Racer X Canada - motocross and supercross news and features from around Canada

Frid'Eh Update:Presented by Royal Distributing
JUNE 20, 2008

By Danny Brault

The road trip continues! As I write this, it’s Thursday afternoon and Chuck Mesley, Chris and Cody of Destroyer Films and I are listening to the Howard Stern show (gotta love satellite radio!) while driving from Morden to Regina. Kyle and Jamey Keast are up ahead of us with Kerim Fitz-gerald and his girlfriend, Chloe, and our new American buddies Paul Lamb and his mechanic Kyle are in our little convoy as well—with Ryan Gauld behind the wheel of Lamb’s Funmover.

Motocross is alive and well in Manitoba! This week, we ventured over to the Millar's farm for a big BBQ and some seat time, and we also checked in on the FXR Ride Day (more on that below).

photo: Brault

We’ve had a nice week in Southern Manitoba. After cleaning up everything on Monday morning, we took in a big BBQ at the Millar’s place along with half of KTM Canada, the Allison family, Team Label It, the Bezzo’s, KD Beets’ crew, and many more dirt bike lovers. A big thanks goes out to Ray and Joyce Millar and their relatives for filling us up with ribs, taters, veggies, and the best darn sautéed mushrooms this side of the Mississippi! We returned to the Millar farm on Tuesday for a few laps and a few laughs when Kyle Beaton and Ryan Lockhart raced each other in a four-lap moto. Ryan Gauld is responsible for the match race after telling Newf he wasn’t impressed with his corner speed.

“How can I be impressed when Beaton was faster?” said Gauld, to which Lockhart replied, “I can beat him in a five lap race.” With that, Gauld jumped on Lockhart’s KTM and rode to Millar’s house to get Beaton. There was a hefty purse up for grabs ($35) as everyone pooled together what change they had and the race was on. Lockhart holeshot and to the surprise of no one, Beaton fell down in the second corner. Everyone—including Lockhart who pumped both fists over a jump—thought it was over, but little Beets kept his big bore running, pinned it, and passed Lockhart on lap three. There wasn’t much difference in speed; Beets was mainly making up time by launching the big ski jump. Following the race, the Newf appeared somewhat deflated and just drove straight from the track to Millar’s. Fortunately, he was just joking around and returned for his podium speech. Look for coverage from the match race next week in the Regina Moto Show.

Beaton and Lockhart gave us one heck of a race at the Millar's.

photo: Brault

Later that evening, our party headed down to the Winkler Cinema to watch Adam Sandler’s new movie, You Don’t Mess With The Zohan. It was pretty funny; I love how Sandler always casts the same group of guys, like Rob Schneider, Kevin Nealon, and that funny kid from Gramma’s Boy. On Wednesday, Paul Lamb “Chops,” the Destroyer guys and I drove up to FXR Racing’s track just south of Winnipeg, while everyone else organized things for Regina and did some off-bike training. If you haven’t been to the FXR track before, put it on your To Do list! That place is beautiful. The track is tucked back in a forest and surrounded by old barns. It features the same fertile black soil typical of Manitoba tracks and FXR owner Milt and his crew had it all watered and ripped up for us. I was arguably the fastest rider on the day. Marco Dubé tried his best to keep up with the 2-5-9 but he had nothing for me. Not sure why I felt so good, must have been the pink FXR gear that Aaron Wiebe hooked up for me. The highlight of the day came when Simon Homans rode through a mud puddle while I was doubling Wiebe back to the truck. I got the humour in it, for sure, along with poop water in my mouth and all over my new gear. Nice. No worries, Simon, as Scott Lockhart likes to say, “You’ll get yours.”

Actually, I had one other highlight. On Tuesday morning, while going for a road bike with Mesley, my rear tire went flat on the way back, leaving me to jog beside my bike for what felt like 62 miles. It’s a good thing that I’m in really, really good shape … pause … not! Mesley was too far gone to see what happened, but he realized something was wrong two hours later when he was sitting at the campground and I still hadn’t rolled in. Now’s a good opportunity for a gratuitous sponsor plug: everybody go to Bicycle Works in Waterdown, ON and purchase the most expensive mountain or road bike you can find there. It’s the choice of champions (and me)!

Thanks to Jeff Allen at Bicycle Works, I've managed to maintain my Jeff Stanton-like figure.

photo: Brault

Other than drinking poop water and involuntarily walking the roads of Manitoba, it’s been a great road trip. We’ve gone swimming, enjoyed a few too many drinks, shared tales around the campfire, met some nice locals in Morden, played golf, and I even managed to get Gauldy to hug me. Does that mean we’ve moved on from acquaintances to buddies, Ryan? Look for a detailed story on our trip in the next online issue of Racer X Canada.

