Frid’Eh Update #37 | Max Filipek | Brought to You by TLD Moto
By Billy Rainford
Welcome to Week #37 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update this week brought to you by TLD Moto. We’re going to have to be short and sweet this week, as we’re heading over to Gopher Dunes to try out the new Sur-Ron bikes this afternoon and even line up to race one of these things at 5:30. Try not to laugh.
Graeme Jones is the Marketing Guy for Sur-Ron and he’s got us set up on one of their 2 Sur-Ron bikes for the race. MXP will also be lining up but it won’t be Brett Lee on the bike to go bar-to-bar with me. No, it will be ringer #40 Preston Masciangelo on the bike! No pressure, Preston…
Making up the rest of the field will be actual customers on their own bikes. It should be a lot of fun. Last time I raced this Pee Wee track at The Dunes it was a wheel-to-wheel battle with Brett on stock 110’s or maybe 125’s, I don’t even know. Anyway, it would have been a blast to go at it again.
Anyway, #37 is Max Filipek from Grimsby. Ontario. He’s been on everyone’s radar since he was young and I think his dad, Robert Filipek, and I were at a lot of the same races when we were both young. It was a while ago, you can’t expect either of us to remember.
Max didn’t head west to start the series but jumped in when we got to the east. He’s actually apprenticing to be a plumber under Jason Burke. Here’s a look at this summer 450 series:
As you can see, he finished 15ht in the series without doing the 3 western rounds. We grabbed him for a quick chat this week to talk about everything.
Direct Motocross: Hey, Max. I’m not sure how far back we’ve gone in the past, but I know your dad raced around Ontario back in my days as a kid. I think we know how you got started in the sport but can you tell us how you chose your first race number? I haven’t asked anyone that in a while.
Max Filipek: I wanted one of my old man’s numbers from when he raced and I had the choice between 13 and 343. I liked the three-digit number better. Haha.
Who did you come up through the amateur ranks with?
I came up with Kyle Brown. There were very few races we weren’t together at growing up.
I know you did the Mini O’s but did you guys chase any other big American Amateur Nationals? Which ones and how did they go, if you did?
We tried to go for Loretta’s in the B class and that didn’t go great. One year at my regional at Baja Acres I ate it on the start in my first moto and I hurt my arm. The following year at Red Bud, again ate it in the first turn and got concussed. I never made it around the first turn! Haha.
You didn’t go out west for the first 3 rounds this summer. How come?
The cost to go out west for 3 rounds was just too high for us with fuel and everything. Plus, working full-time it would have been too much time off.
What is it you do for work when you’re not riding or racing?
I’m working full-time doing my plumbing apprenticeship with Jason Burke. We also do custom fab work and installations for Sunguard (My parents’ business with their partners Cory and Michel).
You ended up 15th in 450 MX. Are you happy with how you did?
I’m super happy with 15th overall! I never achieved my goal of cracking the top 10 but we got close. I feel like I could’ve had some more speed at certain rounds but I’m going to try and change a few things for next year to be better.
Oh, I know you had some major issues getting from River Glade to Deschambault. Can you give people an idea of what you guys had to deal with and how you made it work?
Where do I even start?! On our way to Moncton we hydrolocked and blew our motor. Luckily, the shop we brought our truck to in New Brunswick knew a guy who hauls campers and he offered to drive us to Moncton. Super nice guy! So he drove us to Moncton, then picked us up after the race and took us to Deschambault and then after Deschambault he picked us up and drove us home. In the meantime between rounds Wyatt and Andy Kerr as well as Breanna Rose helped us get to tracks for practice and whatnot between rounds.
Your best finish was an 11th overall at Gopher Dunes. Are you a sand guy? Were you expecting that to be your best result?
Definitely a sand guy; Gophers is my home track. I ride there a ton, so I definitely had some extra confidence going into that round.
But now we didn’t see you at Round 1 of the Supercross portion of the series. Are you taking a pass on this “indoor” stuff?
Yeah, I’m passing on it! Not having any time between outdoors and Supercross, a bike properly set up and nowhere to practice. I just couldn’t justify doing the indoor stuff. I would prefer to see a longer Canadian outdoor series in the future.
Will you do some more local racing this fall?
Yeah, I’m going to do the last AMO race at Gopher and I’m planning to do a little more racing in western New York since it’s easier to go over the border now. The tracks are amazing over there.
