Frid’Eh Update #51 | Josh Cartwright | Brought to You by Leatt

Frid’Eh Update #51 | Josh Cartwright | Brought to You by Leatt

By Billy Rainford

That moment when the hair on the neck lifts. When the flesh prickles. When adrenaline sparkles through your body. When every cell in your system screams with sheer delight. This is the thrill and this is why you do it. ~ Leatt

So, right now, Canada is like:

We’re getting hit all across the country, from west to east. As I type this, we’ve got severely blowing snow and I hear sirens ripping up the road over by the river every 10 minutes. “It isn’t a fit night out for man nor beast!” to quote Yukon Cornelius (Actually, I’m pretty sure WC Fields is the coiner of the phrase, but nobody reading this would get that reference, so…).

We’ve been really lucky as far as winter weather goes so far this year, but it looks like we’re going to make up for it over the next 36-48 hours. We have a little bit of driving planned over the weekend, but it looks like we’ll have to play this one by ear and snowplow.

Anyway, I just hope the roads get sorted out in time for me to jump in the #DMXVan once again and head to California for the first 4 rounds of the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series. I was hoping to take a different route this time, but if the weather is pretty bad I’ll head south as quickly as I can and then head west below the snow. We’ll see…

I’ll have to hurry this Update so I can get a good headstart on my Christmas shopping! To be honest, I’ve been pretty busy away from the website with getting my ducks in a row for the Supercross season and the website for 2023. This past week is as close as I get to taking time off, so please cut me/us a tiny bit of slack.

Josh Cartwright from Tennessee is this week’s honouree. Josh is career #51 but we didn’t see him north of the border this year. Josh has a full-time job in Texas now and has to split his time between real life and the fantasy world of AMA Supercross in the winter.

We’ve all gotten to know Josh quite well over the years. He turned Pro in 2015 and showed up at Walton Raceway to hang out and try to secure a ride for the following season. He’d had surgery on both shoulders and wasn’t riding.

Since then, he’s become a staple at our races, indoor and out. He’s a former Quebec Arenacross champion and has even called our basement home for a few days. We got in touch with him this week just days after he announced his new sponsors and program for the 2023 Supercross season. Here’s what he had to say.

Direct Motocross: Hello, Josh. We’ve gotten pretty used to seeing you up here in Canada, but you’ve been away for a while now. Why no Canadian races? 

Josh Cartwright: I miss being up in Canada, but with working a full-time job now it just hasn’t been in the cards to come up there. I was bummed not being able to run my career number, 51, before it was pulled since I didn’t race up there for 2 years. Maybe in the future I will be back.  

In 2020, you finished 5th in 450 MX and 3rd behind Thompson and Goerke in SX. Can you look back and remember that summer?

Oh yeah, that season was a summer to remember, especially the SX portion. Being up front with those top guys in the battle of it all was so much fun and it is where I think I am supposed to be. I remember the whoops being HUGE the second weekend of SX and that is where I shined.  

I won’t dwell on it (we’ve definitely covered it in the past lol) but I have to ask you to tell us what it is you’re doing with your hard-earned University degree you got while still racing Pro Supercross and where you’re calling home these days? 

Yes, the bachelor’s degree in IT was a great degree to get. I am now a full-time employee for UT systems. It is the IT department for many of the University of Texas schools. I am now living in Fort Worth, Texas. I have been here for about 1.5 years now and I am loving it. I have my own house and everything is going smoothly.  

We’re heading into another season of AMA Supercross pretty soon. You first raced 250 East in 2015, finishing 32nd in points. How is 2023 Josh different on the track from that young kid? 

I am faster, smoother, and more confident. It is crazy that this will be my 9^th year racing Pro, but I have learned so many things each and every year that makes me a better rider. Supercross is all about experience. The first year or two is usually sketchy for most riders who aren’t the golden child coming out of amateurs. I am ready to put it all together for a 450 season.  

We always expect our top Canadian riders to “head south and give Supercross a try!” Can you comment on that?  

I think it is a great idea for them to come down. Of course, they could come down in the motocross series and do well without any specific American training. When it comes to Supercross, they really need to come down very early to ride supercross tracks down here to get used to an AMA Supercross track. It is a different beast.  

