Frid’Eh Update #25 Presented by FXR
By Jeff McConkey and Billy Rainford
Week #25 belongs to California rider David Gassin. – Bigwave photo
Welcome to week #25 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update this week brought to you by FXR. For 2015, #25 belongs to the California rider we got to know over the past few years as he and his better half, Hailey Larson, were staples on our Pro MX Tour. David Gassin was always right there ready to pounce if one of the top 5 riders faltered. A lot of times, he wold end up riding alone because he was the rider between those top few riders and the rest of the pack. I always joked that he should have either sped up or slowed down if he wanted company.
Fortunately for the rest of the Women’s West class, no David Gassin in 2015 also meant no Hailey Larson, the 3-time and defending champion. – Bigwave photo
David lined up at the season opener of the Lucas Oil Motocross Nationals in Hangtown and finished 32-31 for 32nd overall. If you want to know what he’s up to lately, here is a motocross school ad he’s holding in the near future:
July 11th and 12th Training Camp at my secret track in pioneer CA, 30 mi east of Jackson. Camping available, showers, pool. Track is great for training, technical, lots of elevation changes, in the forest. $150 for one day or $250 for the weekend. message me here or at davidgassin@gmail.com if interested. limited space available.
This week’s Update is presented by FXR Racing. Hit up the Canadian gear company’s website and support a great company that supports Canadian moto!
From FXRRacing.com:
At age 17, Milt Reimer, FXR owner, started working part time at a Honda and Polaris dealer, in the small town of Morris, MB, about 50 kms south of Winnipeg. It was there he started racing motocross. He continued to work for 10 years at that dealership, and after realizing he really liked it, he bought the company. Even then, Milt says he believed being a dealer was just another step towards the next project. It was during the next 6 years that the business plans for a clothing company called FXR were created. Milt noticed that nobody was making high performance snow rider wear and started to design some items to be made up by a local garment manufacturer. The first beginnings were operated in the basement of his house.
FXR continued to grow and expand and by 2005, most of the FXR line was produced offshore. Because of Milt’s experience at the racetrack, FXR has always paid attention to sizing, fitting and venting in its snow clothes in order to provide the best product for its customers.
One of the reasons for the continuing growth is FXR’s ever expanding product line. Every year new products are added and tweaked in order to offer the best possible product to our customers. In the upcoming 2013 Snow season, FXR is offering hundreds of different styles and colors of jackets and pants for men, women, and children. In addition to jackets and pants, we have gloves, boots, headwear, and casual lines for men and women.
FXR is also redefining the mountain category. Along with our regular mountain specific gear, we are also introducing our elite FXR “Mountain Air” series. Dedicated to the high performance mountain rider, we have industry leading quality boots, the lightest helmets in the market, and of course the best technical jackets and pants you can find.
The close family feel experienced at this past week’s Ride Day sums up the FXR lifestyle perfectly. – Bigwave photo
Jeff McConkey
Hey, guys. It’s
Friday here in Southern Ontario, and we now have a 2-week break before the
CMRC Rockstar Energy MX Nationals start back up. We have had great racing so far in both classes, and have had a few different moto winners in each class. Add in that the
Women’s East Nationals start at Round 5, and we have some amazing action heading East. I personally can’t wait for Round 5 at Gopher Dunes.
Rockstar Energy MX Nationals
The last time that current points leader Matt Goerke rode the Gopher circuit, there were some observers that thought his throttle may be stuck wide open. Yes, Goerke was that fast in 2012! Not to be outdone was Mike Alessi having enough of a lead to stop and take on fuel in 2014. Add in former AMA National Southwick winner Brett Metcalfe, 2014 Goper Dunes MX2 winner Vince Friese (riding a 450 this season), a healthy Cole Thompson, a healthy Colton Facciotti and I honestly don’t see any surprise winners or podium visitors like the past.
In MX2 action, this is where Kaven Benoit and his 250 2-stroke KTM should shine, but let’s not forget that 3rd place in points, Jimmy Decotis, is a sand specialist. Also, keep an eye on the always-dangerous Jeremy Medaglia, young Dylan Wright and Redemption Racing’s Seth Rarick. All of these guys absolutely fly in the soft sands of the East.
In the Women’s East, Eve Brodeur is the reigning and defending champion, and the girl to beat. Eve is very young and a very talented hard-working racer. The bad news is…. she is still going to get much much better! In my opinion, the only girl that would have a chance in running with Eve and beating the young champ would be former champion Jacqueline Ross. ‘J-Ro’ has the speed and talent, but it’s unknown if she will line up. No disrespect to the other ladies, but these 2 are just on a different level.
