Frid’Eh Update #6 Presented by Dragon Alliance

Frid’Eh Update #6 Presented by Dragon Alliance

By Jeff McConkey and Billy Rainford

Frid’Eh Update #6 Presented by Dragon Alliance goes out to the rider from the USA who quickly became a fan favourite in Canada last summer. Of course, everyone already knew of all the accomplishments Josh Hill had acquired in his AMA racing, but a lot of the big-name riders who come north with hopes of claiming our titles don’t endear themselves to the locals like Josh did in 2014.

If you ask Josh what his favourite race was in in Canada last summer, he is quick to name Deschambault, PQ. He was railing the outside of the corners like no one else that day and the huge crowd appreciated his efforts. When I saw him in California last fall and mentioned he was #6, he wasn’t very impressed with himself and didn’t even seem to realize that was where he’d finished.

Josh recently signed a deal with the Cycle Trader/Rock River Yamaha team for the remainder of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series so hopefully that means he can concentrate on getting back into the top 10 on a consistent basis. He’s obviously busy preparing for the weekly races and we were unable to get in touch with him for our usual intro interview. Watch for a ‘Catching Up with…’ article on Josh Hill as soon as we are able to make it happen. Good luck in Dallas, Josh.

 

This week’s Update is brought to you by the great people over at Dragon Alliance. Distributed in Canada by Gamma Sales, the Dragon line of goggles has something for everyone. We had to showcase these particular NFXs because they are not only great goggles, but the “murdered dark smoke” description is one of the coolest we’ve read. Be sure to go to www.dragonalliance.com to find the model you want and then look for a dealer near you at www.gammasales.com. If you want to support those who support the sport, look no further than Gamma and Dragon.

 

Jeff McConkey

Hey, guys. It’s finally Friday. I’d like to start off by congratulating both Tanner Ward and KTMCanada on their new deal. Tanner is one of the most talented, and hardest working kids out there. He has a great attitude and a great family behind him. I’m stamping it right now: if he can stay healthy he will be our Canadian Champ one day.

The East Lites Series Starts This Weekend

In Monster Energy AMA SX action, the series heads East this weekend and we get to see some better dirt, and a whole new crop of 250 SX riders. If the action on the West Coast was any indication, we should expect a great 250 East. People usually tend to say that the West is stronger, but I’m going to have to say that the East looks a little better to me. The East is also getting a boat-load of press due to lady racer Vicki Golden throwing her hat into the ring. I, myself, am a huge supporter of Women’s Racing, but I honestly feel Vicki isn’t ready, and may never be ready. She has a ton of talent, she has put in the work, and she did everything needed to get her SX license. But that doesn’t mean she can compete at this level. She didn’t exactly light the world on fire in Amsoil Arenacross, so I really don’t think she will come close to qualifying for the night shows. But hey, I am wrong a lot of the time. If, by chance, she does make a night show, I will be the first to apologize and then give her all the props she deserves. I guess we will all find out tomorrow night.

Rekluse Core EXP 3.0 Clutch Installation and Test

This past weekend, I loaded up the DMX test bike and headed to my local indoor track. Although the conditions were a little frozen and a whole lot  dusty, I was super-excited. I was there testing my new Rekluse Core EXP 3.O clutch from the great people at Mongoose Machine. After a super-easy install (read about it HERE) It took almost no time to feel comfortable with the new system and start pushing hard. I can’t wait to get more seat time and bring you a complete product report.

On the topic of product reports, Jeff Fullarton and the great gang at Gamma Sales sent me the new JUST 1 helmet to test. This is the same helmet Yoshimura Suzuki’s Blake Baggett has been wearing for the 2015 season.  If you haven’t checked one out yet, you really need to. Keep your eyes  open for a complete report here on DMX in the near future.

Well, that’s about it for me this week. Be sure to read this week’s ‘Out Of The Blue‘ with Quebec’s Laurie Laforest. Laurie is a hard worker from ‘La Belle Province’ and is planning on lining up for the Women’s East Nationals. Good luck, Laurie, we will be cheering you on. Before I go, I’d like to wish my close friend Brad ‘B-Naughty’ Nauditt good luck as he lines up for the 250 East SX tomorrow night. Brad is a great guy and has a ton of talent. Watch Brad and his mechanic Darren Stading put their bike into the main event! Have a great week ,everyone, and always remember to #smileforBC! 

