Frid'Eh Update:Presented by Royal Distributing
JULY 25, 2008

By Danny Brault

Man, it sure feels good to be home! It’s not to say that I didn’t have the time of my life following the Monster Energy MX tour across Western Canada with “The Mez” (we certainly came away with more than enough stories that will never see the light!) but nothing can replace sleeping in my own bed, eating mom’s cooking and hanging out with my normal non-moto buddies. I’m sure I’ll be bored out of my mind in two days, however, and begging to get back on the open road. Well, maybe three days.

We’ve had quite an adventure that started back on Tuesday June 10th when we departed from Mesley’s home near Barrie, Ontario. Since then, we caught four Canadian nationals (Morden, Regina, Nanaimo and Edmonton), the Western Canadian Amateur National in Raymond, Alberta, and then Chuck and I split off for a week as I flew to Ontario for the Eastern Amateur National at Sand Del Lee and Chuck earned some fuel money at the Brent Colclough Memorial race in Calgary.

This Monday following the Edmonton national, we began the 40-hour drive home. It was a daunting and depressing task, but it did give me plenty of time to think about and reflect on life. While I’m burnt out and I am definitely looking forward to a weekend away from dirt bikes (although I think I’m going riding this weekend with my uncle), I wouldn’t change a minute of it. There are a lot of great people in our sport and I believe I met every single one of them this summer. No one is making a million dollars by any means—we’re all just there to have a good time. Thanks to everyone who helped us or shared a laugh along the way and to everyone involved for putting on a great show at every round (and between the races)!

Oh, and I should mention my last cool road trip story. During the final few hours of our drive towards Barrie, Chuck and I kept calling into the Jason Ellis Show on Sirius Radio. Well, I finally got through and I weighed in on the Rob and Big split. Ellis thought it was pretty cool that were motocrossers traveling across Canada. "Here that, Tully? We have fans on the road!" he said. Anyways, I thought it was pretty cool.

I'm almost missing the road already.

photo: Brault

By now, I’m sure most of you have heard how well things went at the first-ever national in Edmonton, AB at Castrol Raceway. Believe every word of it. The Alberta Old Timers Club, Chick, Matt Lee, the CMRC, and anyone else who got their hands dirty, did a wonderful job with every detail of the event. The work put in didn’t go unnoticed and created a really pleasant atmosphere that flowed through the pits. Everywhere you looked people were smiling and having a good time. As Brett Lee said, too, Edmonton fans really know their moto and they were cheering every time a big pass was made. They really went crazy when Blair Morgan was closing in on Colton Facciotti during the second MX1 moto. Yes, motocross is alive and well in Northern Alberta.

I noticed there were more fans and kids walking around the pits and interacting with racers in Edmonton than other the rounds. One kid in particular fell in love with Mesley after he gave out some Ogio stickers and returned after practice with this to say: “Dude, you were flying out there! Did you see me telling you to hold your position?” I really had to laugh when he added: “Sorry to be a pain in the butt, but can I get you to sign my shirt?” I really liked how he didn’t ask for goggles or something for free. Classy kid!

How awesome was it to see Zoli Berenyi Sr. lead the parade lap of the first MX2 moto? Very awesome, but what’s not so awesome is that I forgot to mention it on the Moto Show. I still feel like a goof. Regardless, it was still a special moment in Canadian MX to see the multi-time Canadian, provincial and Vet champ riding on his #67 Yamaha. Definitely an inspiring moment for everyone. Check James Lissimore's photo report from Edmonton for a shot of the legend.

For having only a flat chunk of land to work with, the track crew designed a fun and fast layout for the riders and one that promoted tight racing for fans. Other than the final MX1 moto that only saw maybe 20 guys riding around by the midway point, every other race had battles going on all over the track.

That's motocross! The Castrol Raceway track reminded me of Unadilla (abeit with a lot less rocks and hills) with its churned up grassy soil.

photo: Brault

While Blackfoot Yamaha’s Aron Harvey holeshot and rode off with both MX2 wins—and narrowed the gap big time on points leader, Eric Nye—everyone else was fighting hard for positions from second to 40th. Suzuki OTSFF’s Jeremy Medaglia finally got a good start and make good use of it, finishing second in the first moto. He even held off a late race charge by Leading Edge Kawasaki’s Teddy Maier who was buried in the pack off the start. Maier’s teammate, Brock Hoyer, also rode well this weekend, finishing 12-11 for 10th overall. The third member of the team, Nick Evennou, was up front during both motos and finished fourth in the first moto. Unfortunately, a tip over in moto two left him with a damanged kill switch and no points.

