Frid'Eh Update:Presented by Royal Distributing
JULY 11, 2008

By Danny Brault

Well, I hope that the warriors of the Monster Energy Motocross Nationals used their three-week break wisely as the series resumes this weekend at The Wastelands in Nanaimo, BC. I know I have. After spending a total of eight days racing the Raymond and Sand Del Lee Amateur Nationals and placing third in Plus 25 at SDL, I should be ready to take down the “Nye-a-later” Eric Nye. Yeah … right. I think I will just worry about a couple of 5 Minute interviews and the Moto Show.

Speaking of the Moto Show, it looks like Steve Matthes, Ryan Gauld, nor Dan Stenning can make it into Nanaimo this weekend, leaving me all alone with hosting duties. I definitely can’t handle that responsibility on my own (nor do I want to), so please shoot me an email with ideas for a co-host to dannyb@racerxcanada.com. I know Clearbrook Yamaha’s Kyle “KD Beets” Beaton really wants to help out, and Brett Dailey mentioned that MXForum kingpin, Rick-Hamer Jackson (aka Hammertime) would be a colourful addition to the show, but he won;t be in attendance this year. How do you viewers feel about those two candidates?

Be sure to catch the RXC/Destroyer Films Moto Show archives here. We’re archiving all of the shows until, well, until next year’s series begins so you can relive the excitement and personality of the Canadian nationals over and over again. Each show keeps getting better and we’re looking forward to kicking it up another notch in Nanaimo and the following rounds. Thanks again to all of our sponsors for stepping up and supporting this project!

The drive from Calgary to Vancouver is always the most scenic.

photo: Brault

The Destroyer Films duo of Chris Griffiths and Cody Bradley are working on more than just the Moto Show this summer; they’re also filming for their second DVD to This Is It and gathering footage for their online features such as Northern Exposure that focuses on different Canadian racers. They’ve already put together two great NE’s with Ryan Lockhart and Johnny Montes and they recently caught up with Miami, Manitoba’s Ryan Millar. Click here to watch Millar’s video. I’m glad to see the industry is supporting DF’s efforts and website because they are two of the hardest working and most talented guys in the industry. And, like many of us, they’re not doing it for the money, but for love of the sport. So thanks to RTR Performance, Kal Tire, Print Werx, and KTM Canada for sponsoring Millar’s NE.

So who’s going to lay waste to the competition this Sunday at The Wastelands? It’s hard to bet against Blackfoot’s Colton Facciotti in MX1 that’s for sure. He has won every race that he’s entered so far this year, but then again, island boy, Dusty Klatt, has won 7 out of the last 10 national motos that he’s raced in Nanaimo. The Campbell River kid only lives a few hours from the track and knows the secret, funny little fast lines that develop on The Wastelands. Klatt may not have quite the advantage he normally does because the track is running backwards now and the layout’s been tweaked. However, he knows how to handle the slick surface and that's the most important.

Regardless of whether it’s a track he’s familiar with or not, now is the time for Dusty to kick it into high gear before Tyler Medaglia and Facciotti move too far ahead of him in the points. On the Sunday night following Regina, Klatt said all he can really do is work his butt off during the break. I think I now know why Dusty was somewhat distracted during the last few rounds; he was preparing to propose to his girlfriend, Kayla! That’s right, the #111 popped the question the day after Canada Day on Mount Washington. “I kind of knew it was coming,” laughs Kayla. “I knew about the ring and then when he got all nervous and asked me to climb onto this big rock, I knew what was up.”

First Dustin Hayes and his girlfriend, Jen, and now Dusty and Kayla—all of the motocrossers are settling down! Congrats, guys (and girls)!

Check out the newlyweds, Kayla and Dusty! Well, they're not quite married yet but the Campbell River Crusher stole Kayla's heart last week, popping the question atop Mount Washington.

photo: Brault

As for the points leader, Medaglia, he showed some good speed last year in Nanaimo until he pulled off due to a nagging back injury. TM says he doesn’t mind the slick, hard pack conditions of Nanaimo, and after chasing around the world’s best at Red Bud last weekend, his speed will not be an issue.

