Frid’Eh Update #11 | Davey Fraser | Presented by Husqvarna Motorcycles Canada

Frid’Eh Update #11 | Davey Fraser | Presented by Husqvarna Motorcycles Canada

By Billy Rainford

Welcome to Week #11 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update this week presented by Husqvarna Motorcycles Canada. After a pretty snowy winter here in the east we’ve finally broken free from the cold and entered what is looking like a pretty nice spring. We’ll make the season change official on Sunday and most local tracks are preparing to open their gates to riders as soon as their tracks become rideable.

Gopher Dunes is in the enviable position due to its sandy conditions. It’s always the first track to dry out enough to get a bike around. Of course, The Dunes is likely the last track anyone who hasn’t been on a bike in 5 months wants to tackle. I know I fall into that category.

Davey Fraser is career #11. He’s originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, but now calls Abbotsford, BC home. I can’t think of another rider who has been competing on the Pro Circuit for as long as Davey has. There are fast 85cc kids at the track these days who don’t even know the sport without him in it! Wow, that sort of sunk in as I was typing that. Now, I’m not saying he’s old, but Davey Fraser is so old… HOW OLD IS HE? … that he probably gets that old stand-up joke reference!

Anyway, Davey hurt his leg pretty badly at the start of the Supercross season last summer and has been on the mend for quite some time. We got in touch with him from Carlson Racing MX headquarters out in BC to see what he’s been up to and find out what he’s got planned for the future.

Direct Motocross: So, Davey, what did we catch you doing today?

Davey: Just doing some finishing touches on the Carlson’s new house here in Abbotsford. Just doing some clean up, trying to get it ready for them to move into. Getting back to working for a few months now which has been great. 

Where are you living now. Are you still at Trevor Carlson’s

Ya, I’m living with Trevor here in Abbotsford. 

Let’s back it up a whole year. Last year at this time you were down at the Daytona SX trying to get in. What do you remember about that experience?

Ya, I’ve been kind of reminiscing the past couple months. I definitely miss it. It was a lot of fun but I kind of got robbed short with the COVID thing happening. 

You were right on the bubble. You were the dreaded 41st place and didn’t make it in but at the end of our little video you said, “See you in Indy.”

Ya, we had some good plans lined up before all that, but, I mean, I’m not the only one that got robbed so I won’t complain about that. But ya, it was a lot of fun and challenging and it made me want to do more of it. Had it not been for my injury in the fall there’s a good chance that I’d be down there racing with Casey (Keast) right now. I may get a chance to give it another shot. 

OK, that was certainly one of my questions, if SX was something you still want to give another shot. How old are you now?

I’m 31 coming up on 32 in May. I was thinking about that a lot lately because I think I’m old but ten years ago 32 or even 30 was definitely considered at the end of your racing career, but if you look at it now and there are actually a lot of older guys staying in it. I don’t know if the training programs have gotten better and people are staying healthy longer and there are less injuries, but the age limit is getting higher. If you watch the 450 class in SX Kyle Chisholm and Justin Brayton and still going and if you really take your time and go through the list there’s a lot of older guys which kind of gives me hope that I can still keep it going. 

Ya, I think 4-strokes are just easier too, right?

Ya, exactly. The sport is evolved too. The competition is thicker and guys are faster but at the same time it’s a bit safer, I like to think, and it’s extending people’s careers. 

So, Supercross is a possibility again next year. Now the 2020 season, you dropped down to the 250 class and you ended up 12th overall in the MX portion. Your top overall was 9th. Can you sum up your MX series from last year?

It was up and down for me. It was really weird going into it. I’d been in Florida training and I felt really good on the bike in early spring and then COVID happened and I really didn’t ride much for like about 2 months. Like April - May I didn’t really get back on the bike until into June, so I went from a lot of preparation and then lost a lot of it and then found out that we were going to go racing so I tried to get back riding and it took me a little bit to get going, but I felt like I had some moments…a couple good rides here and there. But I ran top 5 a lot and had some good starts. I kind of got a little bit of a fire burning under me as the season went on. I didn’t really get going in Supercross. It was a shame it ended like it did. 