Point Standings after 4 of 10 Rounds:
Lucas Oil AMA Outdoor Nationals
Down south, the AMA Nationals resume this weekend after a short break. Marvin Musquin and Jeremy Martin are the 2 top dogs in the 250 class, but young phenom Adam Cianciarulo is gaining speed, confidence and fitness week after week, and with a good start, he will win a moto very soon. In the 450 class, Ryan Dungey leads the way. Defending champion Ken Roczen seems to have healed up after struggling with injuries and will no doubt look to keep in #1 plate come season’s end. No matter what happens, and no matter who wins, you will always be guaranteed some amazing racing.
MMRS KTM Provincial Series
MMRS action will make its way to the Rocky Ridge Track for 9th and final round of the
KTM Provincial Series. This track has some awesome elevation and flow. If you are anywhere close in Ontario, be sure to make it out to this event. As always, the MMRS crew will offer their all day open practice
on Saturday to be followed up
Sunday by some great racing action.
McThoughts: Rockstar Energy MX Nationals
I’m not sure if Bigwave Billy has been pulling my leg or not, but he seems to think people enjoy my McThoughts columns. I thought I’d try and throw one together on the MX1 and MX2 classes after the first 4 rounds. Here we go:
Jeff gives us his ‘McThoughts’ on the first 4 rounds of Canadian Pro Motocross.
McTHOUGHTS on the West
MX2
1st Kaven Benoit 217 points: Some people doubted Kaven’s decision to ride the 2-stroke. Well, Mr. Benoit has looked great at all 4 rounds out West. He has no real weaknesses and will be the guy to beat right up until Walton.
Royal Distributing Fox Racing KTM Canada rider Kaven Benoit leads MX2 points as we head into the break. – Bigwave photo
2nd Jeremy Medaglia 204 points: In my eyes, Jeremy has played it safe so far this season. He has gotten an overall podium at each of the four first rounds, and been super-consistent. He has the speed, aggression and fitness, but now needs to win some more motos and push his weight around more.
3rd Jimmy Decotis 194 points: Jimmy opened a lot of eyes at the first four rounds. His fitness has always been doubted, but he hasn’t let up yet. He has some serious speed, so I’m really excited to see this guy rip up the sand on the East. If his fitness is for real, he will be a beast for the last 6 rounds .
4th Shawn Maffenbeier 162 points: Shawn rode well in the West, but in my opinion he is a 450 guy. Either way, he will land on the podium a few times in the East and probably finish the series here in 4th place.
5th Morgan Burger 156 points: Morgan surprised everyone when he showed up at round 1 on a 250f. The long-time 450 pilot has ridden very well, but I’m afraid the sandy east tracks may slow him up a bit. I think he could battle for podiums at maybe Moncton and Walton. Only time will tell…
6th Brad Nauditt 148 points: To be honest, I really expected more holeshots from Brad. He is a great starter and on a rocket of a bike. Look for ‘B-Naughty’ to holeshot a lot more on the East and lead some laps and battle for top 5’s.
7th Blake Savage 144 points: Blake has had some great rides and some bad luck with a DNF. I feel he will be super-consistent and be right there with Nauditt fighting for top 5’s or better.
8th Dylan Wright 137 points: Dylan had a decent West and will obviously be looking forward to the soft East tracks. I think he needs to keep doing what he’s doing and not get caught up with who he’s battling on the track. He should be looking for podiums every weekend.
9th Jess Pettis 111 points: Some people were ready to write this kid off. Well, he’s proving them wrong now. Solid West for Pettis. I’m curious to see how he will make out in the sand.
10th Seth Rarick 111 points: Seth wasn’t too happy with my comments last season…anyways, he had a pretty rough West. This guy is a monster in the sand and his fitness won’t be an issue. He will no doubt be looking for podiums in the sand to redeem himself. (Do we still have the warm beer bet for top 5 overall season finish?)
Biggest Stud: I’ll give the top 3 in points Stud status. Anyone of them can win this championship.
Biggest Dud: It’s hard to pick a dud, so I will have to go with the guys missing. Just imagine how great the class would have been with Jesse Wentland, Topher Ingalls, Vince Friese, and the Allison Brothers.
Biggest Surprise: I really though Cole Martinez would have won a moto by now. Let’s hope he comes back healthy in the East and battles for wins.
MX1
1st Matt Goerke 207 points: I didn’t expect Matt to be leading after 4 rounds. He had been injured in AX and I really thought he’d be a bit off the pace until round 5. He has been very good, so far, and will get a lot better in the sand.
