Diary of an MXdN Reporter
SEPTEMBER 26, 2005

by Aaron Wendland

 

AFTER THE RACE PERSPECTIVE
I am sitting on a train at the moment on my way from Stansted Airport to London’s Liverpool Station.  I wish I could say I feel like a million bucks, but I barely have the energy to punch the keypad on my laptop.  Also, I have to give a big shout-out to Gary Freeman at REDEYE Media, Roger Harvey from Honda’s off-road division in Europe and MX Geoff of MX Large fame for not only giving me a ride from the track in Ernee, but also for setting me up with a hotel and giving me a lift to the Airport.  Thanks guys, motocrossers and motocross fans are certainly some of the best people on the planet.

By now I am sure you have heard that Canada finished 17th overall at this years Des Nations, and I would be lying to you if I said the riders weren’t a little disappointed.  In fact, I am sure they would have liked to finish a little higher in the results – and I believe they thought they had the potential to do so – but some bike problems and uncertainties seemed to hold them back.  Still, each of them appeared to do the best they could with what they had, and their efforts certainly made me proud to be Canadian this weekend.

Well, it looks like my train is pulling into the station and I suppose my adventures and updates are coming to a close.  Be sure to check out some additional ‘5 minute interviews’ with Blair, Doug and Simon, and look for a full length feature on the Motocross Des Nations in an upcoming issue of Racer X Canada.  In closing, I want to thank all of you for joining me this weekend, and I hope you have enjoyed the coverage.

 

After the Race: 

Five Minutes with Blair [wav audio]

 

Five Minutes with Doug [wav audio]

 

Five Minutes with Simon [wav audio]

 

 

FINAL REPORT: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2005 

What a weekend!  And what a final mx1/mx3 moto!  Carmichael, of course, was at the front of the pack, but this time he had some company in a young and very fast Ben Townley.  Townley hung about three or four seconds back of Carmichael for the first five laps or so, and at the end of the race was only some 8 or 9 seconds back.  Of all the motocross races that Carmichael won this year (i.e. did not crash and finish second) I think this is the closest someone has stayed to him throughout and/or all-the-way to the finish.  Behind Carmichael and Townley, Windham and Pichon engaged in a race long skirmish that saw Pichon stalk Windham up to the third last straightaway.  There, and in a last ditch effort to put a pass on Windham, Pichon got a little squirrely and cartwheelled his bike up the face of a big uphill.  At the finish it was Ricky over Townley, with Windham in third.  Josh Coppins motored past a fallen Pichon, and Pichon managed to mount his bike in time to salvage a fifth place finish.

 
Although the racing action up front was great, Team Canada also had its most successful outing.  Both Blair and Simon started in the top 30 and things looked encouraging.  After the initial mass of riders sorted themselves’ out, Blair began to work his way through the field and Simon was holding his own.  I was impressed with Blair’s speed as he charged through the field--and Simon looked smooth and strong while circulating what had turned into a really choppy and rough Ernee track.  As the close of the moto Blair crossed the line in 21st and Simon finished up in 30th and it was a good way to finish up a trying weekend.

Speaking of trying weekends, it has been that and much, much more for me.  I am still in the pressroom at 7:40pm local time and I have no idea how I am getting back to Laval, France let alone to my new home in London, England.  I think another adventure awaits me.  Stay tuned and I’ll see you at the races.

MX2/MX3 MOTO
With the mx1/mx2 moto complete, the real action took place in the mx2/mx3 race and as it turned out I had the best seat in the house.  Windham started out font and it appeared to be another America run-away.  Then, in the corner where I was standing Windham’s front tire popped out of a rut and when he hit the gas his bike got away from him and he went tumbling down the hill.  Just after that, and in the very same corner, Tortelli and Tedesco came together and went down.  Tortelli had a wheel on Tedesco coming into the corner at the end of a long uphill, Tedesco dived inside and their lines came together and they both when down.  When they went to get up, Tortelli’'s foot was stuck in Tedesco'’s rear wheel and Ivan had to help Sebastian get it out in order for both of them to get going.  After the Windham crash, and the Tedesco-Tortelli spill, Ben Townley ran-away with the race.  David Vuillemin crossed the line in second, Ramon in 3rd, Phillippaerts in 4th and Windham in 5th. 
 
Team Canada just can’'t seem to buy a start today.  Doug rounded the first lap in 40th and Blair was in 30th.  I haven’'t had a chance to look at the final results yet, or even talk to the Team, but I think Doug DNF’ed and Blair finished around 25th.  Anyway, it is time for the mx1/mx3 race and I have to run.  Look for more results and reports.

 

 
MX1/MX2 MOTO
The mx1/mx2 moto was business as usual for camp Carmichael, as he walked away with it.  Big props out to Sebastian Tortelli and Ivan Tedesco who together put on the best racing I have seen all year.  Tortelli started WAY back with Tedesco about 5 positions ahead.  The two found their way through the pack and into the top ten at the half way point and diced it out right to the end – with Tedesco winning by a wheel! 
 
