Frid’Eh Update #45 | Ty Shemko | Brought to You by GasGas Canada
By Billy Rainford
Welcome to Week #45 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update this week brought to you by GasGas Canada. It’s November 11th Remembrance Day today. I hope everyone takes a moment to think about those who made the ultimate sacrifice to get us to where we are today. Emily and I headed downtown for the ceremony and it’s always a very touching service.
#45 for 2022 was our old friend Ty Shemko. Ty was a rider we all kept an eye on and then he stepped away from the sport. Then he stepped back in 10 full years later, long enough to earn #45, but then he jumped back out!
This can be a very tough sport if you make it to a certain level, expect certain results from yourself, but lack the support needed to get and stay there. We’ll talk to Ty about his journey through racing.
We have to go back to 2021 to have a look at one of Ty’s seasons. He got landed on at Gopher Dunes and the result was a broken tib/fib:
Ty only did the first 2 rounds held at Walton Raceway, but he was a top 10 or better guy all day long. His smooth style is always surprisingly fast and it would have been really cool to see him complete a full season at this pace. Unfortunately, a leg injury took it away from him.
We got in touch with him to talk about it all. Here’s what he had to say:
Direct Motocross: Hello, Ty. I don’t think we’ve ever done one of these with you, Ty, and now it looks like this will be the first and last time we do! We’d better give you the full treatment. Can you tell us how you got started in MX in the first place?
I started riding in Elie, MB when I was 5 years old. My parents bought me an old Yamaha PW 80 that I would just ride around the field and on the access road behind our house. As I got a little better I started to jump the access road and anything I could jump but kept breaking the swing arm. Thank goodness my dad could weld!
We went to a race in Morden, MB and my dad asked if I wanted to try racing and of course I said yes. My parents bought a KTM 50. I practiced for a bit and a couple rear fenders later we went to my first race in Brandon, MB. Fully decked out in work boots, soccer shin pads, blue track pants, hockey shoulder pads, and placed 3rd in my first race. The rest is history.
What was your first race number and how did you chose it?
My first number was 199. I had a Travis Pastrana video that I would watch continuously, so that was that.
Who did you come up through the ranks battling against?
As I grew up in Manitoba, I came up racing west coast guys. I apologize, a lot of names escape me. The person who made me decent though was Ryan Millar who trained me quite a lot and his dad, Ray (Millar). Once we moved to Ontario around Supermini age, I was racing with Dylan (Do we need to say his last name? Lol), Nick Jones, Westen Wrozyna, Benny Amyotte, and Scott Cameron, just to name a few.
You were always a fast rider. What was your best race as an amateur?
Thanks, I appreciate that. I would say my best race as an amateur would be the 2011 Walton TransCan. I raced the Junior classes and had some good motos placing 1st 4 times, 3rd and a DNF. I was awarded the DMX Total Devotion that year, quite the honour looking back now.
Yes, I remember that. I’ll have to go dig out a photo. What year did you turn Pro?
I turned Pro in 2020, but as we all know there was no racing so 2021 I guess would be year 1.
You came out pretty strong in 2021 with a 10th and 11th overall at the Walton double-header, but then we never saw you again in 2021. Where’d you go? What do you do for work?
Guess you didn’t get the memo. lol. At Gopher Dunes I had a bit of a mishap, swapped 3 times in the first lap then got it back and made it up to 10th or 9th. Took a line to get around a lapper that I never took and swapped out on the old finish line there and the flaggers didn’t notice me in the bottom. Brett Lee came out to direct traffic but one of the top guys was coming and he jumped on me and broke my tib/fib. I work for Strong Bros construction.
It’s always tough to see someone with as much skill and seemingly endless potential as you walk away from our sport. What was the determining factor that made you step away? And I never got to see you run the #45!
Yes, very tough for me as well. I love the sport so much and would love to be competing as I still feel I left some on the table. But as everyone knows, it’s not a cheap sport and competing with the top guys is tough to do with a very limited budget. A wise suspension guy once told me to make a million in this sport start with 3 million, so that puts me out.
Do you still have a bike and enjoy riding?
