Frid'Eh Update:Presented by Royal Distributing
AUGUST 15, 2008

By Danny Brault

[In announcer Dave Bell’s booming voice] Gooooood mooorrrnninng Waaalton! Is it just me or does that wake up call every morning at the Walton TransCan make you want to put a pot on your head and then hit it with a hammer? I like Dave Bell, but I don’t like that damn rooster. I hope he chokes on a moto-muffin.

We’re going to keep this edition of the Frid’Eh Update short as we’re scattered throughout “Motocross Town” watching Canada’s top amateurs all vying for national championships and don’t have much time to nerd it up.

To follow what’s been going on at the TransCan, stay tuned to waltontranscan.ca and motoregistry.ca. You can also check back to racerxcanada.com periodically for updates, photos and results. Click here for Wednesday’s Report and here for Thursday’s. There has only been one champion crowned thus far, and that was Dylan Kaelin who claimed the GP Intermediate title over Ryan Millar and Brandon Phinney. Congrats, Dylan!

The Walton track has been in great shape all week.

photo: Brault

This is it: the grand finale of the Monster Energy MX Nationals kicks off this Sunday here at Walton. Crazy, eh? It feels like just yesterday we were in Ste-Julie. While the MX1 and MX2 championships are nearly locked up (Colton Facciotti has a 38-point lead in MX1 and Eric Nye has 43 points over Kyle Beaton in MX2), I think we’re still going to some great racing this weekend. I know Dusty Klatt and Tyler Medaglia want to win another one of these and Kyle Keast wants to “weld” his first one into the record books as well. Hopefully one of these guys can make it interesting for that lead position.

Last weekend at Sand Del Lee, things were just getting interesting with Medaglia and Klatt, who were fighting for the win in the first moto, when TM tipped over and Klatt ran into his backside. Both were okay and remounted quickly, but not quick enough as Facciotti rode by and away for the win. Facciotti claimed the second moto win as well after passing Blair Morgan two laps in. Keast had high expectations and wanted nothing else than a 1-1. Despite not achieving the results he had hoped for, Keast earned a few more fans after crashing in the first corner and coming from way back to finish fifth behind Nick Wey. In the second moto, Keast grabbed a top-10 start and made his way by Morgan and Klatt for second place. I know he’s my buddy and all, but someone has to hire Keast. The guy has solidified himself as top-five guy and has been on the podium twice this year.

The Voice of Walton, Dave Bell, knows how to get us out of bed. Now if he only knew how to make us go to bed we'd be all set.

photo: Brault

The local heroes, Tyler and Jeremy Medaglia, had an up and down day. Jeremy’s hopes came down in the first moto when his bike quit on lap three while running second. The Suzuki rider rebounded in moto two, however, finishing second to Kyle Beaton. TM, meanwhile, was obviously disappointed with his mistake in moto one that possibly cost him the win, but the worst came in the final race when he was bucked off his bike and suffered a concussion. The resultant DNF dropped Medaglia back to third in the standings, 11 points back of Klatt. I spoke to TM on Monday, and he says other than some aches and pains, he’s okay. He’ll back on the line at Walton.

It was cool to see Nick Wey race SDL. Like Matthes says, how many other factory riders would come to Canada on an off-weekend? I’m guessing none. The KTM rider rode well but never really gave himself an opportunity to challenge our top guns. After dismal starts, I’m betting he wishes he had run a paddle-style tire. But Wey offers no excuses; he tried hard, he had fun and he might come back.

Matthes, Kevin Tyler, and Wey joined me on the Racer X Canada/Destroyer Films Moto Show this week. We also put together a funny little bit with women’s racers, Jacqueline Ross and Heidi Cooke. Check it out here.

Ross’ first moto win at the final round of the Women’s series captured the title over Monster Energy/Cernic’s Kawasaki’s Cooke. We caught up with Ross shortly after the second moto for a few questions….

RXC: Jacqueline, congratulations on winning your first Canadian national title!
Jackie Ross: Thanks a lot! The whole three months up here has been great. I’ve been working hard and everything fell into place.

What’s the best thing about Canada?
You! [Laughs] No, I’m just kidding. The racing, the atmosphere and just being up here has been an awesome opportunity.

You like the sand, don’t you?
Yeah, being from Florida that’s all we really have down there. They did an awesome job with this track but thank goodness the rain held off.

Was it the first moto you holeshot?
Yes! I’ve been waiting for it forever. I was so pumped I did the fist pump over the tunnel jump [laughs].

Any talk about coming up here next year?
I definitely hope so. I would like to come back, for sure.

Who do you want to thank this year?
Definitely God, my mom and dad, Andy White, H-Mac, everybody at KTM Canada, Thor, Alpinestars, Parts Unlimited, Royal Distributing, Twin Air, Renthal, Motorex, Pirelli, and everyone who supports me.

Jacqueline Ross is your 2008 Canadian National Women's champ.

photo: James Lissimore

The Montreal Supercross is the next big event in Canada following the TransCan and final national round. The event kicks off on Saturday, September 20, the weekend before the Motocross of Nations and the promoters are doing their best to ensure another great show. “We’re trying to bring up every American that has raced in Canada over the last few years,” says Pierre Corbeil. “Ryan Clark is a great guy and did an awesome job last year, but the fans can’t relate to him like they can with a guy who has been racing our nationals.” Some names Corbeil tossed into the mix were Paul Carpenter, Michael Willard, Jeff Gibson, and Sean Hamblin. For complete info on the biggest race in Canada, check out www.montrealsupercross.com.

Destroyer Films uploaded their latest Northern Exposure piece, featuring Countryside KTM’s Kyle McGlynn. You can watch it here.

Okay, I gotta run here. Sorry, but I can’t sit in this trailer anymore listening to racing; I’ve gotta watch it!

Thanks for reading and see you at the campfire!

While the "Voice of Walton" Ryan Gauld races, Ryan Lockhart takes over mic duties on the podium at Walton. The Newf has worn many hats this week; he's worked the mic, judged the track building contest, moved vehicles, changed tires for his brother, Brad, and cleaned out the KTM semi. Thanks for helping out, Ryan!

photo: Brault