Frid'Eh Update:Presented by Royal Distributing
MARCH 23, 2007By Danny Brault

Late last Thursday night (or really early Friday morning) two great champions became fathers. At 12:00 a.m. six-time Canadian champ Jean-Sébastien Roy and his long-time girlfriend, Melanie, welcomed their daughter Maelie into the world. Two and half hours later, the GOAT, Ricky Carmichael, and his wife, Ursula, became the proud parents of twins, Kadin and Elise.

It was quite the coincidence, seeing as how both are arguably the greatest motocross racers in their respective countries—and JSR has been known to spend some time down at the Carmichael estate training for the Canadian Nationals.

Who will have the fastest kid? Well, JSR already has over two-hours on Ricky’s pups.

JSR's baby girl, Maelie, was born on March 16 at exactly 12:00 a.m.

photo courtesy of JSR

I can’t imagine how RC was able to focus on racing two days later in Orlando—the final SX race of his career. But, as always, the 15-time AMA champ put his head down and gave the fans one hell of a race before exciting the stadiums.

After passing Chad Reed (who is now down 29-points to Stewart) for the lead, RC took off with the lead while Kawasaki’s Stewart battled back from a bad start. At the midway point, it looked like we might see one last SX victory and fist pump from our hero, but it wasn’t to be. The #7 KX450F went by on lap 10 and never looked back. RC kept him honest, however, but couldn’t match Stewart’s pace in the whoops and finished less than a second behind the current WSXGP and AMA points’ leader.

Speedy Reedy didn’t look too speedy in Orlando. Even though he was still a second a lap faster than fourth-place Ivan Tedesco, he was also a second a lap slower than RC and Stewart. He finished 18 seconds behind the Florida duo and now has a lot of work to do to catch up. Chad’s a fighter though, as we’ve seen time and time again, so it’s not fair to count him out. Boy, 29 points sure is a lot though….

Ricky Carmichael is also a proud papa. His wife Ursula gave birth to twins, Kadin and Elise early last Friday morning. Then RC went out and battled James Stewart in his final SX race in Orlando.

photo: Steve Dool

The Lites class once again featured a great race—and plenty of drama. I spoke to OTSFF Suzuki’s Tyler Medaglia this week and he filled me in on the exciting main event:

“There was a lot crap that happened in that race,” he said. “Robby Marshall, in his qualifier, he got carted out; be broke his femur and his arm. Ryan Sipes broke his leg. What happened was, everyone took off and then on the triple—the one triple was really big this weekend—the first five or six guys jumped it, and then no one did it. Then, out of nowhere, Matt Goerke was in the back and just hits it! He wouldn’t have even made it and he landed on Sipes. Sipes got catapulted off his bike; Goerke’s bike went flying across into the whoops and took out Ryan Dungey. Then Ryan Dungey couldn’t make the restart; it was just a gong show!”

Sure sounds like it. After setting the 22nd fastest time in his practice (and the second fastest in his session) Medaglia nearly holeshot his heat race from the inside, but when he entered the first rhythm section, it was all over.

“I almost got the holeshot from the inside; I came out in fourth,” began Medaglia. “In the first rhythm section, like halfway through, this guy crashed behind me and his bike whisky throttled into the side of my bike while I was taking off. I was in the air and I saw my bike. I was like, ‘Oh, crap, this isn’t good!’ Then I crashed so hard and bent everything.”

In his LCQ, he was once again taken out before he completed two corners.

“I had a good start from the outside and then Matt Boni crashed into me and we both got stuck on this hay bale.”

Medaglia seemed satisfied with his results in the four rounds. He made three of the four night shows and says the experience he gained will be invaluable for his second attempt at AMA SX next winter.

Now that he’s done with supercross, Medaglia will begin riding outdoors at GPF for the next week or so and then he will head home to Kemptville, Ontario before racing a few Loretta Lynn’s qualifiers at Broome Tioga and Southwick with his dad and younger brother Jeremy. Unfortunately, his MX1 teammate and roommate at GPF, Ryan Lockhart, won’t be joining him on the outdoor track.

