Frid’Eh Update #29 Presented by KTM Canada
By Jeff McConkey and Billy Rainford
Week #29 belongs to Quebec rider, Jeremy Pronovost|Bigwave photo
Welcome to the 29th week of the DMX Frid’Eh Update presented by KTM Canada. It’s never good when the rider who is highlighted in the Update is out with an injury, but that’s where we find ourselves this week. Jeremy Pronovost was looking forward to a solid eastern swing of the Rockstar MX Nationals this summer when his plans were changed due to a crash at Ste Julie.
We grabbed him for a chat shortly after his crash. Here is what he had to say about it:
#29 Jeremy Pronovost will miss 3 months after a crash at Ste. Julie will keep him off the bike|Bigwave photo
Quebec Pro rider, #29 Jeremy Pronovost, has been an up-and-coming rider for the past few years at the Pro level. He wasn’t planning on doing the entire Rockstar Energy MX Nationals this season and instead focused on the Quebec Provincials until the series came east toward him.
Unfortunately, his plans have been dashed after a crash this past weekend at Ste. Julie has taken him out of competition. We spoke with him briefly this morning to find out how he’s doing.
Jeremy has “compressed a vertebrae in my back and I will be off the bike for 3 months. It sucks because I really think I could have done it this year – I was first in the Provincial Championship.”
We asked him when thought he’d be back and he optimistically said, “Let’s hope I’m good to do Deschambault, but I highly doubt it.”
About the actual crash itself, Jeremy said, “I high-sided a tabletop at Ste. Julie and [then] I can’t tell you!”
Take care of yourself, Jeremy. Give yourself the time to completely heal and we’ll look forward to seeing you back when you are ready.
Get well soon, Jeremy|Jeremy Facebook screen capture
So, we got in touch with him today to talk about some lighter things like how last year went and what he wants to do when he recovers. Here’s how that conversation went:
The only highlight that I had was battling with Tim Tremblay to the finish line at X-Town, but then I was able to beat him a couple of races. Pretty amazing that he got 13th in the last moto at Southwick. Wish I could’ve race it.
Will Jeremy be at Ulverton this weekend? “Of course. I’m on my way right now to check out amateur practice!”|Bigwave photo
Good luck, Jeremy, and are you telling me that for now he’s Jeremy Pro-No-Mo? I had to. I can’t help myself!
This week’s Update is brought to you by KTM Canada.
Jeff McConkey
Hi, guys. Well, we all survived the heat and roughness at Gopher Dunes and we are now on our way to Ulverton, Quebec. I truly believe we witnessed the best racing of the season in both classes at Round 5. With the conditions so tough at the Dunes, we found out who put in the off-season work, and who didn’t. Big props to Digg (Derek Schuster) and Wayne (Carroll) from Gopher and their fantastic crew who really made this a great event.
Gopher Dunes National
In MX2 action, we had a surprise guest show up in Dakota Alix. Dakota instantly made his presence felt by jumping into the lead in corner 2, and leaving the pack behind. I honestly didn’t think anyone had a chance of catching him, let alone passing him. Late in the moto, Cole Thompson was able to get within striking distance and made the pass. Cole wasn’t the only rider on the gas in moto 1. After mis-timing the start gate (again), MX101’s Dylan Wright put on an absolute clinic and was able to make it back to 3rd at the checkers.
Moto 2 welcomed back GDR Honda’s Jeremy Medaglia with the holeshot, but it wasn’t meant to be as Jeremy was forced to pull off shortly after with concussion-like symptoms. It is unknown at this time if we will see Jeremy return to action this season. Brad Nauditt will now join Jeremy and Colton Facciotti and represent the Honda Canada GDR Fox Racing squad for the remainder of the season. Shawn Maffenbeier had a somewhat off weekend and finished off the podium even though he almost won the second moto.
Heading into Ulverton, I expect the group of Dakota Alix, Shawn Maffenbeier, Mark Worth, Dylan Wright and Jess Pettis all to be fighting for the podium this weekend. I feel that this group of riders will all ride the Ulverton circuit very well and give us some great racing. Here are my MX2 predictions for Round 6:
MX2
1st Cole Thompson
2nd Shawn Maffenbeier
3rd Mark Worth
4th Dakota Alix
5th Dylan Wright
Jeff has #4 Cole Thompson penciled in for the MX2 win this week|Spikman photo
In MX1 action heading into Ulverton, I’m willing to bet that this is the round that Kaven Benoit lands on the podium. He looked fantastic out front last week and with the hometown crowd – Benoit will be on it. He rides Ulverton great, and I think he’s finally believing in how good he really is. Confidence is a dangerous thing, and Kaven should have it by now. Mike Alessi should also be one to watch. Mike has finally found his starts, now he just needs to put it all together. But then you have Davi Millsaps. Davi has been incredible at every round so far, so there is no reason to think it will stop now. I’d like to tell you that someone else is going to go 1-1, but that isn’t likely.
