Frid’Eh Update #24 | Jamie Powell | Presented by Yamaha Motor Canada
By Billy Rainford
Welcome to Week #24 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update this week presented by Yamaha Motor Canada. We’re finally receiving some much-needed rain in the eastern part of Canada. As Emily would say, “It’s dry as a chip.”
We’ve got a busy weekend in store for us. Saturday will be the High Point National where we’ll see #515 Tyler Medaglia back in action, the Mini Bike Triple Crown at Shady Oaks MX in Brigden, ON, and the 2nd round of competition in the AMO Ontario Provincial MX Championships at Sand Del Lee. Yes, there are, of course, other races going on across the country, but these are the ones we’re going to try to bring you coverage of.
Sand Del Lee is the home of the MX101 FXR Yamaha team and also the team of this week’s Update Interview rider. Not only that, he just turned 19 yesterday! Jamie Powell is #24 for the 2021 racing season.
The more we get to know Jamie, the more we learn about his sense of humour, and I think we can all agree that he’s gaining fans quickly with some of his off-track antics. More on that, later.
Let’s have a look at Jamie’s 2021 racing season:
We got in touch with him this week. Here’s what he had to say:
Direct Motocross: Hello, Jamie. I can’t remember if I’ve asked you for your origin story, so let’s do that first. How did you get into Motocross in the first place?
Jamie Powell: I always rode a Baja 90cc around my field I have at home. Then, my cousin, Adam Powell, got me into the whole racing scene. My first time riding at a track was when I was 11 years old and then I did a fun race when I was 12. Then, it turned into a full-time gig!
What was your first number and how did you choose it?
My first number was #562. Honestly, just thought it looked cool when I first got a bike and ran with it until I got a pro number. Haha.
Who did you come up through the ranks with?
I came up with all the boys I’m still racing today: (Quinn) Amyotte, (Austin) Jones, (Jeremie) McKie. I used to race a bunch of MMRS stuff so a bunch of local MMRS boys and now I’ve ended up here with the same boys in the pro ranks!
Let’s talk about last season. Your best MX result was a 9th overall and your best SX result was an 8th at the final round. Can you sum up your season for us? Were you happy with it?
Was definitely an okay year. I know I could’ve done better but still happy with it. I need to figure out my starts and start out front and prove what I can do because starting in 20th does not really help my results.
What did you get up to when the season ended? What did you do all winter?
After the season ended I just went back to working full-time. I was basically working full-time all summer as well. But over the winter I just worked and went skiing a bunch and enjoyed the off season and prepared for the upcoming season.
OK, we have to talk about your roller skating. I’m a guy who spent every Saturday and Tuesday night at the roller rink when I was a kid. You really need to explain what was going on in the Instagram posts I saw.
Ahahah, we were just chillin’ at Dreamland and Kody (Renzland) pulled out a set of roller blades and said put them on because I used to play hockey which is pretty well same concept and then we just started taking it to another level and basically put it into the program. A little bit of crosstraining going on with the skates. Haha.
If I said the names Larry Dallas or Jack Tripper, would they ring a bell with you? How about Skinny Minnie Miller?
Honestly, I have no idea about any of those guys. Koach [sic] put me in a pair of skates and then we just made it a daily routine of skating around the shop!
What’s the best music to go along with your “Shoot the Duck” moves?
Bon Jovi was always a hit for getting fired up to go skating but koach would put on some Saltine music and away we went!
Here’s a shot of Jamie working hard down at Dreamland in Florida:
What is it that you do for work?
I work for my dad at Powell Contracting operating heavy equipment. We do septic systems and back filling, landscaping etc..
What have you been doing this spring to get ready for the season?
I was down at Dreamland which is a super cool place and never thought I ever would’ve been there. I used to watch Dreamland on YouTube and it’s surreal to be training there with the team there. Now just out pounding motos at Sand Del Lee getting ready to race!
You’re with the MX101 gang again. What’s the plan for this summer as far as pitting and mechanic go?
Yes, with the crew again. Great crew to be around, love everyone there. As far as everything goes I’ll be with them all summer again just like last year. The team has expanded from last year but hope to be a main rider for them here in the next couple years.
What are your goals for this season?
Goals are to be better then last year. I don’t wanna be outside of top 10 nor do I see myself outside of the top ten. I’ve put in a lot of work to be where I am so I want to prove I have what it takes.
How old are you, anyway? Is racing south of the border something you’re interested in for the future?
I just turned 19 and racing south of the border would defiantly be a cool thing if stuff works out here! See how far racing in Canada goes and maybe try something down south!
Happy birthday, by the way! What did you do to celebrate?
Thank you! Celebrated it by a 10-hour work day and packed for the weekend. Haha. I work full-time so not much time to celebrate but it was a good time!
I assume you’re racing at Sand Del Lee this weekend?
Yes! I’ll be at Sand Del Lee racing the Cash Class. I was going to go to Gopher Dunes but we didn’t have an RV to stay in due to a tree falling on ours this winter and just stuff wasn’t fully ready to go all the way there.
Well, good luck, and I’ll see you in a couple weeks in Walton. Who would you like to thank?
Would like to thank my parents and Kevin Tyler at MX101. He’s done so much for me to be ready for the season and just helped me out all throughout these last few years. As well as Koach (Kody Renzland) and the boys down there for getting me ready for the season.
You ever step outside in the morning to realize you left the garage door open all night? You know what the next move is. You scramble to make sure nothing was stolen! Fortunately, all the bicycles were still hanging from the ceiling and no tools were taken. Am I the only one who can say to himself, “OK, I won’t use the keypad at the door, it’s just too much work. I’ll use the remote when I go inside,” and then immediately do something else when you walk in and forget to shut the door? Like a guy I used to work with always said, “You’d forget your head if it wasn’t bolted on!” Probably.
