By Brett Dailey

You probably remember Josh Penner from our 2007 Ignition Racing / RXC Factory Rider for a Day program. Josh teamed up with Ryan Millar to pit under our awning for the Morden, Manitoba round. It was a difficult weekend for Josh, as he went down in practice while wearing the helmet cam. It was a spectacular crash that was all caught on film and Josh hit his head on a hay bale and had trouble regrouping. He did recover, however, and pitted with us the next weekend in Regina, beside Kyle Murphy, and finished the year with national number 68. A fanatical trainer, Josh is back in Brandon, Manitoba training for the 2008 season and has decided to get his training credentials and start a training program for motocrossers. Who’s his most recent client? His factory rider teammate from Morden, Ryan Millar!

RXC: Josh, what have you been doing since the Nanaimo national?
Josh Penner: Well, I got hurt at Nanaimo so I pretty much had six to eight weeks off because I couldn’t do much. I found out that I had a broken vertebra in my neck and my shoulder was separated. Once I was healed and able to work, I started riding again, and did a couple of races for fun at the end of the season. I definitely wasn’t in shape because I didn’t have much time to prepare but it was just for fun. Then Jimmy Fredrickson, the owner of a gym here, gave me an opportunity to come and work for him. I’ve always wanted to be a trainer, as you know, so he gave me an opportunity and set me up with a course, and I’m taking my exam this week, actually.

How did your summer go? Obviously you had some trouble in Morden and Nanaimo but how did it go overall?
Other than those rounds, it went well. I improved my number to 68 and I had lots of fun, had a blast actually; the whole factory rider thing was the best part of the season.

Thanks, that’s nice to hear. We haven’t heard anything from Milo Christie for a while. I know you are good friends with him. What’s he up to?
Milo is working hard, making money. He’ll be ready to go for sure.

Tell us a bit more about this new venture. How did you meet Jim Fredrickson?
Fredrickson Performance Centre is the name of the gym, it’s in Brandon and it just opened up at the beginning of October last year. Jim is a former pro motocrosser and I’ve known him for a few years through racing. We’ve been friends for a while and he gave me this opportunity because he knows how much I want it, he knows that I will try hard. This winter, I’ll be running a motocross-only program with riders like Mike Harms and a few others. We added Ryan Millar and we’ve been training him and he loves it. He says he can’t believe how good he feels on the bike. He had some tough luck at the arenacross but some good results as well. I just want to get the word out there and get as many guys as I can this winter and show them how good our program is. I’ll be teaching this winter but also doing the program as well with the guys.

What’s the name of the course you are taking?
It’s a personal training course through NASM, National Academy of Sports Medicine.

What do you have lined up for the winter and for 2008?
This winter I’ll be training hard, and teaching the motocross program. For 2008, I have a deal with Scott Harland of Trans Canada Motorsport in Brandon. He gave me one of the best deals I’ve ever had. I had considered taking a year off to focus on training and helping the up-and-comers, such as Ryan, but he offered me a sweet deal, I couldn’t ask for more, so that was awesome. So, I’ll do the spring series in Manitoba, and probably the Morden national. I want to get a provincial pro championship. I’ve never actually won one yet so I’d like to do that.

How can people reach you at the gym if they are interested in working with you?
They can contact us at Fredrickson Performance Centre, 1-204-726-9314, ask for Josh Penner or Jim Fredrickson. Or they can email at warpt_145@hotmail.com.