The action throughout the top 3 and top 5 should really start to heat up as Matt Goerke is finally having a little better luck, and teammate Brett Metcalfe looks to have started to figure out his Yamaha. The top 5 in this class is so talented and so close, it’s really hard to make my poor predictions. One minute I think Goerke is going to be the next guy behind Davi, then 5 minutes later I think it’s Alessi. It really is a hard job, but can anyone be as wrong as many times as I have been? I doubt it. Anyways, here’s how I think it’s going to go down at Ulverton:
MX1
1st Davi Millsaps
2nd Matt Goerke
3rd Kaven Benoit
4th Mike Alessi
5th Brett Metcalfe
And #118 Davi Millsaps on top of the MX1 podium|Spikman photo
Women’s East Nationals
The Women will hit the track in Ulverton for their 2nd round of the East. At Round 1, Eve Brodeur looked flawless as she cruised to a 1-1. Former champ Jacqueline Ross looked like she is the only lady that actually has a chance at beating Eve straight up. I’m expecting big things again from Shannon Fleming on Quebec soil. Last year, we were graced with the appearance of Jessica Patterson. I haven’t heard anything as of yet, but you just never know. Here are my Ulverton predictions pour les femmes:
1st Eve Brodeur
2nd Jacqueline Ross
3rd Shannon Fleming
4th Megan Brodeur
5th Kim Normandin
Jeff has #1E Eve Brodeur winning again in Ulverton this week|Spikman photo
Very short for me this week. The land of techno music and poutine awaits. Be sure to check out this weeks ‘Out of the Blue‘ with Emily Young. And how about Tim Tremblay Qualifying 4th at Southwick then getting a 13th in moto 2. Super-cool, Congrats Tim! Have a great weekend, I’ll see you in Ulverton and remember to #smileforBC!
Billy Rainford
Whew, what a week! I thought it was going to go a lot smoother since Gopher Dunes is less than an hour away from DMX World HQ but I guess if a machine has moving parts and stuff, it will eventually give you problems. I’m this close to going out and just replacing my Mac Book Pro. These things are only good when they do what they’re supposed to do. You know, stay on! It gets a little frustrating when you’re 12 minutes into a video edit and it shuts off for you…5 times! Ugh!
I had to get the latest version of the video editing program – that helped but didn’t solve the main issue. I updated to El Capitan OS – I’m not sure that did anything, but it did take up the better part of an afternoon! After a little Google work, I’ve learned that this particular machine had a video card recall that was good for 3 years. I’m well past that date so let’s talk fast!
I remember the days when I did all my ‘journalistic’ work on an Acer laptop I got from a Russian guy behind a Petro Canada in North York! That’s an interesting story. In hindsight, that thing really wasn’t so bad.
Anyway, to make a long story short (too late), I’ve been playing catch up all week long here. I apologize if our usual post-race features were behind schedule. We’ll get this ship righted and move forward at full steam at Ulverton this week. No, I didn’t get a new video card yet, but I’ll cut down on the coffee so my patience are a little extended and this MAC doesn’t end up going through the window. I really shouldn’t make promises I can’t keep!
Tim Tremblay Qualifies 4th, Takes 13th in 450 Moto 2 at Southwick
Have we all sat back and taken a better look at that?! This was Tim Tremblay‘s first AMA Pro race! He’s 29, headed to the toughest track on the Lucas Oil circuit and qualified 4th fastest against the best. Yes, he was in the unseeded group so the track was a lot smoother (he admits to the benefit of that), but who cares?! That was huge! He had problems in the first moto and then went out and took 13th
He’ll be in Ulverton this weekend so we’ll be sure to catch up with him and talk about the whole experience. He got TV time on the broadcast and Racer X gave him a Privateer Profile interview on their site this week. You can read that HERE. He was also running Brady Sheren‘s #611. Well done, Tim.
Tim Tremblay has a big day at his first AMA Pro National|Bigwave photo
Brad Nauditt to Honda Canada GDR Fox Racing
When #14 Jeremy Medaglia went out with concussion-like symptoms after his crash at round 2 in Nanaimo, I think we all looked to Brad Nauditt as the guy who is most suited to fill the boots at GDR. Well, Jeremy tried to come back last weekend at Gopher Dunes and was just unable to do it. We all know too well how these concussions work.
Anyway, Brad is already riding a Honda and he’s sitting in 3rd place in MX2 after 5 rounds. He’s the obvious choice as a top rider for the team. Good luck to everyone…especially Jeremy.
Graham Scott Injury Update
It’s extra great that Brad got picked up by GDR because his MX1 teammate, #49 Graham Scott, has been forced to call it a season and has headed back to BC to take care of his knee. We caught up with him as he was driving west:
Graham Scott Calls It a Season, Heads Home
By Billy Rainford
#49 Graham Scott from Vancouver Island will sit out the remainder of the season with an injury|Bigwave photo
SG Powersports Scotty Motorsports Honda Canada rider, #49 Graham Scott, earned the #49 for the 2016 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals. The 20-year-old Victoria, BC native was looking forward to his best MX1 season to date and even broke the top 10 in a moto at round 2 at The Wastelands in Nanaimo, BC and finished a season high 12th overall.