Now into the reason why we’re on the road: the racing. Last weekend we saw the return of Team Toyota Yamaha/BlackfootDirect.com/Fox Racing’s Colton Facciotti to the Monster Energy Motocross Nationals after opting out of Gopher Dunes because of his shoulder injury. Facciotti said in his 5 mins with that he’s only at 60 or 70 percent, but after chasing down Tyler Medaglia in the second MX1 moto to complete the sweep, I’d say he’s at least at 87 percent. As Gauldy asked on Canadian MX Radio, if Colton wins every moto from here on out, can we call it a perfect season even if he missed one round?

Suzuki/OTSFF/Rockstar’s Medaglia isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. I sometimes worry that Medaglia is more focused on reciting lines from TPB’s than remembering lines on the track. (I know, I’m really one to talk.) That isn’t the case, however, as TM has finished 3-2 for second overall in Morden and has yet to finish off the box through the first three rounds. His scorecard reads like this: 3-2-3-1-3-2.

His younger brother and teammate, Jeremy, hasn’t been quite as consistent but remains in the MX2 championship hunt, finishing 2-5 for fourth overall in Morden. He’s in a three-way tie for second in the series with Beaton and Aron Harvey. They’re losing ground to Royal Distributing/Thor/Riverside KTM Canada’s Eric Nye who finished 5-2 in Morden and extended his points’ lead to 29.

Royal Distributing: Enter to win a 2009 KTM 250 SXF!

After a stellar debut in Ste-Julie, the Leading Edge Kawasaki team has taken a stab to their results. In Morden, Teddy Maier was involved in a first turn pile-up in the first moto and was left with a deep gash on the inside of his elbow and a swollen ankle. The Iowa kid remounted and salvaged points with a 14th and then battled by Medaglia for third-place in moto two. Poor Nick Evennou’s KX250F gave him fits in both motos. I heard it was either a stator or CDI issue. The damage was quite severe, dropping Evennou from second to ninth in the points. And the bad luck didn’t end in Morden; at the FXR Ride Day, Evennou and his teammate, Brock Hoyer, were sharing a practice bike and the rear wheel nearly fell off when the axle nut came loose. Fortunately, it was noticed before something bad happened.

Grande Prairie’s Kyle McGlynn didn’t have the results he, his trainer Todd Shumlick, or anyone else was expecting in Morden. The Countryside KTM rider missed the first two rounds to recover from a broken collarbone but was still confident he could go top five in Morden. I never had a chance to speak with McGlynn, but from what I gathered, he had horrible starts and surely tasted the clumpy soil a few times as he finished 0-12. Hopefully things go better for him this weekend in Regina; he definitely looks strong and smooth on the bike.

We can't thank the Millar family enough for the incredible BBQ they put together on Monday night. We're still eating leftover ribs this morning for breakfast!

photo: Brault

Here’s my random thought of the day: who pays for the factory riders’ girlfriends’ flights to the races? Seriously, flying isn’t cheap, especially with the fuel surcharge these days. Do the riders pay for them? The team? The girls? We need Steve Matthes to get to the bottom of this on his Bottom Line show.

The Racer X Canada/Destroyer Films Moto Show keeps getting better and we caught all of the action at Shadow Valley Raceway. Click here to check it out. There’s also an archive beside the window player with shows from Ste-Julie and Gopher Dunes.

TV whiz kid, Ryan Gauld, joined the team this weekend and did a wonderful job recapping the day’s events. I admire Gauld’s skills behind the lens and his ability to string along the major happenings from each moto. We had fun working with Gauld, I think he enjoyed being a part of our project and we’re looking forward to having him on board for future episodes. Thanks again to our series sponsors Monster Energy, RG3 Canada, OTSFF Motorsports, SixSixOne Canada, and our Morden sponsor, FXR Racing. Without these guys the show couldn’t go on, so be sure to visit their websites and check out their quality products. This weekend in Regina, we’re looking forward to having Schrader’s Honda/Yamaha/Suzuki from Yorkton, SK on as a supporter. Thanks, guys!

Oh, and a warm welcome to Pro Circuit/Parts Unlimited who just signed on as a series sponsor! It’s great to see more and more people getting involved with the Moto Show and to see U.S. companies like PC and PU showing some love for the sport in the north.

I’m sure by now everyone is up-to-speed on results from Morden. If you’re not, please follow these links: Race Report, 5 mins with Facciotti and 5 mins with Hibbert. Here are a few other observations from Round 3:

Monster Energy Cernic’s Kawasaki’s Dusty Klatt rode well in the first moto and was within a bike length of Facciotti until lappers got in the way. He’s sitting comfortably in second in points. His teammate, Jeff Gibson, is off the pace of the leaders and I asked him what’s up but he’s not sure either. Gibson was feeling the pressure of Label It’s Jason Burke in the second moto and not to take anything away from Burke—because he’s riding awesome this year—a hired gun like Gibson shouldn’t be messing around with a guy who spends 40-hours a week pipe fitting.