 

Billy Rainford

Welcome to Week #6 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update this week presented by Dragon Alliance. Did you get the Bad Luck Schleprock reference? It’s from my all-time favourite cartoon series, The Flintstones. Seriously, I can remember many days in high school wasting time with my buddy, Craig, playing ‘Flintstones Hangman.’ Yep, the answers all had to have something to do with the series – mostly we would try to think of the most obscure characters. (We also played ‘Blender Speed Hangman’ too. I remember winning with ‘frappe’ once.)

The History of Frid’Eh the 13th

It’s Friday the 13th. I always like to start off with a little history lesson on certain dates. I bet you don’t know what the irrational fear of this date is called…Friggatriskaidekaphobia. In order for something to be deemed a phobia, it must be irrational. My arachnophobia shouldn’t be called a phobia because…spiders are crazy!

Anyway, the history of this date goes all the way back…OK, let me just copy and paste from the History website:

To understand Friday the 13th’s fall from grace, scholars have first tried to determine what about the number 13 rubs so many people across so many cultures the wrong way. Some have suggested that its nasty reputation dates back to at least 1780 B.C., when the ancient Babylonian legal document known as the Code of Hammurabi was enacted without a 13th law; this hypothesis has been questioned, however, since the original text did not include numeration. Others have pointed out that 13’s younger sibling, the number 12, traditionally signifies completeness: There are 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 months of the year, 12 hours on the clock and 12 tribes of Israel, among other famous dozens. Anywhere outside a bakery, then, 13 is considered a transgression of this rule.

But why are Fridays that fall on a month’s 13th day so vilified? According to biblical sources, Friday was the day on which Eve offered Adam the forbidden fruit and Jesus was crucified. Another popular theory links the superstition to the demise of the Knights Templar, a monastic military order whose members were arrested en masse by France’s King Philip IV on Friday, October 13, 1307.

Popular culture further denigrated Friday the 13th as early as 1907, when Thomas Lawson wrote a book about a broker who tries to bring down Wall Street on that day. Then, the American cultural touchstone that is the “Friday the 13th” horror film franchise debuted in 1980, forever associating the day with a machete-wielding psychopath in a hockey mask. The most recent installment premiered in 2009.

Over the years, attempts have been made to debunk the notion that 13 is an unlucky number and prove that Friday the 13th is a day like any other. In the 1880s a group of influential New Yorkers formed a club for that express purpose, taking particular offense at the unwritten rule against seating 13 people at a table. (Legend had it that one of the 13 would die within a year, a belief that may have roots in the story of Jesus’ last supper, and that one guest would become seriously ill if the meal took place on Friday the 13th.) The group’s leader was William Fowler, a Civil War veteran with a defiant fondness for the dreaded figure: He had served with distinction in 13 major battles, retired from the army on August 13, 1863, and leased the club’s future headquarters, a Manhattan tavern called the Knickerbocker Cottage, on the 13th day of the following month.

Fowler officially founded the Thirteen Club in 1880 and invited his acquaintances to dine together in groups of 13 on the 13th day of each month. It would take a year for the decorated captain to draft 13 men plucky enough to attempt the feat. Finally, the inaugural dinner took place on Friday, January 13, 1881, in room 13 of the Knickerbocker. Since Fowler and his like-minded recruits hoped to flout as many old wives’ tales as possible, they entered by walking under a ladder and sat down to a table covered in spilled salt. Fowler’s brainchild became one of New York’s most distinguished and popular clubs, attracting nearly 500 members by 1887. Other branches cropped up in other cities, some of which were open to women at a time when men dominated the country’s social clubs. By the time the last of the Thirteen Clubs closed in the 1940s, five presidents had been granted honorary membership.

So how unlucky is Friday the 13th, really? Experts say accurate data is impossible to collect since many people around the world avoid certain activities, including travel and surgery, on that day. A 2008 Dutch study concluded that fewer automobile accidents, fires and crimes occur on Friday the 13th, adding the caveat that superstitious would-be victims may simply have stayed out of harm’s way. Past Black Fridays notwithstanding, Friday the 13th may actually be a boon for finance: According to CNBC, the market has been up 80 times out of the past 140 Friday the 13ths.

I don’t know about you, but I love that stuff! I’m a total history geek. OK, on to some actual moto business…

#620 Brad Nauditt Injured

Well, let’s start out on the wrong side of the bed, as it were. Unfortunately, we won’t have near-Canadian #620 Brad Nauditt to cheer for this season in Supercross. I just got off the phone with the likeable Washingtonian (is that right?) and he informed me that he will be forced to sit out the SX season this year.

