Hi, guys. Happy Friday, and Happy Holidays. Although the weather is getting colder and colder, at least we have Christmas right around the corner. And that means that the 2017 Monster Energy Supercross season is getting close.

Jess Pettis Wins 2016 Future West Canadian Arenacross Championships

But before SX, comes AX. This is where I’d like to throw out a huge congratulations to Jess Pettis and his MX101 FXR Yamaha team on their domination of this season’s Future West Arenacross series. Right from the beginning, Jess was the guy to beat. He put his MX101 Yamaha and FXR gear on the box every weekend and brings home not only his first professional title, but also the team’s first.

#20 Jess Pettis wins first Pro title at Future West Canadian AX Championships | Tyler Spikman photo

Canadians Racing Supercross?

So, what is it going to take to get young riders like Jess racing AMA SX? Well, there are a lot of shit talkers and keyboard warriors out there that are going to talk crap about Canadian riders being afraid to race the best. That is definitely not the issue for 99% of the racers. Yes, there are a few racers that would rather be the big fish in a small puddle, but that is not the case for everyone. Money is the biggest factor, followed by experience. You can’t go race SX with regular suspension and a slow bike. Most racers start in the 250 class, and if you don’t spend the money on your motor, you’re just plain old wasting your time.

Next, you need some serious seat time on a real SX track. There aren’t too many of those in Canada at all. I, for one, would love to have many Canadians to cheer for in SX, but only if they have the proper equipment and skills to be out there. Let’s hope Jess Pettis is one of those young Canadians making us proud.

Brock Leitner will be another Canadian to cheer for when Supercross starts in January | Bigwave photo

McRANT

When did motocross become the sport of excuses? It gets pretty tiring going on social media and reading excuse after excuse. The classic “I was sick,” “I had bike problems,” and my favourite…”another rider took me out.” Why can’t we just be honest with ourselves and realize that maybe we just aren’t that good. Yes, we all have off days, and yes we all have bike issues from time to time, but why must there be an excuse every time some riders come off the track. And how about the very popular statement, “I now know what I need to work on?” Yeah, it’s called going faster. Some of us just don’t have it, and very few of the lucky ones do.

It’s a fantastic sport, that pushes your body to the limit, challenges your mind and your toughness, but unfortunately costs a lot of money, and beats down your body over time. I love the sport of motocross, but I could do without all of the excuses. I wish more people would remember why they started riding in the first place – for fun! Not more money, not for fame, and not for sponsors. The majority of us started riding because it was fun! Rant over.

Scott Hoare Injured in Australia

Now, this next bit of news is pretty sad. I’m still in a little bit of shock. A friend of mine, and former Off-road Ontario and OCMC member, Scott Hoare, was involved in a freak accident in Sydney, Australia. Scott is the probably one of the craziest guys I have ever met, and has a very long road ahead of him. Luckily for Scott, he’s as stubborn as a mule and as fit as a race horse, and I see this as just a small bump in the road. Please take the time to read Scott’s story, and help out if you can.

https://www.generosity.com/medical-fundraising/liftwithscott-help-a-coach-move-again

#liftwithscott Help A Coach Move Again www.generosity.com Support ‘#liftwithscott Help A Coach Move Again’ by donating or sharing today!

That is it for me this week. Keep your eyes peeled for this year’s 5 Lap Sprints, Holiday Editions. I enjoy reading the answers so much I couldn’t just do one, so there will be a few of them. If you haven’t already, check out this week’s Shrader’s ‘Out of the Blue‘ featuring Kristin Tse, and ‘On the Radar‘ with young Hunter Tse. If you haven’t noticed yet, the Tse family had taken over the amateur interviews on DMX over the last two weeks. I’m pretty sure I got them all, but don’t be surprised if you see their father, Carson, featured next week. Have a great weekend and don’t forget to #smileforBC and #liftwithscott!

Check out this week’s ‘On the Radar‘ with the 4th and final member of the Tse Family from Kelowna, BC, Hunter Tse | Tse photo

BILLY RAINFORD

Wow, Jeff, were you just singing along to the latest Japandroids lyrics, “And it got me all fired up…?” I have to admit, I enjoy it when he gets all revved up about something. He’s usually got a good point hidden in the middle of all his rants…you just have to look for it. lol

I’ve been a fan of downhill ski racing since I was a little kid. My parents and I would always gather in front of the TV to watch the weekly competition from exotic, mountainous regions of Europe and just dream of one day hitting those particular slopes for myself. Alex Jeffery is over in Schladming, Austria, enjoying one of the places I used to fantasize over.

Schladming, Austria, is one of those ski resort towns in the Alps I’ve always dreamed of. | Planetsnow.de image

I remember back in grade 4 doing my school speech on Franz Klammer. He may have been my first hero, actually. Check out this little video bio on him:

Anyway, Alex is enjoying Austria at one of these amazing places that will form memories he will have for the rest of his life. Enjoy yourself, Alex.

As I sit here typing on my laptop, the weather here in London, Ontario, has been threatening to sock us with the first snow storm of the early season. So far, we haven’t seen anything more than a few flakes floating down to the grass, but they’re still saying 15cms are possible later today and tonight. Basically, this will put the final nail in the 2016 outdoor riding coffin. Go spin some laps this afternoon if you can!

Timbersled Announces Snowbike Race Team

Click below to be taken to the www.sleddermag.com article.

Austin Watling Signs Amateur Support Deal with Honda Canada GDR Fox Racing for 2017

Corunna, Ontario, rider, #424 Austin Watling signs with the team for 2017 | James Lissimore photo from GDR Instagram release

In what will hopefully be another amateur support move in a long line of support deals, another member of the ‘Fab 3’ has signed onto a major Pro race team for the 2017 season.