He and his dad put together a solid effort heading into this season with none other than Washington State’s #18 Brad Nauditt on the team as their MX2 rider. Unfortunately, while he was getting ready to race at Gopher Dunes this past weekend, he dabbed his left foot a couple times, awkwardly. He immediately felt some knee pain and the joint would occasionally “lock up” – not good.
He decided to sit out Gopher Dunes and went to get checked out at a sports physiotherapist Monday who told him he had a “torn meniscus” in his left knee. He was already beaten up a little from a crash at the 3rd round in Calgary where he hit his head and hurt his shoulder.
They have decided to call an end to the season and were actually in a rain storm somewhere near Thunder Bay, Ontario, headed west when we got in touch with him. Graham hopes to let the knee heal and race a BC series in September. They are unsure if the knee will require surgery at this time and will go to their usual doctor for further evaluation when they return to Vancouver Island.
Good luck with your recovery, Graham (who was quick to point out that he will be back in 2017).
Brock Leitner to Return to Racing at Pleasant Valley
Brock Leitner broke his scapula out in California after an extremely busy winter of racing. He was coming into the season with high hopes of moving himself up the ranks. Well, a broken shoulder blade took him out of action, but we will see him in action as early as Pleasant Valley next weekend out in Truro, Nova Scotia.
He’s been riding out at his property in Summerland, BC and even had Justin Thompson out to their place to help build the practice track. Good luck getting back at it, Brock, and we’ll see you net week out on the track!
Brock Leitner will return to racing next week at Pleasant Valley in Truro, NS|Bigwave photo
Rockstar MX Nationals Point Standings after 5 Rounds
Dylan Kaelin to Race Washougal National
Dylan Kaelin was impressing all of us at the first few rounds of the Canadian Nationals when work and ‘real life’ took him back. Well, he’s setting himself up to head across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon, to race the Washougal National, July 23rd.
If you’re anything like me, you dreamed of this track when you were a young kid. Especially if you were from a non-mountainous area like me. It was Motocross Shangri-La. You just wanted to experience it. Dylan Kaelin is one of those riders who is from Ontario and grew up watching this place on TV and in videos, and now it looks like he’ll get his chance to take a run at it.
Best of luck, Dylan. We’ll be watching!
Here’s a shot from his Facebook page displaying his Lime Nine graphics for the event:
#529 Broc Loftus – Let’s Give this Guy a Lift
If you’re at the races this weekend at Ulverton MX, let’s all show this super-hard-working rider, #529 Broc Loftus, some special attention. Each year, it seems a story like this gets leaked about someone going to the edge of the earth and back just to be at the races. Broc’s story isn’t the first highlighting the plight of the average rider trying to race Pro, and it surely won’t be the last…but it’s the one we’re witnessing right now!
I have yet to actually say more than ‘hello’ to Broc, but, as the story goes, he and his dad got turned away from Southwick and headed north to Gopher Dunes in their van, or pick up. Yes, the one you’ve heard they famously slept on cardboard underneath when they had no hotel to stay in.
Anyway, let’s all say hello to Brock this weekend and welcome him to Canada and wish him luck – it sounds like they really need and deserve it.
Let’s all give #529 Broc Loftus some extra help this weekend in Ulverton|Bigwave photo
James Stewart to Return this Weekend at Millville
AMA Points after Round 14 of 19
If you love stats…
Thanks, MX Sports!
2nd Annual KTM East Supermini Nationals
The KTM Super Mini Nationals will return for the second year on the amateur day prior to selected rounds of the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals.
Three rounds will take place in both the Eastern and Western Canadian series, featuring top Super Mini riders from across the country. It’s their chance to race a prestigious series in front of thousands of fans, which will allow each rider to showcase their talent to manufacturers and professional teams and show them the next rising star in Canada.
Every Super Mini rider across the country will be in attendance to shoot for the grand prize, a 2017 KTM 85SX motorcycle. Make sure to come out to watch the rising stars of Canadian motocross on Saturday’s amateur day at the following Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross National rounds:
2016 KTM EASTERN CANADIAN SUPER MINI NATIONALS
July 9 Gopher Dunes, Courtland, ON
July 16 Motocross Ulverton, Ulverton, QC
August 13 RJ Motosport Park, Barrie, ON
#527 Jake Tricco will be tough to beat but he’s also heading to Loretta Lynn’s so I’m not sure if he’ll be at all 3 rounds. #111 Lawrence Fortin III is traveling with Shannon Fleming so he’ll be ready to slot into the lead should Tricoo miss a round. We’re back at it this weekend. The Ulverton track is a pretty big place to be ripping up that fast on a Supermini! It should be good.
#527 Jake Tricco is the guy to beat in the 2016 KTM East Supermini Nationals|Bigwave photo
OK, we’ve made it through the construction that started in Waterloo, Ontario, and took us bumper-to-bumper all the way through Toronto to Oshawa. It’s time to continue our drive on to Drummondville, PQ. Be sure to check in as Jeff keeps everyone updated on Twitter and Instagram from Ulverton MX all weekend. Have a great weekend, and good luck wherever you ride or race.
See you at the races…|Bigwave photo