Simon Homans, Marco Dubé, and Jeff Northrop all had breakout performances in Nanaimo last year, with Northrop winning the first moto and Homans and Dubé battling for the win in moto two, which Homans won. So look for those three to challenge for podium positions on Sunday. Also keep an eye on Blair Morgan and Kyle Keast who are sitting fourth and fifth, respectively, in the standings right now.

One rider we won’t see in Nanaimo is Les Chutes Kawasaki’s Marco Dubé. We received this note from Marco this week:

“Due to several crashes in the beginning of my season and compression that I had on my neck from the last crash in Regina, I must withdraw of the competition for this weekend’s race in Nanaimo.  I had the okay from my doctor to start training again but slowly last Tuesday.”

That’s too bad. I know “The Doob” was hurting, but I didn’t expect him to miss any racing. We look forward to seeing you back ASAP, Marco!

The door is wide open in the MX2 class now that Tucker Hibbert is gone. Like Klatt and other BC riders, KD Beets always finds the fast line around The Wastelands. He even held it for a full 30 minutes last year (and stayed on two wheels) to win his first-ever pro national. After taking a moto in Regina, Beets has to be feeling confident heading into this weekend. He did DNF the second moto in Regina after hitting a rock hidden in some bushes on the side of the track, but with three weeks off, he should be good to go. “Yeah, it feels all right—I’ve been wakeboarding all week [laughs]!” Beaton says. “I rode twice and twisted it a bit in Port Alberni so I didn’t race, but I went out again and it felt fine.”

Even without Hibbert in the mix, Beets will still have his hands full with points leader, Eric Nye, Jeremy Medaglia, Aron Harvey, Mason Phillips, Ryan Lockhart, and the rest of the MX2 gang. KTM Canada’s Nye now has a massive 38-point lead and I asked him yesterday whether he’s going for the win or conserving his lead. “I want to win!” he replied. “I mean, I don’t want to do anything stupid but I want to keep increasing my lead and hopefully wrap up the championship a round or two early.”

Nye also added that there’s been an abundance of forest fires in Northern California recently due to extremely high temperatures, the dry air and high winds. I’m sure he’s looking forward to breathing in the clean mountain air on the Island this weekend.

Eric Nye is still in it to win it!

photo: Lissimore

I had mentioned in last week’s Frid’Eh Update that Monster Energy Leading Edge Kawasaki was bringing up Gray Davenport for Nanaimo and Edmonton, but that’s no longer happening. Apparently, Teddy Maier is going to race and Davenport had his sister’s wedding in Mexico to attend next week, so he couldn’t afford the time away.

The CMRC issued a press release earlier this week, stating that this will be the last year a Canadian National is held on Vancouver Island. “We’re really sorry to see The Wastelands dropped from our schedule, as the track has been with us for many years and it’s always been one of my favourite destinations,” said Stallybrass in the PR. “But therein also lies the problem. The current economic climate, the price of gas and the high ferry fee makes going to Vancouver Island no longer financially feasible for the series, the teams, and the privateer. It was a very tough decision to make and one that we gave a lot of thought to, but there really is no other way around this.”  

It’s hard not to disagree with that decision; it does a cost a small fortune to get over to Nanaimo. That said, it will be interesting to see if the CMRC considers modifying the series schedule to also accommodate rising fuel costs. So far, Mesley and I have spent nearly $2,000 in fuel traveling from Barrie, Ontario to Vancouver, British Columbia—and I don’t even want to think what it must cost Westerners who travel to Ste-Julie, back out west, and then back east for Moncton, SDL and Walton. So where will the national in BC be next year? The Whispering Pines track in Kamloops!
 
Last week the first-ever Eastern Amateur National MX Championships kicked off at the Sand Del Lee track in Munster, Ontario. (Munster, what a funny little name for a town, eh?) By all accounts, the event was a success. Sure, MX101 would have liked to see more entries (what promoter wouldn’t?) but being its first year and with it sprung on everyone late in the game, I think they received a respectable turnout. Also, with the Walton TransCan only two months away it’s hard for families to book off two weeks of holidays. Judging from everyone’s feedback at the event and the forum chatter, I think it’s safe to say the EANMC is here to stay and we’ll see many more riders next year.

