Frid’Eh Update #2 | Chad Goodwin Tells Us What’s Up with the Kawasaki Team | Presented by Troy Lee Designs
By Billy Rainford
Hello and welcome to Week #2 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update this week presented by Troy Lee Designs. Week 2 sees us heading into Round 1 of the 2021 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season, but more on that later.
The silly season is in full swing here in Canada and this week’s interview will put to rest one team’s roster.
Team Manager Chad Goodwin gave us a bunch of his time this week to talk about what’s going on over at the Monster Kawasaki Pro Circuit team for 2021 and beyond.
Like the rest of the teams on the grid, the gang at Huber Motorsports is looking forward to dropping some gates, but we’re all in a bit of a holding pattern with what the current COVID-19 situation is going to allow us to do.
We’ve all known Chad for a ling time, as he’s been a staple at our races for many years. There are some big changes at the team so we cut #2 Marshal Weltin some slack and didn’t put him in danger of saying something about the 2021 team that he wasn’t supposed to. Here’s what Chad had to say when we spoke with him this week:
Direct Motocross: Hey, Chad. Thanks for talking with us today. Can you take us to back to the start and tell us where you’re from, how you got into motocross in the first place, and maybe sum up your racing for us?
Chad Goodwin: Hey, Billy. Thanks for reaching out for the Friday Update week #2. I grew up around the racing world of Flat Track with my father and then started racing motocross around age 10. We would race lots around Ohio, Michigan etc. and I won lots of local races but never was able to compete at Loretta’s due to injuries. That led to me working for another local racer and from there, 25 years later, here I am.
I have worked for some of the most amazing racers ever from Josh Demuth, Wil Hahn, Tyler Bowers and Matt Goerke. I have been very blessed in this industry, having won titles with kids from 50cc to 450 Pro along the way. I cant even describe how many amazing friends and supporters I have had.
Do you have a story about your first race number?
I am tall so my favorite rider was Larry Ward with # 971 and I ran 971 when I got older.
What brought you to Canada in the first place?
In 2009 I was working for Team Faith. At a time in my life I felt lost but through that I was able meet Josh Snider and we made plans for myself and Kevin Johnson to come to Canada, and that was the beginning of Redemption Racing.
After that season with the Snider and Jeffery families I knew that going back to USA race season full time wasn’t something that I wanted to continue. I have worked on some amazing teams in Canada from Redemption Racing, Billy Whitely Cernic Kawasaki, Jason (Hughes) at Leading Edge Kawasaki and Gerhart Huber at Monster/Kawasaki/Pro Circuit.
And now you’re the Team Manager over at the Monster Piller’s Kawasaki Pro Circuit team. How have you enjoyed your new responsibilities and team?
I was planning on finishing my career working with Matt Goerke when Gerhart Huber asked me about my future plans and about becoming Team Manager in 2020. So, 2020 was a total curve ball for me from just wrenching for Matt. Now I have new goals and new desires of what we could do as a team in the future.
In the middle of what was one of the most difficult years in our sport we were able to achieve large gains on and off the track and the biggest asset to any program starts at the top. Gerhart and Christian (Huber) have given this program so much time and effort along with our amazing staff we achieved a new standard for the program.
In the 250 class, Marshal Weltin (It’s actually his week) finished 2nd in MX, went unbeaten in SX, and took the Rockstar Triple Crown title. That’s almost a dream season! Were you happy with his riding and placing?
Marshal was absolutely perfect in every way possible on and off the track and will continue be part of the team as we move forward and he takes over not only a new career number #2 but also the role as leader on the team in the 450 class for 2021.
And in the 450 class, you had two riders who are now stepping away from the series in Matt Goerke and Tyler Medaglia. First, as for Matt, you guys have a long history. Was that final race an emotional one for you guys? You must have been pumped to go out on a win.
Having Matt and Tyler was amazing. They are exact opposites on and off the track, but always put the team first in how they conducted themselves.
