Frid’Eh Update #4 Presented by Troy Lee Designs Canada
By Jeff McConkey and Billy Rainford
Week #4 belongs to Brigden, Ontario’s Cole Thompson. ~ Spikman photo
Welcome to another Frid’Eh Update here at Direct Motocross this week brought to you by Troy Lee Designs Canada. We’re into week #4 and that belongs to the rider who is currently lining up weekly to race the 250 West SX series. Brigden, Ontario’s Cole Thompson is a racer. He wants to race and compete with the best and did everything he could and had to to make that a reality. It takes the support of a committed and loving family to take someone from doing circles in their front yard to racing Monster Energy AMA Supercross.
Cole is a big reason so many Canadians tune in (those who can) each week to watch Supercross. Cole was one of the riders embroiled in that tooth and nail battle for wins in the MX1 class at the 2015 Rockstar Energy MX Nationals.
Cole’s 2015 results: 5, 1, 2, 4, 13, 4, 4, 2, 4, 2 = 462 points = 4th overall
Cole is in the middle of recovering from a pretty rough day at Angel’s Stadium last week, so we didn’t really want to bug him AGAIN. Fortunately, his shoulder didn’t suffer any INjury, just bad bruising. This means he will be on the line this weekend as the series heads north to Oakland, CA. Instead, here is the conversation we had with him Monday when he still wasn’t sure of the extent of the damage he’d done in his 2 solid get-offs:
The Track:
It was mainly the first set (of whoops). You had such a long run into them that you almost had to find the right amount of speed. That was my thing. I’m a little bit timid, especially coming in that fast. I wasn’t really hitting them that hard, especially first practice. They were really really big and hadn’t really broken down yet. I was just trying to get through them. Literally, I just dumped the front end for a second and just went straight into the next whoop and went down.
The actual rhythms on the track, I thought were really good. It was just that first set of whoops. The second set were a little bit more mellow but they gave people trouble too.
I think [the whoops] were a standard 10-pack, it’s just I think they were a little bit more advanced and the run in…you’re usually coming into them from a corner where you don’t have as much momentum and here you had a lot of momentum going into them so were were hitting them at a faster speed. I think that was part of it too. You could easily hit them in 4th gear. They were big whoops to hit that fast.
The Week between Sand Diego and A2:
It was a good week; we went back a did starts. I stuck to my usual program and kept up with all my training. I went into the weekend just making sure I was 100%. We made some changes on the bike.
Cole worked on starts this week and it showed as he got off to a 4th-place start in his heat race. – Bigwave photo
Practice and Qualifying:
The first practice was going really good until I hit the whoops and just – it could happen to anybody – just dropped the front end really quick and they were brand new, the 3rd practice out there. I think we were the first practice to really start skimming them, so they were still really fresh. It was really tacky and I just stuffed the front end and kind of flipped over, but when I flipped over I think I hit my chest really hard and knocked the wind out of myself. By the time I got my wind back, got checked out by the doctors, I went back for second practice and was still a little bit sore and beat up but not too bad.
I smashed my nose…I bleeding out my nose. I was coughing up some blood from the impact on my chest. (It was) just a mess, pretty much. I bit my cheek a bit. It was a little bit of a wake-up call on just how Supercross can sometimes come up and bite you. After that, I was in the medical unit for maybe 10-15 minutes and they were just checking everything. Everything was fine.
In second practice, I was still kind of learning the track. Going out for the final practice, I felt really good on the bike and everything was kind of flowing. I did my first two laps and was going to do another lap that was hard and clipped a Tuff block in the sand section and, for some reason, it shoved my front end out really quick and just shot me straight down into the ground. I hit my shoulder pretty good. I got back up right away and tried getting back on the bike and riding but it was bugging me a bit so I pulled off from practice and went back and healed up.
The night show came and I went over and got some assistance form the doctors at the Asterisk Medical Unit to put some tape on the shoulder. Right away, I think like three corners in, I was feeling the pain pretty good. It was just to the point where I couldn’t really control the bike and then I couldn’t really control the throttle. I figured it was a little more serious than just a sore shoulder so I decided to call it a night early. I only finished the first lap and I pulled off.
It was hard for me to pull off but, at that time, it was just getting kind of scary where I couldn’t exactly control myself enough and control the situation so I I figured it was better to be safe than sorry, for sure.
