Frid’Eh Update #28 Presented by Yamaha Motor Canada
By Jeff McConkey and Billy Rainford
Week #28 belongs to Calgary, Alberta’s Keylan Meston|Bigwave photo
It’s week #28 here at DMX for the Frid’Eh Update Presented by Yamaha Motor Canada. Week #28 goes out to the hard-working, no-nonsense rider from Calgary, Alberta – Keylan Meston. Keylan was #60 in MX2 in 2012 and finished 15th overall. Three summers ago, in 2013, Keylan raced the first 4 rounds out west in the MX2 class with the #30 on his bike. His best finish that year was a 10th in Calgary (13-10). Those four rounds were enough to put him 24th overall in the class for the series.
Keylan was #60 in 2012 and finished 15th in MX2|Bigwave photo
He moved up to MX1 in 2014 and was forced to sit out the western rounds and had his best MX1 overall in Ulverton – a 12th (14-12) and finished the series 28th overall on the #50.
Keylan made it to every round last summer in the MX1 class and had his best finish, an 11th (12-12), in Moncton, NB at Riverglade. He closed in on the top 10 in MX1, finishing 13th overall in the class. This finish gave him the #28 for 2016.
This season, he has improved again, and in this ultra-competitive MX1 field, he’s having his best summer to date! He has finished in the top 10 3 of the first 4 western rounds (9-7-10-14). Here’s a look at his season so far:
119 points has him tied for 9th spot with Morgan Burger as we head into Gopher Dunes this weekend for round 5 of the 11-round Rockstar Energy MX Nationals series. There won’t be another weekend off for the next 5 weekends.
Keylan is sitting tied for 9th place in MX1 after 4 rounds|Bigwave photo
We will have our interview with Keylan up on the site as soon as he is able to chat with us. Look for it sometime early this coming week. Good luck this weekend, Keylan.
This week, the Update is brought to you by Yamaha Motor Canada. Give them a click to check out the 2017 motocross line up.
Jeff McConkey
Hey, guys. Well, the beast is finally here. Round 5 of the CMRC Rockstar Energy Nationals goes off this Saturday in Courtland, Ontario, after a one-week break in the series. Some riders used the break to heal up and rest, while others didn’t let up and kept on the grind. The CMRC Pro Nationals start in Kamloops, but in my opinion the real battle doesn’t start until the East. It is kind of like Ricky Carmichael used to say in Supercross – the series really didn’t start until Daytona SX. Daytona was around the halfway mark for SX, and it was a brutally tough track. Same goes for Gopher. It’s at the halfway point, and it is by far the gnarliest track in North America. Riders and teams think they are ready for the Dunes, but most usually aren’t. Bodies will overheat, fuel will boil over, and some riders will just plain give up.
Gopher Dunes National
In MX1 action, we have a huge group of guys that can podium. In my eyes, Matt Goerke is one of the best sand riders, ever! Anywhere! But we also have Brett Metcalfe, Mike Alessi, Colton Facciotti, Vince Friese, Kaven Benoit, and Tyler Medaglia that have all won at the Dunes before. The big question mark is points leader Davi Millsaps. Yes, Davi is in complete control of the series, but when has he last ridden sand? Yes, talent is talent, and Davi certainly doesn’t lack any of that, but the Dunes gets the best of them. Remember, not long ago, when Mike Alessi was absolutely putting it to the field and then his moto win and overall were taken away by a fuel issue? Mike was forced to stop for a pit stop late in moto 2 and easily cruised to victory. Mike and wrench Robbie Feder actually spent their off weekend at the Dunes getting ready for round 5.
Will the deep sands of Gopher Dunes be what it takes to stop the Davi Millsaps’ domination?|Bigwave photo
Back to Goerke, it was just a few years ago when people were joking that Goerke’s throttle was stuck wide open. To this day, I still don’t think I have ever seen anyone ride sand that fast anywhere. Jeffrey Herlings, some may say? Nope, never heard of her. Plus, Goerke rides the big boy class and isn’t afraid of racing against the best.
In the MX2 class, Cole Thompson will most likely continue his pure dominance. Although, I feel he will be seeing a lot of Dylan Wright. Dylan has been chomping at the bit, waiting for the softer East tracks. No need to worry about a mail strike on Sunday at the Dunes, because Wright will 100% hauling it all day long!
