Frid’Eh Update #9 Presented by The Toronto Supercross

By Jeff McConkey and Billy Rainford

Welcome to the 9th week of the DMX Frid’Eh Update this week presented by the Toronto Supercross, March 12th at Rogers Centre. Let’s get right to it as this is one of the busiest weeks of the year, travel-wise.

#9 goes out to the rider out of San Diego, California, who is fast-becoming an honorary Canadian. He’s from about as far away as you can get in the U.S. but the paper work is in progress. Dylan Schmoke and his dad, Matthew, have become staples at the Rockstar MX Nationals and Dylan is always right there to capitalize if one of the top 10 riders should falter.

2015 results:

10-10-15-8-16-21-10-13-10-11 = 256 points = 9th overall

2016 #9 Dylan Schmoke loves racing in Canada, but will he be back? – Bigwave photo

We grabbed Dylan for a quick chat today to find out what’s been keeping him busy these days:

Direct Motocross: Hey, Dylan. How are you doing and what are you up to this weekend?

Dylan Schmoke: I‘m doing good. I actually just got down to our river house for the weekend. Gonna be doing some boating and mtn biking. It’s a cool 80 degrees out (Laughs).

Let’s first back up to last summer. Can you take us through how your season went?

The 2015 season went pretty well. I had some good finishes with my best being 8th and I was never outside of 10th in points. So no complaints!

Who were you battling more than anyone out there?

Shoot, I feel like me and the beast from the east, Kyle Keast, were always next to each other(laughs). We both are horrible at starts so we would be somewhat close to each other every race. There were a few races we battled the whole race. The best part was I pitted with him at the east rounds so we be battling and slamming each other, then have a laugh about it after the race.

What was your favourite memory from last summer?

My best memory probably would have to be when I had my dad take me to the line and he lost his mind with the pit board (laughs). I’m sure everyone has seen the video. Classic Papa Schmoke. But the whole summer was an awesome time but that for sure sticks out the most.

“I feel like me and the beast from the east, Kyle Keast, were always next to each other(laughs). We both are horrible at starts so we would be somewhat close to each other every race.” – Bigwave photo

What did you do after Walton?

After Walton I took about 3 months off from riding completely and was working for my parents and trying to get my company DS Moto Customs bigger and more out there. Then started riding a bit the last few months. I tried to get something together to do SX but it didn’t work out and I didn’t want to do a sub-par program.

You ended up getting hurt. What happened?

Yeah, I was out at the dunes for New Years and my paddle tire exploded and whipped me in the back. It hit my back so hard I lost all the feeling in my legs for a few seconds. Definitely a scary thing. So I was off the bike a month or so but it’s all good now and back to riding.

You also do a lot of WORCS racing. How has that been going?

I was supposed to do the first 4 rounds of WORCS but the back injury got in the way of the first two. Last weekend was rounds 3 in Vegas and I ended up 6th. I got a bad start due to dead engine start, my bike didn’t start too quick. Went from 17th to 6th, I had the 2nd fastest lap time out of the 30 pros ,so I was pretty stoked with how I rode from not riding too much.

What’s the biggest difference between that and mx?

WORCS is a cool series to do for training for me. The moto is 2 hours long and the tracks are just long MX tracks. A normal lap time is about 12 minutes long. Plus, we have to do pit stops. Papa Schmoke is one to watch when I do a pit (Laughs).

What are your plans for the rest of the winter months?

For the rest of winter? Well, we don’t have a winter in So Cal )Laughs), but I plain on just riding, working and I’ve also been doing some R&D testing with KTM.

If we see Dylan racing in Canada again in 2016 will all depend on whether or not he can put a program together. – Bigwave photo

Will we see you up north again in 2016?

I’m not sure if you will see the #9 bike out there this year. I haven’t got anything set in stone, trying to get it all dialed in. I hope I can get something to come up. I love racing up in Canada.

The competition should be even tougher. What’s it going to take to gt you farther up the results sheets?

Yeah, it sounds like a lot of fast guys will be racing Canada this year but I think for me to do well I just need to start better. Coming from 25th is hard to get to the front.

OK, have a great weekend. Who would you like to thank?

Thanks, DMX. But I’d like to thank my family and girlfriend for helping me do whatever it takes to go racing, KTM, FXR, 6D, 100%, Atlas, Sidi boots, Maxima Oils, Pro Taper, Hinson, Dubya wheels, Acerbis, Valley-Speed, FMF, Dunlop, Customs Decals, DS MOTO CUSTOMS, a special thanks to Andy White, he helps me out a ton with my program for Canada.