I had put myself in a good situation [Cole rounded the first corner in his heat in 4th or 5th place]. By the second set of whoops, I was having a tough time working the throttle because my whole arm was numb. I’ve ridden before with sore shoulders and hips and knees, but it’s a little different when something’s not working.
Coming off the finish line, I landed and knew I couldn’t go more than that…I was about to fall off the bike. It was a tough call to make.
Cole crashed hard twice and then was forced out of his heat race while running 5th after the first lap. – Tyler Spikman photo
The Main Event:
There was no main event for Cole this week.
Plan for the Week:
I’m still sore today. [Are you sore or injured?] I don’t know yet. There’s not much I can really tell you. I’ve had injuries before with my shoulder. It seems decent but it could just mean that I hit it a little bit harder than usual. I go see the doctor tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. He pretty much predicted everything that was wrong with my knee before I had the MRI. He’s a really smart doctor that deals with athletes. He can give me an idea of whether I need to go get an MRI or not. That’s the toughest past – not knowing what it is. If I need the MRI then I’ll go get one and if not I’ll just start doing rehab.
My whole body is still recovering from the aches and pains. [So, no idea about this weekend in Oakland, right?] No, no idea at the moment. I’ll go day by day and know more tomorrow. I can ride a bicycle so I can keep my fitness up but, as far as dirt bikes go, I won’t practice again until I’m 100%.
We’ll have to wait for the official word on whether or not Cole can get back on the bike right away or not. He has an appointment with the doctor Tuesday morning. – Bigwave photo
Results:
Qualifying – 22nd
Heat 1 – DNF
Main Event – DNS
Sponsors: YP.com, Nuclear Blast, Slaton Racing, KTM, Fox Racing, FMF, Factory Connection, Justified Cultures, Dunlop Tires, Mastel Linens, Rekluse, Motographix, Xtring, SKF, InnTeck, DID, Dubya, Acerbis, Renthal, Motorex, Works Connection, Matrix Concepts, TM Designworks, VP Racing Fuels, Motool, Dirty Motosports, Guts Racing
The Good News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tough Night in Anaheim, YP.com Nuclear Blast KTM Set Sights on Oakland Round
(January 26, 2016) – It was a rough weekend for the whole YP.com Nuclear Blast KTM team as the Monster Energy Supercross series circled back to Angel Stadium for the second and final stop in Anaheim of 2016.
Despite both riders looking and feeling good from the start of the respective practice sessions, things turned bad in a hurry. Two vicious crashes left proven top 10 threat Cole Thompson on the ground, while Zac Commans had problems of his own struggling to find the bike set up required to navigate the extremely technical Anaheim track.
Even with their issues, both Zac and Cole qualified for the night show with ease.
With 42,943 fans in attendance, the team’s struggles continued. After grabbing a top 5 start in his heat race, Cole Thompson pulled off the track and out of the night program after only one lap. Complaining of shoulder pain, Thompson had this to say, “Right away, I think like three corners in [to the heat race], I was feeling the pain pretty good. It was just to the point where I couldn’t really control the bike and then I couldn’t really control the throttle. I figured it was a little more serious than just a sore shoulder so I decided to call it a night early.”
Cole was re-evaluated Tuesday and his scans on the injured shoulder came back clear. He will test it again on Thursday, but we plan on having the #127 on the line in Oakland.
Zac Commans couldn’t overcome bad starts and the rookie missed the night show for the first time in his young career.
The series now heads north as the YP.com Nuclear Blast KTM team rolls into to Oakland this weekend to do battle live on FOX Sports 1. The pre-race show on FS1 will begin at 6:30pm PT / 9:30pm ET, followed by live coverage of the race at 7pm PT / 10pm ET.
Make sure you stop by the Slaton Racing pits to meet Zac Commans (Instagram/Twitter: @zaccommans), Cole Thompson (Instagram/Twitter: colethompson16), and rest of the YP.com Nuclear Blast KTM team all season long!
For more information on Slaton Racing and its sponsors, follow us on Instagram, Twitter (@slatonracing), and Slaton Racing on Facebook.