Ya, tell us again. You got to the first round and got hurt. Can you tell us again what the injury was?

Ya, I shattered my talus and tore my MCL and PCL. It was kind of my first injury below my waste. It was the first time I ever had to use crutches. It was tough to get used to. 

But you hung out in Ontario with the Carlson crew and watched the other guys finish up. 

Ya, I ended up staying. Flying wasn’t recommended for me after the surgery and all the swelling I had. I ended up staying with Scott Donkersgoed who was my mechanic. They were great enough to put me up for a couple weeks until I could hop on a plane and fly back out west here and start rehab. 

Can you sum up what you’ve been doing all winter?

I spent a couple months really just wasn’t able to do a lot with my leg but towards the end of November I could start getting around a little bit so I spent a lot of time in the Carlson Racing race shop just taking the time that we never really had to take and go through everything and get the shop in working order and kind of organize all the stuff and doing inventory of everything we have so going into this year we can be more efficient with the tools that we have. 

Aside from that, have you just been working at the Carlson’s or have you been doing other work?

Been working for the Carlsons doing a little bit of everything. I’m kind of like the family handyman in a way. I do a lot of little projects around the house for them. I fix everything that they’ve broken over the years and get it all in working order for them. They have Brentwood Construction so as I’ve been getting healthier I can do more. I’ve been doing a little more each day and each week for them with the constructions side of things. In February I was working on Brent’s new house. 

Let’s move onto this year. The weather has turned. What’s the plan for this season?

Um, it’s still up in the air with the series and everything, we have a schedule out but there are still a lot of unknowns and uncertainties. Our plan of attack right now is to be ready for anything. Whether we race the full Canada-wide series or if it’s a smaller series, we’re uncertain of that yet. My plan is to be ready. I’ve got a practice bike now. I’ve been back on the bike a couple days. I’e been training a lot working with Dylan Kaelin at Track and Training. That’s been a big help for me with rehabbing the leg and building my base. I feel, honestly, that right now I’m in better condition, better shape than I was at the end of the series last year. 

Well that’s good. What bike are you on 250 or 450?

I’ve actually been riding a 350. I got a new 350 for a practice bike. It’s a lot of fun and I really enjoy it. I’ve got some ideas as to what I’ll race this summer but the options are still kind of open for me, so that’s why I like the 350 for now because I can get the best of both worlds between the two. I’ll be a little closer to race speed I just have to decide what colour numbers to stick on. 

I got a little bit of fire in me as the series went on last year and it was something I haven’t had in a few years. I really enjoy racing and I have a lot of fun and I think I haven’t been angry enough out there and competitive enough, but last year I ran out front and had some battles with some guys and it definitely lit a fire under me and I’ve got a little more ambition this year. I’ve got a really good program and I have a lot of flexibility to work here and also get my training in and not completely drain myself. So I’m feeling good about myself and now we’ve got to wait and see what happens with the racing. 

You mentioned Kyle Chisholm. You’re going to be the two #11 at 40 years old hanging onto those career numbers!

Ya, that’s my plan. When I stop chasing Nationals I’ll still come out and do a round or two and see how long I can hang onto that number for. 

OK, well let me ask you one more question. It’s Carlson Racing month around here - Keylan last week, we talk with Casey daily, and now it’s your week for the Update. Talk about Casey’s Supercross progress.

He’s been doing really good. I totally believe in the kid. I’ve seen him ride. I’ve seen him on good days and he is one really talented rider. He can do things on a bike that makes me scratch my head. He’s been doing good. His speed is there. I don’t know the exact numbers from Tuesday but Saturday in daytime qualifying he was 37th but he was less that 3 seconds off of the the fastest time. That really tells you just how competitive that class is. Even just barely making night shows, you’re still a pretty good Supercross rider. It will be interesting to see as he builds a little more confidence in himself on the racing side of things I think we’ll see him get better starts and making some mains. 

Between improving on the starts and in the whoops he should keep getting better.

Ya, it’s hard for him. He’s a small guy but he’s got Urky (Kevin Urquhart) down there helping him and I know that he can do it. I’ve seen him do it. I think the next few rounds we’ll see him keep improving. 

