DMX Frid’Eh Update Presented by FXR

By Jeff McConkey and Billy Rainford

Week #5 goes out to Fort Dodge, Iowa’s Teddy Maier. – Bigwave photo

Welcome to Week #5 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update this week presented by FXR. If you had to guess who #5 would be, most would get it right on their first try. It’s almost like it’s a career number for Fort Dodge, Iowa’s Teddy Maier. It just feels right when you get to the first round of the Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals and see Teddy on his trusty Monster Energy Thor Kawasaki with the big #5’s plastered all over it.

Rumours swirled last season that 2014 would be Teddy’s last hurrah up in Canada, but, like the death of Mark Twain, it was greatly exaggerated. However, Mark Twain has most-certainly passed on and 2015 just might be your last chance to see Teddy on his #5 Kawasaki.

Teddy has won the MX2 title twice (2009 and 2012) and is always right there to capitalize if the top two riders falter in the MX1 class. He has won an overall at almost every national track he’s raced on but has yet to take an MX1 overall, so you can bet that is at the top of his list for this coming summer.

He actually split wins with eventual champ Brett Metcalfe at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton in 2013. I remember speaking with Brett after that race and he was quick to point out he’d never gone that fast on a dirt bike before and was pretty sure he’d “cheated death” to steal that overall win from Teddy.

We got in touch with the quietly reserved American rider to get caught up on what he’s been up to and what he hopes to accomplish in 2015 and beyond. Here’s what Teddy had to say:

Teddy Maier won the 2014 Canadian Lites AX title. His battle to the final round with Ross Johnson kept fans on the edges of their seats all series long. – Bigwave photo

Right know I’m waiting on my practice bike. But I have been busy working for my dad with his landscaping business which in the winter we do snow removal and haul away for some of our business accounts that need it.. For the first time in my life, I have been working with a trainer now since mid-December. I feel like it’s going to help a lot.

Once I get my bike, I plan on going south to get some riding in until the weather breaks here at home. I plan on racing a lot around home which I never did pre-season. I’m just planning on doing everything different that what I have before (Laughs). I want to race until I feel like I did all I could do.

I want to race until I feel like I gave it my all. This year my goals are set high. My home schedule is going to be a lot better with Harper going to daycare unlike last year. I was watching her a couple days during the week and trying to train and ride and all that. By the time I got to the race I was exhausted. I think evey dad knows what I’m talking about.

After moto, I plan on working (Laughs). I’m actually going to plan on working a few days during the season. I feel like it’s good for me to keep my mind off moto all the time and learn the ropes of life after moto. I like landscaping but I favour running equipment; it’s what I have done as long as I have been riding a dirt bike, so something in that category. I know how to work hard so I’m not stressed about my life after motocross.

Maier hopes to race until he’s done everything he can. Will that be in 2015? – Bigwave photo

It sounds like Teddy has a plan for this season and his future. It’s always nice to hear that. Too often, racers get to the ends of their careers with no direction. Good luck in 2015, Teddy.

This week’s Update is presented by FXR.

This week’s Update is presented by FXR – World Class Outerwear. A lot of people find it important to support Canadian companies as much as they can. Well, if that’s you then look no further. FXR is as Canadian as it gets. Milt Reimer and the gang out in Winnipeg have been working hard over the years to bring the best snowmobile and moto gear. Milt started FXR out of the basement of his house and has continued to grow the business to where it is now. Be sure to check out all their cool new stuff for 2015 HERE.

Jeff McConkey

Hey, guys. Welcome to another cold snowy Friday. The days seem to be slowly getting longer here in Southern Ontario, so that is a small but good indication that spring is coming…eventually. With the frigid weather outside, most of us have been staying inside to avoid the elements, but that isn’t stopping everyone. I’ve been noticing on social media that a large amount of racers are taking to the ice. I, myself, am WAY too soft to brave the cold and give it a shot. But a big thanks to Kevin Kinrade and the gang at Mongoose Machine who have hooked me and the DMX test bike up with the new EXP Core 3 Rekluse clutch. This past Sunday long-time friend and super mechanic Blair Conway and I installed the fresh new Rekluse. I was blown away with how easy and quick the install was. The directions were simple and to the point and made installation a breeze. To say I am excited to try it out on the indoor track is an understatement! I will be posting a very easy and informative step-by-step install report in the next little while that will make you want to run out and get your very own.

Watch for Jeff’s upcoming install and test on the new Rekluse EXP Clutch 3.0 here on the site. – McConkey photo

It’s a little late but I’d like to wish DMX colleague Kyle Carruthers a Happy Birthday. Kyle has been super-busy with his new ventures, but the moto bug won’t keep him far away. Also celebrating this week was National #3 Tyler Medaglia. Tyler is currently training down at GPF (Georgia Practice Facility ), and word on the street is that he will be racing the Daytona SX. I hope it is true as I would love to see this crazy bastard out battling with the world’s best. Either way, a big happy birthday to both of those gems.