Kyle Beaton was running second in the first moto before slowly fading back to eighth. I asked his trainer, Drew Robertson, what was up and he said that Beets was suffering from arm pump all weekend. In the second moto, Beaton was leading but slid out after the mechanics area on lap one and fell back to fourth. He regained his composure on the final lap, however, and made up at least three seconds on Mason Phillips who was in third. It was too little too late, unfortunately, and Beets had to settle for fourth. The Clearbrook Yamaha rider is now heading off to race the AMA National at Washougal this weekend. I know he has some connections through Yamaha of Troy, and with a couple of their bikes collecting dust, maybe we’ll see little Beets on one.

KTM Canada’s Nye had his first off-weekend, if we can call a fifth overall an “off-weekend.” Nye struggled with starts and he told me after that his bike was bogging off the gate and was leaking oil through the crankcases following the final moto. He’s supposed to be set up with a brand new KTM 250 SX-F for the final three rounds.

His teammate,Phillips, had a great weekend, results wise, but a tough one physically. Phillips left everything he had on the track and following the final moto he dropped to the ground from heat exhaustion. Fortunately, the medics made their way over to the KTM semi quickly and took care of the Kiwi. He’s now third in points.

After telling Ryan Lockhart that his heart keeps getting bigger after two more come-from-behind rides in Nanaimo, he replied with “I’m over the whole heart thing! I’m sick and tired of getting bad starts and having to eat roost for a whole moto.” He definitely has the fire back and finally got a decent start (top-10) in the second moto at Edmonton. Lockhart stayed up front and only lost one position to a determined Jeremy Medaglia. He was seventh overall on the day.

I talked to Lockhart this morning, and while I think he’s ridden well this year, he’s still not happy with his results. “I’m in seventh place! I shouldn’t be back there,” he says.

Lockhart’s definitely capable of being higher in the standings, but it’s hard to be in the mix when you’re starting around 20th every moto. I think he should be proud of his riding so far in the series; he never gives up and he's not wasting a lap. “The Newf” always starts well and finishes well at his hometown national in Moncton. He also has Darren Van Snick, who was with Lockhart when he won his first and only national at Deschambault in 2003, wrenching for him next weekend. (Van Snick is a former mechanic for the legendary Ross "Rollerball" Pederson too.) Can the duo relive their memorable moment at River Glade? I sure hope so—that would make a great story!

Mitch Cooke has been hesitant heading into the first corner until Edmonton. The Suzuki rider found himself in the top five off both starts, but small tip overs kept him from staying there. Like Lockhart, Cooke has to be looking forward to his hometown national in Moncton. The last time Cooke raced there was in 2006 on the Blackfoot Honda team when he rode all four motos and finished third in the first MX2 moto and was fourth overall (I think) in MX1.

photo: Brault

Poor Team Label It. First, Brad Coles loses his MX1 rider, Jason Burke, to wrist injuries at the Raymond Amateur National, and then his MX2 rider, Davey Fraser, cartwheels through the whoops in Edmonton (which also took down Coleton McLean) and dislocates his wrist. I spoke to Burke’s confidant, Rob McCullough, this week and he says Burke is hitting the gym and rode for the first time since Raymond on Tuesday. Burke’s a tough character and I’m sure we’ll see him back in Moncton. I am doubting that we see Fraser return to the series, but, then again, I’ve seen that kid ride more with a cast on than without.

Coles sent us this update on the team:

"Just a quick injury update from Label It Racing. Davey Fraser crashed hard in the second MX2 moto after his 9th in the first moto and broke his hand very badly along with some cracked ribs. He spent 2 days in hospital there getting surgery of the hand. This hurts as he was coming back to his home track where he placed 4th last year.
 
Maybe Davey just felt left out since Jason Burke is out with a broken hand and Brandyn Cowie has the same. I don't think he matched me though as I think I have more broken ribs than him since my incident at Paisley RAT track 2 weekends ago.
 
Burkey and Brandyn are back riding now and should be almost ready to go in Moncton. Also Drew Clegg will be under our tents in Moncton to help out our fellow FXR rider."