Jeremy Medaglia returns to action at the Dunes. Jeremy is a serious threat anytime we hit the sand, but we will just have to wait and see how the time off has affected the #14. I’m hoping, with the start of the East, we will see some more entrants be it B riders or just more local Pros. Here are my predictions for Round 5:
MX2
1st Cole Thompson
2nd Dylan Wright
3rd Shawn Maffenbeier
4th Jess Pettis
5th Mark Worth
Jeff has #4 Cole Thompson penciled in for the MX2 win this weekend|Bigwave photo
MX1
1st Matt Goerke
2nd Davi Millsaps
3rd Mike Alessi
4th Brett Metcalfe
5th Kaven Benoit
And Matt Goerke for the MX1 win|Bigwave photo
Women’s East Nationals
Now onto the first round of the Women’s East Nationals. The series has added and round for 2016, and it looks to be gaining steam. I expect full gates at 3 of the rounds, and the talent will be better than ever. I’m sad to say that I don’t think the title will be going to a Canadian this season, but I’m usually wrong. The rough Gopher Dunes track at round 1 will open some eyes and leave some teary eyes with a few of the girls that aren’t prepared. When I was doing my season preview, I totally forgot to add in a serious contender. Sorry, Shannon. Here is a little bit of info from this fast young American:
American Shannon Fleming to Race Women’s East
My name is Shannon Fleming, I am 18 years old and I have been racing for 14 years. I am from the United States. This will be my first year racing the Women’s Canadian East Coast Series! The past five years, I raced the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National. I got top ten all five years and my best finish was in 2015 with a 4th in the Women’s 14+. Five years in a row was so much fun, full of many great experiences traveling the country and riding in many different places.
For 2016, I made the tough decision to not chase the Loretta Lynn’s Qualifiers and try something different. For years I have heard nothing but great things about the Canadian Nationals. 2016 seemed like a great time to get out of my comfort zone and race with a different group of ladies! Canada is one of the places that I have never raced before and I could not be more excited!
My off season is different than most racers. I live in Connecticut where we usually have a pretty brutal winter. I have been in public school since day one; therefore, going down to training facilities in the Winter was always a challenge. I had the opportunity to train at facilities for a couple of years. I graduated high school early and I am currently a college student.
Connecticut’s Shannon Fleming will skip Loretta’s this year in hopes of chasing the Canadian series|Scott Lukaitis photo used with permission
My off season this year was from December-April. I was off the bike for four months. For my 2016 off season, I made many changes to my training program. I was fortunate to have joined Bionic Crossfit, have Bionic Crossfit as a sponsor for 2016 and Chris Vasseur as my coach in preparing me for my 2016 race season. Chris Vasseur and the community at Bionic Crossfit have done so much for me and have put me in the best shape of my life, mentally and physically, in a short amount of time.
For my pre-season, I have been racing a lot of local races mixing it up in the B classes against the guys. That’s always fun! I also have been giving lessons and coaching this season which has really made me appreciate the sport and the young ones coming up.
My plan for 2016 is to complete the East Coast Women’s Canadian Series. I recently received my WMX license in the United States. After the last round of the Canadian Series, I hope to race the last couple rounds of WMX.
Shannon has heard nothing but great things about the Canadian series. She will be a front-runner this season|Arnold Kirby photo used with permission
My expectations coming into the first round of the Women’s Canadian Series is to get solid, consistent finishes at each of the four rounds in hopes to clinch the title.
I’d like to thank all of my sponsors and the people who support me behind the scenes: Mom and Dad, Auto Specialties, Lynk’s Racing, JboneMotorworks, Bionic Crossfit, Bel-Ray, Johnson Heating and Cooling, Works Connection, Pivot Works, UFO.
Women’s East Gopher Dunes
1st Jacqueline Ross
2nd Shannon Fleming
3rd Eve Brodeur
4th Brittany Gagne
5th Megan Brodeur
Jeff has Jacqueline Ross taking the first round win at Gopher Dunes this weekend (more on that later)|Bigwave photo
That’s it for me this week, check out our ‘Out of the Blue‘ with Brittni Waddington. She wanted me to let everyone know that she hasn’t landed a backflip to dirt yet, just into foam, but I imagine that will be changing soon. Have a great week and see you at the Dunes. #smileforBC!