Eastern Amateur National champions (and all results) from SDL can be found on www.mx101.ca. Like Raymond and Walton, SDL offered up some prestigious awards for outstanding performances. Ryan Gauld and Kenny Clark earned the Best Battle of the Week plaques for their constant war in the Plus 25 and Vet Master classes; Nathan Bles’ determination and raw speed brought him the MTF Hard Charger Award Presented by MXForum; and Dylan Kaelin secured the GPF Ironman Award for accumulating the most points. Attached to the award is a two-week stay at the Georgia Practice Facility—and he gets to train alongside five-time champ, Jean-Sébastien Roy. Dylan, you may want to slow down on those Red Bulls and get on that road bike now!

Check the two coolest awards at the EANMC: The Best Battle (gloves) and Hard Charger (dumbbell).

photo: Brault

If there was a Sportsmanship Award to be given out at SDL, I think it would have gone to Ignition Racing, George Jones and the Moore family. After Nathan Mitchell’s CRF150 broke down, Jones worked all night to replace it with Justin Moore’s son, Brando’s motor. Good job, guys! Also, I should mention that in the photo report from Day Two, I was only JOKING when I referred to Moore’s Ultimate Toyz booth as “Garbage Land.” While the interior of the booth was clean, cool and well stocked, I couldn’t help but draw a comparison of the exterior (which was a graffiti covered tarp) to Ricky’s Garbage Land from a Trailer Park Boys episode. I know, I watch too much of that goofy Canadian show and I should be more careful of how I word things.

It was sad to see little Frenchie, Jason Benny, break his leg in the final Schoolboy moto at SDL. It was an absolute pleasure watching the Kawasaki rider scrubbing jumps and railing corners on his sweet, sweet sounding KX125. He didn’t have the best luck with crashes and poor starts, but he was the second best Schoolboy and 85cc rider to Richard Grey and was my vote for the Hard Charger award.

For coverage from SDL, check out our Day One, Day Two, and Day Three photo reports.

Some were wondering if we’d see the Medaglia brothers at SDL, but they were busy preparing for the Toyota AMA Motocross National in Red Bud, Michigan. Tyler has raced a few AMA nationals in the last three years, but it was Jeremy’s first time. During Saturday’s timed qualifying, Tyler posted some impressive lap times in the Motocross class and was all set to line up on the 40-rider gate on Sunday. Unfortunately, during Sunday morning’s practice, TM was going for a fast-lap to ensure a good gate pick when he hooked a footpeg while scrubbing a jump and went over the bars. He says that he was in between Tim Ferry and Sean Hamblin and wanted to see if he could run their pace for a lap or two. Over than some bumps and bruises, TM is fine and will be in Nanaimo.

As for Jeremy, he rode pretty well for his first AMA National and only missed qualifying for the Lites class by one spot. “He had a hard time getting a clear track during qualifying, and, obviously, he was a little nervous since it was his first U.S. national,” said Tyler.

Monster Energy Cernic’s Kawasaki’s Jeff Gibson raced Red Bud as well. Looking at his results, Gibson rode pretty well, finishing 24-16 for 22nd overall. The Ohio native has been off the pace of the leaders in the Canadian series so hopefully Red Bud helped to improve his raw speed and confidence.

For a full (and funny) review from Red Bud, read Matthes’ Observations here.

Coleton McLean skies it out for A Channel News today at Nanaimo.

photo: Brault

Following Red Bud, there was an interesting thread going on at www.mxforum.com, debating whether it’s a smart choice for Canadians to race AMA Nationals or not. Some feel that they shouldn’t because they could get hurt and ruin their championship hopes in Canada, while others are happy to see them taking the risk and showing what kind of speed we have. I see both sides, but I, personally, wish more Canucks would race a U.S. national here and there. The speed of our tops guys (Medaglia, Facciotti, Klatt, Morgan, etc.) is better than ever and I really think they could do well against America’s best. Sure, you could get hurt, but you risk injury anytime you throw a leg over a bike. I do know the Medaglia brothers are planning to race Steel City and Southwick, Keast is working on getting his AMA Pro license, and Facciotti is bugging Blackfoot to loan him his race bike for Steel City, so we should see more Canadian content in upcoming U.S. races.

Davey Coombs, Bryan Stealey and everyone at Racer X Illustrated are always supportive of Canadian motocross. In fact, they contacted us recently asking for a feature on the nationals in an upcoming issue. Thanks, guys! It will be great to see our riders and series featured in the best motocross magazine ever. (Well, next to RXC that is.)

