Frid’Eh Update Presented by Just 1 Helmets

Frid’Eh Update Presented by Just 1 Helmets

By Jeff McConkey and Billy Rainford

Week #16/17 belongs to Topher Ingalls. – Bigwave photo

Let us start off with an apology to Seth Rarick and Topher Ingalls. In all my excitement about leaving for NYC last Frid’Eh, I somehow looked up the Top 100 CMRC National Numbers, read them, and still managed to mix up who was 16 and who was 17.

In my defense, they both actually scored the same number of points so if I’m looking for an out for my goof, that’s it.

Both Topher and Seth scored 219 points and tied for 5th in MX2. With the way the season ended, Topher gets 5th place and Seth gets bumped to 6th. That means Topher gets #16 and Seth #17. OK, why am I saying all this? Last week was #16 and I goofed and gave it to Seth.

This week is Week 17 but it goes out to Topher #16. If there’s still anyone reading this, let’s move on…

Canadians have grown to know and love the character from Northern California over the past few years. He’s struggled to find rides, battled for wins, and kept things interesting for us in the media. I still remember a couple years ago when he parted ways with his travel partner and ended up under an Easy Up with nothing but a pile of trampled grass and a bag of gear strewn all over the place. It was a true privateer picture.

We got in touch with him to see if the rumours were true that he may not be making the trek north to Kamloops, BC for the start of the 2015 Rockstar Energy MX Nationals.

Direct Motocross: Hello, Topher. Would you mind summing up your 2014 season for us?

Topher Ingalls: Last summer was solid but I can’t say it was as successful or fun as the previous two – 2013 was a tough act to follow. There was a bunch of new hurdles and curve-balls riding the 250 2-stroke. I know Bennet (Kaven Benoit) rode very well and was able to win but things just didn’t mesh so well for me. I wanted to win. For myself and everyone at RTR Performance I just wasn’t quite there.

What did you do after Walton?

After Walton, I was still extra-banged up from lacerating my liver and the broken ribs, plus I wasn’t too pumped on riding after that season. So I just really took my time healing up my body.

(The following sequence from Ulverton did not go well for #14)

What did you do during this past winter for training and racing?

My winter has been very uneventful dirtbike-wise. I was preparing to race a 450 in Supercross but two weeks before A1 I hit neutral out at Castillo Ranch and broke my leg. I’ve really just been working and working on life after racing.

What are your racing plans for this summer?

Racing plans for this summer: Zero.

I see you’ve done some off-road stuff lately? How has that been? Do you enjoy it?

Yes, my local shop Paso Robles Polaris KTM talked me into a couple off-road races…yikes. I can’t say I’m a fan. Doesn’t help that both races completely punked me out. The first race, I crushed a hole in my motor, thanks to a rock plus no skid-plate and smoked the motor. The second race I tried, I’m pretty sure I hit a rock, ’cause the first thing I remember is thirty minutes later.

Wow. Well, I’m sure I speak for everyone up here in Canada when I say the series won’t be the same without you. Is there anyone you’d like to thank?

Let’s thank Denis and Erik Dube and everyone from RTR Performance – what an awesome group of people who made a couple awesome summers possible. Paso Robles Polaris KTM, TRS Consulting making SX possible and enjoyable. And my friends and family for all their love and support.

As you can see, Topher had a rather interesting 2014 and 2015, so far. Here at DMX, we’re sorry to hear he won’t be racing our series this summer…but you can never count this guy out until the gate drops at Whispering Pines May 31st!

Week #17 is brought to you by Just 1 Helmets.

This week is brought to you by Just 1 Helmets and their Canadian Distributor, Gamma Sales in Orillia, Ontario. Over the past couple Frid’Ehs, we’ve been announcing the winners of the J12 Carbon Just 1 Helmets they’ve been giving away. Well, it’s time to announce the 3rd and final winner!

Congratulations to Mia Barrett from Acton, Ontario. Wow, this looks fixed being that Jeff just did an ‘Out of the Blue’ article on Mia. We aren’t the ones who draw the names, so don’t look at us with those suspicious eyes!

Congratulations to Mia Barrett on winning the 3rd and final Just 1 J12 carbon helmet.

Thank you to everyone who headed over and entered the contest by ‘liking’ Gamma Sales on Facebook.

Jeff McConkey

Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series

Hey, guys. It’s a nice warm Frid’Eh here in Ontario and moto season is in full swing! With outdoor season here, it means it’s almost time for SX to disappear for the summer. That being said, the last round of the AMA SX season blasts off tomorrow night from Sin City itself, Las Vegas. What started out as the most stacked 450 class ever, has slowly, rider by rider, dwindled down due to injury. Even though some serious heavy hitters have been out of the line-up, the racing has still been great. The new and improved Ryan Dungey has been the man this year. I don’t think a healthy Ryan Villopoto, or even James Stewart, would have been able to derail Dungey’s consistency and new-found aggression and speed. Ryan made some serious changes in his program, and they have worked out big time. He has always been fit, fast and talented, but this year he was a different guy.