This week’s Update is brought to you by The Toronto Supercross. Get your tickets today!

Jeff McConkey

Hey, guys. Is spring ever going to reach us in Southern Ontario? I see riders hitting the tracks already out in Western Canada, and it kind of stings a little. Other Canadians have been lucky enough to head to a special place. Which special place, you ask? I’ll tell you where. Someplace warm. “A place where the beer flows like wine. Where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano.” I’m talking about a little place called ‘The South.’ The training facilities and tracks in South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Florida are loaded with Canadians looking to make an impact on the 2016 season. Billy is lucky enough to be in the ‘Dirty South’ to cover our young Canucks as they put in the work to get any advantage on the competition.

I, myself, returned from Georgia last Sunday, after a great but fast weekend at the races. It was my first trip to the Georgia Dome and I was really impressed with the Dome, itself. The track wasn’t overly technical, but the soft Georgia red clay rutted up real nice. Add in a very gnarly sand section after a dragon back, and you have a very interesting section to watch riders try and navigate. It claimed many riders and made it interesting.

The sand snakes were out in force in Atlanta last Saturday. – Bigwave photo

Daytona Supercross

This week, the action heads farther south as the series stops in Daytona. The Daytona SX is one of a kind. You either look forward to this round or you hate it, there’s no in between. This could be the race where a guy like Eli Tomac picks up his first win of the season. Anything can happen, as this round is way harder on equipment than the more traditional Supercrosses. Here are my predictions for Daytona:

250 EAST

Holeshot: Jesse Wentland

1st: Aaron Plessinger
2nd: Jeremy Martin
3rd: Malcolm Stewart
4th: Justin Hill
5th: R.J. Hampshire

450 CLASS

Holeshot: Eli Tomac

1st” Eli Tomac
2nd: Ryan Dungey
3rd: Trey Canard
4th: Jason Anderson
5th: Marvin Musquin

Toronto Supercross

And you know what’s after Daytona, right? Yes, you are correct. It is the Toronto SX. But before the actual race, you really should stop by the DMX Pre-Party at The Houston on Friday night. It’s a great chance to ease into the weekend and get revved up for SX. You can always count on some big names to be in attendance and some serious bench racing going on. Add in the fact that Team Canada Motocross of Nations manager, Kourtney Lloyd, will be in the house selling raffle tickets for this years team. It doesn’t get much better than that.

And after a great night of SX racing, when you’re just not ready to let go, be sure to head back over to The Houston for our very special After-Party. Here is your one and only bit of advice: Don’t take your time, get there right after the race, so you don’t miss out! All are welcome, and I promise you that you won’t be disappointed. $10 at the door.

That’s it for me this week. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out my ‘5 Minutes with…Tommy Dallaire.’ Tommy is a young French Canadian with some amazing style. In my opinion, he’s got the best style and most swag in Canada, and he’s only 18. He is definitely one to watch.

Also, check out this week’s ‘Out Of The Blue‘ with Casey Raimondo. That’s it for me, have a good week and don’t forget to #smileforBC! See you next Friday in Toronto!

Billy Rainford

Thanks, Jeff. Like he said, I’m currently crisscrossing the deep south looking for any and all Canadians who are chasing the dream of becoming faster racers…and there are a lot! So far, I’ve been to GPF, Bell’s, Climax MX, and Tampa MX. There are an unusually high number of Canadians down here honing their skills.

I have so much content clogging my memory cards and hard drives that I almost don’t know where to start! I guess I’ll just head back to the beginning and go from there…

GPF MX

Thanks to the Woods Family for giving us the great hospitality at GPF again this year. I hope they have unlimited internet because I logged some very long hours in the clubhouse uploading photos and video. They run a very tight schedule over there and the rec room is supposed to be cleared out by 10pm. Well, I know I headed back to the RV at close to 2am a couple nights, so thank you.

#527 Jake Tricco: Headed to RCSX this weekend.

#818 Davin Grose: Headed to RCSX this weekend.

The Scott Boys, Tanner and Hunter, will be in Daytona this weekend.

This is a pretty big double on a 65! Tanner Scott loved it.

#424 Austin Watling: Headed to RCSX this weekend. Here he is looking for the most inside line he can find.

#16 Brad Williams is busy training at GPF, too.

Watch for #265 Estrella Cemovic this weekend in Daytona.

Matt Crown showing the kids that the inside line may not feel the best, but it was a little bit quicker every lap.

