MARCH 27, 2008
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San Manuel Yamaha's Chad Reed has to be the favourite in Toronto. Why should Canadians cheer for him? Read below ... |
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photo: Doug Engstrom |
By Steve Matthes
This Saturday night, in the home of the Toronto Blue Jays and Argonauts, the Monster Energy Supercross Series makes it return to my motherland and I couldn’t be any happier. It always brings a smile to my face when I have to dig around for my passport that always reminds me that I’m going back home to the land of Hawkins Cheezies. I know that most of you reading this have followed the series from the beginning, but maybe there’s someone out there that only reads Racer X Canada, doesn’t really follow the American series that much and wants to get up to speed on what’s happening.
So when you go out and unplug your car, scrape your windows and head on down to the city (because from what I understand, no one actually lives in Toronto) you’re going to want to be an informed fan and I’m sure you want to have someone to cheer for. Here’s a list of guys that I think should get your full Canadian support this Saturday night.
Supercross class
Team Yamaha/San Manuel Band of Mission Indians’ Chad Reed
Why should you cheer for him? Well, for a few reasons really. He’s probably going to win as he’s had a week off to heal up from some nagging injuries and has to be mad as hell that he threw away two wins the last few weeks. You know how Canadians travel down to America and people make fun of you for saying “aboot” and “clutch lee-vers?” Well, think of poor Chad with his accent trying to order something from Outback, and for one more reason to cheer for the two-two, his dad is Aboriginal and Canada’s native influence is strong. San Manuals’s crew member Paul Delaurier is from Ottawa and team manager Larry Brooks once raced in Winnipeg and did the radical jump in his underwear. (That might be stretching the Chad Reed cheer-factor a bit.)
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Defending Canadian MX1 champ Paul Carpenter will surely have some new fans in Toronto after his time in Canada last summer. |
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photo: Danny Brault |
Team Atomic Racing’s Paul Carpenter
Paul is the reigning Canadian MX1 champion and by all accounts enjoyed his time in Canada. He was always a good ambassador, and he grew up not far from the Canadian border in New York. If you cheer for him and close one eye, you might think you’re back at Gopher Dunes. I ask all of you Canadians to please forgive Paul for talking about crossing the “river” to Nanaimo a few months back. Uh, Paul … that’s actually the ocean.
Team Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Timmy Ferry
Besides being pretty much the best rider ever, and somebody that you should always be happy for, there’s the old guy factor. Think of Ray Bourque and George Foreman, two old dudes that reached back into the fountain of youth and performed like men half their age. Timmy’s that guy now! Wouldn’t it be sweet for all of you Canadians to witness Red Dog win his first ever 450 Supercross? Did you know he was named after Tim Horton’s? (I made that up.) Did you know that he designed the track? When Live Nation asked him to design a track he refused to do it unless he could design one in the country that he knows and loves so much … okay, I made that up too, but cheer for him anyways or I’ll find you and dump some nacho cheese sauce on your head.
Butler Brothers Racing Honda’s Jason Thomas
Let me list all of the reasons why Canadians should root for JT:
1. He’s a long time privateer and we all love the privateers!
2. He used to race in Canada for Blackfoot Honda, and one time, when he ate poop at Grunthal, he did an interview without his shirt on!
3. He’s finished 2-1-2-2 at the Montreal SX, and has raced there so much that he says he’s “an honorary Canadian.”
4. He told me that Tim Horton’s is amazing and I know you fools love your Timmy’s!
5. The legendary Ross “Rollerball” Pederson was his riding coach at Blackfoot! (For two races, anyways.)
6. He’s short and cannot help this fact. We should always cheer for tiny people to succeed in a tall man’s world.
MDK/KTM’s Nick Wey
He’s from Michigan, which is just a hop, skip and a jump away from Toronto. Nick’s not having a great season and could use the fans. He won Montreal a few years back and also competed at Walton one time. He told me that he couldn’t believe how fast Blair Morgan was back then. Anybody who gives Blair respect deserves some love from Canada. Nick Wey is a good guy everybody. Plus, his suspension guy (Darrin Sorenson) is from Regina. Wait … that actually might be a bad thing.