2016 Sponsors:
YP.com, Nuclear Blast Records, ESP Guitars, Slaton Racing, KTM, FXR Racing, FMF, Factory Connection, Justified Cultures, Dunlop Tires, Mastel Linens, DC Shoes, Rekluse, Motographix, Xtring, SKF, InnTeck, DID, Dubya, Acerbis, Renthal, Motorex, Works Connection, Matrix Concepts, TM Designworks, VP Racing Fuels, Motool, D!rty Motosports, Guts Racing
Cole Thompson – Lake Elsinore MX from Directmotocross.com on Vimeo.
Week #4 is presented by Troy Lee Designs Canada. (@tldcanada)
Jeff McConkey
Hey, guys, Happy Frid’eh…At first we were counting down the days until the start of Supercross. Now, the countdown is to the Toronto round for most of us, and then not far away comes the countdown to outdoors. In Southern Ontario, the AMO and MMRS have released their schedules, and there’s a lot to be excited about. I had a nice phone chat with MMRS boss John Maguire the other day, and John filled me in on some of the changes for 2016.
MMRS and AMO in Ontario
The MMRS club has always been a class act, not only on the track but also off the track. Just like years past, that won’t change a bit, but you can expect some nice changes that will not only benefit their own MMRS racers, it will benefit all racers in Ontario and beyond. The great news is that the Ryan Gauld and his AMO will team up with John Maguire and MMRS for the betterment of all of the racers. Yes, they will still be running their own respected races, but now they will be teaming up for select events. Add in the fact that you only need one membership, and it doesn’t get much better than that. Watch for an upcoming interview with John to spill the beans on all of the great news.
Here’s an early look at how things are shaping up in the Ontario region:
Supercross
Can anyone step up to challenge Ryan Dungey for this Supercross title? ~ Spikman photo
In SX action, Round 4 will go off Saturday night in Oakland. As of right now, it looks like we may see quite a bit more yellow. Word is that injured superstar James Stewart may be back and I’ve also heard we might see his teammate Blake Baggett for the first time this season. The big news this week was the addition of Jake Weimer to the RCH Suzuki team as a fill-in for the recently injured Broc Tickle. The good news for Jake is that the ride will be for the remainder of Supercross (even when Tickle returns from injury). Justin Bogle should be back also, from missing last week due to injury, and Trey Canard will be back on the track after a pretty rough A2. Ryan Dungey is on one heck of a roll lately and is sporting a 19-race podium streak. Racer X did the math, and he’s closing in on Chad Reed‘s record of 25 podiums in a row. It would be very hard to bet against him right now. Eli Tomac looked good last week, but is still a few away from winning a race; I would think Ken Roczen will win one before Eli.
Cooper Webb is the man in 250 West this season. ~ Spikman photo
In 250 action, Cooper Webb is the man, enough said. It’s too bad for guys like Zach Osborne and Joey Savatgy, as I don’t think anyone can win one straight up on Coop. Christian Craig had a great ride at A2, but let’s pump the brakes a little, people. It was Craig’s first podium ever and he’s already 24 years old. He’s fast and has great style, but he still has a lot to prove before I, personally, hop on the wagon. Let’s take a look at my Round 4 predictions:
250 West
Holeshot: Jordan Smith
1st Cooper Webb
2nd Joey Savatgy
3rd Jimmy Decotis
4th Jordan Smith
5th Zach Osborne
450 Class
Holeshot: Marvin Musquin
1st Ryan Dungey
2nd Ken Roczen
3rd Chad Reed
4th Eli Tomac
5th James Stewart
That’s it for me, I’ll be away for the week. I hope Billy doesn’t do too good of a job filling in with his Mc-Billy-Thoughts, and actually wants me back. See you soon, and always remember to #smileforBC!
Billy Rainford
Thanks, Jeff. And don’t worry, I’ll throw the fight so people clamor for your return next week. McThoughts just won’t be the same without you, but I’ll do the best I can in your absence. It feels like it’s been several Frid’Ehs since I’ve been sitting in the snow doing this. It sure was nice being able to spend a couple weeks out in California chasing riders as they chased their dreams. It’s funny how things change over time…I used to dream of being a top racer, myself, and now my dream is to cover the ones still chasing my old dream the best I can. That’s life, folks. Time just sort of sneaks up on you and, next thing you know, you’ve been forced to realize you just can’t do all the things you used to. In fact, I remember back when I was a teenager, racing every weekend and dreaming of the time I could one day compete against Ricky Johnson, Jeff Ward, Ron Lechien, and Jeff Stanton. I needed arthroscopic surgery on both my knees and can distinctly remember overhearing the doctor tell my parents that I will definitely have issues with my right knee in the distant future. Well, guess what? That distant future has become the present (it just happens) and I am now sidelined with knee pain, again.