I want to take a moment to talk about the loss of our old racing friend, Alex Harvill. Alex lost his life due to injuries sustained as he was preparing to set a new world distance jumping record just this past Thursday in Moses Lake, Washington.
Here’s a link to the story from a local news station:
This was my post fro Thursday:
I’m posting this update in a complete state of shock. Our old and dear motocross friend Alex Harvill has passed away from injuries sustained during the build-up to his world record distance jump attempt in Moses Lake, Washington.
Alex came north to Canada to race our series and you would never meet a nicer, friendlier racer than him. Brent Worrall brought this record-breaking attempt to my attention and I had planned on getting in touch with Alex for a triumphant interview in the next couple days.
I would like to extend my heart-felt condolences to Alex’s young family. He was like a breath of life-loving fresh air every time I’d see him in my travels. He will be sadly missed by everyone who ever had the pleasure of knowing him.
RIP352
Tyler Medaglia Racing High Point
Tyler Medaglia will have his race bike this time when he lines up against the AMA Pro Motocross regulars at High Point Raceway in Pennsylvania Saturday.
We’ll have Lake Kilpatrick feeding us information throughout the day. Tyler said he hopes to land himself inside the top 15 in a field where that would mean beating a couple factory riders. We asked him 5 quick questions and here’s what he had to say:
1. What did you learn at round 1 in Pala, California?
I learned that the 450 class is very very competitive. Probably, the toughest that I’ve ever ridden against down there as far as talent-wise goes. Everybody was healthy and it was round 1, so everybody was there. It was intense, I definitely learned that.
I also learned that my speed and fitness is really good right now. And the feeling I have riding is really good. That’s something that’s hard to get most seasons, so it’s enjoyable.
2. What did you concentrate on heading into High Point this weekend?
For the most part, I worked on some technique stuff. We had a race bike built up from Cobequid, so I was back on my motocross bike and just put some more time in at Callus Raceway. I’ve just been working on speed stuff. For the most part, it’s been getting this race bike dialled in and coming to a gun fight with a proper gun.
3. Tell us about your race bike and the differences you’re going to notice from the woods bike at Round 1.
Alex from Cobequid was in charge of building up the bikes. Joe Skidd did my suspension which is the same suspension that I raced with. I’ve tinkered with it just slightly but that’s just marginal. He got a full race motor from PR2, a regular size tank, Pro 6 race gas, instead of T4. It’s going to be noticeably faster.
I just did the heat cycles on it this morning at my parents’ place out back and it’s going to be good. I just want to be up there in the starts and latch onto somebody that’s really good and get into a rhythm. It’ll help with proper equipment.
4. Leaving High Point Saturday evening, what would you consider a success?
Um, goals have to change but getting a top 15 would be good with the way the class is. I think that’s reasonable. I think the track will be similar to Walton (Raceway), I guess. I was there once when I was a kid in amateurs but the track was significantly different and it was quite a bit muddier. Well, maybe not! Maybe this will be a mud race, but it was a mud race that I raced there so it was hard to get a feel for the track.
If it’s anything like Walton, that’s one of my favourite tracks so I’m looking forward to it with some long, deep ruts.
5. After High Point, what’s next for you?
After High Point, I’m probably going to head back to Nova Scotia again and maybe do the first round of off-road at the FMSQ series and then probably get ready for Walton 1 and bring Talon up for that.
I don’t know, I might do the cross country race, the moto race, and then the UTV race. I might race it all, for crying out load. So, I’ll hopefully bring Talon up for that and I think we’ll have the race trailer for that race, too, so that’s sort of the short-term schedule.
I’d like to thank Cobequid Mountain Sports, Callus Moto, My PitBoard, Gas Gas Canada, Joe Skidd (SSS), Migration Unlimited, Heidi and my family, the bakery, Oakley, and everybody that cheers me on and supports me. I’ll be out there waving the Canadian flag and trying to make everybody proud, so thank you.
Good luck, Tyler. And thank you to Cobequid Mountain Sports and Callus Moto for the support of this coverage. Be sure to get in touch with us if you’re interested in getting involved.
Gopher Dunes Videos
I went to Gopher Dunes this past Sunday to check out everyone getting some gate drops on the track that will host our Canadian Triple Crown Series MX Nationals. I put together a few videos from the day:
Dusty Klatt MX School in Prince George
Kade Walker Racing in Spain this Weekend
Good luck to Kade Walker as he heads to Round 1 of the 2021 Enduro GP series in Spain.
You can follow along with the live timing HERE.
Calendar
GP Portugal 18-20 June 2021 Marco de Canaveses
GP Italy 25-27 June 2021 Edolo
GP Estonia 16-18 July 2021 Saaremaa
GP Sweden 22-24 July 2021 Skövde
GP Germany 08-10 Oct. 2021 Zschopau
GP France 15-17 Oct. 2021
Mini Bike Triple Crown
Well, it looks like Greg Poisson will be racing Saturday at Shady Oaks MX in Brigden, ON, thanks to a hook-up from Kyle Thompson. I think this is the kind of event that warrants a vlog. I’ll be roaming around throwing a camera in front of everyone, so watch for that early next week.
If you can’t wait that long, the whole thing will be streamed live on the Flo Racing App. The coverage will run from 1:30-5:00 Eastern Time.
Have a great weekend, everyone. Hopefully, the rain holds off Saturday and we get some dry racing at High Point. Actually, Tyler is probably hoping for a mudder!
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