Jason Burke's sixth-place at Morden earned him enough cash to purchase this sweet cowboy hat. Burke's been mixing it up with the factory guys every weekend and now sits eighth in the MX1 series.

photo: Brault

Burke isn’t the only privateer making waves this year; Kyle Keast also proved that he’s a factor on hard pack tracks. The Machine Racing Honda rider was in position to make a pass on Medaglia for third in the first moto at Morden, but fell down and finished fifth. In moto two, Keast charged from a 15th place start to sixth. He was catching the Blackfoot battle of Blair Morgan and Jimmy Nelson, but a flat rear tire with four laps to go dropped him back 14th. Jamey tried jamming a TimBit in the tire to fix the leak, but it was a cherry-filled one and it squirted in his eyes.

Davey Fraser finally showed what he can do when he stays on two wheels, finishing 9th in the second MX2 moto.

Chuck Mesley had his best ride yet, going 11-11 or 11th overall. I will take full credit for “The Mez’s” results as I spun the wrenches for him in Morden. I’m sure it was my smiley faces on the pit board and the single air filter we ran all weekend that propelled Mesley to those results. I told Chuck if he gets a top-10 in the first moto in Regina, I’d install a clean filter and tighten the chain.

The Monster Energy 30-second board/podium girls are beautiful. I’m still unsure which one is my favourite but will gladly accompany either one to dinner and a movie. Gauldy says the redhead was “digging him” last weekend, but his game ends when the beer stops flowing (or when Mesley walks by).

I like the rooftop that was built over the starting gates, but I’m stumped as to why the builders didn’t cut the support posts evenly? They were more uneven than a match race between Colton Facciotti and Danny Brault.

I was disappointed to learn from local racers that Shadow Valley is normally a dust bowl unless it’s a national weekend. All I know is that it’s one of the best tracks in Canada (IMO) and it would be sad to lose it from the regional or national schedule.

Billy Whitley shared an interesting story with me about Clayton Miller, the son of Tony Miller who owns and operates the Freestone track in Texas. When Clayton started showing an interest in motocross, Whitley told him if he got a bike that he’d teach him how to ride. The next day, Clayton had two brand new KX80s and two sets of gear. Let’s just say the Miller family lives comfortably. Anyhoo, Whitley helped Clayton along, one thing led to another, Clayton started racing and the sport grew on the whole family. “When I first started teaching Clayton, his mother wouldn’t get out of the truck,” says Whitley. “Now you see her getting right into the work on their track [Freestone].”

In the first three rounds, we’ve seen several hometown heroes. At Ste-Julie, it was Kaven Benoit and Marc-Antoine Genereux battling for top five spots in MX2; Kyle Keast found the roughest lines at Gopher Dunes to finish 2-2; In Morden, it was RTR Performance/Orange Motorsports’ Ryan Millar revving up the fans by grabbing the Royal Distributing holeshot in the second moto and leading for a lap. Millar slid out in the corner before the finish line jump, but still held on for 18th. Remember, this kid is only 15-years-old and is still an intermediate.

Aw, life on the road! Kerim Fitz-gerald washes his bike outside of the Days Inn in Winkler, MB - until the Dollar Store lady behind us shut the water off. Come on now, "It's the way of the road!"

photo: Brault

Okay, moving ahead here. Steve Matthes is joining us this weekend for the Moto Show and I can’t wait to add his personality to the show. He’s been hilarious in his Bottom Line shows on live.motocross.com. Maybe we should just fire me and put Gauldy and Matthes up front? I don’t think so! Here are a few words from the man who never runs out of them.

By the time you guys read this, I'll be on plane heading to Regina for round four of the Monster (Do you have any idea how many times I've typed "Monster" in the last few years? They're taking over!) CMRC Nationals. I'm pumped for sure. It should be a lot of fun to watch the races and help Danny B and his little Moto Show project. We picked up a new sponsor for the show—after watching the production and a few harassing phone calls from me, Pro Circuit and Parts Unlimited have chipped in and helped out big time! Mitch Payton was behind the project from the beginning but was a little busy with the upcoming USA Nationals to look at our proposal and commit. Well, he got a chance to check it out and I got the word last weekend in Mt Morris that PC with Parts Unlimited was onboard! Thanks everybody!

After the runaways we've had down south, I'm looking forward to some dicing for the lead in the flatlands of Saskatchewan. From the sounds of Morden, Colton Facciotti sounds like he's a man on mission. I'm very excited to see my little buddy KD Beets and my kinda buddy Klatt. And, of course, when I land in SK, I can't miss the giant mural of Blair Morgan with "Bow to the King" written under it. I hope Blair brings that VHS tape of me passing him at the Regina mini-stade race back in 1988.