He said that just before the Phoenix round he was ripping motos with Vince Friese at a practice track. He went back out to do a few sprint laps when he “hit false neutral” in a rhythm section and went head and shoulder first into the next jump. He separated his shoulder in the crash. His shoulder is feeling better but there is another injury that will keep him out of action until maybe Houston or Santa Clara. He’s waiting for the official diagnosis and prognosis before he gets specific.

He was actually only signed up to do the first 3 or 4 rounds so he could get busy testing for the 2015 outdoor season. He mentioned that last summer it was just too difficult to get properly prepared for the competitive Lucas Oil AMA Outdoor Motocross Championships with limited time. The plan was to come into the summer fully prepared.

Currently, he’s in Murrieta, California, where he’ll stay and recoop. It sounds like his goal is to return to Canada this summer and make a run at a top 3 finish in the MX2 class. He also stated that if that he only wants to come north and ride for his Canadian AX sponsor, Ed Wagstaff at G.A. Checkpoint Yamaha.

 

Todd Minnie Returning to Full-Time Racing?

Also living down south at the moment, Brad mentioned he sees Todd Minnie all the time. Todd has been down in California getting himself ready to return to full-time competition in the Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals. Minnie had some stand-out performances this past winter in the Future West Arenacross Championships and his results there, I’m sure, prompted his possible return to action this summer.

Good luck to both of these guys this winter.

 

Guy Giroux to be a Father

I think we all just joined together in a collective panic, didn’t we? Can you imagine another ‘G-Rox’ running around the globe?! Lock your doors, is all I’m saying! Just kidding, Guy. Congratulations to you both. Now that you’ve been “corporate” the past few years, adding a child to the mix is the next step.

I remember a bunch of years ago (summer 2009 to be exact) doing our first in the ‘Pink Palaces‘ series for MX Forum with Guy Giroux over there in Quebec. In case you missed it, you can give the 2-part segment a watch here:

Part 1

Part 2

The Future of Team Canada MX

Did you read the letter sent out by 2014 Team Canada MX manager, Ryan Gauld? He fired out a rather scathing letter regarding his recent dismissal as team manager and what appears to be Team Canada’s exit from 2015 competition at the MXON in Ernee, France. Here at Direct Motocross, we don’t like to dogpile on things without getting both sides of the story.

There is a thread going quite nicely over on MX Forum about this topic. There are a few people on there who do have some insight and are bringing valid points of view but most are just jumping on and having their say. Former KTM Canada Team Manager Andy White‘s name keeps coming up. He is the obvious choice to take this program further…if he wants to. I gave Andy a call today to get his side of things.

He was quick to point out that he “inquired about” the Team Canada MX position, but “that was as far as it went.” He “did not apply.” Andy is busy getting his new work life going and is currently using his skills as a consultant for the MX101 Race Team and Ottawa National Facility. He didn’t want to be quoted on much but it was pretty obvious he is very leery of jumping into the Team Canada MX position in its current state. It’s a lot to put on one person to be in charge of (and therefore responsible for) the team from start to finish. If you look at what’s involved in getting a team to the MXON, it really requires a team of experts in every aspect from marketing, to fundraising, to logistics, to managing. It’s a miracle we ever got to this race in the past, when you think about it.

It does sound like there is still a chance of Andy being the Team Manager, but I don’t think he wants to wear all those hats mentioned above, simultaneously. Let’s get a good team of experts behind the effort and go from there. This position should not fall on just one person’s shoulders; it’s too much. Do you think Roger Decoster is running 50/50 draws at Red Bud or selling T-shirts out of his trunk? (Actually, how funny is that to imagine?!) Funny as that is, we need to address this possibility as we move forward.

The bottom line is that they were not happy with several aspects of the team’s professionalism at last year’s event. Ryan did a great job rallying the troops, shaking trees, and rattling cages. He raised the required amount of money to put a solid team in Latvia. It was after that point when he may have run out of ‘skill set.’ Like I said above, this is a huge undertaking and spreading roles out between a few people would have made all the difference. To quote Robin Williams, “It’s not [all] your fault.”

My proverbial hat is off to anyone who attempts to take on this challenge. It’s huge! The MXON is a great event. If we can figure out a way to get Team Canada there that doesn’t consume someone’s entire life for a year and we put pieces in place that will make the whole thing run smoothly, it would be well worth our attendance. Some of my best moto memories are from the MXON.