Gibbs Racing Yamaha/Toyota’s Charles-Josh Summey
Who wouldn’t cheer for a guy with two first names? Charles is a great kid and I'm a big fan. He always tries his hardest out on the track, giving 100 percent (while I’m at it, can we cap the percent that you can give as a rider at 100? (This means you, Trey “200 percent” Canard). I’ve personally witnessed Charles actually crawling off the track because the wind was knocked out of him; one time he was pushing that hard when he was a lap down! He’s also got “wide open” tattooed on his knuckles and that’s bad-ass people!
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Travis Preston
Well, he’s got a donkey and is kind of a goofball—two things that are endearing to me for some reason. Also, I can’t prove this, but I bet he would like Old Dutch Ketchup Chips and that makes him cool. Please clap for Preston this weekend.
Cernic’s Kawasaki’s Jeff Gibson
He raced in Canada last year and is going to do so again in 2008. He started off slow last season but picked it up towards the end to finish third in the Candian nationals. I don’t really know him that well, but he seems cool. He once raced a Cannondale, and you have to admire a guy’s bravery for taking his life in his hands every time he took to the track. Cernic’s team manager Derek Sorenson is Canadian so that’s also a reason for you guys to go nuts when the #43 comes by your section.
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Dusty Klatt's going to come out and "just give'er" for his hometown (well, home country) fans! |
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photo: Brault |
Cernic’s Kawasaki’s Dusty Klatt
Well, duh … he’s Canadian! That’s a good enough reason to cheer for him. The Campbell River Crusher has been having a rough debut season in the 450 class and has something to prove in front of his hometown fans. I hope he’s in the opening ceremonies and I see his race going two ways: one is that he’s cheered and loved and has his best race of the season. Or two, he freaks out over the pressure of the homeland and does terrible. I don’t think there’s a middle ground here, folks. No matter what, we should all be proud that he’s trying to compete in the biggest off-road series in the world. Go get’em, hippie-boy!
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Look at little Beets, all shy and smiley, walking the track at A2 for his first supercross. I bet if he was flexible enough, he could fold up and fit in your pocket! |
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photo: James Lissimore |
Supercross Lites
Don Valley North Toyota’s Yamaha MX’s Kyle Beaton
He’s proven that he can compete in the AMA Lites class with his main event finishes earlier in the year, he’s tiny (refer to JT reason above) and most of all—he could actually win this whole thing! KD Beets is a good kid that loves Canadians, loves Toronto, loves the Tragically Hip and I love him. There I said it. He completes me, okay?
Royal Distributing KTM Canada/661’s Ryan Lockhart
I love the Rocky movies. Know why? Because Ol’Rock is down on his luck in two or three of them, gets reduced to a shell of what he was and fights back to the top. Ryan had a good ride for many seasons but depending on who you talk to, either partied it away or didn’t work hard enough to keep it. This fall, he went out, got a real job, and is back for another kick at the can, just like Rocky. He also drove across the country this week with his bike in the back of a pick-up and a tarp duct-taped over it just to race for you Canadians. Can he slay Clubber Lang and get back to where he was? If he does, you know he’ll appreciate it a lot more.
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Kyle Keast and Tyler Medaglia entertained at the Rogers Centre today. |
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photo: Brault |
Machine Racing Honda's Kyle Keast
I’m okay with the Morden debacle and Keast’s role in it. I forgive him. You should wave your foam number one fingers for this guy because he’s actually got a job. For real, serious—a real honest to goodness job. He’s also number 38 this year [Ed note: Steve, that’s his number for Toronto, he actually earned #8 in the Canadian nationals.] and that’s a real accomplishment for this workingman’s hero. He loves Tim Horton’s and his team manager John Nelson called today’s riders “bed-wetter’s” earlier this week. What’s not to love?
This guy was in a coma not too long ago, he’s a former 125 East Coast Canadian champion, and an all around good guy, Woodrow is on the comeback! Josh has the talent for supercross and is looking to do the Canadian MX series next year. We should all cheer for this almost Canadian kid as he tries to recapture his past glory.
MX101 Yamaha’s Kevin Tyler
Let me see here … well, he’s probably the only guy racing that could be mistaken for the hot dog vendor. He’s got no hair, he’s a few pounds over his ideal weight and he’s a great guy (and all hot dog vendors are great guys). He has also received the Racer X Gas Card the last few times he’s raced in Toronto, and the amount of hard work he puts into his Sand Del Lee track makes him a sentimental favourite. Not for the main silly, the gas card.