Last fall, I decided that if I wanted to keep running and maybe even competing in triathlons I would have to build up some leg muscle to avoid injury. Well, the opposite happened: all the damn leg work (squats and leg press were the culprits, I’m betting) must have done some damage and, on a very short run in Cuba, something crunched. I just received the results from the MRI and the grocery list of maladies includes a torn meniscus, 2 floating bodies, a small Baker’s cyst, and “moderate to severe osteoarthritis.” Crap! No wonder I couldn’t run through the pain! Now, where the hell was I going with this??? I guess I wanted to tell you my knee hurts? No, I think my point was that dreams evolve either by choice or necessity. Ya, let’s go with that.
Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado
Winter X is on out in Aspen! The cool thing is that we have some familiar motocross names competing in the sled competitions. Motopark’s Iain Hayden, Tim Tremblay, and first-timer, Josh Penner, are in Colorado. I got in touch with Josh this morning as he gets prepped to compete in Freestyle. Here’s how he described the experience, so far:
Hey , so X Games so far has been rough .. We have had 2 days of 2 hr practice session and I think I’ve had 10 min total and only got a few flips in and have had my sled apart 90 percent of the time with top mechanics working on it and we haven’t figured out the issue just yet to why is running bad. But we got it back together last night late and it ran ok on the stand, so I’m hoping today’s practice before the final goes good. It’s going to be tough everyone looks awesome out there and is killing it!!
Good luck, Josh. I can’t imagine there’s much that would be scarier than heading toward a freestyle ramp not knowing if your machine is going to cut out or not.
Snocross has ended and our old friend, Tucker Hibbert, has done it again – 9 Gold Medals in a row, tying Jamie Bestwick. Canadian motocrosser, Tim Tremblay, finished the race in 7th place. Here’s the race:
Snowmobile Freestyle Schedule:
-
Friday 5:00 PM MT/3pm EST
-
Monster Energy Snowmobile Freestyle Final Snowmobile
Josh Penner competes in his first X Games Snowmobile Freestyle comp today. Check it out at 3pm EST.
I stole this from Iain Hayden’s Facebook page:
“Had such a good time the past couple days @xgames with #Boltz. Sled was great, team was awesome and we rode well. Thankful for the opportunity @rockstarenergy @judnick247 @andre_laurin @hmkusa @polarissnow”
Toronto Supercross Ticket Giveaway!
Win a 4-pack of tickets to the Toronto Supercross. Read how.
Annual Toronto SX Pre and After- Parties at The Houston
The return of the race also means the return of the parties! DMX has long-hosted the pre and after-parties for this annual event and we’re happy to be back for 2016. David and Ben Toye are returning as ‘party-planners extraordinaire,’ so you know The Houston will be the place to be both Friday and Saturday nights.
These parties have always been a blast and this year will be no different. With top Pro riders, rabid fans, and a ton of giveaways, it will be another couple nights to remember.
Don’t say we didn’t warn you: get there as soon as you can after the checkered flag waves. It fills up early, so if you want to be one of the lucky ones on the inside, move your butt over to Yonge Street ASAP!
The Houston on Yonge St. is the place to be for the Toronto Supercross pre and after-parties. Be there.
30 000km Solo Ride
I saw this on the Canadian Kawasaki Twitter page:
Join Tim Charman on his KLR650 as he continues his 30,000km solo motorcycle ride that began in Montreal, QC on August 21, 2015 and will soon be finishing in Ushuaia, Argentina. The ride is in memory of his father Kevin who passed away from kidney cancer in 2012. The journey is raising money for the charity “Kidney Cancer Canada” through a fund raising website in his father’s name (https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/the-long-ride-for-dad/). Check out updates of the trip on his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/longridefordad. Let the good times roll, Tim!
Good luck to Tim Charman who will complete his 30000km solo journey in support of the Kidney Cancer Canada. ~ Stolen Facebook image
Poll Results
What are your thoughts on Weston Peick hitting Vince Friese?
