Frid’Eh Update #28 | Sam Gaynor | Presented by GasGas Canada

Frid’Eh Update #28 | Sam Gaynor | Presented by GasGas Canada

By Billy Rainford

Direct Motocross: Hello, Sam. First off, we have to talk about these two injuries that have kept you away from the Nationals until Walton. Can you tell people how you did both, and how are your hand and wrist now?

Sam Gaynor: Hey Billy, the first injury is my 2nd metacarpal in the top of my hand. I hit my foot on a tough block on the face of a triple during Supercross last fall which pulled me off the bike and I went for quite the ride, but honestly I got pretty lucky with the minimal injuries I sustained. The second injury happened this past April while training at Club MX. I hit a kicker on the face of an uphill triple and essentially I did half a front flip and landed right on my head. I was knocked out for a bit etc.. Either way, between my wrist and hand I now have 6 screws and 1 plate but I hope to get 5 screws and the plate removed this off season.

You came back and raced the FXR PreMix class at Walton. You had to modify the clutch grip. Can you tell us what that’s all about and how it felt to race with it like that?

Yea, it’s pretty cool to still be able to give back to the team and my sponsors! But yea, due to the metal in my hand I can’t close my index finger and it’s also not strong enough to pull in the clutch, so that little piece just gives me a bit more grip strength to hold on to the little red rocket! 

You went 1-1 for the win against some former Pro riders and some youngsters. How much fun was that?

A ton of fun! The premix class is always smiles and laughs and those boys, former pro and the new up and comers, all keep me on my toes so it’s fun for sure! 

And then you show up at Gopher Dunes last weekend and decide to race two classes? At Gopher Dunes of all places! Let’s break this down into 2 questions. How was the 125/150 on that track and how much fun was it battling #211 Jack Wright out there?

It was a ton of fun! This year for me is honestly a rebuild year, having fun etc. That’s exactly what the premix class is all about! I haven’t ridden sand in forever so my form and body positioning was pretty far off but the 150 was a ton of fun at the Dunes!

And then you lined up for the 250 Pro class on that same bike! Tell us truthfully, did you wish you were on a 250F out there? Was that fun for the entire two motos? 

Quite honestly, no! I mean obviously I have a winners mentality but like I said, this year is about fun and rebuilding. Just being back out in the faster class was fun. The suffer of 30 minutes at the Dunes is always something I look forward to! I honestly had a ton of fun and would do it again tomorrow! 

You finished 13-16 for 12th overall. That’s obviously not where yo’d want to be but tell us how the races went.

Yea, it wasn’t the best numbers but honestly my goal in my mind was top 15. The 250 class is very deep and talented again and in the deep sand I was honestly pretty happy with where I ended up. Starts killed me as the start straight is so long so I just got eaten up but I just made as many passes as I could and kept my head down. Second moto my wrist was bothering me pretty bad right from the start but sometimes you just gotta grit your teeth and suck it up. 

Would you be able to race all 3 classes at Sand Del Lee? Would you consider doing that? #WWRD (What Would Rollerball Do?)

I wish! That would be so cool! Originally, I was thinking of double classing Premix and 450 but the rule book states you have to have at least 251cc to race in the 450 class. I just wanted to do that so I had more time in between but ya, that would be pretty Ironman if I did that! I’ll give it a thought! Ahah

What is your plan for the rest of the season?

Have fun! I’m going to double class the rest of the season providing my wrist holds up. I will also race the ECAN week and the Walton week. 

If you’re still on the 2-stroke at Deschambault, will you hit the big jump?

I will for sure still be on the 2-stroke! That’s all I can hold on to. Lol. But I don’t know, last year I exploded a wheel on that jump on my 250 and I can’t case a jump with the shape my wrist is in but we will see. You never know.

How close are you to being 100% and when will you hit 100?

Honestly, not very close. I still need to go in for surgery to get metal taken out. The doctors tell me anywhere between 6 months to a year for my wrist and it’s only been 3 months, so it still has a ways to go. My goal is to be back to 100% health by Christmas so I can get back to full on training and head south again when the time comes. 

Hey, were you disappointed when Cole Thompson decided not to race his 125 in the 250 class or were you happy to be the only one?

I was definitely excited to race against him on a 150. I saw him go out on it in free practice and I was so busy I didn’t realize he switched for qualifying and racing till we were on the gate, but it was fun being the only little bike buzzin around. Ahah

OK, Sam, see you this weekend. Good luck and who would you like to thank?

Thank you very much, Billy. I appreciate it and I will see you at the races! 

Troy Lee Designs, GASGAS, Steve Simms Racing, Ovation App, Oakley, Guts, FMF, Pirelli, motul, Sunoco, Bn3th, journey plumbing, train custom carpentry, alpinestars, raptor titanium, twenty six suspension, Protaper, WP, Arbonne, Mrs.Train, Throttle syndicate, tear off gaskets, my pitboard, Arthur’s fuels, matrix concepts, William motorwerxs, defiance lifestyle, dp brakes, True North motorsports, Mullico, p3carbon, xtrig, country corners, mechanics wear, twin air, Hinson, my mom, my dad, my sister, momma Mary, Andrew White and everyone else that keeps the dream alive!!

As you read this now, James Lissimore and I are in the DMX Van for yet another extended road trip in the vehicle that now has over 320 000 kms on it! I could change the oil in this thing with my eyes closed. Actually, I think I’ve done it in my sleep! First stop is Sand Del Lee this weekend then River Glade in Moncton and finally MX Deschambault for the ECAN and the National before making it back home.

The series has been pretty good so far after 5 rounds. All 4 classes on Pro Day are exciting but for different reasons.