Rockstar OTSFF Yamaha rider Matt Goerke leads MX1 points. – Bigwave photo
2nd Colton Facciotti 200 points: Colton was a little behind in his pre-season prep due to an injury. He hasn’t been dominant yet, but he’s doing what champions do, and that’s getting the job done until he is 100%. He will find his mojo and show us all why he is the multi-time champion.
3rd Brett Metcalfe 195 points: Brett has been very good, but some bad luck has hurt him. He will be very dangerous as always and looking for wins at every round.
4th Cole Thompson 193 points: Cole was on and off during the West rounds. It had been something like 14 months since his last national appearance. He picked up 1 overall and will be looking for a lot of wins on the East where the tracks are now familiar to him.
5th Tyler Medaglia 169 points: Tyler busted his ass out West and got great results, as always. He, too, will be looking forward to the East and some more podiums.
6th Cade Clason 155 points: Cade was a great addition to the Redemption Racing team and our series. He has been the ‘next guy’ after the top 5. Let’s see if he likes the sand.
7th Bobby Kiniry 149 points: Bobby seemed a little off in the West. I’m sure he will be back battling for podiums on the East.
8th Kyle Keast 132 points: Kyle has been our 9th place guy in the West. He’s a sand guy and will improve a few positions in the East, but I don’t see him breaking the top 5.
9th Teddy Maier 130 points: Teddy had terrible luck in the West. If this guy can get a start, he can run with anyone. I’m hoping he rebounds on the East and gets well inside the top 5 where he belongs.
10th Dylan Schmoke 115 points: Dylan had a pretty solid West. We are used to seeing him on a 250f, but the 450 seems to suit him well.
Biggest Stud: Cade Clason is my stud. Your fill-in riders usually aren’t this good.
Biggest Dud: My dud is that the Smartops MotoConcepts team isn’t competing in every round. They would have made the series really interesting!
Biggest surprise: Vince Friese winning Calgary was a shock. He really is that talented.
Well, that is it for me this week. Before I call it quits, I would like to call out all Women Racers on the East Coast. The Women’s East National Series starts July 11 at Gopher Dunes. We all want the Women’s National Series, and women’s racing in general, to grow. The only way it will grow is if you ladies out there make it grow. Support the people who are supporting you. Show up and race. You won’t know if you are ready or not until you actually try. You also need to support the local dealers. How can you expect someone to support you, or the series you are racing, if you are buying your bikes and or gear out of the U.S.? Do your part and let’s make this one of the best Women’s National Series yet. I see how hard the co-organizers are working, so let’s reward them with a great turnout. They are doing this all for free to give you girls a great place to race. Rant over. Have a great weekend and always remember to #smileforBC!
Billy Rainford
Thanks, Jeff. Man, what a month! I remember a few years ago when I did the entire Canadian MX Nationals in a 1989 Buick Electra Estate Wagon named ‘Carmen’ and really didn’t think I would ever do it again. Well, it’s funny what time does. In late May, I purchased a new #dodge van, got some ‘Direct Motocross’ graphics added, and off I went full of that same enthusiasm I had back in 2009.
As many of you probably know, the trip west was not without adventure. Why can I never just drive across the continent and be bored like most people?! Nope, not me. I have to turn the long drive into some sort of three-ring circus every time. EVERY time! I won’t go into the details again, but let me just say that it feels great to be safe at home again after that experience.
I tried to document the various parts of the trip with Twitter pics with the hashtag #dmxvan. Here is the trip from the western edge of Vancouver Island back to Southwestern Ontario:
Tofino, BC is as far west as you can go in Canada. The town sits at the far western edge of Vancouver Island and is definitely like no other place you’ll visit. The unique blend of hippies, natives, rednecks, Vancouverites, and tourists, add up to make it a unique experience.
I always get a kick out of the bumper sticker I used to see there (usually on a very jacked-up pick-up truck) that read: “Think fast, hippie!” It pretty much sums up the blend you’ll run into on your visit.
Jay Moore from Fox Racing Canada spent two days in the water on our rented surf boards. My buddy is co-owner of
Relic Surf Shop in Ucluelet (‘Ukee,’ as it’s affectionately known) and hooked me up with everything I needed. Thanks,
D-Rock! The suref was lame the first day but then great on the second. Next summer, we should try to get as many riders as we can over there for a couple days of fun after the Nanaimo round.
A breath-taking BC Ferries ride is what you need to take to get from Vancouver over to the Island in the first place. Many people get upset at the cash it takes to get over there with a truck and trailer, but that anger usually subsides when they get home and look back fondly at the actual trip. (The van and I cost $92 because I went with the $20 reservation.)