The Allison twins, Jared and Parker, put together their best results yet in front of the hometown crowd. Jared was 9th and Parker was 12th overall in MX2. We’re going to see Jared out east for the final three rounds because he’s 11th inpoints, but Parker is still undecided. It’s too bad the entire Allison family isn’t coming east because they’re awesome! Seriously, I vote Lori Allison for Moto Mom of the Year. She always has a smile on her face and deserves some credit for driving that monstrous Chunk Motorsports truck and trailer across Canada. [Update: Lorri Allison tells us that a generous privateer loaded Parker's bike in their truck so both Allison brothers will finish the series!]

Rising fuel prices have no doubt led to lower rider entries this year, and I think we’re going to be missing a few Westerners for the final rounds. I spoke with RTR Performance KTM’s Craig Fortune and he says he can’t afford to send his setup and his riders, Kirk Haws and Kris Foster, out east. His other supported, Ryan Millar, is coming out but only with his parents, Ray and Joyce.

I don’t think there is any clear solution to overcoming rising fuel prices, but a schedule change must be in order. Whether we start in the east or west, we can’t be crisscrossing the country again. It’s too expensive. One source tells me we could see the 2009 tour going something like this: Kamloops, Calgary, Edmonton, Morden, Gopher Dunes, Ste-Julie, Moncton, Sand Del Lee, Walton. There we go, that’s perfect! All good tracks and facilities close to major city centres, and cost effective for riders and teams.

South African Kerim Fitz-gerald has been riding the wheels off of his Morgan Racing CRF250 at every round. Fitz-gerald always qualifies well, and Edmonton was no different as he set the fourth fastest time. Unfortunately, things seem to fall apart in the motos for “Kermee.” Starts definitely haven’t been his strong point this summer, but he never gives up and pushes through the pack. He managed to come through for a sixth in the first moto, but a crash in the second race put him back to 17th. This kid is battling with factory riders despite sleeping in a tent the night before races and eating hot dogs for lunch.

Blackfoot’s Jimmy Nelson hasn’t been feeling well since Regina four weeks ago. In Nanaimo, Nelson was running in the top five in both motos before fading back and things didn’t go much better for him in Edmonton. He ran out of fuel on the second last lap while running sixth in the first moto and then pulled off a few laps into the second moto. I spoke with Jimmy afterwards and he said that he has a virus but the doctors don’t know what it is or how to treat it. “I’m having a hard time breathing and my vision has been bad,” said Nelson. “Sometimes I even forget sections on the track.”

It’s unfortunate as Nelson had come off a great ride in Morden and was solidifying himself as a podium threat. Here’s hoping Nelson recovers during the break and he’s able to finish motos in the Eastern swing.

For coverage from Edmonton, check out the Racer X Canada/Destroyer Films Moto Show here. Chris and Cody forged through some high temperatures this weekend to produce another stellar show. We caught up Suzuki OTSFF’s Tyler Medaglia who was named to Team Canada and Dusty Klatt’s mechanic, Glen Hobson, shows us how he motivates Dusty when he forgets his pit board. Check it out! Thanks again to all of our sponsors and Riverside Yamaha/KTM/Suzuki for supporting the Edmonton show. And, of course, Brett Lee for helping with hosting duties!

Steve Matthes tells me that MDK/KTM’s Nick Wey is interested in racing the Sand Del Lee national. Wey caught the race on TV last year when JSR, Homans, Carpenter, and Gibson battled for the entire second MX1 moto and thinks that the track looks really fun. That could make for some good bench racing. How do you readers think Nick Wey would do if he raced MX1 at SDL? Send mail to letters@racerxcanada.com.

NEW ISSUE PROMO! For some reason, I’m hearing that a lot of readers cannot find our online issues of Racer X Canada. It’s simple: see that big image at the top of the main page? Just click on it. Or click on the top right corner where it looks like the page is peeling back. Or the link at the top of the main page that says "Current Issue." There’s some good stuff in this issue, including a feature on the nationals, off-road coverage from Corner Grass, four flawless Gate Pics from Lissimore, Respect to Morgan, and tons of cool Deluxe goodies. If you missed it, click HERE.

Let’s get to the bottom line now with Steve Matthes!

Thanks, Danny, and I missed you online this week little buddy. After all, with you gone, I had no one to tell my theories about Rocky to.