WMX: 7-time champ Eve Brodeur and newcomer to Canada Jamie Astudillo are as close in speed as you’re going to find on a track anywhere. It’s been fin to watch every moto. Behind them, I think you’ll see SKV and Malia Garant in some better battles for 3rd place. Each week, the question seems to be “Who will finish 4th,” but Brooke Merrow answered that question last week in the sand of Gopher Dunes. Let’s see if she can keep the ball rolling this week and maybe show the 3rd and 4th place riders a wheel.

FXR PreMix: Our Week #28 featured rider Sam Gaynor has been the fastest in this class, even with his left arm/hand troubles. He should have Drew Roberts to bang bars with but after blowing up a bike at Walton he’ll have to wait for some parts to get his bike back on the track. Jack Wright, Travis Roberts, and Brandon Gourlay have provided the action just off the rear fender of Sam, so let’s see if one of them is better at SDL this week. Brandon is from the area, so we should see him make his move.

250: This class has been exciting every week. Before Walton, we had 3 riders who you could pick for wins and be right 33% of the time. Defending champ Jake Piccolo, Ryder McNabb, and Mitchell Harrison have been the ones fighting for their place on the podium every time the gate drops. At Walton we had the addition of New Zealander Josiah Natzke to play spoiler at the top. He hasn’t lost a moto yet, since getting here and I think it’s starting to piss the other guys off. Let’s see if he can do it again on another new track to him in Ottawa on Sunday.

450: There are a couple stories within the story here. At the top, Dylan Wright is not only trying to make it 3 titles in a row, he’s possibly going to run the table for a perfect season. I don’t remember this ever even being a topic of conversation before. I guess it points to either one of two things: Dylan is just that fast or the field is a little depleted from years past. I think it’s a little bit of both.

The other story is just how badly the other riders want to put an end to that. Tyler Medaglia has been the second-fastest rider since the season started. He and Shawn Maffenbeier have been in some good battles but Tyler seems to have the edge, but not by much. And Tanner Ward is showing that he belongs in this big bike conversation, sitting in 4th place.

Dylan proved ha can falter and still come away with the win, after falling at Gopher Dunes and still catching up and taking the win, even after having to deal with Tyler’s “old man lines.” Lol Keep an eye on this fight.

SX GLOBAL ADDS HONDA GENUINE HONDA RACING AND MUC-OFF / FXR / CLUBMX TO ITS LINEUP OF EXCLUSIVE RACE TEAMS

SX Global, the Australian sports and entertainment company spearheading the FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX), today announced the addition of two more teams to its lineup of 10 exclusive team licenses for its global WSX Championship kicking off on Saturday, 8th October in Cardiff, Wales at Principality Stadium, including Honda Genuine Honda Racing and Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX. These two established veterans in Australian and American motocross and supercross provide the WSX a deeper foundation of teams in cornerstone markets, paving the way for a successful pilot season. 

The latest teams and principals are broken down in greater detail below: 

• Honda Genuine Honda Racing – Yarrive Konsky: An incredibly rich history in Australian and United States Supercross, Yarrive Konsky’s career with Honda spans two decades. The highly competitive team and stable of experienced riders have won the last four Australian Supercross Championships making them an ideal team for the FIM World Supercross Championship. Based out of the Millsaps Training Facility in the United States, the team is managed by former racing star Martin Davalos, who competed at the highest level in American Supercross and Motocross, with seven wins to his name. The prominent Ecuadorian spearheads the day-to-day operations of the U.S. racing program and will oversee the team’s growth on a global stage.
• Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX – Brandon Haas and Scott Jeffery: Owner of ClubMX, Brandon Haas turned his Minnesota backyard project into one of the most highly respected training facilities in the world. A former professional rider, Haas opened ClubMX to provide riders everything they need to hone their craft with a year-round, state-of-the-art training facility, including four motocross tracks, four supercross tracks, and a full staff of riding coaches, fitness trainers, a nutritionist and full-time chef, physiologist, orthopedic and track crew. In 2018, Haas partnered with Scott Jeffery, a builder and businessman with a successful history in Canadian motocross, to start the professional ClubMX race team, which has grown into a well-established and reputable program competing in supercross and motocross. 

“With the addition of Honda Genuine Honda Racing … and Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX … to the WSX Championship it continues to reinforce a rock-solid foundation of experienced, competitive teams for this global Championship.” ADAM BAILEY
DIRECTOR – MOTORSPORT OF SX GLOBAL

“From day one, our priority has been ensuring the highest levels of sophistication, talent and competition for this championship, and these two licensed teams deliver on that promise in spades.”

SX Global will be finalizing and announcing the last licensed team for the WSX Championship in the coming weeks. Additionally, the WSX announced superstar Ken Roczen to compete in the championship, who will battle against Eli Tomac as a Wildcard entry at the British Grand Prix at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, while riders slated to run in the WSX Championship will be announced in the coming weeks. 

2022 MXON

The MXON is fast-approaching and many more Canadians will be able to make it to the event this year because we’re heading back to RedBud in Michigan.

We will be fielding a team and the riders should be named either at the end of this month of some time in the first part of August.

Short and sweet this week. We just fought our way through 4 hours of horrible Toronto traffic that started just west of Woodstock today! I’m serious. We’re at an En Route on the 401 by the turnoff to the Wrozyna’s place in Newtonville. Donk and Maff were in the same jam that we were and are here, too. Let me have a look and see what their food of choice is…. Nah, I won’t do that to them. Safe travels, everyone. Be sure to stay tuned to DMX this weekend for reports from Round 6 at Sand Del Lee and Amateur Day!