What are your winter plans?
As for now, I’m just going to keep working away with Jason and hopefully take a few weeks in March to head down to Florida to see Rob Burkhart and get back into shape.
Will you chase the entire series in 2023?
That’s the plan! I really want to go out west. I’ve never been.
Are you going to make the trip to Red Bud for the MXON? If not…YOU SHOULD!
Unfortunately, I’m not! My best buddy rented a cottage for his birthday and he’s one of my biggest supporters so I owe it to him to go. Haha.
OK, thanks for taking some time with us, Max. See you over at Gopher Dunes. Who would you like to thank?
I would like to really thank everyone that supports me: my mom and dad, Sunguard Awnings and Patio, Peak Powersports, Simply Moto, Journey Plumbing, Ogs Optics, MP1 Suspension, SSR Steve Simms, Barry Cullen Chevrolet, CFF Stainless, Fasst Company, Fusion Graphix, Hinson, Dirt Trick Sprockets, Nuetech, Risk Racing, ODI Grips, Troy Lee Designs, Works Connection, Boyesen Racing, Ride Engineering, Shellbourne Fuels, Tamer Holeshot, Acerbis.
2022 Team Canada MXON Go Fund Me
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the 2022 Team Canada MXON team at Red Bud MX:
We have set up this Go Fund Me page on behalf of the riders and team members representing Canada at the 57th running of the Motocross of Nations in Buchanan, Michigan, September 24 & 25.
34 countries have entered the race known as the biggest event on the World Motocross calendar. Up to 80,000 spectators are expected to attend and the event is televised worldwide.
Riding in the MX1 class will be 4-time and current Canadian 450 Champion Dylan Wright. The 24-year-old lives in Drummondville, Quebec. He rides for the Honda Canada GDR Fox Racing team.
Canada’s MX2 rider is Minnedosa, Manitoba’s Ryder McNabb. The 16-year-old also rides for Honda Canada GDR Fox Racing and is the current Canadian Champion in the 250 (MX2) class. He will become the youngest rider to represent Canada at the MXON.
Riding the MX 3 class is Brookfield, Nova Scotia’s Tyler Medaglia. The 35- year-old, known as “Captain Canada,” has been on Team Canada at the MXON more than any other rider. Tyler was 2nd in the 450 class at this year’s Canadian Nationals. He rides the for the GasGas Cobeqiud Callus team.
The riders and support crew attend the event with no remuneration and limited sponsorship for travel, hotel and an expansive pit set up at the event. Any support to help cover the costs involved would be greatly appreciated.
Click HERE to donate.
#92 Isabella Morgan Injury Update
#92 Isabella Morgan was the one to beat in the Women’s class at the FIM North American Championship at Motopark last weekend. She also raced the Supermini class and was in the mix there, too.
She jumped out front in the second Women’s moto and was looking to close out the weekend with another win when she jumped off the side of a tabletop and crashed hard.
She would get herself up and think about getting back in the race, but then it became obvious that all was not good.
They decided to put her on a backboard for precautions and she headed off to the hospital to get checked out. Good thing.
From her dad, David Morgan:
“Bella sustained T7 vertebrae burst fracture. This is her second broken back this season. Prior was T12 and L5 vertebrae wedge fractures. She is up and moving and in great spirits. This injury is season-ending, however, she will be back and ready to rock in 2023.
“In that pick with Bella standing, you can ask Zeb Dennis, Bella was getting ready to finish the moto only one lap down with no clutch lever. Zeb said he would bump start her if she was prepared to remount and finish. She has the nickname “Monsta” for a reason. Lol We are very proud of her and also extremely nervous about her next couple years. She only knows fight till the checkered flag comes out!“
Heal up, Bella.
OK, i’ve got to get over to Gopher Dunes to get a little seat time on this electric bike. Next week at this time, we’ll be coming to you from Red Bud and the 2022 Motocross of Nations!
I’ve decided I’m going to take in the full experience and camp out at the track for the weekend. I haven’t done that there in a long time and I’m actually looking forward to it. I’m getting old so my memory is short, I guess. Anyway, wish me luck.
Like I said, short and sweet. Have a great weekend.
So proud of how hard you work and how focused you are Max!!!! May God bless you and protect you!😊🙏🏻❤️