Frid’Eh Update #29 | Blake Davies | Brought to You by RP Race Performance
This week, we feature an interview with #29 Blake Davies from Mission, BC in our Frid’Eh Update brought to you by RP Race Performance.
By Billy Rainford
Welcome to Week #29 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update brought to you by RP Race Performance. This week, we find ourselves out in the maritimes for Round 6 of the 2024 Canadian Triple Crown Series Motocross Nationals at River Glade.
This track always brings back memories from racing back in the 1980’s. No, I never made the trip but I always imagined what it must have been like when I talked to any other racer who was fortunate enough to make the trip. I’ve now been here over 15 times and I still look forward to the eastern hospitality every time.
Well, we’re here again and I can’t wait for the racing to start.
Blake Davies is #29 and he’s a rider who comes with a few raised eyebrows. I say that because many will wonder how someone who earned #29 in the Pro Am class can still race with yellow plates. I’ll tell you…he’s only 15! No, he doesn’t look like it when you see him on the bike, but he is. I asked him about all this in the interview you’re about to read.
Blake is the 250 rider on Al Dyck‘s MVP Husqvarna race team out of BC. #17 Julien Benek is their 450 rider and #3 Kaylie Kayer is their WMX rider. It’s an all-British Columbia team. They should all be back in action out here in Moncton this week. More on that later.
Unfortunately, Blake got hurt at Round 2 at Temple Hill MX in Raymond, Alberta, taking him out until Round 5 last week at Sand Del Lee. I spoke to him in the Race Tech Walk and Talk and he admitted he’s not up to form yet after being off the bike for so long.
Hopefully, one more week of training will see Blake getting closer to where he should be this week at River Glade in Moncton, NB. This track is hard-packed dirt, so it should be a little more forgiving than Sand Del Lee was last week. It’s been very humid out here, so it’s going to be tough no matter what.
Direct Motocross: Hey, Blake. It was great to see you back on the track last weekend. First off, can you take us through what happened to you in that crash?
Blake Davies: Yea, thank you, it was great to be back. Unfortunately, at round 2 I swapped at the top of a hill and flew to the bottom. I ended up breaking my arm setting me back 5 weeks.
What did you get up to while you were out?
During those 5 weeks I went back home to try and get healed a soon as I could. I spent some time with a couple friends and put a lot of work into my Supercross track back home.
Hey, out of curiosity, tell everyone your specs. What’s your age, height, and weight? I know I’m looking up at you when we talk now!
I just turned 16 today and I’m 6’4, 190 pounds. Definitely a lot of people are surprised by that.
Happy Birthday! Have you noticed anything needing to change in your riding style as you’ve gotten taller?
I haven’t really changed my style, but it’s definitely helped me move the bike around more.
You were back in action for Round 5 at Sand Del Lee. Is that a track that you like?
I do like that track. I think it’s fun and I like the way it flows, but I never seem to do very good there.
We spoke after in the ‘Walk and Talk,’ but can you tell us how your day went? You finished 25-22 for 25th overall.
I was definitely pretty disappointed. I lost a lot of my endurance so I really struggled all day. It was also my first time on the bike in 5 weeks. I was glad to walk away safe but definitely think I can do better.
What did you get up to this week, rest or hard training?
I did as much training as I could. I’m trying to build my endurance back up as fast as I can.
You’re from the opposite coast. How do you like it out in the maritimes? Have you guys done any sight-seeing?
We haven’t done much for sight seeing. Me and Julien (Benek) have been pretty busy during the weeks., but it is pretty cool being able to travel the entire country.
You’re still, technically, an Intermediate rider. Does that mean you’ll race all week with yellow plates at the TransCan?
Yes, I will race Intermediate at TransCan and ECAN.
Because people are going to ask, can you explain the reason the rider with national number 29 can still race Intermediate?
Last year I raced as a 14-year-old. Because I was so young there is a rule that allows me to stay Intermediate even though I collected Pro points.
Is your goal to race AMA Supercross one day?
Yes, that is definitely the big goal. After outdoors I am going to start training for Supercross and hopefully be able to line up for Anaheim 1 this year.
