Frid’Eh Update #30 | Austin Jones | Brought to You by RP Race Performance
Week #30 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update belongs to Austin Jones and is brought to you by RP Race Performance
By Billy Rainford
Welcome to Week #30 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update brought to you by RP Race Performance.
We’re now on Day 2 of the 2024 ECAN here at Motocross Deschambault. When the day ended yesterday, the skies opened up and dumped a bunch more water on the track. Tim Tremblay just cycled past me as I sit at a picnic table in front of the pro shop. He was in the first moto in the +30 A moto and acted as a mop. It was pretty wet, and this place can take a lot of rain!
As I type this, we’re on our first break in the action and I look forward to a drying track for the rest of the day. It’s supposed to be sunny and warm the rest of the weekend, ending with a 30C day on Pro Day Sunday.
Direct Motocross: Hey, Austin. You’re back with the MX101 FXR Yamaha team this season. How long have you been with them and how did you first land there?
Austin Jones: This is year 5 with the crew. I first landed here when there was an open spot due to (Luke) Renzland not returning to the team. At the time I had been helping Jamie Powell out on the mechanical side of things while still racing and everything slowly just fell into place with a bike and the rest that comes along with racing.
You came out and had some pretty good results out west! Can you take us through how Calgary, Raymond, and Manitoba went for you?
I went into Calgary sick so I was in survival mode for round 1. The following weekends were much better. It was good to get back racing at some familiar tracks and come away with some great results. It’s always nice to have a good start to the season to prove that off season work is paying off.
What did you think of those tracks?
I normally struggle with the tracks out west but this year I really enjoyed the track and the results. I thought the tracks were great for all 3 rounds, the crews did a great job, especially the Pilot Mound crew.
What did you get up to on the couple week break we had after that?
A lot of dirt bikes. I was either fixing them or riding. I was able to fit in some fun getting out on the boat a few times with Preston (Kilroy). Surfing was a nice little break, but I’m always eager to get back to dirt bikes.
Can you take us through what happened at Gopher Dunes (38-40 for 40th)?
The #30 machine had spark plug issues in both motos unfortunately which caused two DNF’s.
Haha Thank, KT… And then you weren’t too happy when I saw you at the end of the day at Sand Del Lee. What happened there?
I had been getting good starts up until the SDL weekend. I started in the back and tried to charge through as quickly as possible. My impatience ended up causing me to crash more than once which really set me back. It was a good learning experience and now I can carry those lessons forward to future races.
You toughed out some decent motos at Riverglade (18-11 for 13th). How did that round go for you?
The 11th was okay. First moto I was just struggling to get into the race pace then tipped over. It was good to rebound with that 11th and get some momentum back heading to the sand at Deschambault.
You’re sitting 13th with 4 motos left to race. How are you feeling and what are you hoping for at Deschambault and Walton?
I’m feeling good. It’s time to get back to where we belong inside that top 10, that’s all I’ll accept from myself.
With Shawn Maffenbeier retiring, what’s the vibe like over there without him as sort of the elder-statesman/mentor/team leader? Who’s taken on that role, if anyone?
The vibe this year is awesome and it’s been a pleasure to be around these guys every weekend. Shawn taught us the ins and outs of a program that has shown it can win a 250 title, even though he’s not around as much, he still supports me on and off the bike.
Do you hit the big jump at Deschambault every lap? Do you like the track this weekend?
Yep, definitely every lap; it’s a nice place to relax a little! I do like the track this weekend. The dirt feels a lot like home at SDL, and the elevation changes make it even better.
Not counting these last couple rounds, you’ve look to have improved nicely this season. What does the future look like for you?
Thank you! As of right now the plan is to head to Budds Creek and Ironman for the last two AMA rounds then at the end of September head over to Matterley Basin with the Canadian MXON crew.
What’s the funniest thing that’s happened over there in the MX101 pits so far this season?
There’s always a story, it seems. The stories have come from the after hours of racing so I better not say much. It’s been pretty calm under the tent on race weekends, but Seb (Sebastien Racine) duct taping his foot pegs to keep the mud out was a good laugh.
Kaven or Drew? Jess or Josiah?
Going to have to go with the experience here and give the nod to Kaven and Jess.
OK, thanks for the chat, and good luck with these last 2 rounds. Who would you like to thank?
Thank you! Obviously have to thank KT and the MX101 FXR Racing team as well as everyone else who supports myself and the team. None of this is possible without all of you!
You can follow along with the live timing here at the ECAN HERE.
They mentioned that a couple years ago there only had around 450 entries. Since the AMO Racing gang has taken over, they’ve seen entries balloon to around 850 for this year’s event. That’s a great sign for racing in Quebec and racing in general.
It also helps that Ron Cameron and his crew of quality medics make the place feel a lot safer for the racers. I’ve already seen them spring into action a few times. Hey, it’s dirt bike racing…it’s gonna happen.
They just announced a change to the schedule to avoid having the 65 classes out on this wet track. We’re about to get back to racing, so I’ll head back out on the track.
OK, I’m back and I can see that it’s not 4:00pm. It’s tough to get a lot of updates in the…Update on the multi-day race weeks.
Keep an eye on France French rider #331 Adrien Malaval on Sunday in the 450 class. He’s pretty fast and beat Tim Tremblay in Pro Am moto 3. Tim is fast here and is usually a top 5 threat, so Adrien should be competitive in the Pro class.
Wouldn’t it be cool if MX Deschambault had a full team next year and Adrien was on it? It could happen! Wink, wink.
OK, enjoy your weekend and we’ll see you at the races…
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