In the 250 class, there has been 1 stand-out rider on each coast. In the West, it has been Cooper Webb. Cooper is riding with so much speed and confidence right now, he really was the best in the West. In the East, you could say the same about Marvin Musquin. He was just head and shoulders above the competition. The big question is…Who is faster? We will hopefully see the 2 champions square off this Saturday night in the East / West Shootout. Here are my Vegas predictions:

Jeff gives us his Las Vegas predictions – Bigwave photo

250 East/West Shootout

1st Cooper Webb
2nd Marvin Musquin
3rd Shane McElrath
4th Justin Bogle
5th Malcolm Stewart

450 Class

1st Eli Tomac
2nd Ryan Dungey
3rd Cole Seely
4th Blake Baggett
5th Jason Anderson

Colton Facciotti Back on His Honda

In Canadian action, Honda Canada TLD GDR’s Colton Facciotti has started riding again and will no doubt be ready for round 1 in Kamloops. Speaking of Colton, it is super-cool to see him throwing a sweet whip over the Walton Natural Double every time I throw on the Blue Jays game on television. He has some serious competition this year with former champs, Monster Energy Thor Kawasaki’s Brett Metcalfe and Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s Matt Goreke. Throw in Royal Distributing Fox KTM’s Cole Thompson, Parts Canada Thor Husqvarna’s Tyler Medaglia, SmarTops MotoConcepts’ Mike Alessi, Teddy Maier, and you have a serious dog fight for a top 5. It is just as stacked in MX2 with names like Canada’s Motorcycle FXR Yamaha’s Jimmy Decotis, Cole Martinez, Shawn Maffenbeier, and Jeremy Medaglia, all chasing after the big number 1 on Kaven Benoit‘s back. I, myself, cannot wait for the gate to drop at round 1!

MMRS KTM Provincial Series

Closer to home, the MMRS KTM Provincial Series Round 2 kicks off at the beautiful Muttco Mountain track. This track is by far the gem of the MMRS collection. It offers some fantastic natural rolling hills, and a really cool layout. Like always, Saturday will be an open practice day, which will allow riders to safely get the Muttco track down and find some great lines for Sundays race.

That’s it for me this week. Be sure to check out this week’s ‘Out of the Blue‘ featuring Dylan Wright‘s better half Krista Cassleman. While you are at it, have a look at this week’s double feature of ‘On the Radar‘ with Dana and Mia Barrett. Have a great week and always remember to #smileforBC!

Billy Rainford

Thanks for that, Jeff. Because watching baseball on TV just makes me angry, I haven’t seen this Colton Facciotti piece during the Blue Jays’ broadcasts. If it’s true, that’s really cool!

This has been a very short week for me. After spending last weekend at the Supercross in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and then taking the opportunity to spend some time in New York City, Friday came a lot quicker than usual this week. With all the travel I’ve been able to do over the past several years, I’d still never been to NYC. Emily and I took full advantage of this last week and even managed to catch one of David Letterman’s final 18 shows…ever.

It’s a fairly well-known fact that I have been a weirdo ‘Dave Fan’ since the early 80’s (yes, I’m old) and so this was a huge deal for me. Bigger still was when we were in Rupert Gee‘s Hello Deli for an obligatory sandwich (I had the David Letterman and Emily had the Alan Kalter) and Rupert himself was just standing behind the counter making sandwiches. As we were sitting in one of the 3 tables in the tiny establishment, in walked Late Show Stage Manager Biff Henderson. I’m not usually a ‘fan boy’ but this was more than I could take!

Yep, I made them pose for photos and talked to Rupert about how they had to cancel him walking around with headphones on while Dave told him what to say to strangers. Rupert told us the whole story of how someone pulled a knife on their security guard during a prank. That was enough for them. To be honest, I’m very surprised it didn’t happen sooner!

That moto trip had so many highlights that I think I’ll tell the story in an article all on its own.