With a poor gate pick, Team Canada started the moto outside of the top 20 and then Doug went down in the first lap and had his hand ran over!  He did, however, manage to pick up his bike and work his way up to 31st.  Simon put in a solid ride and crossed the checker a very respectable 25th.
 
 
PRACTICE: SUNDAY RACEDAY
Well, I am glad to report that the sun is shinning here in Ernee and all of our Canadian riders made it through practice without a hitch: the bikes seem to be running well; the track, although slippery, seems to by drying out; and each of the riders looked pretty comfortable. Blair posted the fastest Canadian time in practice at 212.977. Simon was next with a 216.085 and Doug put in a 217.277. Other notables in Team Canada’s practice included Ricky Carmichael with a 202.291, Kevin Windham with a 202.799 and Stefan Everts with at 206.430. In the second practice session (they divided all the riders into two groups) Mickael Pichon posted the fastest time of the day thus far with at 158.111, Ben Townley put in a 201.788, Tortelli was quick on the 250F with a 203.258, and Vuillemin put in a 203.836. The first moto kicks off in just under a half an hour, and I’ll try to put up a few posts throughout the day. Giver hell Canada!
 

  

MORNING: SUNDAY RACEDAY
It is Sunday morning here in Ernee, the sky is grey and it’s raining. I’m actually having breakfast with the Canadian Team right now and I have to thank Blair for setting me up with a place to crash for the evening. The poor weather in Ernee seems to be dragging everyone down a little, but on a bright note the Canadian riders are more than accustom to racing in the mud, and it may help our chances in the A final today. With that said, I don’t think anyone would be disappointed if the rain eases up, the skies clear and the track is in perfect condition come race time – let’s keep our fingers crossed. I am off to the track and I see a break in the clouds be sure to wish us the best.
 
EVENING: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2005 
 



Having never been to an MXDN before, I really had no idea what to expect upon my arrival at the track in Ernee – and even if I had some sort of expectations, they surely would have been exceed by the actual experience. Motocross Nationals and Supercrosses are great, but there is something about international competition that puts the MXDN a step above. Everyone here appears to be trying just a little harder, and although the various countries are competing against each other, at the same time they seem to revel in the fact that they are sharing an amazing experience with the best riders in the world. The MXDN is truly a great event, and it comes highly recommended from your humble narrator.
 
Now I know my brief updates yesterday were rather thin, so this morning I thought I would try and flesh things out for all the readers back home. The track here in Ernee is literally carved out of the side of a 600-700m cliff, and as such it provides for some steep uphills and spectacular drop-offs. The soil itself is rather odd: it is certainly hard-packed but with a touch of powder and/or ‘sand’ seemingly mixed in. The track is also rather narrow and one-lined, and given that it is hard-packed, it didn’t really rough up during qualifying races. If there is a particular feature to praise about the facility it is the view it provides the spectators with: across from the cliff there is a gentle sloping hill which allows almost every fan to observe the entire track – and when packed with proud motocross fans it is really a sight to behold. To cap it all off, the track is surrounded by the scenic French countryside that just seems to add to the flavour of the overall experience here.
 
   To go through every lap of every qualifier would be an arduous task – a task this roving reporter is not up to at the moment. I can, however, offer up a highlight or taste of what makes the racing action in Ernee remarkable. The first qualifier of the day was the MX1 class. For those of you who are not familiar, this is the ‘Big-Dog’ class in Europe, and for the MXDN this year it is comprised of Carmichael, Everts, Pichon, Coppins, and the like. As the gate dropped for the MX1 qualifier, Everts jumped out to an early lead over Pichon and Carmichael. Although only a qualifier, this was the race all the fans were looking for and when they saw ‘the players’ out front, the place was in a frenzy. Each and every time the top riders jumped down the cliff into the spectator section they were greeted with a wave of cheers from the enthusiastic fans. And when Pichon put a pass on the world champ to take over the pole position, the partisan crowd went berserk. What, however, was even more surprising were the continuous cheers Ricky Carmichael received from the French fans after chasing down and passing Pichon for lead. To the very last lap the French fans (yes, the French fans) waved Ricky on – it was really a true testament to Carmichael’s success. At the end of the qualifier, it was Carmichael with a slight cushion over Pichon, who in turn had a bite of a lead on Everts. Needless to say it was a great way to start the weekend, and it seemed to speak to what the Des Nations is all about.
 
 Be sure to check in throughout the day for updates on the Canadian campaign and I hope all is well back home.
 
SUP. 4: SATURDAY PHOTOS COMPLIMENTS OF SIMON CUDBY

 

 

| DOUG DEHAAN #23 |

 

 

| BLAIR MORGAN #24 |


SUP. 3: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2005
Looks like we have qualified for tomorrow's A final finishing 19th out of 28 teams.  Lets hope our bikes stay together.  I hope all is well. 