Hey, you just announced your new team and sponsors. Can you take us through how it all came together for this season? 

I was left without a ride this year. Bubba Pauli, the owner of the Madd Parts Kawasaki Team, still wanted to help me out in any way he could after going different ways team-wise. I really liked his program and the vibe in his pits so we ended up putting a little side deal together where I can set up next to him with the same designed graphics, pit set up, and some of his main sponsor logos on my bike, but with my own sponsors to finish the program off. Psychic Motorsports came on as my title sponsor. They are your go-to resource for replacement hard parts and accessories for all makes and models. I am really excited about the program I have put together. The name of the Josh Cartwright program is Psychic Motorsports, T3 Civil Inc, Ronnie Prado Company, Cardinal Kawasaki. I know it is a mouthful, but without those four sponsors, this program wouldn’t be possible.  

You’re going to race the entire 450 class series, right? Tell us about this deal and how you’ll be travelling and who will be with you. 

Yes, I will be doing all 17 rounds of the AMA supercross series in the 450 class. I haven’t made a full season of 450 so I want to try to make it through the entire season and be as competitive as possible. I will be flying to all the races. The Madd Parts team will be hauling my bikes and set ups to the races. I will have a couple different mechanics this year. Miles Shugg from Phoenix Handlebars will be my mechanic for most of the rounds. Bret Hooper, my mechanic from the 250 days, will be back at it for a few rounds.  

Your best SX overall was an 11th at Daytona in 2018 250 East. What are your goals for this 450 season? 

I want to make it through the first few races healthy and then start hammering down. I want to be in as many main events as possible. I know my speed is there, I just need to put my head down and ride like I know how to ride.  

Where are you preparing for the season and who are you working with? 

There are a few Supercross tracks here in Texas. Masterpools, Tapt House, and John Short’s house is where I ride most of the time. I am with the same trainer I have been with for the past 6 years, Drew Whitehead with DW Performance. He has been a HUGE help to me over the years and has become a close friend. So, this combination is perfect for my program.  

Do people still call you “Wheels”?  

HAHA, they do. In the moto industry, my name is Wheels. When I was at the GOAT Farm, they called me Cartwheel because of my name Cartwright. But, then it ended up getting shortened to Wheels and it just stuck.  

Man, I love me a good origin story! I have to end with this question, will we see you up here in the summer again anytime soon? 

I really hope so, I want to do a couple races up there. It will just have to depend on my work and if I can find support to come up and race.  

Well, good luck this season. I’ll be out there soon so I’ll see you at the races and at the practice tracks. You’re almost Canadian so we’ll all be cheering for you. Who would you like to thank? 

Thank you so much! I really love all the Canadians and it will always be my second home! There are so many people that have gone into this program, and I couldn’t thank them enough:  

Psychic Motorsports, T3 Civil Inc, Ronnie Prado Company, Cardinal Revenue Solutions, FXR, LS2 Helmets, Madd Parts, Jonesboro Cycle, Flow Vision, Blud Lubricants, Dedicated Clothing, Top Secret Designs, Devol, Phoenix Handlebars, FMF, Pirelli, Ryno Power, Atlas Brace, CoreMX, Williams Motowerx, Asterisks, No Toil, Rekluse, Dirt Tricks, Fastway, Luxon, Ogio, DW Performance, Polar USA, PureMotion Dallas, Keller Williams Realty, Big Buildings Direct, Gaerne, Skills Racing, and MotoTape. 

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Ryder McNabb Signs with KTM Canada

Its been a tough task for the KTM Canada Red Bull Race Team to keep the news under wraps over the last few weeks but the team is now excited to unveil its new rider to the line-up for the 2023 Triple Crown Series – 2022 Canadian 250 MX Champion – Ryder McNabb.

Ryder looks forward to returning to Orange in 2023, a brand he excelled with in the amateur ranks, here is what he had to say:

“I’m super excited to be working with KTM Canada again after having raced with them through my amateur career! I can’t wait to see what 2023 has to offer.”