The drive across the island is probably one of the top 3 most amazing drives you can take in Canada. The Cabot Trail and the Duffy Lakes Road are the other 2 I can think of. This is Cathedral Forest which has some extremely old and absolutely gigantic trees. It comes just after the passing lanes so I normally don’t stop and let all the slow-moving trucks back past me, but I made an exception this time.
I made a left and headed through Squamish (‘Squampton’ as it’s known to locals), Whistler, and Pemberton. The Green River MX Park is in Pemberton so we stopped in just as riders were arriving for Wednesday Night riding. Instead of going back through Vancouver and out the #1 highway through the valley, past Hope and Jamie Davis’ towing operation, and on the Coquihalla Highway, we too the Duffy Lakes road to Kamloops.
The Duffy Lakes route is pretty amazing. I defy anyone to try the ‘Duffy Lakes Road Cruise Control Challenge’ I’m trying to make ‘a thing.’ Set your cruise control to a level and see if you can just leave it there without hitting the brakes. I’m guessing 40kph might be the winning speed! And even that might be a stretch.
This is the summit of Roger’s Pass that is famous for treacherous winter driving conditions and beautiful views.
With a generous offer from
Chris Pawlitsky of
Revy Riders in Revelstoke, BC, we stopped in to check the facility out and watch a few traveling Pro riders practice for the afternoon. Here’s the video from the day’s riding:
Emily used to live and work in Lake Louise so we had to drive up to the Chateau Lake Louse and see what has changed in the 16 years since she was there. The staff lodging has improved but I think the glacier looks the same.
We stopped for the night in Banff, Alberta. Banff is a lot like Whistler in that it has an actual town with things to do, unlike Lake Louise. I hadn’t spent any time there since the late 90’s either so it was nice to spend an evening wandering around.
We stayed with Emily’s brother, Jarrett, in Calgary. I didn’t even get a great shot of the van at Wild Rose MX with the cityscape in the background. I did, however, take the time to make fun of Jarrett with this shot of him making sure all the pieces were there for some nerd game he was setting up.
As soon as you go east from Calgary the scenery turns to this. Lots and lots of this. Seriously, it goes on for days! It’s enjoyable though because you’re in the prairies and it’s supposed to look like this.
Moose Jaw, SK has what I think may have been the busiest #TimHorton’s I’ve ever seen! It was crazy. And of course I had to stop and take a photo of me putting the moose on the roof and taking off with it. 😉
I stayed with our old friend James Lissimore at the Ramada in Pilot Butte (just outside Regina, SK) for the night before continuing east. The owners were kind enough to open up the kitchenette and coffee maker for me as I sat and worked on photos from the Regina National. If you’re looking for a nice, new hotel next year (and want to avoid the gravel road), the #Ramada should be one you check out.
I stood with one bare arm in Manitoba and the other bare arm in Saskatchewan to see which province actually has the most mosquitoes. It’s funny how when you ask someone in either province why there are so many mosquitoes, they blame the other province. It was a tie.
I spent the Tuesday after Regina south of Winnipeg, Manitoba, with the FXR gang for their Ride Day. It was a great time hanging out with a great group of people. Dylan Schmoke, Jimmy Decotis, and Dylan Wright were the Pro riders ripping up the track with the rest.
To avoid the endless drive over the top of Lake Superior, I cut south through North Dakota and over the top of Lake Michigan…which seemed to take even longer! It was a pretty cool drive that takes you past the origin of the Mississippi River.
The Mackinac Bridge spans the spot where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron physically touch. Lake Superior isn’t far to the north either. The crossing of this bridge gave me the sense that I was nearing the end of my journey. It was a welcome sense!
And that is how you put 10 000kms on your brand new van in a hurry! I couldn’t wait to get home, but I can already feel myself getting antsy in anticipation of the next trip. Funny how that works. Hey, look, that grass looks greener over there…
Canada’s Motorcycle FXR Racing DMX Weekly Wrap-Up Show
With support from Canada’s Motorcycle and FXR, we have been doing a ‘Weekly Wrap-Up Show‘ each week after the nationals. Andy White has a racing mind that is second to none! I have a list of things I want to talk about on a white board in front of us, and, whatever I mention, Andy knows the details! It’s impressive. Thank you for helping us with this project, Andy.
In case you missed it, here is last week’s episode from round 4 at Moto Valley in Regina, SK:
DMX Canadian MX Weekly Wrap-Up – Regina Round 4 from Directmotocross.com on Vimeo.
Parts Canada TransCan Confirmations
From Parts Canada Instagram page @partscanada:
2016 KTM Ride Day in Indiana
A few weeks back, Todd Kuli headed down to Indiana to test the 2016 line of KTM MX and Off-road bikes. It was a job that I have to admit I wanted to do, myself. However, with the Nationals starting out west, I couldn’t be in two places at once. Anyway, Todd is a very good technical writer so his diagnoses will be much more profound than mine anyway. Bottom line, we sent the right guy.