SUP. 2: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2005
Whew, my apologies for the delay between this and my previous update.  The power and Internet connection went out in the pressroom and it has just now kicked back in.  Anyway, it has been a long and trying day for Team Canada, and as it stands we have a 50/50 chance of making it into the A Group final tomorrow

The racing action started on a sour note when Simon missed the start of the MX1 qualifier due to some unresolved bike issues.  Once Simon got going – some 15 to 20 seconds back – he rode really well and managed to catch and pass a few people – finishing the moto 25th out of 28 competitors.  Although Simon’s bike problems were a little disappointing, Doug’s performance was encouraging.  He got a great jump off the line and rounded-out the first lap in 5th.  Although he was passed by some of the world’s best riders, he looked really smooth and charged to the finish where he ended up 13th.  Needless to say he was stoked on his performance, and it gave Team Canada a big boost.  After Doug’s race things, however, took a turn for the worse.  Like Simon, Blair too, had been battling bike problems all day and at one point it didn’t look like he was going to make his qualifier.  Thankfully a friendly neighbour in the pits had the part Blair’s mechanic was looking for and Blair made it to the line with but a minute to spare.  All the chaos and commotion before Blair’s moto resulted in a poor 26th place start and it appeared as if he took the first lap or two to shake the bugs out of his machine.  Once Blair had the bike and the track sorted out, he put his head down and began charging through the field.  Blair needed at least a top 20 finish to give Canada a fighting chance of making it into the A final on Sunday, and with the encouragement of his team-mates and a sizeable French crowd he muscled out an 18th overall.

With that said, Blair’s result may be good enough to get us (Team Canada) into tomorrow’s A Group final: Twenty out of the twenty-eight teams make it and all of us Canadians over here are waiting in anticipation for the overall team results
stay tuned.
 

SUP. MORNING: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2005
After a misadventure with some hung-over Brits on the way to Ernee, I have finally made my way to track.  The weather is perfect – sunny skies, slight breeze, 20 degrees – and the place is packed with pride filled motocross fans.  I stopped by to say hello to Blair, Doug and Simon, but they were just heading out for practice so more on their situation later.  Go Canada!

MORNING: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2005
Aaron Wendland here.  I’ll be your Racer X Canada correspondent at this year’s addition of the Motocross Des Nations in Ernee, France.  I’ll do my best to keep you informed throughout the weekend and I hope you find my updates enjoyable.  With that said, it is 7am local time and I am sitting in a small café in the charming little town of Laval, France, just a few short kilometres away from the racetrack in Ernee.  While I am really looking forward to today’s qualifying action, I had a rather wild trip to Laval yesterday: I left London, England at 3pm without a clue as to how to use the train system in Europe; I had no place to stay when and if I arrived at my final destination; and my French is VERY, VERY poor.  Luckily, I made it to Laval safe and sound, found a place to stay and I even met some kind motocross fans at a local pub who offered to give me a ride to the race – lets hope that they didn’t have too late of an evening and that they can get me to the gate before the bikes hit the track.  Anyway, I’ll leave it there, and be sure to tune into www.racerxcanada.com for further ‘race oriented’ updates throughout the day. 

EVENING: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2005
I had one hell of a crazy day.  I am sick as a dog, but made a commitment to cover the Motocross Des Nations for Racer X Canada and I had to make my way from London to a small town in North Western France called Laval.  Of course, what makes this all really interesting is that I have never travelled outside of London, nor did I have a place to stay in Laval, and I was really just winging it hoping for the best.  I boared the Eurostar with relatively little trouble but things got interesting as I made my way to Paris.  I arrived in Paris as the Nord station, but my train from Paris to Laval was leaving from a station half-way accross the city and I only had half an hour not to make it.  Now this would be no problem if I was in Toronto or even London, but having never been in Paris and barely speaking the language it was a bit of a task.  As luck would have it, I found the correct tram to get me accross the city - btw, the Paris metro is BRUTAL - and made it to the station with just minutes to spare.  Luckily, I found a kind anglophone to point me in the right direction and I boarded the train just as it was pulling out of the station.  Once in Laval I found that NO ONE spoke even a word of english, but I did manage to buy a phone card and I had a number for Davey Coombs who happend to be staying in the same city.  I rang him up and as it turns out there was a room availible for me in the hotel he was staying at and now I am in a bar with him and a few other americans just getting something to eat.  Anyway, I am going on and on, and I have to get up to cover the racer tomorrow, so I hope all is well in your world and my apologies for my nearly incoherent email...just thought you might be interest. 

MORNING: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2005
It is Friday here in London and the morning finds me sick as a dog: fever; head ache; runny nose; ear ache; sore throat; etc.  Between trying to finish up my MA, sleeping between 3 and 4 hours a night, moving my whole life to London, and then running around like a chicken with my head cut off upon arrival, I have been bouncing off the rev-limiter for the past month/month and a half and I think my body is forcing me to take a break.  With all that said, I am going to try and scrounge up the energy to board the Eurostar this afternoon and make my way to Paris.  From there I will will be taking a train to Laval and I hope to arrive around 8pm.  Still not sure where I'll be staying, but will see where I land when I arrive.