Well, thanks a lot, Davey. Good luck getting ready for the season. Who would you like to thank?

I’d like to thank the Carlsons. They’ve been behind me since 2017. They’re a lot more than just a race team to me. They brought me in like family and have given me a great opportunity here to do the things that I love to do and support me 100%. Trevor, Brent, Becca, the whole family, they treat me like family.

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Sam Gaynor Podcast

Get it on all your favourite podcast platforms.

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Club MX GM Ben Graves Grades the Canadians at the Facility

Get it on all your favourite podcast platforms.

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Final Day at the James Stewart Spring Championship at Freestone

Catch the live streaming on the final day of competition at Freestone MX in Texas.

Live timing:

http://freestone.escoremx.com/liveresults.asp

Here are the Canadians to watch for:

#13 JEREMY MCKIE
BELOEIL, QC

Sponsors
Oakley, Fox, SMX Motocross, Atlas Brace, Dirt Care

Class	Number	Brand
250 A Pro Sport	#13	KTM
Open A Pro Sport	#13	KTM

#43 NOAH VINEY
MURRIETA, CA

Sponsors
Rides Unlimited, Seven MX, Monster Energy, Dunlop, Ryno Power, Ethika, Thrill Seekers, KTM USA, Scott Goggles, Bell Helmets

Class	Number	Brand
Super Mini 1 (12-15)	#43	KTM
Super Mini 2 (13-16)	#43	KTM
Schoolboy 1 (12-17)	#43	KTM

#95 EVAN STEWART
HOLLAND LANDING, ON

Sponsors
Roundhouse Powersports, Shift Mx, Fox Racing Canada, Oakley Googles, Husqvarna Motorcyles, D&D Moto, Motul USA, Powerband Racing, DT1 Airfilters, Dunlop Tires, ASV Invention

Class	Number	Brand
250 C Jr (12-16) Limited	#95	HUQ
250 C (12+) Limited	#95	HUQ
250 C (12+)	#95	HUQ
450 C Jr (12-18) Limited	#95	HUQ
450 C (12+)	#95	HUQ

#107 TY SHEMKO
TRENTON, ON

Sponsors
Fox Canada, Grounded Fears, No Limit Powersports, Belleville Sport and Lawn

Class	Number	Brand
College (18-24) Sportsman	#107	KAW
Open A Pro Sport	#107	KAW

#108 MAX DAY
LAKE COUNTRY, BC

Sponsors
Valley Motosport, Troy Lee Designs, Spy Optic, Real Deal Mx Training

Class	Number	Brand
250 B (12+) Limited	#108	KAW
450 B (12+) Limited	#108	KAW

#117 EASTON GENEST
DINSMORE, SK

Sponsors
Real Deal, FXR, Scott, Bell, CTI Braces, Acerbis, ProTaper, Ryno Power, Dad, DT1 Filters, Dinsmore Auto Care, Farm 14, Lil E’s Garage

Class	Number	Brand			Moto 1	Class Finish
250 C Jr (12-16) Limited	#117	YAM			8th
250 C (12+) Limited	#117	YAM		14th	7th	9th

#138 DYLAN REMPEL
AYLMER, ON

Sponsors Canadian Kawasaki, Pro Circuit

Class	Number	Brand
85cc (9-13)	#138	KAW
Mini Sr 2 (13-15)	#138	KAW

#164 WYATT KERR
CAMBRIDGE, CANADA, ON

Sponsors
Inglis Clycle, D4, OGs, FWF, HRF

Class	Number	Brand
250 B (12+) Limited	#164	KAW
250 B (12+)	#164	KAW
450 B (12+) Limited	#164	KAW
450 B (12+)	#164	KAW

#234 ZACH UFIMZEFF
LAKE COUNTRY, BC

Sponsors
Valley Moto Sport, Fox Canada, 100%, KTM Canada, Lime Nine, Real Deal mx

Class	Number	Brand
250 B (12+)	#234	KTM
450 B (12+) Limited	#234	KTM

#518 CLAYTON SCHMUCKI
RED DEER, AB

Sponsors
Turple Bros Ltd. Fox Racing Canada

Class	Number	Brand			Moto 1	Class Finish
250 B (12+) Limited	#518	KTM			17th
450 B (12+) Limited	#518	KTM			16th

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Casey Keast Talks about Arlington SX #2

Direct Motocross: I wasn’t a huge fan of the first Arlington track. What did you think of the changes they made for #2? Did you like the track?