For the record, I also tried to get in touch with Marilyn Bastedo but she is away until Feb 17. We will be sure to keep trying to contact her.

 

Montreal Supercross?

Quite a while back, we mentioned the Montreal SX would be returning in the near future. The first date we heard was this coming April. Well, it sounds like this date was then moved to May and now to a possible date in September. There are also pretty big things in the works with regards to an arenacross series that will cross the country and possibly run in September and October. Stay tuned for more information on these stories as we find out more.

Catching Up with…Josh Snider

Did you happen to catch the article we did with Redemption Racing’s Josh Snider? The big news at the team is that they’ve signed Ontario rider #10 Nathan Bles to the team and that #17 Seth Rarick will be back and on a KTM 250 2-stroke again. Here it is again:

 

Grand Bend, Ontario’s Josh Snider has been a fixture at the races for a long time. As a racer, Josh made it all the way to the Pro ranks and earned several top 100 numbers for his efforts. These days, Josh is spending his time trying to make that same dream of becoming a champ possible for the riders on the team he started a few years back. Previously called Team Faith, Redemption Racing has become a staple at the Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals. You can always find a good group of people milling about their friendly pit talking, eating, and sharing a delicious cup of coffee. Josh works hard in the Alberta oil fields during the winter to off-set his passion for motocross in the summer. We caught up with the friendly ‘Sniderman’ a day before he was set to head back out west to work and after the recent announcement of the addition of Nathan Bles to the team.

Direct Motocross: Hello, Josh. I don’t think we’ve really spoken to you since the MMRS Madoc National. This is a rather large question, but what have you been up to since then?

Josh Snider: After Madoc, I took a few weeks and tried to get some stuff done with the team because I knew I’d only have a limited opportunity after racing before I headed back to work out on the oil rigs. Once I start working on the oil rigs, I really don’t have a lot of time to devote to it so I took a few weeks after Madoc.

I got a plan set in motion for the team and got a lot of things ahead of the ball from what we usually are. I’ve just been working south of Grande Prairie, Alberta, on an oil rig in the middle of nowhere. That’s what I’ve been doing – two weeks in and one week out.

 

Are you able to come home on your week off?

Ya. This time I’ve actually been coming back every two weeks. Before, I used to just stay out there and every other week come home, but it’s nice to come home and see my wife.

 

How is the team looking this year? Who are your riders?

Our riders this year are Nathan Bles; he’s a new addition to the team. It’s nice to have Nathan on board. He’s been down at Club MX training. He’s got a plan set in motion.

And we’ve got Seth Rarick coming back to be a part of the team. He’s going to be running the 250 2-stroke again. He’ likes the bike and does well on it, so he’s got a plan set in motion as well. He did some work over the winter to get ready for this summer. He just got done one of his nuclear jobs that he was working at and he’s heading down to do some riding in the next two weeks. It’s great to have Seth back on the team.

Back on the team as well are the Jefferys. Alex Jeffery is going to be running Intermediate and he’s going to try to qualify for a few nationals. Eric Jeffery is coming back as well to give it a try on the 450.

 

Will Alex try to head west and hit all the nationals?

Ya, that’s the plan. Talking with his dad, Scott, he wants to give it a try and go out west with us. Alex is down at Club MX with Nathan. They just started their program on Monday. Alex is trying to see if he can be faster than his brother, Eric.

 

OK, of all people, the rider on the Redemption Racing Team, formerly Team Faith, actually ended up with #69. Eric joked that he was going to take a year off. Is he going to run that number? Can you guys call (CMRC President) Mark Stallybrass and ask for another number because it’s inappropriate?

I don’t know. I’ve never been superstitious or whatever with thoughts about what number I had, but I’m pretty sure he’s just going to run it. I think it’s kind of funny that he did get that number. I never thought about trying to change it but I suppose I could see if we could change it for inappropriateness. Come to think of it, I can’t really think of too many riders that have run it in the past. I don’t remember seeing it out on the track all that often.

 

Doug Dehaan ran it and I think Iain Hayden did as well, no?

Oh, ok. Ya. Ryan Lockhart ran it, I think, a long time ago. I don’t know. We’ll see. It’s just a number. If people want to associate it with something else then that’s their deal but it’s just a number and I’m pretty sure it’s not going to make a difference whether he runs #69 or #799.

 

OK, well if you’re going to open up that argument, what if they went further and he got #666? Would you run that one?