Billy Rainford
Thanks, Jeff. Glad you had a blast at Red Bud last weekend. I took my first weekend away from motocross in a long time. It’s funny that however much work these National Tours are, you always miss the action on the weekend off. I guess it’s like taking an all-inclusive holiday in the middle of winter – it makes you want to get home and get back to work. That’s how I felt as soon as last weekend hit and I wasn’t going to any races – I really wanted to go to one! I resisted the urge and managed to recharge the batteries so I’m ready to attack the last five rounds of the Rockstar Energy MX Nationals.
We’re going straight through now in the series that will see us hit the sandbox at Gopher Dunes this weekend, then Montreal, then we head to the Maritimes in Truro and Moncton before heading back to Quebec City and ending the series in Barrie, Ontario. Yes, it’s going to be a tough grind, but it’s what we all love, so it won’t be a problem.
We’re all going to miss the rounds at Sand Del Lee and Walton. Sand Del Lee is one of the best tracks I’ve ever had the chance to ride, and Walton was, well, Walton was just Walton. After a full week of shining the spotlight on the best amateur riders in the country, the season would come to an end the following day for the Pro National. Well, things change and we all have to move on. Hopefully, Pleasant Valley in Truro, and RJ’s (what does that stand for?) in Barrie can live up to the challenge.
TSN to Televise Parts Canada TransCan and the Walton Pro Open
Canada’s Sports Leader, TSN to Televise The 2016 Parts Canada TransCan; Canadian Motocross Grand National Pro Open and The Canadian Motocross Amateur Grand National Championship at Walton Raceway
Walton Raceway is excited to announce to our Industry Partners that racing action from both the Canadian Motocross Amateur Grand National Championship – August 17th to 20th and the new highly anticipated Canadian Motocross Grand National Pro Open – Sunday August 21st will each be made into Two 30 Minute Programming Productions and Broadcasted on Canada’s Leading Sports Network, TSN a minimum of 5 times each.
“We are excited to partner with TSN to showcase Canada’s Top Motocross Racers from coast to coast in both the Amateur and Pro classes, as both Amateurs and Pros will be featured in its own production,” said Mark Perrin of Walton Raceway. “This partnership with TSN will attract and introduce new fans to Canadian Motocross, growing our sport and The Parts Canada TransCan; Canadian Motocross Amateur Grand National Championship and The Canadian Motocross Grand National Pro Open event for years to come. The partnership will also provide Motocross enthusiasts and fans of the sport to replay the racing action from Walton Raceway, over and over again in the comfort of their own homes.”
An official press release will be issued once programming details are finalized, however we would like to give notice to our industry partners, so that they can plan in advance and take full advantage of the new opportunities that our TSN partnership creates in both growing and showcase our sport for our partners to further promote their products and brands, as well as launching 2017 bikes models, equipment and products to our largest audience ever.
There are limited commercial advertising opportunities available as part of the production. For commercial advertising, program advertising or all additional marketing, branding and promotional opportunities; please contact: Mark Perrin at Mark@MotocrossCanada.ca or 519 384 1067.
Jeremy Medaglia Will Return this Weekend at Gopher Dunes
Watch for the #14 of Honda Canada GDR Fox Racing rider Jeremy Medaglia to be back in the lineup this weekend at Gopher Dunes|Bigwave photo
#14 Honda Canada GDR Fox Racing rider, Jeremy Medaglia, was one of the riders heading into the 2016 MX2 season with aspirations of taking home a championship. Unfortunately, after an awkward fall early in the first moto at the 2nd round of Rockstar Energy MX Nationals in Nanaimo, Jeremy was forced to sit out the next 2 rounds with post-concussion symptoms.
After a one-weekend break, the series heads to the team’s home track at Gopher Dunes where it would have been a shame for them to be down a rider. Fortunately, we just learned from Team Owner, Derek Schuster, that Jeremy has been given the doctor’s OK to start riding and then race this weekend. That’s great news for Jeremy, the team, and the fans of #14!
Jeremy sits a long way from the top of the points standings after missing so many races, but, with good finishes, points will accumulate quickly. The championship may be out of the question, but a rocket-like rise in the standings is likely what we’ll see from the Kemptville, ON rider. Good luck getting back at it, Jeremy.