On Monday, Lockhart cart wheeled on his first lap on the outdoor track and busted his collarbone in three spots. So it will be at least a month until he’s back on a bike. It’s been a frustrating few weeks for the Newf; he didn’t qualify for the night show at Daytona or Orlando and now this. From everyone at RXC, get well soon Ryan!

Our Eastern SX hero Darcy Lange joined in on the excitement at the Citrus Bowl. First, in his heat race, he landed on a KTM rider that cased a big triple jump in front of Lange. He could only work his way up to 10th place by the end, so he was forced to qualify through the LCQ, which he did, thankfully.

In the main, he finally got a good jump off the gate and was in second place before the race was red flagged.

“I was on the far outside and I kind of got pinched off,” said Lange in an interview on www.racerxcanada.com this week. “I think it went Hahn, Dungey and then me. Then Dungey went down and I ran right over him and I was in second and they red-flagged it. Jesseman was the one who caused the red flag and then he freaking gets the holeshot and wins!”

After the restart, the Monster Energy/ Pro Cirucit Kawi rider made his way into third after Mike Alessi went down trying to pass eventual winner, Branden Jesseman.

Darcy Lange had an eventful evening. First, he landed on a rider (pictured here) in his heat race, was forced to run the LCQ and then nearly got hit by Matt Goerke's bike in the main event which caused a restart. Lange came through, however, and finished third behind Jesseman and Morais.

photo: Steve Dool

I’m sure everyone thought it was awesome to see Jesseman win one, after all of the crap he’s been through in the last two years—me included. However, I’m not sure I agree with allowing him to join the restart after he (allegedly) caused the red flag.

I don’t know who’s fault the crash was (by the sounds of it, it wasn’t Jesseman’s) but in any case, when there is a restart, I believe there should be some type of stipulation for the rider(s) who caused the stoppage of the race. For instance, in hockey, if a player is lying on the ice injured and the ref blows the whistle to stop the play, that player must go to the bench. He is allowed to finish the game, but cannot finish that shift.

Maybe in SX/ MX we could have the rider(s) start backwards or be held to the starting line until everyone else reaches the first corner on the restart? That might be a little extreme but, if you think about it, who’s to say a rider that gets a bad start, couldn’t embellish a crash or injury and then wait until the red flag, jump back up and join the restart? Just to be clear, I’m not claiming this was the case in Orlando, or any other round, it’s simply a possibility.

It’s just something to think about it. If you have any thoughts on this or suggestions, please send them in to letters@racerxcanada.com.

Back to Lange.

Lange once again lost ground to points leader Ryan Morais, as the Yamaha of Troy rider finished second and now has a six-point lead over Lange. The other rider in the mix, Ben Townley, didn’t have a great weekend, finishing seventh. He’s now 14 points behind Morais and eight points back of Lange.

The series moves to Indy this weekend, where the dirt will be much harder and should suit Darcy better than Daytona and Orlando.

RXC’s Allison Kennedy is heading down to Indy this weekend to hopefully catch Lange’s first SX Lites vitory. Allison’s so pumped up for Darcy that she is actually dreaming of him:

“They switched the day qualifiers to a swim competition and your lap times in the pool counted,” Allison said to me in an instant message yesterday, describing her dream on Wednesday night. “And Darcy didn't make the night show and I was all mad that I drove all the way there.”

That is weird on so many levels—and it doesn’t make sense, Of course Darcy would qualify in a swimming competition—he lives on an island!

If you haven’t read Allison’s interview with Darcy this week, you can do so right here. If you don’t sense his excitment then check out this video interview posted on www.vitalmx.com before Orlando.

A few Updates ago, I noted how many West Coast Lites riders this year who also raced in Canada before they were SX stars. Scanning through the East Coast results, that trend continues.

Ryan Morais: Before he was leading the Eastern Region Lites series, Yamaha of Troy’s Morais was challenging his Blackfoot Honda teammate Dusty Klatt in the 2004 MX2 West series. Morais picked up a few moto wins and finished second overall.