I've spoken to some team managers and also my buddy Fireman Ron who was at Edmonton, and, by all accounts, it was a success! The people there made something out of a flat field and I think they deserve a pat on the back for their efforts. I wish I could've gone and I also hope the Kamloops people were there and want to try to up the ante. Maybe the CMRC needs to sacrifice tracks for location, location, location! I'm not sure what the answers are but I did a podcast with "Flyin" Ryan Gauld and he had some good ideas. Look for that next week when Griffish gets some time on his hands between 4:17 and 4:19 pm two Thursdays from now.

The next issue of Racer X USA will have a Canadian Nationals feature penned by none other than Danny Brault himself and I think he did a great job. Good to see the USA guys have an interest in what's going on in their attic. There also is a rare "Noise" quote from the hard-hitting Hammertime. Does anyone remember when Hammertime would go the forums and just slam everyone and anything? Man, I miss those days. He's sure gone soft in his old age.

This weekend it's Washougal and maybe there will be a Hammertime sighting there, zipping around on his Segwey. I always love coming up to this track. I think the track itself isn't that good but I love the Pacific Northwest. The track is hard to see and it's real slippery and kind of one lined. I saw pictures of it back in the day and there were no walls on each side of the track, that’s how far the soil has eroded!

The Green Team should sweep again. It's weird but Ryan Villopoto has never won at Washougal. He grew up there and probably spun countless laps there. He probably should've won last year but had a pretty bad crash while leading a moto and gave the win to Ben Townley. And Stewart will probably scratch another curse off of his list when he goes 1-1 here. Remember it was here last year when he went down and hurt his knee, giving the win to none other than Tim Ferry (Yay!).

Make sure you listen to the webcast as myself, Weege, Erin Normoyle and special guest, Ping, bring you all the action! If you have something else to do on a Sunday in July, I understand and will still be your friend.

Rather than send us one of his stellar action shots from an AMA national, Matthes went with a shot of his dog, Beans, showing off his package.

photo: Matthes

In the "We really don't care Matthes department," I've just about finalized my trip to the Motocross Des Nations to root for (in order) Ferry, Canada, USA and for some vendor at the track to have Poutine.

The USA industry people all have to jump on a plane and go to Tennessee for the Lorretta Lynn Amateur National Championship right after Washougal (where, no doubt, some 16 year old kid will graduate to pro at Millville and kick everyone's ass) but I have to get home Sunday night and hop on a plane Monday morning to go to … Texas! You see, Tucker Rocky Distributing is having their annual dealer meeting and I have to go for my real job at Merge Racing (Check them out at mergeracing.com, and your local dealer can get it from Motovan. Plug over.) Won't be that fun but I just spoke with the “Dogger” Lechien and he's going to be there all week. Should be a blast. How long before he tells me to beat it after I grill him endlessly about old races and riders?

Did'ja listen to my Shift Canada Podcast with Nick Wey? No? Well, here you go-http://www.racerxcanada.com/news/5134/somewhat-live-and-uncensored-no.-23/

There was a chance to win some Scott goggles by correctly answering a Ron Lechien trivia question at the end and it's too late, I've already got the correct answers. I want to thank John Knowles at Scott for providing those to me. This guy was one of the winners and I thought I'd share his letter with you….

Hey Steve,
First off, great show! Nick Wey is wicked. Personally, I think he should get off KTM but what the hell do I know. Before I attempt to answer the question I have a good story for you. You taught a motocross school in Altona, MB  back in `97 and I was riding the new inverted forks YZ 80. It was a pretty trick bike. Anyway, you took a liking to my bike, and, instead of riding your own bike, you were showing the class how to do sections around the track on my bike.  Well, needless to say I only got about three laps of seat time on my bike that day. Matthes you owe my Mom $35.00 because I got nothing out of that motocross school [laughs].
Just like every other Manitoban I do love free stuff so I’m going to go with Dogger JT signature gear.
Keep up the great job.

Kris Rudy

Well, Kris, thanks for listening and look for the Scott goggles in about 3-4 months with the way UPS works. Sorry about that whole "riding your 80" thing. You were probably one of those kids that always told me "My bike can't do that" which used to cheese me off to no end. Often times I would get on the 80 and show the kid that, yes, your bike can do this jump and you should just admit you're scared and going to poop your pants if you try and don't want to do it. I'd be fine with that.