I spoke with Derek Schuster today to get caught up on Jeremy’s progress:
- Jeremy got the OK from the doctor to start riding Monday
- He was on the bike Tuesday
- He doesn’t get to Gopher Dunes until today because he wanted a couple more days riding back home in Kemptville, ON to prepare as best he can for a grueling return at the team’s home track
- He has been dealing with mild concussion symptoms but also had a sore back and elbow
- There is no performance pressure on him this weekend. This will be a round to get back on track and look for solid results moving on through the rest of the season
I spoke very briefly to Jeremy just now and he said he is “just looking to start having fun again.” Let’s hope he gets back on track. When you have fun, you do well. See you back at the races, Jeremy.
Jacob Hayes Will Be at Gopher Dunes to Greet Fans
#100 Jacob Hayes was hired to race MX2 for the Monster Energy Alpinestars Kawasaki Team but a first turn crash at the very first moto of the year in Kamloops took him out with a knee injury. #101 Mark Worth was hired to replace him.
Jacob will make the trip to Gopher Dunes this weekend to hang out with the team and mingle with the fans. I stole this from their Instagram page @monsterenrgyastarskawasaki :
Brock Leitner Injury Update
#497 Brock Leitner was having the best year of his young Pro motocross career when he suffered a broken left scapula (shoulder blade) in California. He’s done the time and now he’s ready to get back on the bike and race the final 4 rounds of the Canadian Pro nationals. I called him this afternoon but he was in an area where I could only catch every 4th word he was saying. From what I can gather, he said, “I’m to to I’ve off…” He said he’d call back later when he has full service.
Brock Leitner is healed from his broken scapula and will race the final 4 rounds of Rockstar MX Nationals|Bigwave photo
Jacqueline Ross Returns to Canada
If you’ve been around the Pro Nationals for a few years, you remember Florida’s #734 Jacqueline Ross. She came to Canada back in 2008 and went fast on her 125 2-stroke KTM. You know she’s been using that bike ever since? Well, that is until very recently.
We’ve been hearing rumours that she wanted to return to Canada (and Tim Horton’s) for some time but nothing was concrete. We then saw that she had started a GoFundMe page to help get her to all 4 rounds. That’s when we knew she was serious!
I gave her a call this afternoon to get to the bottom of it and caught her answering the phone from a hotel room in Ingersoll, Ontario. She’s here…and she’s racing a KTM 250 2-stroke!
Her plans are to definitely do the whole series…if she can afford it. She will race Gopher Dunes this weekend and then spend the week at her relative’s place in Syracuse, NY before heading north to Ulverton for round 2. After that, her and her dad will head back home to Florida to work for the week before, hopefully, loading up the truck and heading north again to race the final 2 rounds. It will be grueling but she knows all about hard work.
It will be great to have her and her dad back at the races this season. If you get a chance, be sure to stop by and say hello to them…and drop off a large double double while you’re at it. Good luck this season, guys.
Jacqueline Ross is back, and that means things just got a lot tougher in the Women’s East Nationals|Bigwave photo
2017 KTM 250 2-Stroke Test Ride at Glen Helen
I had a blast testing out the all-new 2017 KTM 250 2-stroke at Glen Helen. I don’t get the chance to ride a lot these days and never at a track like Glen Helen! Thanks for the opportunity, KTM Canada. This may not be the most technical of bike tests ever done, but the the videography is nice.
FXR Ride Day Photo Gallery/Video
You can check out a bunch of photos from the 2016 FXR Ride Day at Milt Reimer’s track just outside Winnipeg, Manitoba, as well as watch some video. Click HERE to be taken to the photos.
Auction in Support of Team Canada MXON
An auction has been started with all proceeds going toward the 2016 Team Canada MXON effort.
Nitro Circus World Games Coming July 16th
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Returns to Southwick
I think it was Crocodile Dundee who said it best when he said, “You call that a sand track? That’s not a sand track. THIS is a sand track!” Or words to that effect…
I know people enjoy stats, so here is this week’s stats package provided by MX Sports:
Poll Question: Who will win MX1 at Gopher Dunes?
If you get a chance, head over and give us your vote on who you think will win MX1 this weekend at Gopher Dunes.
[poll id=”22″]
OK, that will do it for this week. Thanks for taking a look and good luck to everyone this weekend, wherever you’re riding or racing. And look! The weather forecast is heating up nicely for a classic showdown in the sand of Gopher Dunes. Hot, hazy and humid, is what we’re hoping for to keep the legend of this place alive and well! I’d like to see it get a little further into the 30’s but it will have to do…
See you at the races…