Yes, still have a 2020 race bike that I used in the nationals with a whole 8 hours on it. This summer I got out a whole 2 times, but loved every second I was on it.
Oh, and I remember we went for a road cycle last year. Is that something you’ll keep up?
I still have my road bike. I’m back at the gym now and will be riding once winter is gone.
What does the future hold for you? Do you ever see yourself on the gate again?
The future is up in the air. I’m just working now, but hopefully in the future I can open my own concrete company. As for being on a gate, I’m sure somewhere sometime I’ll be on one.
Looking back, can you tell us what the highlight of your racing was?
I would say just being in the mix of up-and-coming riders back in the day.
What do you miss most about racing?
I miss the people, the tracks, the atmosphere of racing, but mostly I miss the competitiveness of Motocross!
Well, thank you for taking the time with us this week, Ty. Good luck in the future and is there anyone you’d like to thank before we let you go?
Thank you for the time, Billy, and yes, I would like to thank my mom and dad for everything through my racing!
How to Watch Paris Supercross
If you want to watch the 2022 Paris Supercross LIVE, you’ll need to sign up over at MXGPTV.com.
| The Paris Supercross will be held this weekend on November the 12th and 13th at the Paris La Défense Arena. The best Supercross riders and international stars will gather for this amazing show and the whole weekend will be LIVE on MXGP-TV!* Big names such as Cooper WEBB, Eli TOMAC, Marvin MUSQUIN, Ken ROCZEN and much more will line up this Saturday and Sunday. This is the off season event you don’t want to miss! The Supercross MXGP-TV pass is already online and available for purchase worldwide; it includes 4 hours per day LIVE and OnDemand starting from Saturday at 7 pm local time while Sunday’s LIVEshow will start at 3 pm local time. |
| The SX weekend pass gives you access to the opening ceremony, SX1, SX2, FMX Session and the Honda/KTM Show. Additionally MXGP-TV voice Paul Malin will comment the event LIVE in English from Paris for all fans home. What you need to do is to REGISTER on MXGP-TV.com and purchase your SX MXGP-TV pass. Pass is valid for VOD until next Tuesday 15th November. |
| See you live this weekend, The MXGP-TV team. |
We’ve got Kate Kowalchuk in Paris and she’ll be getting us photos and stories from the racing throughout the weekend. Be sure to check back with us on Instagram and Facebook.
LRX Performance Arenacross in Brook, Alberta, this Weekend
Arenacross Championship 2022 Brooks AB – NOV 11,12,13th
RIDERS | ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW
RIDER REGISTRATION FEES: (price includes wristband)$60 first class$40 second class$30 third and fourth class$20 Tykes (NO SCORING. PARTICIPATION AWARDS ONLY.)
PRO EVENT ENTRY FEES: (price includes wristband) $80 Pro-Am OPEN
$80 Pro-Am LITES (max 250 cc)
ADMISSION FEE FOR RACES (Mechanics and Spectators): (GST Included)Adult $20Youth (12-18) $15Child (4-11) FreeFamily Pass (2 adults & 2 Youth) $50
RACE/PRACTICE DETAILS
FRIDAY:Open practice: $40 10:00 am – 2:00 pm3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
RIDING SCHOOL: SATURDAY$60 for expert instruction by ??????????? and Special Guest Instructor TBA25 SPOTS PER SCHOOLSign up online8-9am – Advanced 85cc and Big Bike9:10-10:10am – Advanced 50/65cc and Beginner/Junior 8510:20-11:20am – Beginner/Junior 50/65
SATURDAY (Sign-in Cut-off 10:00 am):11:45am Mandatory riders meetingPractice to follow Riders MeetingQualifiers to follow practicePro Riders meeting at 4pm , Pro Practice at 4:10PMNight Show Main events to begin 6:30pm
SUNDAY (Sign-in Cut-off 8:00 pm Saturday):8:30am Mandatory riders meetingPractice to follow Riders MeetingQualifiers to follow practicePro Riders meeting and Pro Practice to follow Amateur Qualifying
TRANSPONDERS:Transponders are not being used.
Short this week. Good luck to everyone racing in Alberta this weekend.
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