Casey Keast: I like the tighter tracks. I rely a lot on my corner speed. When there are tight corners, I feel I do really well on that. I needed that on Tuesday because I had terrible whoops speed.

It must have been tough to get up on top of those whoops right out of a corner.

Ya. It was the first time this year that they built them with a loader. You couldn’t even jump through them. When you tried to roll through them in free practice they were just straight edges at the bottom. You couldn’t double or do anything. It was so sketchy.

I tried skimming them and then crashed at the end. Everyone was crashing in free practice, in the C and B groups. The whoops were gnarly on Tuesday.

And what did you think about the way the corners rutted up? Did you like that?

Oh ya. I loved it. I like racing in this stadium.

I’ve never really rode out east at all, except for one time I went to GPF for 2 months when you were there, actually. I think it was 2017.

I haven’t really done much riding in the east in the States. Whenever I’m down here it’s just like the west coast.

Let’s talk about your first qualifier. You ended up 8th in that one. Were you able to get comfortable on the track?

Ya, I felt way more comfortable on Tuesday than I did Saturday, with nerves and stuff. I kind of knew what to expect so that helped a lot and I felt more calm while I was riding out there. I could focus on being fast instead of just kind of jumping everything and focussing on the track too much.

On Saturday, my corner speed was pretty slow because I was focussed on the sections, so I wasn’t hitting the corners fast. On Tuesday I was ripping the corners and not worrying about the sections as much.

That’s such a common story. At first you’re just thinking about actually making it through the rhythms and triples and then it becomes about how to do it all faster once you get comfortable.

I felt way more comfortable riding and not so stiff and anxious. That first qualifier I just laid down a fast time off the start. I basically hit the whoops fast once and that was it, just like on Saturday. My fast lap was just the one lap I banzaied the whoops.

And you were faster than everyone in the C Group, too, so that was cool.

Ya, I was stoked on that. I kind of know my place now. I’m feeling really positive and improving in the races a little bit too. Not anything special but, I mean, I got a better start in that LCQ and was up there for a bit.

And then what happened in the final qualifier? Your time didn’t change until the last minute of it.

The track was faster but I wasn’t faster. I was trying to get a faster time but I just couldn’t get through the whoops as good as I did in that first one.

I was kind of bummed too. I still qualified for the night show but I wanted to improve and I got 37th again. I didn’t get worse but I didn’t get better.

You got a bit of screen time. It looked like you were on a heater lap but then there was someone down at the end of the whoops.

Ya, that was the one time I tried…you could kind of jump through them but they were really squirrelly. Urky (Kevin Urquhart) was getting mad at me…well, not mad, but wanted me to buck up and hit them, so I did and that was the one lap where (Ty) Masterpool, I think, was down at the end of them. I had to chop the throttle in the middle of the whoops and that’s just the worst thing to do.

And did you make any bike changes heading into the night show?

No, I haven’t made any changes to my bike since we’ve been here. I’ve thought about dropping my forks down for the whoops and I tried practicing with it, but it just sucks in the corners. You sacrifice the corners for the whoops which is the battle that Supercross has always been. I ended up just sticking with the fork set up for the corners.

You were in the second heat race and out near the outside. You got pinched off right off the gate drop.

I got a decent jump but I wheelied a bit so I had to clutch it and that’s all it took to drop back a bit and get pinched and that was embarrassing.

Then it looked like you gave the inside in the first corner a look.

I figured everyone was going to drift to the outside and there was no use following everyone out there.

And then you basically have to just close your eyes and hit the rhythm after the first turn? How was that for you heading in there with all those riders together?

I think going up the inside and then following the inside in the next section was the best but you have to be careful because everyone is going to bunch up in the corner and cut down. That’s where you need to be careful but it’s all open track there. On the outside is where everyone is. You can’t even see the jumps because there’s riders.

Do you think you’ll just get more comfortable in that chaos?