Love to hear it! OK, thanks for chatting with us this week, Blake. Good luck the rest of the season and who would you like to thank?
Thank you. I’d like to thank all the team sponsors: mvp racingteam, rad torque systems, foxracing canada, sky suspension, superior suspension settings, nixon prosports, International motorsports
husqvarna motorcycles, vesta properties, parkridghomes, mika metals, dt filters, sun snow ltd, gibsontyre, guts racing inc, torco race fuels, prox racing parts, mid holdings, mtntop.sb, matrix concepts, ride 100percent, atlas brace, mobius brace, m7 designs, lrx performance, buildsquare construction ltd.
Julien Benek Back for Moncton
We lost #17 Julien Benek at Round 4 at Gopher Dunes while he was having a breakthrough ride in the sand. He started up in 2nd place and was up in 5th place late in moto 1 when he crashed over the big jump along the tree line. He was suffering arm pump and said it’s what caused the crash.
He hit his head and tweaked his back pretty badly. He was on the bike this week at Callus Raceway and said he’s IN for Moncton, as of now…
A few black and white WMX gate shots:
Slowing the River Glade Track Down for 2024
I stopped in at the track yesterday to see what was up. I was shown a couple changes to the track that are designed to slow the riders down a little bit in some of the faster sections. What I like about these changes is that it will result in putting the riders in view of the spectators for longer periods of time. I shot a short video Thursday showing these changes:
Grip Strength Tester Was a Huge Hit Last Week
Jeff Ryan came up with the idea to have me bring around his Grip Strength Tester when I did my “Race Tech Walk and Talk” last Sunday at Sand Del Lee. I figured people would enjoy the challenge, but I didn’t think it would become the focus of the entire video like it did!
We may have to bring it around again this week because there are a lot of people who still want a shot at the machine.
Here’s the condensed video just showing the grip tester:
It looks like we’ll have to come up with something every week now. This is on you, Jeff!
Lobster, and Deep-fried Turkey, and Beef at GDR Tonight
It wouldn’t be a stop in New Brunswick if someone didn’t go buy a bunch of lobster! I may have to stay around and try some of this goodness this evening.
Did you ever watch the show Community? It was a community college everyone was embarrassed to be at and they made jokes about classes you could take. One class was called “Can You Fry That?” We’ve got some of that going on here this evening!
Things to Watch For this Weekend
- Can anyone beat Eve Brodeur in the WMX East? We’re closing in on the last time anyone will get the chance to go after her in this series. She’ll be a full-time working stiff soon and I’m sure babies will be on the way in no time. Get her while you can!
- I think the top 3 are pretty set in WMX (Eve, Jamie Astudillo, and Kaylie Kayer)but who will be 4th? #7W Katrine Ferguson had her best showing last week with a 4th, but you know different riders will be fast on this hard-packed surface.
- Is there a local 2-stroke rider who can compete with Sam Gaynor in the FXR PreMix class?
- How long will #300 Drew Adams hang around before he drops the hammer and gaps the field? It’s almost like he just lurks around for the first couple laps and then lets loose and show everyone who the big dog is. Can he do it the same way on this soil?
- Can local boy Tyler Medaglia go with Kaven Benoit here and make it a good battle for the final spots on the podium?
- Will #402 Gage Linville put the gremlins in the rear view mirrow and battle for a podium this week like he should?
- Can #12 Sebastien Racine get a good start and run with the top dogs?
- Will #59 Wyatt Kerr show us that he’s on par with these guys?
- Will #14 Quinn Amyotte defunk himself and get up where he should be this week?
- #19 Dylan Rempel is on a roll lately. How will he do on this track?
- How far up can #57 Josh Clark put his 250 2-stroke this week?
- Which KTM Canada rider will be victorious this week, Jess Pettis or Josiah Natzke? Who is the better hard-pack rider?
- Both #808 Preston Kilroy and #109 Aaron Tanti seem to be comfortable with how we do things around here, so who steps up and lands on the podium this week?
- Can #84 Tanner Ward put in a podium performance here in the East?
