ICYMI | Catching Up with Daniel Elmore

ICYMI | Catching Up with Daniel Elmore

By Billy Rainford

In case you missed it, we caught up with Daniel Elmore from Telkwa, BC.

Daniel has been on our radar since we first met him training down at Club MX in South Carolina a couple years ago. He’s the kind of rider who lets his riding on the track do the talking for him…he’s pretty quiet off the the track.

Anyway, he had what can only be described as an “interesting” season of racing the Canadian Triple Crown Series this past summer. He started off the year on the Sky Racing Team with Al Dyck. There was a big blowout at the end of the day at Sand Del Lee and the result was that Daniel would be on his own for the remainder of the series.

I’ve heard from a few people who witnessed the scene first-hand and I also got Al’s side of the story. So far, Daniel has been reluctant to talk much about what happened, and he remained that way again when we spoke with him this week. One day he’ll give his side, no doubt. To be honest, I respect him more for his silence on what would likely only amount to a “he said, he said” situation anyway.

With that ugliness behind us, let’s have a quick look at Daniel’s summer results:

He finished 8th overall in the Triple Crown Series 250 class. He ended up smashing his shoulder in Supercross but toughed out the season to hold onto his position. Oh, and you should click “Telkwa” on Google Maps to see where he calls home. I’m always impressed by riders who come from such remote areas to become fast Pro riders. Just think of all the miles his parents had to drive to get him through the amateur ranks! Impressive.

Here’s what he had to say when we got in touch with him this week:

Direct Motocross: Hello, Daniel. I think this is our first Frid’Eh Update interview, so we’re going to have to put you through the ringer! First off, can you tell us where you’re from and how old you are? And can you tell us how you got into Motocross in the first place?

Daniel Elmore: Yah, thanks for doing it, Billy! I’m from Telkwa, BC and 19 years old. My brothers got into to MX in 2009 and I wanted to give it a try so I started in 2010 and never stopped. 

What was your first race number and why did you choose it?

My first race number was 377. I chose it because of (Christophe) Pourcel. He was the top 250 rider when I started and was just the guy I was always watching. I was so stoked when he came to Canada in 2017! I got him to sign my 377 plate. Lol

You’re from a pretty remote area of BC. What was a typical race weekend like for you and your family? How far did you usually have to drive?

Yah, there isn’t a lot here. Haha. The closest track is two-and-a-half hours in Terrace but they haven’t raced there in a few years. The closest race is now 4 hours away in Prince George. We often drive ten hours to go riding for the weekend in Kamloops to ride a track that’s not baked, dry, and rocky.

Who did you come up through the amateur ranks with?

Mostly Marcus Deausy. We raced each other pretty much every race. It was a lot of fun! I also raced (Julien) Benek sometimes but there was a North and South series back then so I mostly raced up here.

I think I first met you down at Club MX. When did you first start going down there to train and why was that the place for you to go?

Yah, that’s right. That was my first time there. I mostly went there because of their reputation.

You ended up 8th in the 250 MX series this past summer. Can you take us through how your racing went? Your best overall was a 7th. 

Yah, I’m pretty stoked how it went. I had a goal set to get top 10 and I was able to do that. I had a lot thrown at me, getting food poisoning at Sand Del Lee and a DNF at Deschambault and the last Walton round was a disaster. Lol. But that 7th place was awesome! I think the disappointment of the year was running 5th with three laps to go at Gopher Dunes and then sampling the sand. Haha.

You ended up on your own late in the season. Can you tell us how that went for you? And are you ready and/or willing to talk about what happened over there at Sky Racing?

Yah, I was on my own. It went pretty well though, I had a lot of people step in to help out and I really appreciate that. And about Sky… Lol I’d have to write a book so maybe next time, Billy.

You got a little beat u pin the SX portion of the series. Can you take us through how the racing at Gopher Dunes went for you?

Yah, SX was pretty rough. I was dealing with some pretty bad stomach sickness coming in. It was starting to come around and was doing awesome in round 3 until me and Quinn (Amyotte) came together on the start straight. I landed pretty hard on my back and separated my shoulder. I was able to roll around at round 4 to get points in some pretty bad pain but it paid off cause I kept 8th in the Triple Crown. 

You called Gopher Dunes home for the summer. How did that go for you? Were you looking forward to heading home in the end?

Derek (Schuster) was the first person to help out after I was on my own. I really like Gopher Dunes, the tracks and people are amazing! After I crashed that last weekend I was ready to go home, I was just beat and tired. Lol

What have you been doing since the series ended last month?

Pretty much just recovering doing physio on my shoulder and also my ankle that I never let recover from last year. 

What is it you do for work when you’re not racing?

In the past, I’ve done forest firefighting and currently I’m doing forestry work.

Will you race the Future West Moto Arenacross series in Chilliwack?

Possibly. It depends on my injury recovery and provincial restrictions. 

What are your winter plans? 

Pretty much just work until February and then I plan on going back to Club MX for a couple months. 

And how about your plans for next season. It looks like we should be going coast to coast again, finally.

Yes! It will be awesome to race in the west again! My plans are up in the air right now. I will not race 250s unless I can get on a team. A stock 250 just doesn’t cut it anymore and I can’t afford to spend thousands to make it competitive. 

Well, good luck and we’ll see you somewhere soon. Who would you like to thank?

Thanks, Billy! I would like to thank my parents for their hard work to make it possible. Also Ken’s Marine, BC Snow&Dirt, MX North 54, Troy Lee Designs, Spy Optics, Seco seat covers, Mika Metals, DT1 filters, Motovan, Parts Canada, TCX boots, and Atlas brace. Much appreciated, everyone!