I’m cutting it short this week. I’m too busy trying to figure what colour combos to run tomorrow while riding. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out this week’s ‘Out Of The Blue‘ with PEI’s Liz Burke, and ‘On The Radar‘ with Charlie Johnston. Have a great week and always #smileforBC!

Billy Rainford

Thanks, Jeff. Good luck with the Rekluse Clutch test this weekend. I really hope they have the heat going because we have been hovering around -14 Celsius in these parts the past few days! While we’re on the topic of ‘Happy Birthdays,’ let me get in on the action and wish 1996 250 and 1998 125 National Champ, Marco Dube, a happy birthday. I was digging through some old photos yesterday and stumbled onto this one of Marco pushing his bike across the finish line at the Mission BC National.

Happy Birthday, Marco Dube. – Bigwave photo

Brock Hoyer on Daily Planet

I haven’t been able to find this online yet and I didn’t see the actual program, but Brock Hoyer appeared on the Canadian science program Daily Planet this past week on his Timberled-equipped Yamaha YZ450F. We’d all love to watch this, so if anyone has a link to the show please let us know. Brock posted this screen shot on his Facebook page though.

Brock Hoyer’s screenshot of his appearance on the Canadian science show, Daily Planet. Sorry, this Hoyer screenshot is all we have on this…

Blake Savage to Return to Canada in 2015

We mentioned in last week’s Update that Utah’s Blake Savage will be making his return to Canada on the Devil’s Lake MX Yamaha team in 2015. We got to know Blake pretty well a couple years ago when he came up and raced a Honda 250F for the GDR team. He came into that season with a banged up wrist and we never really got to see what this highly-touted American rider could do under proper circumstances.

Well, 2015 should be different. We got in touch with Blake while he was out in Utah to get caught up a little bit. Here’s what Blake had for us:

Nanaimo 2013 was the first chance most Canadians got to see Blake Savage. – Bigwave photo

Direct Motocross: First off, what have you been up to since you left Canada last time?
Blake Savage: Since Canada, I’ve just been living back home in Utah with the family, just doing a bunch of races here in the US. I got support from Suzuki to go race some AMA nationals in the 250 class. It was the first time I’ve been able to line up and race some AMA races as a pro since I raced in Canada my first year as a pro.

How did your summer here go for you?
It was kind of just an uphill battle for me all summer. I started the first round with an injured wrist. I had to get surgery only 6 weeks before the first race and had no time to prepare or even train. Realistically, I really shouldn’t have even lined up. Every round from there I got better and better as my wrist was healing, and by the east I ended up being a top 5 guy every weekend and got a podium near the end. I feel like racing with my wrist like that was slowing down my healing and I never really got back to 100% all summer. It was also really hard trying to race myself back into shape all season. It was a frustrating year, but by far one of the funniest times I’ve had racing.

When you went home, did you want to come back?
I definitely wanted to come back! I was really unsure of what would happen because my results weren’t really where I thought they could be. I was only talking to one team at the time thinking I had a good chance at coming back. But it didn’t end up going through, so I just stayed home and raced some AMA races.

How did this new opportunity come together? Did someone give your name to (Team Owner) Trevor Cerny ?
I was talking to some people about options for teams and who they recommend I try and talk to, and a few told me I should really talk to Trevor at the Devil’s Lake MX Yamaha team. Everyone had some great things to say about him and his team. My buddy Dylan Kaelin was one person that really helped put the deal together and put in a good word. From there, it all kinda fell into place, and Trevor is a way rad guy and I’m looking forward to being on his team this summer!

What is something you’ve missed about Canada?
There’s a lot of things about Canada that I missed. The people at the races are amazing to be around and make it a lot of fun every weekend. And of course I had an addiction to Tim Hortons coffee last time I was there so I’m really looking forward to getting some Timmy’s. I’m gonna stay away from the blueberry muffins this summer though.

What are your training/racing plans for this winter?
My teammate, Dylan Kaelin, is coming down south here in about a week and we’ll be spending some time in California in preparation for the summer. I’ve got a little different approach on how I need to get myself ready and I’m looking forward to having Dylan as my training partner. We’re both definitely not lacking any motivation at this point, so we’re going to be working really hard this spring!

Did you pay attention to the Canadian series last summer? What did you think?
Ya, I did, actually! I thought the racing was awesome all year, and I was really pumped to see Colton (Facciotti) come out with the Championship. The (Kaven) Benoit and (Vince) Friese race was crazy and I was glad Kaven ended up winning. I obviously didn’t agree with how Friese was racing.

What track are you looking forward to riding again?
I’m really looking forward to getting down to the Devil’s Lake MX track and putting in some laps there. A lot of people have some great things to say about Trevor’s facility. I’m really looking forward to racing Sand Del Lee again. I thought that was an amazing track. Also, Deschambeault – where I got my first podium – and also Calgary and Kamloops.

Things finally came around for Blake when he podiumed alongside Tyler Villopoto at Deschambault. – Bigwave photo

What track are you least looking forward to?
There’s really no track I’m not looking forward to being back at. They all have their ups and downs and you just have to adapt to each track every weekend. I’m just going to be pumped to be there racing all summer.

