Monday Morning Coffee

By Billy Rainford

Happy Labour Day Monday, everyone. The only thing that makes me feel better about the end of summer is that we’re all in the same boat. Misery loves company, as it were. With some family obligations, I wasn’t able to head down to what is probably my favourite track of all time, Baja Acres in Millington, Michigan, for the 2024 Baja Brawl.

I was considering trying to make it for today, but just wasn’t able to make it work, timing-wise. It looks like I’d have missed most of the best Canadian action from Sunday anyway. We had some impressive results!

We’re actually now on our way up to near Walton Raceway to ride some of the Goderich to Guelph Rail Trail pulling Olive the AussieDoodle in a trailer. We’re going to head west toward Goderich and see how far we can make it before turning around. It’s sunny and the temperature is supposed to max out at 20C, so it should really be perfect for our maiden voyage along the route with our dog coming along for the ride.

I don’t know if you’ve ever had this happen to you with a dog before, but Olive is still nervous in the car. We no longer have to lock her in the kennel, but she’s still far from “relaxed” on these drives. And now we’ve got the trailer inside the van and she won’t stop looking over her shoulder between the two front seats making sure it’s not going to come up and kill her. She catastrophizes a lot…

Baja Brawl

If you want to follow along with the live timing today, you can do that HERE.

Check out a couple of these noteworthy results from earlier in the weekend:

450 A Overall Positions
#19		DYLAN REMPELAYLMER, ON	Moto 1:1stMoto 2:1st
#544		NOAH WILLBRANDTWATERFORD, MI	Moto 1:5thMoto 2:2nd
#14		QUINN AMYOTTEBLACKSTOCK, ON	Moto 1:3rdMoto 2:4th
#483		BRYTON CARROLLVINELAND, NJ	Moto 1:2ndMoto 2:5th
#303		NATE MASONCANTON, GA	Moto 1:6thMoto 2:3rd
#216		BROCK STIENERCROWN POINT, IN	Moto 1:7thMoto 2:6th
#613		COLE PRANGERNEWBURY, ON	Moto 1:8thMoto 2:7th
#71		ARON KAIPNEW HUDSON, MI	Moto 1:9thMoto 2:8th
#44		EVAN SNOWDINCHESTERTON, IN	Moto 1:11thMoto 2:9th

250 C Overall Positions
#381		NICHOLAS LEMIRE TIMMINS, ON	Heat 1: 1st Moto 1: 1st Moto 2: 1st
#81		NATHAN SNELGROVE ESSEL/ ONTARIO	Heat 2: 2nd Moto 1: 2nd Moto 2: 2nd
#28		GAVIN FORTNER CLERMONT, FL	Heat 2: 1st Moto 1: 1st Moto 2: 4th
#251		JAKE ASHWILL COKATO, MN	Heat 1: 3rd Moto 1: 3rd Moto 2: 3rd
#707		KADON PRIESKORN CASCO, MI	Heat 1: 2nd Moto 1: 2nd Moto 2: 5th
#916		BLAINE ALLSOP HARRISON, MI	Heat 2: 5th Moto 1: 5th Moto 2: 6th
#687		RYAN HUNTER PORT HOPE – ONTARIO	Heat 2: 6th Moto 1: 6th Moto 2: 7th
#24		BRAYDEN YOUNG STONE LAKE, WI	Heat 2: 3rd Moto 1: 3rd Moto 2: 10th
#515		SATAS VAUPSAS NAPERVILLE, IL	Heat 1: 7th Moto 1: 7th Moto 2: 8th
#552		ED TURNER PICKERINS, ON	Heat 1: 5th Moto 1: 5th Moto 2: 11th

Emily is actually driving while I try to give you something to get you through another cup of coffee. We’re passing through Kippen, Ontario. If you used to race at Hully Gully, you know about the Kippen Gun Club. It always meant you were very close to the turn off to the track that was the headliner in so many of your young racing memories.

I’ve bored you with this before, but back in the day we used to race there sometimes 3 times a week – Thursday night and Saturday House League, and then Sunday CMA, if it was on the schedule that week.

The romance of looking back seems to paint a more rose-coloured picture of the place. If I look back with a more critical mind, it really wasn’t the most enjoyable track to ride. In fact, 8 times out of 10, it was downright nasty and terrible! That hurts me to type, but that’s the reality of it.

If you think about it, things would have made more sense if people rode those old tracks on the new bikes and we rode new tracks on those old, nasty bikes!

Tanner Ward and I are teaming up for a 6-hour mountain bike relay next Sunday. It’s called the Dairy Capital Stampede in Woodstock, Ontario. This is the one that Wyatt Kerr did it solo last year. I don’t know what his plans are this year. Greg Poisson is teaming up with his uncle, so we’re going head-to-head with them for the big win! 🤣

Anyway, we’re almost at our starting point. Thanks for driving, Em.

Next on the calendar is round 1 of the SMX Playoffs in North Carolina followed by the MXON at Matterley Basin in England and then round 1 of the WSX Championship in Vancouver. Our outdoor season may be coming to an end, but there never seems to be a shortage of races and series to follow! Next thing you know, we’ll be back at Gatorback in Florida for the Mini O’s too.

Enjoy what’s left of your weekend and summer, everyone. No, this wasn’t the most informative MMC off all time, but hopefully it gave you something to get through another cup before heading out to cut the grass.

If anyone is in the London area Tuesday afternoon, Greg and I will be heading out for a long MTB ride that starts at my place and heads out to do a loop of Fanshawe Lake. Come on out and join if you can! Fire me a direct message on Instagram if you wanna jump in.