- Totally agree. I would have done the same thing. – 40%
- Sort of agree. I would want to but would have stopped myself. – 29%
- Disagree. It was a racing incident. Move on. – 17%
- Totally disagree. Hitting someone for any reason is wrong. – 14%
Thanks for participating. We’ll come up with a new poll for this coming week.
Getting SX to All in Canada
Joel McDonald has jumped into this fight with both feet and seems to be getting heard by some important ears in the programming and media industries. Here is the latest in the attempt to get Fox Sports 1 to all in Canada:
WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS! THE EXECUTIVES ARE TAKING NOTICE!
Everyone that has been putting CHANNEL REQUEST to their provides, great job! The rest of you need to help us flood the BELL call centers and for SHAW customers get those e-mails sent! Don’t just complain to your friends, the PROVIDERS need to hear it from all of you!
Visit these sites/publications/organizations, share the information/story with your friends and anyone that shares this passion for Motorsports.
Here is a list of the sites/publications/organizations that have been helping so far. THIS IS A COLLECTIVE EFFORT! Thank you to all!
Check out these sites and spread the word with the #racingforcantv
Direct MX : https://www.directmotocross.com/
Racer X : http://racerxonline.com/category/how-to-watch
CMRC: Canadian Motosports Racing Canada: https://www.facebook.com/CMRCMX/
MX Nationals.ca : http://www.mxnationals.ca/
MXP: http://www.mxpmag.com/
Inside track: http://www.insidetracknews.com/news.html
Inside Motorcycles: http://www.insidemotorcycles.com/
Guaranteed MX : http://guaranteedmx.com/
MX and Offroad: http://www.mxandoffroad.com/
OCMC : Oshawa Competition Motorcycle Club: https://www.facebook.com/ocmc.racing
MMRS : Maguires Motocross Racing Series: http://www.mmrs.ca/
Motovan: http://www.motovan.com/
GP Bikes: https://gpbikes.com/
Motorsports on Canadian TV- Facebook (5600+)
The Toronto Star will have this story in their Wheels Section this Saturday By Norris McDonald
HOW TO GET FOX SPORTS RACING BACK!
If you are a SHAW CUSTOMER just simply copy and paste this template to this
email:
channelrequests@sjrb.ca
and fill out your information
START OF TEMPLATE
Subject Line: [Channel Request for: City]
Name: [First] [Last]
Account Number: [11 digit Shaw account number]
City: [City],[Province]
Channel(s) Requested: [channel information]
/END OF TEMPLATE
This will go right to the people that need to see it.(the channel planning department)
If you are a BELL CUSTOMER call (1-866-310-2355) and put in your CHANNEL REQUEST.
We also will have the CANADIAN MOTOCROSS SERIES on FOX SPORTS RACING again this year, so put in your CHANNEL REQUEST!
For the customers from the smaller providers you may have to contact them directly.
Thanks again,
Joel McDonald
Racer X Canada Hats for Sale!
It’s true. A friend was in a Salvation Army store here in London, Ontario, and stumbled onto this bin chock full of Racer X Canada hats! He showed me this photo and I said, “Buy them all.”
There were 36 in total. 22 have been spoken for, o that means there are 14 of the Canadian Moto Gems remaining. $10 gets your name on the list. Once I get more interest, I will start shipping them out.
Inventory: 2 Blue/12 black*
*They are ALL Sm/M Flexfit hats.
Email me at billy@directmotocross.com if you’d like one set aside for you.
Scott Solace for Sale
I still have this 2015 Scott Solace 15 for sale. I won’t be upset if nobody buys it because it’s been my favourite Scott bike so far! However, I think the deal states that I have to actually part with it, eventually. Email me: billy@directmotocross.com if you’re interested or want more information. The bike is in London, Ontario and is an XL/58cm.
You can read a review on this beauty HERE.
2015 Scott Solace 15 XL/58 for sale. Yes, you want this bike! Email me: billy@directmotocross.com for more information. $2499.99 CAD
OK, we’re going to cut it off there. Have a great weekend, everyone. I hope, wherever you are, you can either watch from your home or know someone who gets FS1 here in Canada, right Steve?! I need to get outside and shovel this snow that has been falling the entire time I’ve been sitting at my desk. I also want to watch the Snowmobile Freestyle event from the X Games live online. Thanks for reading.
I miss California, and “See you at the races…”