That’s The Late Show’s Biff Henderson at the Hello Deli. I’m looking forward to spinning the NYC trip yarn. – Bigwave photo

2015 Rockstar Energy MX Nationals Top 100 Numbers

2015 Team List (So Far)

Monster Energy Thor Kawasaki

250 – Cole Martinez

450 – Teddy Maier

450 – Brett Metcalfe

Rockstar OTSFF Yamaha

250 – Shawn Maffenbeier

450 – Matt Goerke

450 – Bobby Kiniry

Royal Distributing Fox KTM

250 – Kaven Benoit

450 – Cole Thompson

Honda Canada TLD GDR

250 – Jeremy Medaglia

450 – Colton Facciotti

250 – Westen Wrozyna

450 – Kyle Keast

Parts Canada Thor Husqvarna

450 – Tyler Medaglia

Devil’s Lake Yamaha

250 – Blake Savage

450 – Dylan Kaelin

Redemption Racing Fly Dragon KTM

250 – Seth Rarick

450 – Nathan Bles

250 – Alex Jeffery

450 – Eric Jeffery

Canada’s Motorcycle FXR Yamaha

250 – Dylan Wright

250 – Jimmy Decotis

RTR Powersports KTM

450 – Dylan Schmoke

450 – Michael DaSilva

PR-MX JT Racing

250 – Hayden Halstead

250 – Logan Karnow (?)

450 – Davey Fraser (?)

GA Checkpoint Yamaha

250 – Brad Nauditt

250 – Dylan Delaplace

Danyluk Racing

250 – Kyle Swanson

450 – Dylan Kirchner

Orange Motorsports KTM

250 – Liam O’Farrell

Duroy Racing KTM

250 – Jason Benny

450 – Shawn Robinson

Team Yamaha Extreme Miller EVO

450 – Sylvain LeGad

AMSOIL Arenacross Finals Pulpmx Show Webcast Tonight!

Mitch Goheen Injured

2016 Supercross Schedule

2016 Monster Energy Supercross Schedule Announced

AURORA, Ill. (May 1, 2015) – Feld Motor Sports^® announced today the 2016 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, schedule which will visit two new venues with University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on February 6, and Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on April 23, 2016. The 17-city tour will also make its return to Toronto’s Rogers Centre while adding a second visit to downtown San Diego’s Petco Park.

 

With a rich history in the Phoenix market, Monster Energy Supercross will make its debut at University of Phoenix Stadium, home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, which hosted the Super Bowl in February. Gillette Stadium is home to the NFL’s Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots and sits approximately 20 miles from Boston. Serving as the 15^th race of the championship, the Gillette Stadium round complements the race at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the following weekend and is part of a growing East Coast expansion.

 

On-Sale Schedule

• · May 4: Cross Club Pre-Sale (become a Cross Club member atwww.SupercrossLive.com)
• · May 6: Ticketmaster.com Pre-Sale (10:00 a.m. local time)
• · May 8: General On-Sale (10:00 a.m. local time)

 

“In 2016, we’re continuing the strong start of the Monster Energy Supercross season on the West Coast and expanding our audience by bringing this thrilling event to more East Coast markets,”said Juliette Feld, executive vice president, Feld Entertainment.

 

The highly anticipated Canadian return of Monster Energy Supercross will take place on March 12, 2016. From 2005 to 2014, the race at the Rogers Centre enjoyed a 52-percent increase in attendance. San Diego’s Petco Park hosted its first-ever Monster Energy Supercross this year, attracting 42,017 fans. As the home to MLB’s San Diego Padres, the venue will host two races in 2016: January 16 and February 13.

 

“Going to new venues like Gillette Stadium and University of Phoenix Stadium is always exciting for us,” said Ryan Dungey, recently crowned 2015 Monster Energy Supercross Champion. “Bringing the championship to new markets and fans will only help grow the sport, and I look forward to meeting the fans at the races in 2016.”

 

Keeping with tradition, the season will open at the Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, onJanuary 9, and will conclude at Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium on May 7. Angel Stadium, which is considered the proverbial home of Monster Energy Supercross, will host a second race on January 23.

Date                 Venue                                                  City

January 9         Angel Stadium                                    Anaheim, Calif.

January 16       Petco Park                                           San Diego

January 23       Angel Stadium                                    Anaheim, Calif.

January 30       O.Co Coliseum                                    Oakland, Calif.

February 6        University of Phoenix Stadium             Glendale, Ariz.

February 13      Petco Park                                           San Diego

February 20      AT&T Stadium                                    Arlington, Texas

February 27      Georgia Dome                                     Atlanta

March 5**         Daytona International Speedway         Daytona Beach, Fla.

March 12         Rogers Centre                                      Toronto

March 19         Ford Field                                            Detroit

April 2              Levi’s Stadium                                     Santa Clara, Calif.

April 9              Lucas Oil Stadium                               Indianapolis

April 16            Edward Jones Dome                            St. Louis

April 23            Gillette Stadium                                  Foxborough, Mass.

April 30            MetLife Stadium                                  East Rutherford, N.J.

May 7               Sam Boyd Stadium                             Las Vegas

 

** Daytona is not a Feld Motor Sports produced race

 

The Toronto SX Pre and After-Parties

The Toronto Supercross returns to Rogers Centre in March! After taking a year off, the Canadian round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series will head north of the border to ‘The Big Smoke’ March 12th. What this also means is the return of the annual ‘DMX Pre and After Parties.’