What have you been drinking in place of your Tim Horton’s coffee?
Lately, I’ve been brewing up my own coffee from home. I’ve almost got to the point where I just drink my coffee black. I don’t really ever go Starbuck’s anymore – it’s pretty over-priced for what you get. You can pretty much get 3 coffees from Tim’s for the price you could get one from Starbuck’s. If anything, I’ll go down to our local grocery store where they have a coffee bar and I’ll just get a regular Latte once in a while.

Thanks for chatting with us today. Who would you like to thank?
Thanks a lot. It was nice to catch up. I definitely gotta give a big thanks to Trevor at Devils Lake MX, Yamaha Factory Racing, Riverside Motosports, Pro-Action Suspension, Dunlop, DRD racing developments, Stetson GM, Terra-Pro group, Lydell Group, Muscle Mlk, JT chains and sprockets, Hiflofiltro, Ride Industries graphics, VP Fuels, Motoseat, and a few of my personal sponsors, Alpinestars, 100% goggles, SGMX, and Jones Paint and Glass. I haven’t got the full rundown on who’s helping the team out but thanks a lot to everyone who’s helping the Devils Lake team out this year. I’ll make sure and thank them all on the podium this summer (Laughs)!

Blake will be a great addition to the series in 2015, both on and off the track. If you see him at a race, be sure to walk up and say hello. He’s easily one of the most personable riders you’ll see on race day. Oh, and be sure to ask him what happened when he tossed a water bottle to Derek Schuster…

The MX2 Rider on the 2015 Monster Energy Thor Kawasaki Team: Cole Martinez

We mentioned last week that the Monster Energy Thor Kawasaki team would be adding a Canadian to the roster to contest the MX2 championship. Well, it turns out the rider who will be filling the seat is not known as a Canadian to most. It is in fact, Cole Martinez who will grace the KX250F saddle in Canada this summer.

I spoke with team owner Jason Hughes again this week as he was AGAIN loading up his sled to hit the fresh powder in the mountains of BC. On a side note, why don’t we all live in BC again?! Anyway, he’s not yet in a position to divulge the identity of the mystery rider officially, but when I fired a slew of questions at him, he wasn’t able to deny anything either. Let me preface this by saying none of this is official.

We grabbed a quick chat with Jason Hughes as he was again heading into these beautiful mountains on a sled. – Jason Hughes photo

Cole Martinez is from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, originally and is a passport-carrying Canadian. His father lives in Arizona and his mother still resides in SK. Cole will probably stay with his mom in Saskatchewan during the series.

Cole had a 9th and a 10th in the ultra-competitive Lucas Oil AMA Outdoor Nationals in 2014. He also just placed 10th overall at A3 last weekend in the Lites class. That’s some pretty good speed, folks!

I Can’t Get Enough of These Timbersled Videos!

Check out this clip of Reagan Sieg from Slednecks 2014:

Reagan Sieg on a Timbersled Snowbike – Slednecks 2014 from LightWorks Creative on Vimeo.

Amsoil Arenacross Series Heads to Wilkes-Barre, PA This Weekend

Motosport.com Arenacross Tour Finale Saturday in Tunica, Mississippi

The final stop for the 2015 Motosport Arenacross Tour happens this weekend in Tunica, Mississippi. Be sure to check Direct Motocross Monday for the full story on how the racing and the series went.

Josh Hill Gets Picked Up by Cycle Trader Yamaha

After his 10th place finish in Anaheim last weekend, #75 Josh Hill has been picked up by the Cycle Trader.com Rock River Yamaha team for the remainder of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series. Here’s the PR from the team over at Cycle Trader.com:

CycleTrader.com/Rock River Yamaha adds Josh Hill to the team for the remainder of the 2015 Monster Energy/AMA Supercross Series

CycleTrader.com/Rock River Yamaha has added Josh Hill to the team for the remaining 11 rounds of the 2015 Monster Energy/AMA Supercross Series. Hill’s addition is effective immediately, and he will make his team debut this weekend at Round 6 of the series at PETCO Park in San Diego, California. Beginning the year with a privateer effort, Hill has shown real promise in his performances and most recently scored a 10th Overall finish at Anaheim 3 this past weekend.

“I’m really excited to join the CycleTrader.com/Rock River Yamaha team. I think they’ll be able to provide the key ingredients for success that I’ve been missing so far this season, and I can’t wait to hit the track.” – Josh Hill.

The entire CycleTrader.com/Rock River Yamaha team is excited about the arrival of Hill, and look forward to a successful remainder of the season.

OK, that will do it for Week #5. Is it springtime yet??? Have a great weekend, everyone. Good luck to anybody heading to race the Amateur Day events in Wilkes-Barre or to those hitting the final AXTour round in Tunica. The snowplow just went by so I’d better grab a shovel and clear the end of the driveway…again! UNCLE! Is it time to head south yet?

I know how much Dave Snider from Redemption Racing likes it when I post photos of him, so here he is either telling me to beat it or “See you at the races…”

DMX Frid’Eh Update Presented by FXR