If you weren't one of those kids, I apologize for saying that and I never saw a dime out of that 35 bones you paid; I was strictly a volunteer. I did it because, after the school, I could moto down on the track and thus gain a HUGE advantage over my fellow Manitoba Expert riders. And seeing as how I never won an Expert moto, it clearly didn't work out so good.

Anyways, that YZ80 was trick and I'm giving you a $45.00 USD/$543.00 CDN pair of goggles to help you with your decade old pain. Thanks for playing along.

And that’s the bottom line. Thanks, Steve.

Some unfortunate news struck last Friday when Marco Dubé’s father, Denis, was killed in a motorcycle accident. We pulled this from the duberacing.com website:

“It is with great sadness that I write to you today. I must tell you about the death of Mr. Denis Dubé, Marco’s father. Last Friday, July 18, the motorcycle on which Marco's father was traveling was hit by a truck. The impact was very violent and was fatal for Mr. Dubé. It is a very difficult time for Marco and his entire family. You will understand that on these difficult moments, Marco decided to take some time with his family. He doesn’t know when he will come back to racing. We appreciate your understanding and your support in these difficult days.”

Obviously there’s not much to be said in times likes these, but we’re sure Marco would appreciate support in any shape or form right now. You can offer support by sending Marco a message at duberacing.com.

RXC’s Brett Dailey and Allison Kennedy had the opportunity to meet Marco’s parents two years ago while working on a story at the Riviere Du Loup AX. Allison sent along these quotes and photo in memory of Denis Dubé.

“My dad was a farmer and he didn’t really have the money to keep three riders on the track, racing. My brothers were not as focused or into it as me at the time; they were working so much on the farm. I was a kid and always on the bike. They were faster on the farm and as lumberjacks there. So our family put the resources into keeping me racing.” Marco

“The first time Marco came to the Riviere Du Loup arenacross, he was on his dad’s shoulders. He was maybe three or four years old. He enjoyed the show, just like the other kids. Every night after that he went to his dad and told him he needed a dirt bike.” Paul Thibault, RDL promoter

Marco Dubé and his parents, Nicole and Denis. Marco's father passed away following a motorcycle accident last Friday. Godspeed, Denis.

photo: Kennedy

If you missed this week’s Canadian MX Radio show, you can still catch it on their archives page. Heidi Cooke, Jeremy Medaglia, and Jeff Northrop called in along with other guests. You can also check out these Radio Bytes to see what you missed, courtesy of Brett Dailey. Tune in again each Monday following Moncton, SDL and Walton!

The 17th Annual Walton TransCan kicks off in less than a month on August 12-17. I know Chris and Brett Lee and their new marketing man, Mark Perrin, are working hard to take things up a notch this year. Nearly every class is filled up, but there are still a few spots open in 50cc 4-6 and 7-8, Plus 25, Vet Master, and Heritage. With the Eastern and Western Amateur National titles wrapped up, all that’s left is national supremacy! After watching the best pros in Canada battle every weekend, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing some of our youngsters take to the big stage. Who will win the Gaerne Bronze Boot? The Rick Joseph award? The Racer X Canada/ MTF Total Devotion award? We’ll find out shortly! Stay tuned to waltontransca.ca for all info and details.

The Walton track is once again the home of the Motos for Moms, an event that helps raise money for breast cancer. “The occasion will directly benefit the BreastStrokes Dragon Boat Racing team of Guelph, Ontario, and their outreach programs.  The breast cancer survivor team's goal is to train and participate in activities to promote the value of total fitness and upper body strength.  This helps survivors cope with rehabilitation and life during and after breast cancer diagnosis.  Breaststrokes is a registered Canadian charity,” as stated in the PR. The event takes place on September 27.

Nelson and Chris Lee say they expect 100 four-person teams and 100 individual "iron-man" riders to register for the endurance ride.  Each team or individual rider is committed to ride four hours. "It will be an exciting day for everyone," says Lee.  "People will be giving their personal best to help others."

Teams and individuals will be invited to register on-line at: www.motosformoms.ca.

Registration is $125 per person.

Also, before I leave you, check out and vote on our latest Machine Racing Poll. This week’s question: Which privateer has impressed the most this season? Keast? Homans? Burke? Clegg? Beaton? Genereux? You tell us!

Thanks for reading!

I, personally, think the hat looks better on me. What do you think?

photo: Brault