#64 Mitch Goheen having some fun on the RCSX-adapted SX track.

As I was heading out for Tampa, I saw Josh Woods delivering some precious cargo to someone.

It turned out, Jess and Doug Pettis had just arrived from Prince George, BC. They had some bikes shipped all the way to Georgia where Jess will now absorb all he can from national #2 Colton Facciotti. It’s too bad I couldn’t stay to see him ride.

I’m not allowed to show any photos of Colton riding, so here is a shot of his shed…

Same goes for #14 Jeremy Medaglia, so here he is checking Instagram in his cabin (which is for sale if you’re interested). Check out the one piece of art he has hanging. Nice.

Climax MX

I headed about 1/2 hour west of GPF over to Climax Motorsports Park to check on a few Canadians who were there training. As I pulled into the parking lot Dave Blanchet and his crew were just hooking up their truck and trailer to head south to Tampa MX for the Pro Circuit Pro Open race Thursday night.

Canadians #15 William Mireault and #456 JC Bujold were training all day Brad Jerominski from Club 57 motocross Schools. JC is just coming back from a broken femur suffered a couple months ago but was looking very good already.

Brad Jerominski of Club 57 MX going over some things with the riders.

The Mireaults were taking in what Brad had to say.

JC Bujold putting in some laps at Climax MX.

#15 William Mireault during one of their sprint motos.

William and JC.

They had some instruction help from national #59 Jace Owen.

As always, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Eric Bujold taking care of some business while JC works a section.

Perfect.

Daytona Supercross by Honda Time Lapse Track Build

Tampa MX – Pro Circuit Open

I headed south on the I-75 to Tampa MX to catch the 1st Annual Pro Circuit Pro Open races. I couldn’t believe that there was a line-up of cars to get into a race on a Thursday evening, but there was! It was great to see the crowd of racers and spectators that showed up to this event. Dean Wilson was there saying hello and signing autographs. He also gave away a signed jersey to a luck fan.

#141 Eve Brodeur raced her 250 2-stroke to 2nd place in the Women’s Pro main event behind Kyle Fasnacht.

One of the most exciting motos was this Supermini main event that saw Canadian #79 Cameron Wrozyna work his way into the lead.

It was this close for several laps before Cameron messed up on the last lap and was forced back to 3rd place.

#418 Dave Blanchet finished in 9th spot after getting goaded into jumping the start earlier by the rider next to him. ave will line up in the 450 class this weekend in Daytona.

#26 Michael Byrne found himself in the lead of the Pro main.

There was tight racing throughout the pack.

If it has 2 wheels, #5 Tyler Medaglia will race it! Tyler finished the main in 5th spot after messing up and getting passed late by #72 Hayden Melross.

#1 Ricky Renner took the win. Be sure to scroll down and watch the MXPTV video and the last lap!

Ricky said he will race the 450 class in Daytona tomorrow night.

Michael Byrne said he hasn’t raced in over 2 years and is getting ready for a run at Loretta’s this summer.

Heath Harrison getting in some social media at the end of the night…before we all headed straight into the construction that Google Maps warned us about…

Tyler loaded up and heading to the first round of Amsoil GNCC this Sunday in Palatka, Florida. I’m going to have to check that out this year.

Here the MXPTV footage of the Open Pro main event:

Is Jimmy Decotis Coming Back to Canada?

Well, after speaking with Jimmy Decotis, himself, a few weeks ago, I was sure the answer was yes. But then, people in the industry started telling me that he was probably not going to be able to commit to the summer up in Canada. OK, so today I gave team co-owner Kevin Tyler a call to see what his take was.

Kevin will be in Daytona this weekend to try and cross a few of the last t’s. As far as he knows, the FXR MX101 Yamaha team will consist of Jimmy and Dylan Wright, as well as Kris Keefer at a select few rounds. I guess we’ll have to wait for the ink to dry on this one to know 100% for sure.

#58 Jimmy Decotis is ready to take a podium position very soon. He grabbed the SupercrossLIVE.com holeshot and said he "got a little pumped up." He finished 5th.

As far as we know, Jimmy will return to take a run at the MX2 championship in 2016. – Spikman photo (It’s a Spikman!)

OK, that will do it for this week. Thanks for checking us out. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @directmx and on Instagram @directmotocross as well as our Facebook page. Have a great weekend and be sure to check back often as we will be putting together some things from our stay down south as soon as I find the time.

Frid’Eh Update #9 Presented by The Toronto Supercross