(Laughs) Ya, no, probably not. That’s a good argument you bring up. I don’t think we’d do that. That’s a different ballgame. I should maybe call Mark and see what’s up with running a number. I don’t see it being a big deal.

 

It will be if we keep making it one!

(Laughs) Hey, if it can bring some talk about the team – Eric’s a Christian guy running #69…hey, he’s a married guy, he can do whatever he wants.

 

Let’s back it up to the Nathan Bles story. How did that come together?

I had been talking with him in the eastern part of the series. He’s a friend. He lives right close by. He’s like a neighbor. I’ve known him ever since he started riding. He was on a KTM and at the first round at Gopher Dunes we were talking a little bit and I tried helping out with a few things with his bike. He was privateer-ing it so we just helped him out the best we could with whatever we could.

He started doing pretty well so we had an eye on him and at the end of the year we were going down the roster of people from the states and here in Canada with who would be a good fit with our team and the sponsors. We’ve got Fly Racing coming on board and helping us huge. Team Fly and Dragon, and Gamma. We wanted someone who could represent their brands well and we finally narrowed it down to Nathan Bles being that solid guy…a likeable guy. He’s easy going and easy to get along with and he comes from a great family with a strong motocross background. I think he can bring some good exposure to the team and our sponsors. We’re very happy to have him on board.

 

Now, as for Seth, was the idea to go with the 4-strokes this year or did you want to run 250 2-stroke because of costs? Does he prefer that bike?

When the rule change came with having to have a stock motor, that kind of put a few red flags up. Would the bike still be just as competitive? We went back and forth. At one point, we were gung ho to make the move to the 4-stroke then some things came about with sponsors that weren’t able to pull through for us and we figured the 2-stroke is still a competitive bike, even in stock form. Seth loved the bike and how it worked. It’s a cheap bike to run, so with those factors, we decided we were just gong to run the 2-stroke. Again, Seth loves the bike. He’s got no complaints with it. He actually said that if we had gone 4-stroke then he would probably want a 250 2-stroke as his practice bike anyhow just because it’s so cheap to run and easy to take care of.

 

Now, I know that GP Bikes has been a big supporter of your team. Is KTM Canada going to spread their wealth a little more? What’s their involvement with you guys?

Ya, it’s nice that they’re trying to spread the wealth a little bit more and I think us stepping it up with our semi truck and the investment that we’re putting into the program, hopefully they’re able to follow suit with it. With JSR taking over there now, he’s really trying to step up and help us out. Both he and Florian (Burguet) like our program and what we’re doing and what they see, so as long as we keep going in the right direction I’m sure they’ll continue to step up their program towards us. GP Bikes has been great and they’re continuing their support in any way that they can and we’re happy to have KTM coming on board with more support this year with the addition of Nathan Bles on the team.

 

How about mechanics? What are you doing there?

We are looking. We’ve been talking with some people. Chad’s (Goodwin) still going to be involved with helping us out with pre-season testing, but as far as being one of our mechanics for the team, we’re going to have to find somebody else. We’re just trying to see who can fit with our program and who fits with the team the best.

 

So, should people still be firing off resumes your way?

Ya, if there are some people that are passionate about the sport. It’s not all people think it’s cracked up to be! It could be a bit of an eye-opener for people, but if they think they’re up for the challenge, they can send me a resume and we should talk and see how things might work out with the team to be a mechanic on Redemption Racing.

 

Now, you just bought a new house. Is this your first time as an owner? How has that been?

My wife (Melissa) and I got possession of the house December 5^th here in the north part of London. It’s the first house we’ve ever owned. We were renting before and we’re quite happy with where we’re at. It suits our needs and it’s part of the reason I keep coming back on my weeks off. It’s nice to be able to come to MY home and not someone else’s who we were renting off. It’s kind of fun being a home owner.

 

If you don’t ride or race all year, are we going to go head to head in the ‘Legends’ Class at the MMRS Madoc National this year?

You bet! I’m going to make sure I don’t race at all this year and I’m just going to train hard so that at Madoc I can make sure I win it (Laughs).

 

Well, congratulations on the continued success of your team. Before we let you pack for your flight west, who would you like to thank?

We’ll definitely thank GP Bikes, KTM Canada, Jeffery Homes, Fly Racing, Dragon Alliance, Gamma Sales, and Specto Oils. Those are some of our main sponsors

 

Tyler Medaglia Wins Final Motosport.com Arenacross Tour Round

Husqvarna Canada rider, Tyler Medaglia, lined up at the final round of the Motosport.com Arenacross Tour round in Tunica, Mississippi, last weekend. We posted the official Race Report from AXTour this week. Not only did Tyler win the race, but Cole Thompson was back in action for the first time since blowing out his knee last winter.