Ryan Sipes: The injury riddled Sipes chased the MX2 east title for Richmond Racing Kawasaki in 2003 on his #264 KX250F. Sipes was the fastest rider in the series, but inconsistency and crashes kept him from the title. His best moment this season was an 8th in St. Louis and his lowlight was a broken leg suffered last weekend in Orlando.

Tucker Hibbert: Raced the MX2 West series in 2001/ 02 aboard an RM125. After winning gold in snocross at this year’s X-Games, Hibbert signed up for SX. His best ride this season is a tenth at Orlando last weekend.

Eric Nye: KTM Canada picked up Nye to race the MX2 West series last year (and he is returning this summer). It was a smart move; he picked up two podiums and finished sixth overall. He also picked up his best finish in Orlando with a 15th in the sand.

Teddy Maier: Richmond Kawasaki’s gun in the West last year, battled with Jimmy Nelson every moto before finishing second overall in the series. Maier’s main focus was the Toyota AMA AX Series, but he stepped into round two of the East Coast at St. Louis and finished 17th.

Robby Marshall: Who suffered a broken leg and arm in Orlando, came out of nowhere with his duct tape numbers to nearly pass Mitch Cooke in the second moto in Joliette, Quebec in 2005. (Yes, the Blackfoot crew first thought he was a lapper until he started pressuring Mitch for the pass!)

For a full review from Orlando check out Matthes’ Observations from the Ghetto. It's another goodie!

MX101’s Steve Dool sent us a few pics from Orlando. He shared an interesting story on how he and his family ended up in Florida:

Well, after two weeks of excellent weather and fantastic riding, wepacked up Thursday morning and left Waldo for home. We drove all day and stopped at a KOA in Fayetteville, VA. (Our intention was to ride at North Carolina MX on Friday.) After setting up camp and finishing dinner, we flipped on the tube to catch up on the news, only to discover that a north eastern storm was on a direct intercept with our route home. Heavy rain and snow was forecast for Pennsylvania and NY. I woke Friday morning to the sound of thunder and hard rain. Unfortunately, the weatherman was right for a change. After pondering our options over my early morning coffee, I got a brain wave! I woke my wife and kids and said, ‘Hey, why don't we unhook the trailer and drive back to Florida to see Ricky's last SX, and hopefully see Darcy be the first Canadian to win one?’ Surprisingly, I got an overwhelmingly positive response, and after a couple quick phone calls to secure tickets (special thanks to Kevin Tyler and Alan Brown of Moto XXX), we were on our way. We drove the 800km back to Orlando, watched an incredible race and left again for home right after the event.

Was it worth it? You bet!

Thanks again for the photos and story, Steve! We look forward to seeing you and the MX101 crew at the Gopher season opener and the Sand-Del-Lee provincial.

Our far, far, East correspondant, JF Trottier, checked in today with an update from Dubai:

Unfortunately, last weekend’s race had to be cancelled due to a sand storm in Dubai. This was Mitch and Heidi’s last chance to race before they had to head back to North America.

For Mitch, this was the end of two months of intensive training in the Middle- East. He is now back to Georgia where he will train for a couple of weeks before heading home to Nova Scotia where the conditions should be just right to start riding again.

Towards the end of April, Mitch will fly to France where he will join Georges Jobe for additional training and catch a few races in preparation for the start of the Canadian season. Both Mitch and Jobe will return to Canada a week before St-Julie for final preparations.

If everything goes according to plans, we should have an announcement to make next week regarding Heidi’s ride for the Canadian Series. This season, the five-time Canadian Champ will also attempt to enter as many of the US Women’s National Championship races as possible. Heidi has her eyes set on the top level of the US podium and is ready to put down the laps to make it happen. Stay tuned….

Thanks, JF. We can’t wait to see what both Cooke’s have in store this summer!