Jason Burke is going to miss the next two rounds after injuring his wrists in Raymond. The Label It rider, who is having a breakout year sitting eighth in the MX1 series, smashed into a barrel full of water at Temple Hill and was left with some broken bones in one wrist and a sprain in the other. Burke thought he could tough it out and decided to stay out west with Davey Fraser and the Label It truck and trailer. That only lasted about three days before Jay jumped into the rig and drove home to Hamilton. Burke says he has a cast on one arm and thinks he can race Edmonton, if he can manage the pain, but he’ll probably hold off until Moncton. On the upside, Rob McCullough doesn’t have to fire him now. Burke’s teammate, Fraser, is now traveling to the next two races with the Snider family.

RTR Performance and the KTM Canada team have teamed up for an MX school on Wednesday July, 16th at the Whispering Pines track in Kamloops, BC. Factory KTM riders Mason Phillips, Ryan Lockhart, Tim Tremblay, and special guest, Jacqueline Ross, will be teaching the finer points of dirt bike riding. To sign up or find out more info on the school, contact Craig Fortune at craig@rtrperformance.com.

This just in from PerformX Racing’s Todd Schumlick …

“Todd Schumlick of PerformX and Racer X Canada invite all national competitors, team staff, family, and friends, to a mountain bike day at the Whistler Bike Park, arguably the world's best downhill and free-ride mountain, on Wednesday July 16 (between Nanaimo and Edmonton nationals).

“Discount packages (including high-end bike & park pass) of $125 are available for those interested. Call Todd at 604.935.9484 to reserve and more details. There is riding for everyone from mellow single track to downhill supercross to gnarly 'make you shite your pants' decents! It's got it all.  You also won't need to clean air filters or change your oil—and you can watch me kick Colton's [Facciotti] ass. Good times, for sure!”

Felix Trepanier and Jean-Sébastien Roy are almost finished with their DVD which focuses on the life and times of the five-time champ. They’ve gathered some footage from AMA SX and MX, the Montreal SX, Canadian Nationals, Dubai, and just about every other place that “The Champ” has raced. “We’re still trying to settle on a title for the DVD,” says Felix. “If any of your readers have suggestions for the title, please send them to jsrdvd@taxi-prod.com.”

Here are some current ideas floating around the producers heads: JSR: The Champ, JSR: Born to Win, JSR: King of the Stadium (Le roy du stade).

So get your thinking caps on, readers, and send through some titles! You could be famous!

The Mez and The Giver spent a few nights in Calgary this week. Who doesn't miss this round of the national series?

photo: Brault

The Chuck Mesley and Danny Brault Road Trip 2008 resumed this Monday in Calgary. After earning a few bucks at the Brent Colelough Memorial Race at Wild Rose last week, Mesley was able to afford a flight home to check in with his lonesome girlfriend and his puppy, Diesel. I’m not sure who Chuck misses the most but he talked more about snuggling with Diesel than his girl!

We only had a 12-hour drive from Calgary to Tsawwassen to catch the ferry to Nanaimo, so we camped out at Wild Rose for two days. It was a good choice as we caught up on some much needed sleep and caught a Default concert at the Calgary Stampede. Good times! On Wednesday morning we started driving towards the Coast. This part of the trip is always the most scenic—and the most dangerous. Fortunately, Mesley kept it on all eight and we enjoyed the Rockies while listening to the soulful sounds of the Howard Stern Show. Why is it that Howard always wants to know what the women are wearing?

Anyhoo, along the way, we stopped into Rampion Enterprises and said hello to Ogio’s Jeff Williams. Poor Jeff, he has yet to watch a motocross race all summer, but he’s coming to Nanaimo this weekend and possibly Edmonton. We also stopped by SixSixOne Canada to pick up some parts for “The Mez” and hung out with Chris Buckrell and Brad McLean for a bit. Sadly, Rick Sheren wasn’t around to hook me up with another tight fitting 661 lid.

Thanks for reading and hopefully we see everyone out for the final Nanaimo national!

Who is this goofball? Oh, wait, it's the Frid'Eh Update guy!

photo: Chuck Mesley

Chuck Mesley goes for the table-to-table on the Tom Cart. Oh, The Mez!

photo: Brault