AX Pro
Overall	Number	Brand		Name	City,State
1	3	Ktm		Tyler Medaglia	Brookfield, NS
2	224	Ktm		Heath Harrison	Silverhill, AL
3	148	Ktm		Cole Thompson	Brigden, ON
4	365	Kaw		Brett Cue	Tualatin, OR
5	1	Yam		Johnny Moore	Madison, MS
6	54	Kaw		Zachary Bishop-burnett	Arlington, TN
7	21	Kaw		Jansin Mccoy	Manford, TN
8	324	Kaw		Tyler Tidmore	Dora, AL
9	176	Ktm		Steven Brookhouse	Mokena, IL

I gave Tyler a call this afternoon and caught him as he was driving into Tallahassee. He did the final 2 rounds of the AXTour on his Freedom Cycle Husqvarna 450 and sounded like he was pretty happy with his performance. He had some troubles in Starkville with a broken chain in his qualifier and then Heath Harrison welcomed him to the series with an aggressive T-bone that left Tyler on the ground with his bike burning a hole in his gear and brakes broken at both ends. They would eventually disqualify Harrison for the move.

He was very happy with his performance in Tunica where he won th AX Main and took 3rd in the Clash for Cash. He’s also raced a couple Florida Winter Ams while he’s been based out of GPF in Cairo, Georgia. He said he’d managed to be at the front of most of his races and has had some good battles with riders like Cody Chisholm (who he thinks is going as fast as brother Kyle) and Daniel Baker.

I asked him about how Royal Distributing Fox KTM Canada rider Cole Thompson looked in his return to racing and he was quick to say that Cole looked as good and smooth as ever. He said that his speed was there and that he was also banging bars with Harrison at the Tunica round.

As far as the Daytona SX goes, Tyler sounded both excited and a little bummed about the whole deal. He is extremely happy with the way he’s riding on the track and the way his training is going off it. His voice got a little down when we discussed his ride for the year and who all his sponsors would be. He is a very loyal racer and wants to honour his commitments to those who’ve helped him in the past but doesn’t really have a signed contract yet for the season and that is holding him back from doing everything he’d like to down south, race-wise. It’s bad enough that he’s away from Heidi and their two young kids, but factor in the stress about not having a finalized deal for the upcoming season and things are a little tense for the usually upbeat Medaglia.

He rode the SX track at GPF today and was hitting all the jumps and cleaning all the rhythms, so he feels more than ready to attack the hybrid Daytona track with his outdoor set up. The paper work is ready and he still has a few days left before the sign up deadline. Let’s hope it all comes together and we see him lined up at the Speedway.

Tanner Ward Back in Action

Supermini 12-15 yrs
Overall	Number	Brand		Name	City,State		Moto 1	Moto 2
1	184	Ktm		Tanner Ward	Woodstock, ON		1	1
2	29	Suz		Bryce Lovelace	Paris, TN		2	2
3	88	Hon		Preston Martin	Conehatta, MS		3	3
4	521	Kaw		Rob Erskine	Olive Branch, TN		4	4
5	3a	Ktm		Andrew Heafner	Charlston, MS		7	5
6	14	Hon		Cade Blakney	Hernando, MS		6	7
7	175	Suz		Sean Jacobs			8	6
8	50	Hon		Cross Bookwalter	Olive Branch, MS		5	9
9	123	Kaw		Garrett Pond	Brandon, MS		10	8
10	8	Kaw		Reagan White	Olive Bransh, MS		9	10

It was great to see that Woodstock, Ontario, rider Tanner Ward is back on a bike and picking up right where he left off. The newly-signed KTM Canada rider won the Supermini (12-15) class at the same Tunica round of the AXTour. Congratulations, Tanner.

Thanks for reading again this week. I can’t wait to get to a race or riding facility soon! It looks like we’ll be making our way south to hit the 2nd Atlanta SX, then GPF for a couple days, then the Daytona SX, and then Club MX on the way back home. It will feel great to get back behind the lens and get some new shots of riders in their new gear and on their new bikes. Speaking of taking photos, thanks to Kyle Carruthers and Pelican for the amazing Pelican 1560 camera case that I received today. I will be putting this thing to great use in the very near future.