I don’t know if you ever do. I definitely felt better on Tuesday doing it than I did at the first one. I just felt way more confident jumping with people.

And I think you were 18th at the flag.

Something like that. I haven’t even been looking at my results at all, to be honest.

And then you were out on the outside in the LCQ. You were shown up in 7th and then immediately dropped to 18th? What happened out there?

Ya, I had pretty much the same gate as the heat but I got a way better jump and just held it on around the outside and I was up there in the top 10 for sure. I saw “6th” on the pit board as I went by.

I was right behind Jarrrett Frye and we were going into the whoops and he went to cut down on somebody and I hit his back tire and somebody was coming up to pass me all at the same time and so we just got in a huge pile-up and like 6 of us ended up going down.

It was nice to get a good start and feel what it feels like to get a good start and race that fast pace right away. That’s what I want.

You could see in the first turn when everyone started chopping the throttle, you held it on and you did have a great start.

Ya, I was pumped on that. It’s an improvement from the first race so just to be up there racing and not fighting at the back in the sketchiness.

So then you were 15th in the LCQ but you were only like 5 seconds off your 2020 Canadian number 77 Jerry Robin.

Ya, I kind of catching up and then he would pull back. Me and Frye got up at the same time and got going. I was kind of following him for 2 or 3 laps. I was just holding on to him and we were catching up to Robin and then he passed Robin. I just kind of stuck in behind him.

So, at the end of the day, you were happy with your riding?

Ya, for sure. I mean, I made the night show and then I backed it up and I was up there in the LCQ battling with some fast guys so I can’t complain.

Did you stay around and watch the mains?

Ya, absolutely. I was bummed for (Justin) Cooper. He was riding unreal. You se it on TV but it’s not like in the stadium where you can watch them around the whole track. The consistency of how fast his laps are is just nuts. It was a good race in both classes. Sometimes races get boring but (Tuesday) night was not boring.

So what do you do for the rest of the week?

We wanted to try and ride (Thursday) but we got our trailer back today at like noon and then we returned the U-Haul and it was a scramble a little bit because we had to return the U-Haul at a certain time, at 1, and we got the trailer at noon. We had to just empty out the U-Haul, leave all our stuff there, and then return it, go back to the trailer and reorganize everything because we just ripped it apart grabbing stuff. So that’s what we’ve been doing all day, pretty much.

We were going to ride, maybe (Thursday), but we’re not 100% on that and it’s not looking too good.

Well, that’s great, Casey. Thanks for talking with us again. Enjoy the rest of the week and good luck on Saturday.

Thanks a lot.

Sponsors: Carlson Racing, Husqvarna Canada, Blackfoot Direct, Fox Canada, Shift Mx, Bulldog MX Training, Eks Brand Goggles, Direct Suspension, Mobius Braces, Matrix Concepts, M7 Designs.

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Supercross Round 12 – Arlington #3

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Marilynn Bastedo Retires from the CMA

Marilynn Bastedo who has been at the top of the Canadian Motorcycle Association‘s (CMA) board since just about anyone can remember has retired from her position.

From the CMA:

It is with mixed emotions that we announce that Marilynn Bastedo has retired from her position as CEO of the Canadian Motorcycle Association.

A full biography will follow, but as most of you know, Marilynn has dedicated her life to improving conditions for motorcyclists in Canada.  Her many awards attest to the impact she has had on both the motorcycling and the wider community.

We wish Marilynn a long and happy retirement.  Cards can be sent to the office. Best Wishes can be sent to any of the emails on our website or to our Facebook page and they will be passed along to Marilynn.

Recently, positions have changed at the CMA offices:

In addition, the Board Officers have changed as follows:

• President:  Hugh Lim
• Vice President:  Derek Thomas
• Treasurer:  Vera Godsall

The role of Secretary continues to be incorporated in the duties of the CEO. The acting CEO for 2021 is Holly Ralph.

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OK, it’s way too nice out to be stuck inside! My plan is to head over to Gopher Dunes on Saturday to see who we have shaking off the cobwebs. I know Sam Gaynor plans to be there for his first ride on the Gas Gas 250, so that should be good.

Have a great weekend.