By Brett Dailey

DAVID ESTABROOKS
Birthday: March 6, 1989
Hometown: Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia
Class: 250 Intermediate
Bike: Kawasaki KX450F
Sponsors: Freedom Cycle, Pro-Tech East Suspension, Turner Engineering, Canadian Kawasaki, Steen Hansen`s, Innovation Sports, Curwin Health and Sport, Spy Optics, Parts Canada, Amsoil, SixSixOne Racing Canada, M2R Helmets
Sponsorhouse Profile: www.sponsorhouse.com/members/david88


Atlantic Canada has yet another young rider to watch out for in the coming years. David Estabrooks, a 16-year-old Intermediate rider from Lawrencetown Nova Scotia, already has four years of big-bike experience and two years of Intermediate racing under his kidney belt. His breakout year came in 2003 when he dominated the 250 Junior class and realized that he had the speed to run at the front of the pack. In 2005, he won the 250 Intermediate spring series over some stiff competition but then suffered a bad ankle break early into the fall series. He’s back with Freedom Cycle for 2006 and is training hard to rehabilitate his ankle and put his KX450F on top of the podium.

Racer X Canada: When did you start riding motocross?
David Estabrooks: I started when I was 7 on a KX60.

Did you start racing right away?
Pretty much. I got a couple of hours in at the pits behind my house and then I just went straight to the track.

Do you have any family members into motocross?
My dad was always into racing. He used to race cars and watercraft. I had a four wheeler when I was five and we went to an arenacross race up in Truro [Nova Scotia]. That got me into it and I’ve been hooked ever since.

How did you do in your first race?
There were only three of us running at the time and I got third [laughs].

How fast was the leader?
A lot faster than I was at the time but it was all good—good fun. It just made me want to go fast and be up in front.

What was your breakout year?
My breakout year would have been 2003. I moved to 250 Junior and I dominated the class and finished first most of the season. I went to Walton and finished well so I was pretty proud of that since it was my first time being there. I just had a really good season … no injuries and had fun. My sponsor, Turner Engineering, got my bike working well when I had some problems so he kept it going.

How did it go in 2004?
In 2004, I moved to Intermediate and I was riding the CRF450. I was running pretty consistent—it was different being on a 450. I felt good but different being on a bigger bike. I had a mishap in Brookfield, I got cross rutted off the road jump and landed flat and knocked myself out pretty good. I ended up with fourth in the spring series.

So, you started riding for Freedom Cycle for 2005?
Yes, I signed a contract with Freedom Cycle and Kawasaki for 2005. They are behind me 100 percent and I’ve never been happier, I love my bike … the KX250 this year was awesome, I’ve never felt so comfortable on a bike before. Freedom was always there, always helping me out at the track.

How did it go in the spring?
The spring was awesome. I ran top three pretty much the whole spring series. Going into the last round, Davey Fraser and I were tied in points. He won the first moto and I got second so we were still close in points and it came down to the last moto and he unfortunately had some bike trouble and I was able to get the win and I took the championship. It felt really good after having a bad year in ’04.

That must have been a confidence builder. How did your season go after that?
Well, I rode a lot to get ready for the fall. I just put a lot of hours in on the practice track but at the second round in Fredericton, I came up short on the big finish line triple and ended up breaking my ankle. I have five screws in it and I’m still recovering from that one.

How has he recovery gone?
Well, starting out it was really long. No weight bearing for three months … I had to get blood supply back to it [the talus]. I’m off the crutches now and I’m walking so I’m getting ready for ’06 and I’m looking forward to riding for Freedom and being on the new 450 Kawi.

What kind of rehab are you looking at for the winter?
I’ve been going to physio basically since two weeks after I did it to get mobility back and now I’m starting to put weight on it and I’m on the exercise bike every day. I’m also walking and doing squats and stuff—trying to get my leg back into shape. As of January 1, I’ll be back in the gym three or four times a week doing weight training and lots of cardio—more cardio than anything.

Are you in school now?
Yes, grade 11 at Cole Harbour High. Boo Green went to Cole Harbour. He lives about two minutes down the road from me so I ride with him quite a bit in the summer.

Who else do you ride with from Nova Scotia?
I ride quite a bit with Mitch Cooke and Adam Turner and all those guys. They all treat me really well and help me out.

The are quite a few top pros coming out of Atlantic Canada right now and also a few good Intermediate riders like you and Davey Fraser. You have the weather to contend with out here so how do you think riders are making it work?
Ah, well, we all ride hard when we ride and a lot of us will practice rain or shine so we are good at riding in the mud when the guys from Ontario and other regions don’t get as much rain. I don’t really know, the tracks are pretty good, there are a lot of sand tracks around here too so if it rains, you can go riding and it will still be good. I think we just all put our heads down and ride hard and we know that we have to work hard to get it going and get noticed.
 
A guy like Ryan Lockhart, who is one of the best riders in Canada, still does a heck of a lot of driving around from race to race. Are you ready for that lifestyle?
Oh yeah, I love traveling. I love road trips. I’ll try to get out to Walton again next year. I couldn’t ride it this year because of the injury so hopefully I can get back there and place top 10.

Any riders you are looking up to right now?
For local riders, I look up to Mitch Cooke a lot. I like his style on the bike. And obviously James Stewart—he’s riding the Kawasaki and doing well. There’s nothing I would like more than to be as fast as he is.

What are your goals for this season?
I would like to get the Intermediate championship for Freedom and all of my sponsors. I’d like to put the 450 KXF on the top. Maybe in the fall I might move up to Pro depending on how I’m feeling and whether it would be worthwhile to stay in Intermediate for the fall. Oh, and stay healthy … that’s another goal.

Anything else you want to mention?
I just want to thank all of my sponsors, especially Freedom who was behind me through my injuries. I know they are going to be there in ’06 and they are working really hard for me so I want to thank them and my mom and dad.

Thanks for your time and see you at the track in the spring.
Thank you.


David's Sponsors:

Freedom Cycle
Pro-Tech East Suspension
Turner Engineering
Canadian Kawasaki
Steen Hansen`s
Innovation Sports
Curwin Health and Sport
Spy Optics
Parts Canada
Amsoil
SixSixOne Racing Canada
M2R Helmets


SponsorHouse is proud to announce there are more than 200 companies currently accepting sponsorship applications on SponsorHouse.com right now. There are account options ranging from Free to premium services available to help all types of riders search for, and locate sponsorship deals for the ’06 season. To view which companies you can connect with now, visit www.sponsorhouse.com. Companies interested in listing with SponsorHouse should call 888-874-3374.