Matt is like one of my kids. We have been together on and off for a long time with some really big highs and some really low points. When he called from Germany and we understood how bad his injury was it was heartbreaking for me thinking that was how he would end his career.
I should have know the work ethic that Matt has wouldn’t stop him and true to form he worked hard all year and got better and better as we approached the SX season. My desire was for him to end it healthy and enjoy his retirement. Matt showed his talent and heart by winning the last round and was a great end to his career.
And Tyler tweaked his leg and was forced out of the SX series early. Losing 2 veteran riders like them leaves pretty big shoes to fill for 2021. Will you be going for a leader or a youth movement in 2021? Can you tell us what you’re hoping for, as far as a team goes?
Tyler getting hurt was a horrible way end the season. It’s hard to find someone to replace him or Matt, and the fans for sure will miss them.
Expect lots of Kawasaki riders around this season. We have Walton Raceway working on Kawasaki training classes along with 10 Team Green riders that we will try to give guidance and support to.
Our race team will be Dylan Rempel on minibikes and Darian Sanayei on 250 and Marshal on 450.
With Phil Nicoletti out of a ride, did you guys go after a rider like that?
We talked with Phil and lots of riders and sometimes behind closed doors hard choices have to be made from who is available to who you can afford and who will represent the sponsors.
I spoke very briefly with Marshal this week and he alluded to the fact that he wasn’t 100% what his future looks like.
The big debate with Marshal was which class he would ride. Part of my job is to ensure both the growth of the rider and each and everyone on the team, along with giving our sponsors the most exposure possible. In the end, Marshal will be the future of Huber Motorsports on the amazing KX450.
As a team manager, how are things looking for the series at this point? I know you guys are on conference calls a lot. Are teams able to work with a proposed schedule yet?
I have no comment on why we don’t have a proposed schedule released! I feel like the effort everyone showed with the changes that we worked through in 2020 there would be more trust on releasing a schedule, understanding that in these hard times things may change but reaching out to riders and sponsors without schedule hurts the sport. I know Jetwerx has their hands full with trying to accomplish the best possible schedule and until then we can only wait.
Can you tell us who else you guys were in talks with?
Over the last few months I have talked with probably 50 riders. With some of the young talent in Canada it was a really hard choice to pick the riders we have, but as a team we feel that our guys will be contesting for championships. Dylan Rempel will compete on KX85/100, Darian Sanayei KX250 and Marshal Weltin KX450.
What else have you been doing since the series ended up here?
I have been trying to organize some new sponsors for the race team, working with Brett Lee at Walton on the new Kawasaki training program he is working on, and trying to make sure that we continue grow our support for the Team Green program in Canada. It seems like there isn’t enough time in the day.
I was able to see my fiancé and some family for the holidays so that was nice after being gone, but the off season is the busiest time of the year to make sure we can accomplish our goals in 2021.
OK, thank you very much for humouring me and my prying questions. We always appreciate your candour around here at DMX. All the best as we head into another odd season of racing. Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
I want to pass a huge thank you to Huber Motorsports and each and every sponsor who goes above and beyond to keep us racing. Without everyone at Kawasaki and the effort and time Jacob Black gives me this wouldn’t be possible.
What a great interview Chad is. I found that exchange enjoyable and informative. Thank you for always being a professional and giving us your time, Chad. Good luck in 2021.
H1 | Round 1 of the 2021 Supercross Series
Talk to an Australian and this becomes “HAYTCHE 1.” However you say it, we’re about to get back to racing! Yes, the long wait is over and we’re going to #dropthegate for the first round of Monster Energy AMA Supercross Saturday at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
I hope you’ve all bitten the bullet and grabbed the SX Video Pass. Or, if you’re one of the lucky ones, you’ve got some sort of American dish set up and you don’t have to worry about it. Or, you’re computer savvy and will be using a VPN to get the Peacock coverage directly from down south.