I think I've been to this track before but I'm not sure; way back in '87 or something I went with my family to a track we called Regina. It was behind a TV station or something like that. I remember it being kind of hilly and a little sandy, so pretty much nothing like the race I've watched on Speed in the last few years. Anyways, storytime: I remember there was a big pileup and Brent "Shur-Shot" Shury was involved in it. When the last guy picked up his Honda, the steering tube broke and the only thing holding the front end on was the cables! Of course the throttle stuck wide open when he picked it up and the thing was going in circles with the dude holding on! I’ve never seen that since and will always remember it. That’s my memory of Regina!

Isn't it weird that the Sorensen brothers and Dan Worley came from the small province of SK and rose to be factory mechanics? What did they practice on? Cows? And while I'm at it, whatever happened to my arch-rival racing buddy, Victor Stuart?

And also, one last thing, I'm still pissed at being DQ'd at Moose Jaw in 1988 for "cutting" the track when I won the 80cc Expert class. That was a crappy call back then and I expect an apology from a Saskatchewan CMA official ASAP.

As far as silly season rumours, look for JGR to make Millsaps an offer very soon. Although Honda has the right to match, what if—as one JGR official told me—they put something in the contract that Honda cannot match? Like say, a try-out in a NASCAR or something like that? Remember, Honda has to match everything in the offer. I also spoke with Chad Reed about some other stuff and he dropped the little fact that he rode a KTM and is talking to them. He might've been jacking with me but I figured I'd throw it out there. I doubt KTM has the money to sign CR but I KNOW MDK has it.

Matthes sleeps with Ross Pederson's Hi Flyer card underneath his pillow.

Check out this sweet shot of Ross "MX Jesus/Rollerball" Pederson that I got scanned when I was in Morgantown last week at the RXI offices. It's from a high-flyer card and might be one of the best shots I've seen of Roller on a Yamaha. Please bow down now...

Thanks, good buddy. See you at the races this weekend!

As the best MX racers blast off the starting gate in Regina this weekend, some of the best Canadian off-road riders will take part in the Cornergrass Endurocross in Compeer, Alberta. What is Cornergrass? Well, from what I’ve gathered, it’s basically a mix of MX and endurocross. The course features a fast, grass section that will favour the aggressive MX guys and a tighter, more technical section for the enduro rider. It’s a two-moto format (1.5 hour motos) and there are classes for all ability levels. Saturday is the main event, which is considered a national, and Sunday is a club race. The pro riders should be able to earn a few bucks too, as it’s advertising on www.cornergrass.com that there is a $3000 purse.

There’s a lot of buzz going on right now in Alberta for dirt bike enthusiasts. Next Thursday, the 11th Annual Western Canadian Amateur National kicks off at the Temple Hill Motorcycle Park in Raymond, Alberta. The best amateur racers from across the Western provinces (and a few from the East) will be shooting for glory on one of the toughest tracks in Canada. The event runs from Thursday June 26 to Saturday June 28. All pros are welcome to race GP Pro/Am, Youth and Plus 25. Chuck Mesley and I heading to Raymond and I hope Beaton does as well. It was entertaining for fans watching these two battling for the unofficial “King of the Hill” title in all of the Pro and Youth motos. Unfortunately, Johnny Montes won’t be back to defend his Vet Master title against Pete De Graaf. For a full list of confirmed racers, follow this link - http://cdnmx.com/confirmedriders.htm

Also, we put together this “Everything you need to know about Raymond” feature yesterday for those interested in attending.

Then, on July 1 and 2, pros have a chance to take a chunk of coin at the Brent Colclough Memorial Canadian MX Open at the Wild Rose MX Park. The event boasts a $15,000 purse for the Pro/Intermediate classes and 100 percent payback in Ladies A and the Vet Master class. There will also be a full slate of amateur racing. This is a good opportunity for pros following the national tour to sneak in extra track time and earn some fuel money. Check out www.wildrosemx.com for full details.

There’s also some excitement building in the East, as the Eastern Canadian Amateur National Championship is set for July 2-5 at Sand Del Lee near Ottawa, ON. The MX101 crew who looks after the SDL track, is working to make this Big Dance very worthwhile for amateurs to attend. Check out this list of impressive awards: Over $35,000 in prizes, money and awards; GPF Ironman Award for rider accumulating the most points; MTF Hard Charger Award for the rider who shows the most determination; MX101/ Cohen & Chohen Best Battle Award for best battle between two riders; Royal Distributing bucks for holeshots; championship trophies for first to tenth; and top 5 finishers in the GP classes will receive products/services from sponsors.

If you want to get in on some of these goodies, get down to Sand Del Lee in two weeks! For full info, check out http://www.eanmc.com/

Okay, that’s it for this week. Thanks for reading!