Watch for Todd’s first report on the 2016 KTM SX250-F in the next couple days here on the site.
Read all about Todd Kuli’s tests on the 2016 line of KTM’s MX and XC bike line in the coming weeks here on the site. – Jeff Morgan photo
FXR Ride Day
We had a great time Tuesday out in Winnipeg, Manitoba, for the FXR Rice Day at Milt Reimer‘s super-secret testing facility south of the city. To get there, I had to imagine my van was 4-wheel drive and had another 4 or 5 inches of clearance. I haven’t had a closer look yet, but I don’t think any damage was done getting down the gravel road and then the trail that runs alongside a field to get to the actual track.
When I got there and saw the picture-perfect loamy dirt, it made any possible van undercarriage damage disappear from my mind. The dirt was that textbook chocolate cake-looking kind and the track was lined with green grass and then a bright yellow canola field. Not only that, there are 100-year-old wooden structures falling down to add to the photographic beauty of the place!
I plan on posting a bunch of photos from the day in their own feature on the site, so this one of Canada’s Motorcycle FXR Racing Yamaha Canada riders, #105 Jimmy Decotis and #20 Dylan Wright, together in this turn will have to suffice for now. watch for the feature in the coming days on the site.
#105 Jimmy Decotis and #20 Dylan Wright putting on a show at the FXR Ride Day in Manitoba Tuesday. Watch for a full feature on the day in the coming days here on the site. – Bigwave photo
Redemption Racing Update
When national #10 Redemption Racing Fly Dragon KTM rider Nathan Bles went own with a broken arm during practice at Gopher Dunes, the team grabbed Ohio native Cade Clason to replace Nathan for the first 4 rounds of the series. Well, when we saw Nathan in Calagary, he let us know that the recovery for his badly broken humerus is going to take well past round 5 of the series.
Even with this 3-week break, Nathan’s arm will be in no condition to get back on the bike and race the sandy track in Courtland, Ontario. What does this mean for Cade, you ask?
We spoke with Team Manager/mechanic Josh Snider and he confirmed that Cade will be ‘the guy’ for the remainder of the season. Nathan is entertaining thoughts of racing Walton Amateur Days but that might be a bit of a stretch at this point. Josh said they will move into the 2016 season with Nathan as their MX1 focus, if he is into it.
Cade is currently back at home at Club MX in South Carolina. Eric and Alex Jeffery will head down with Cade’s practice bike and stay with Cade to train a while.
#761 Cade Clason will continue as Redemption Racing’s MX1 focus with injured rider, Nathan Bles, out for the foreseeable future rehabbing his broken arm. – Bigwave photo
Jared Petruska Injury Update
Fortunately, this update on Jared Petruska could have been much worse. When I look back on my racing days, the thing that stands out most of the time is that feeling you get when you’re lined up behind the gate with 39 other riders hoping to round that first turn out front. It’s that feeling that keeps riders coming back for more, but it’s also the moment of a moto you fear the most. Well, Jared Petruska was an example of why the start of a motocross race is probably THE most exciting and dangerous 20-seconds in sport.
While rounding the first sweeper in the first moto at Moto Valley in Regina last week, Jared was left behind in a heap after going down in the middle of the full-speed pack. When the dust had cleared, Jared lay motionless in the middle of the track and we all waited for him to regain his senses and start moving. After what seemed like an eternity, Jared came to and received medical assistance. The race was red flagged and Jared was taken away on the Mule for assessment.
When we spoke with Jared’s girlfriend Dominique Daffé the following day, she informed us that, although he was battered and beaten up, Jared had no broken bones. He did, however, have a concussion. We spoke with her again today and Jared is already back at work and “actually doing really well.” He still has headaches but doesn’t act like they bother him.
Dominique concluded by saying, “He just got his AMA license and still thinks he’s going to Washougal at the end of July, but I think he’ll be staying off the bike for a few weeks.”
Great news! Thanks for the update, Dominique. We’re always glad when something isn’t visibly broken, but head injuries can be the ones that linger, so take care out there, guys.
Good news for Jared Petruska. He’s already back at work after his scary crash at the start of the first MX2 moto in Regina last Sunday. – Bigwave photo
Short and sweet this week. It’s been a long drive home and we’ve got lots of things to work on for the site during the time off between round 4 in Regina and round 5 at Gopher Dunes, July 12th. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend, everyone.
Jimmy and Dylan say, “See you at the races…” – Bigwave photo