KTM Canada Race Team Manager Mat Deroy is also looking forward to working with Ryder in the professional series after having been there to help him grow in the amateur ranks:

“We are very pleased to have Ryder returning on KTM for the 2023 season. His personality brings a lot to our organization and the sport. Our goal here at KTM is to support amateur racers with the hopes of one day having them race for our team at the professional level – Ryder is the perfect example of that.”

We look forward to watching the Triple Crown Series come summer 2023!

Welcome @rydermcnabb164 !

@wp_suspension_us
@redbullcanada
@motorex_powersports
@m7_designs
@oakley
@ridedunlop
@fmf73
@matrixconceptscanada
@acerbisusa
@renthal_moto
@twin_air
@didchain
@hinsonracing
@rtitanium
@clbrakes
@kiteparts
@worksconnection
@motomasterbrakes

#KTM#ReadyToRace

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Early Bird SuperMotocross Video Pass Discount

For it’s inaugural season, SuperMotocross Video Pass (supermotocross.tv) will offer fans live and on-demand access to all 31 rounds of the SuperMotocorss Season including 17 Rounds from the AMA Monster Energy Supercross, 11 ProMotocross Events, plus the newly developed SuperMotocross World Championship Playoff Rounds & the SuperMotocross World Champion Finals. 

Fan favorite, Race Day Live & Qualifying coverage will also be available from all 31 rounds will be exclusively available on SuperMotocross Video Pass. 

SuperMotocross Video Pass season subscribers can enjoy 10 months of live event content plus get over 800 plus hours of archived Supercross & ProMotocross races.  

SuperMotocross Video Pass is exclusive to subscribers that live outside of the United States. 

Price for the Full Season Pass is $159.99 (USD) but from now until Dec. 25^th (Midnight, PT), we’re offering an Early Bird discount of $30 USD when you use the code ‘SMX23EARLY’ during sign up. Hurry take action before time runs out! 

Also note, previous season subscribers to the Supercross Video Pass will not auto-renew this year and will need to sign up for the new SuperMotocross Video Pass. 

Included in your 2023 SuperMotocross Video Pass subscription:

• Live and on-demand access to stream the entire 17 round schedule of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, all 11 AMA Pro Motocross Championship events, plus the SuperMotocross World Championship Playoffs and Final
• 31 rounds of the fan favorite ‘Race Day Live’ pre-show, giving fans insider access to everything happening from every 2023 race location 
• 250 and 450 class race highlights from all 31 rounds 
• A rich, extensive 12-year archive of previous Supercross seasons dating back to 2010 and 2022’s Archived season of ProMotocross with more to be added soon!

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#315 Jennah Farnell Injury Update

#315 Jennah Farnell races the Thor WMX East series but crashed at round 5 at Motocross Deschambault near Quebec City this past July and sustained a serious spinal cord injury.

She’s been posting periodically on her Instagram page ( jennah_315 ) but we wanted to check in with her to see how she’s making out as we head into Christmas.

Jennah says she is doing well. She’s working with a Physiotherapist 3 times a week and getting all the support she can for a prompt recovery. She is staying positive and hopeful for her future and she hopes to see everyone at the track next summer.

She added that if anyone would like some more details, they can reach out to her and she can provide a few more that way.

There is a GoFundMe running for her:

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Some Sales Numbers Graphs from the MMIC for November 2022

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OK, let me just end this by wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, however you celebrate them. It looks like I’ll be celebrating by borrowing the neighbour’s snowblower and doing 5 of the driveways on our crescent once it stops snowing and blowing.

As I have aged, Christmastime has a much different look to it than it did just a few short years ago. My father passed in 2020 and my mom has progressing dementia and lives with my sister out in BC. Promise me you’ll let the people in your life who are most important to you know how you feel about them. As hokey and cliché as it sounds, when it becomes a reality to you, as it eventually will, you’ll look back and wish you did.

Nope, not going to end this on a sad note. Get out with friends and have some egg nog. Travel around town to your oldest friends’ parents’ places and say hello. Enjoy time with friends and family for a few days and then let’s get going with some 2023 Supercross! As always, this could be the greatest, most competitive season ever!