We’re all set up here at DMX World HQ and will be glued to the TV for pretty much the entire day, watching Race Day Live and then all of the racing.
We say it every year (and I think we mean it every year!) that it’s going to be the most competitive season of racing we’ve ever seen. Well, guess what? We’re saying it again in 2021 and we mean it even more than usual.
Take a look at this 450 class entry list:
Good luck picking a winner in there! And I don’t even see #9 Adam Cianciarulo on there. But that’s what you’re going to have to do, if you want to win a FREE Troy Lee Designs SE4 Carbon Helmet!
Check it:
Just get your choice in before they drop the gate for the first 450 Heat. Good luck, and thank you to TLD Moto for getting together with us to run this pretty sweet contest!
Remember when Jeff McConkey would give us his predictions for Supercross and we’d all get a kick out of laughing at him when it went so wrong? I do. Well, let’s bring the laughs back and drag Greg Poisson into it.
Hey, Greg, are you up for this? It takes some thick skin, but let’s hear your predictions for H1:
H1 Predictions:
Greg:
250 East:
- 29 Christian Craig
- 18 Jett Lawrence
- 38 Austin Forkner
450:
- 2 Cooper Webb
- 1 Eli Tomac
- 94 Ken Roczen
Billy:
250 East:
- 38 Austin Forkner
- 18 Jett Lawrence
- 64 Colt Nichols
450:
- 9 Adam Cianciarulo
- 2 Cooper Webb
- 21 Jason Anderson
Eli Tomac, you ask? Well, I had to make it interesting. I have a hard time not picking him for wins, but I’m going to mix it up this time. I think he’ll repeat as champion, though.
Jess Pettis Heading into A1
Canadian #134 Jess Pettis is back in action and is coming into H1 better prepared than ever! We spoke with him this week and he’s feeling great. Getting the chance to ride with a large chuck of top guys has prepared him to come in swinging.
He has agreed to talk to us the day after each race, so be sure to tune in for those podcasts. Results on the sheets are one thing, but it will be cool to hear it directly from him each week. Thanks for that, Jess. Good luck, guys.
#551 Guillaume St Cyr Heading into H1
Our other Canadian to cheer for is #551 Guillaume St Cyr from Quebec. He has also stepped up his game and is now part of the training program at Club MX. He trained there last season too but was living in his van and not part of the actual schedule there.
Unfortunately, he crashed hard last week and is heading into Round 1 with a sore back, but he’s been to the chiropractor and is heading into Houston hoping for the best.
We’ll also catch up with “Gullimer” after each round to get his take on things. Good luck, Guillaume.
Team PRMX Ready for Supercross
Canadian Supercross team, Team PRMX Wossner Deep South Kawasaki, is also ready for action this weekend. I spoke with #280 Cade Clason today and recorded a podcast interview as he waited for his ride at the Houston Airport.
The podcast will be up on all our channels as soon as it gets processed.
Cade is feeling better than ever heading into Round 1. He raced himself into shape last year and is looking forward to getting off to a better start this season, after spending the past couple months also training at Club MX in South Carolina.
250 East:
#125 Luke Neese
#170 Devin Simonson
250 West:
Dakota Alix and Ryan Surratt
450:
#280 Cade Clason
Josh Cartwright – injured
#952 Ludovic Macler
Kicker Arenacross also Heads into Texas
We’ve also got Canadian #11 Connor Stevenson racing this weekend at Rounds 3 and 4 of the Kicker Arenacross series in Lubbock, Texas.
The Milton, ON native now calls the Denver, CO area home, but he’s still a proud Canuck. He moves up to the B classes from Schoolboy and Collegeboy and is a fast young 16-year-old rider ready to continue his march toward the Pros.
Good luck this weekend, Connor.
Kyle Peters takes his undefeated #1 plate into the weekend and is going to be very difficult to beat.
Get your picks in and have a great weekend, everyone.