- Will #18 Parker Eales and #292 Payton “Moon Unit” Morningstar find each other in both motos or just one?
- How good are the two enduro guys on this type of track? Who wins between #347 Evan Smith and #723 Ben Nelko this week?
There are a bunch of little stories and battles to keep an eye on.
I’m sitting here in the Honda Canada GDR Fox Racing pits at a table using their wifi. It’s a beehive of activity here right now! I just saw Logan Leitzel arrive, so that’s cool that he’s racing this weekend. I guess he didn’t want to make the drive all the way to Washougal at these gas prices. Not to mention the fact that he’s got to get #469 Jamie Astudillo ready to combat #1 Eve Brodeur all weekend!
My plan is to go for a cycle once everything calms down, but there a pretty strong wind blowing through here at the moment. I guess I’ll wait as long as I can. It usually slows down between 6-7, so I’ll cross my fingers.
OK, looks like I’m running a little late again. Be sure to catch all the action on the RydeTV app or on Fox Sports Racing Canada.
I’ll leave you with the Club MX update for the upcoming Washougal National:
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST SUMMER ROUND…: The trip west will bring a refreshing
stop at Washougal this weekend … until we found out the
temperatures are set for 96 degrees on Saturday. Be that as it
may, the season thus far has been fairly tame compared to
previous years. The entire team is doing a good job of moving up
in the standings each week (for the most part). This is the last
round of new tracks for our rookies. The final stretch of three
races will be familiar territory to everyone and give them a
chance to shine. This weekend in Washougal will also be a
Military Appreciation round. These events are very important to
us, and we will support it with some cool graphics by SKDA. You
will have to wait to see the rest of the bike but rest assured – it will be representative of our appreciation
for the military. New plastics by Acerbis, custom wheels by Dubya and so much more.
PHIL NICOLETTI #36: It sounds redundant, but Phil just keeps
getting good starts and even better finishes. Spring Creek saw
him go 9 – 8 = 8 on the day which has now pushed him up to P16
in the overall SMX standings. Sorry … no SMX LCQ’s for Phil this
year, we will have to find another punchline. Let’s give credit
where credit is due. He has been battling the discomfort in his
knee for quite a while and still shows up for training and still lines
up to compete at the highest level every weekend. It is
impressive by any measure and clearly a lesson for anyone who wants to have a future in this sport.
Washougal will be another good round for Phil where he has had some good results in the past.
MARK FINEIS #705: Mark was well on his way to a good
qualifying session at Spring Creek but unfortunately had a tip
over near the end of the session and tweaked his shoulder. The
amount of discomfort led the team to make the decision to sit
out the round and live to fight another day. He sits thirty-fourth
in the SMX standings but with one more good round will start to
move him up quickly. Washougal will be a first time visit for the rookie, but Mark is a quick study. He has worked on his starts all week and will be ready to go this
weekend.
JETT REYNOLDS #99: Jett had another good round at Spring
Creek with 14 – 11 = 12 scores, but that does not tell the entire
story. He was amped up to go in moto two and just barely
escaped the carnage of the first turn pile up. He clipped
another rider and punctured his front brake line in the process.
Yes, Jett ran the entire moto with no front brake!!! Imagine
going down mount martin after the rain, with NO FRONT
BRAKE. WE all have a new level of respect for him after that
single moto. Jett is brimming with confidence as he continues to build and overcome any obstacle put
before him. Washougal gives him yet another opportunity to show his continued growth in what should
be a great weekend.
COTY SCHOCK #69: Coty sent the team some videos of his rehab process and he is making good progress.
It is just a matter of time when we will announce his return to training and then his return to racing. We
will keep you posted as he makes advances.
RaiseIt4USA: The website www.RaiseIt4USA.com is live. We have
collected quite a few items to raffle off and raise money for the teams
representing the USA at the MXoN event in October.
One of the most recent additions was an autographed poster by James
Stewart. A collectible for sure. It was donated by the group at We Went
Fast and we appreciate the support.
Please check out the site and help to promote it. In addition, items for
sale like T-Shirts, hats and sock are available online and at the Moto
Tees trucks at the races.
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