These things have really taken off and it will be great to get them going again! We’ve had it at a couple different venues now and we’ll have to see who steps up to host in 2016. If you’re interested in the gig, please fire me an email at billy@directmotoross.com and we’ll see if we can work something out.

 

Colton Facciotti Update

As you all know, Honda Canada TLD GDR rider and defending Canadian MX1 champ, Colton Facciotti, crashed over the bars over a jump while training this winter at GPF. The end result of his cartwheeling was a fractured pelvis.

Colton described it as kind of a “weird injury” that was “not that painful.” He’s been off the bike for 6 or 7 weeks now and just got back on this past Wednesday. We grabbed him for a short talk today as he was doing things around the house getting ready to go riding again this afternoon.

He said it’s unlikely that we’ll see him line up for a pre-season race because he will just be concentrating on getting himself ready for round 1 May 31st. He assured me that he will be ready for round 1 and that he’s excited to try to defend the #1 plate. Good luck, Colton.

Colton Facciotti is back on the bike after injuring his pelvis 6 weeks ago – Bigwave photo

Kyle Swanson Injury Update

Two weeks prior to the Houston SX, Texan Kyle Swanson broke his femur and was forced out of the 2015 Supercross series. Well, we’re about 5 weeks out from the injury and he’s ready to get back at it. Riding for the new Danyluk Racing FXR Suzuki team, Kyle has found his way to Calgary where he and Brittany Danyluk will call home.

I spoke with fledgling team owner, Darryl Danyluk, earlier today to find out how this new venture was coming along. The Leduc, Alberta-based team owner will base the team from there while the team – Kyle, Brittany, and Dylan Kirchner (another young Texan) – will call Calgary and the Blackfoot MX Park home during the western swing and Motopark home during the east.

Although his main team backer was forced out due to the struggles the oil industry is suffering in the west, the team will move on to compete all the way across the country in 2015. Watch for their big cargo trailer filled with Suzukis being towed behind either a pick-up truck or their RV – they haven’t made that decision yet. Either way, best of luck, team.

Kyle Swanson is back on the bike after his femur injury. – Bigwave photo

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From the MX101 Facebook page:

All the dirt that is fit to print about this weekend! AMORacingReloaded will be in the house making sure everything goes well, and the MX101 Crew is working their buns off to make this one of the best weekends ever! The weather will be perfect, and MX101 will announce the next FACTORY FAN EXPERIENCE, where you and a friend could go to California with the Crew for a Supercross race!!!! Kaven Benoit will be there, so you know there will be a good race between the Champ and the new Lion Dylan Wright Motocross! Great people, great racing, great weekend! Don’t miss it! A few more surprises are in store as well!

Sounds like a great weekend to head over to Sand Del Lee and watch some great racing.

Geico Endurocross Tonight in Las Vegas

It’s your best chance to see a Canadian victory south of the border tonight as riders #1 Lexi Pechout from Calgary, AB, #5 Melissa Harten from Calgary, and #50 Shelby Turner from Barons, AB all have a great chance of winning this thing!

On the men’s side, #9 Bobby Prochnau might be in pretty tough to take a win, but he’ll be right there to make it interesting. Check it out at Endurocross.com

 

Amsoil Arenacross Final Tonight in Las Vegas

The busiest weekend for off-road riding continues with the finale of the Amsoil Arenacross Ricky Carmichael Road to Supercross tonight at Sam Boyd Stadium. Jacob Hayes and Kyle Regal are tied for the points lead while Matt Goerke sits just 6 points behind them.

Canadian #727 Dave Blachet is 8th in Lites East.

I won’t be able to make it to Las Vegas this year but I remember how busy it was last year with 4 events taking place over 3 days and nights. The Amsoil Arenacross Amateur Day Championships will take place on Sunday so good luck to any and all Canadians who have made the journey to Nevada. We’ll be watching!

Sebastien Tortelli Interview

It was a first to me and I think it was pretty cool that 2-time World Champion Sebastien Tortelli took the time to talk with us last week. He retired from racing quite a few years ago now and he explains why he did so in the interview. He runs his ‘Champ Factory‘ out in Temecula, California, these days and will be racing at Loretta Lynn’s this year. Give it a read HERE.

 

Well, that will do it for another week here at the old DMX Update. Have a great weekend, everyone. I’m going to be heading to a track I haven’t raced on since 1987. It sits at the top of an awful lot of people’s lists as best track of all-time. I’m talking about Baja Acres in Millington, MI who will be hosting the Mid-East Loretta Lynn’s Qualifier May 1,2,3.

Happy World Naked Gardening Day tomorrow! See you at the races…