Just after the announcement was made that the race was cancelled. In their defense (because of the ugly faces), it was really a sand blasting experience.

photo: JF Trottier

There’s some good banter going on over at mxforum this week, as the pit pundits try to pick Canada’s MX1 champ for 2007. Mitch Cooke, Colton Facciotti and, of course, JSR, seem to be getting the loin’s share of the votes although Steve Matthes continues to claim that Pederson will make his long-awaited debut and clinch his 700th title. Check it out here and sign up for an account so you can have fun fighting with hammertime.

The weather is starting to warm up around here, but it’s still not ideal riding weather. The warmer temperatures did make for great track conditions at the Tillsonburg Indoor MX Facility. My brother, Corey, and I made our first trip to the arena, along with Gopher Dunes’ Derek Schuster.

I had heard the dirt gets pretty slick when it’s cold, but last Saturday, it was mint. Dave Chesterman, owner of the facility, says they will be open until April 6. So if you haven’t checked out the indoor AX track, be sure to stop in.

Six hours east, our ad rep Jay Moore and his brother again tore up the Des-Monts Indoor track. He sent us a few pics and had nothing but good things to say about the track. If you’re in the Eastern Ontario area or Quebec, call Yan Gendron at (613) 282-5713 to book a time.

The Des-Monts AX track in Quebec.

photo: Jason Moore

For you old school racers, there is a must read over at www.racerxill.com featuring the return of Jo Jo Kellar.

The second big U.S. amateur national took place at the Oak Hill track in Texas last weekend. Team Green’s Dean Wilson had a standout ride, placing second in Schoolboy 12-15 Stock and third in 125 B Mod. Cernic Suzuki’s Cole Thompson also had a great ride, finishing fifth in the 125-250 Four-Stroke 12-15 class. John Pauk and Matt McGuinness also raced the event.

Perhaps, the biggest moment of the weekend came when Kyle Beaton holeshot the final 125 ProSport moto.

“I blew my race bike up in the first qualifier for the 125 A class,” said Beaton. “I had to bust out the practice bike and put my pipe on it and my ignition. It worked well. I actually ended up pulling the biggest holeshot of my career in the last one; I had like twenty bike lengths on everyone.

“That was in the 125 Pro main. I led for a lap and then got passed by a couple of guys and settled into fourth. The bike started losing power and guys behind me started catching me. The oil line that goes from the bottom end to the top end broke and it leaked oil everywhere and it died. It didn’t seize or anything, so that’s good. I had only a quarter of a lap to go and I was in fourth.”

Beaton went on to finish ninth overall in 250 Pro Mod and 125 A. He has plans to race Vegas as well, and an upcoming four-stroke national before the MX2 West series begins in Canada.

I spoke with Blackfoot’s Dean Thompson who has an exciting new business venture in the works. He will be looking after the new mail order company, Blackfootdirect.com. For all of the details, click here for an interview with Dean.

Blackfoot Direct will be included the team’s name—Team Toyota/ Yamaha/ Blackfootdirect.com/ Fox Racing—and it will be a great source for anyone looking for trick aftermarket parts as well as great prices on non-current gear and accessories.

No we don't, Dean.

KTM Canada has just launched a promotion targeted at families who ride and race. For a limited time, any parent who buys a KTM Sportmini model for his/her child will receive an immediate $750 KTM Family Value Package credit towards the purchase of the new full size KTM of his/her choice. Click here for more details on the program and I better see more mini dads on the line this year! (Did you hear that Dailey and Griffiths?)

Another cool deal in the works is Holeshot Racing’s and Brady Sheren’s new outside sponsor: Denny’s. That’s right, the restaurant chain will be supporting all Holeshot racers with a focus on Sheren, who is racing the MX2 West series, select eastern MX1 rounds, the Seattle SX, Hangtown and Washougal.

Sheren will also be back on Green this year and he’s already down at Villopoto’s place training for the outdoors. Stay tuned for an interview from Holeshot Racing’s Wally Levy next week to find out how the Denny’s deal came about.

That’s all for this week, folks.