am is no snow this time but it would have given it a little bit more of a Christmas feeling.
I caught a few of the EMX2T rounds on YouTube. It looks like you were in a nice tight battle all season. Why did you end up in the 2-stroke championships, anyway?
The opportunity came because of a joke between my friend/sponsor Jannis and me. He had a 2007 2-stroke at home, and I was like, “That would fun to ride!” which led to him sending the bike from Sweden to Italy. That’s how I ended up riding the 2-stroke championship.
Interesting. How many rounds was this title race? What was your best race and favourite track?
There were 5 rounds. My best race and favourite track was round 2 in Faenza, Italy.
So, now I hear you are looking to maybe come back home to Canada to race. Is this true and how come?
Yeah, I would like to come back home. I have basically traveled the world since I am 10 years old and I feel like I have seen a lot of everything except for Canada. And I have never raced the full Canadian championship, so I would like to give my 100% effort for that.
A lot of us haven’t seen you ride in person for a couple years. How do you think your pace is now compared to last time you were here in Canada for a very short stint?
I came home last time for a short period of time and I had not been back home for so long, so it was not easy for me to get comfortable so fast with everything. I feel that my speed at those races wasn’t how I normally ride. I know I am a top 3 guy no matter what bike.
Are you a better 250 or 450 rider?
Personally, I do believe I am a better 250 rider. But I will always give it my all on every bike, and I do have the capability to literally ride every bike.
What are you hoping for next season? Will you come back to Canada even if no supported ride comes along?
I just let the cards fall how they fall, then we’ll see.
If you don’t come back, what will you do next?
I have been racing for the past 19 years and I am not planning on stopping now.
If anyone is looking for a rider here in Canada, what should they expect from you?
A 100% committed rider that has a lot of passion for the sport and will do whatever it takes…training, riding, racing, working out…it’s part of the job.
We may not be able to criss-cross the country again in 2021. Would you be fine with an “east only” series again like we saw in 2020?
I am born on the east and I like the sand tracks over there. So for me it would be good.
What will you do between now and next race season?
Training, training and again training!!
We covered all this last time we interviewed you, but can you tell people how many languages you speak now and which ones they are?
I speak English, French, German, and Italian.
You’ve taken a very different path from any Canadian before you. Have you enjoyed yourself and would you recommend any other Canadians head to Europe?
I can recommend it, of course, but it is not easy. Racing is easy but the rest is hard, mentally. Learning new languages, new cultures, new tracks all the time. But I always have fun with it because it is helping me to do what I like most and that is Motocross.
Well, good luck with whatever comes next for you. I’d love to see you back racing in Canada, so we’ll cross our fingers. Happy New Year and who would you like to thank?
First off, I would like to thank the people that have helped me in 2020: my friend Jannis and Daniel from bigballsmx that supported me with the 2-stroke deal, and team Castellari with taking me to the races and being my mechanic. And my girlfriend for being there and continuing this journey with me.
