Frid’Eh Update #30 | Tyler Yates | Brought to You by Dirt Care

Frid’Eh Update #30 | Tyler Yates | Brought to You by Dirt Care

By Billy Rainford

Welcome to Week #30 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update brought to you by Dirt Care. I started this week’s Update but then completely ran out of time here at the ECAN at Motocross Deschambault. What we’re going to do this week is an interview with 2025 #30 Tyler Yates, and that’s about all.

Tyler and his dad could always be found at the Nationals the past 5 years but he has decided to move on in life. Yes, there’s a chance we’ll see him again, but work and “normal” life are slowly taking over, as they do. They’re from way out on Vancouver Island in Duncan, BC, so it’s a huge commitment for them to do the series.

Here’s a look at his 2024 season where he ended up 13th in 250 Pro Am to earn #30 for this season like he ran in 2023:

Here’s what Tyler had to say when we contacted him this week:

Direct Motocross: Hello, Tyler. You’re one of the BC riders that we’re missing this season. How come you’re not doing the series this season?

Tyler Yates: Hey Billy, thanks for doing this! Unfortunately, this winter I was dealing with some health issues and towards the end of the season last year was kinda getting burnt out. I have been on the road for the last 5 summers and it is definitely a grind living out on Vancouver Island. Also, with there not being any BC rounds kinda made it difficult. 

Decided to step away from racing. I hope it’s not forever but time will tell. The sport has given me more than I could have ever imagined and super-grateful that I had the opportunity to race my motorcycle all over the country and meet some lifelong friends. 

What is it you’re doing for work?

I recently got my class 1 license, so I have been running a heavy wrecker for my dad towing bigger trucks. 

Is this a career move for you?

As of right now I’m not sure. I have been doing it for quite a while between race seasons. My dad has had the company for 22 years, so we will see what the future holds.

Last summer you finished 13th in the 250 class and had a couple 9th’s overall. Were you happy with your season?

I was happy with the weekends I was in the top 10, but definitely one of my rougher years on me mentally. I had my race engine blow up in the first round in Calgary. Then the last round I went down pretty hard in the TransCan Pro Am class and unfortunately missed the last round. But all and all it was good. I got to travel the country, see a lot of cool places and race my motorcycle!

Did you know at the end of the year that you wouldn’t be racing this summer?

I didn’t know I wouldn’t be racing this season. I had everything ready to go in the off season but unfortunately didn’t pan out. 

Do you still have a bike and get out riding at all?

I have a Husky 450 I was going to race this year, so it’s pretty new. I have been trail riding with some buddies here and there.

Will we ever see you on the line at a National again?

At the moment I’m not too sure.  I would love to race another one. I’m a full in or full out kinda guy so time will tell. Haha. Been racing a dwarf car lately and that’s been taking up a fair bit of my time. 

So, what do you miss most about racing and what do you not miss?

I miss the actual racing part and lining up every weekend and battling with a full gate of bikes. Also working on the bikes I always liked. For what I don’t miss is, sitting in the motorhome for the week gaps between races. Those were definitely some long weeks.  

What’s the coolest vehicle you guys have right now?

That’s a tough one. Haha We have a pretty cool ’79 Ford F150 my dad restored a few years back, I would say that one. 

Have you been paying attention to the series so far this summer? What do you think?

I have been following along with every round. Been some good racing for sure. The 450 class is definitely getting wild these past few weeks. Fun to watch. 

Do you hang out with moto friends or is your crew full of non-moto people?

I’ve been hanging with them here and there. It’s tough because most of them live pretty far away. Been a fun summer so far at home going out in the boat with some buddies from here. 

OK, thanks for catching up with us this week, Tyler. Good luck with everything and do you want to thank anyone while you have the chance?

Thanks Billy. 

I would like to thank all the people that have supported me through my motocross career. 

Fox Canada was a huge supporter 

Mile Zero Motorsports

Seco seats

Factory Connection 

Works Connection 

Mika Metals and everybody else, you all know who you are!

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Well, today really got away from me here at the ECAN at Motocross Deschambault. We’ve had a couple moto 3’s already but tomorrow will be when all the champions are crowned and the awards are handed out.

We got a bunch of rain overnight, so the track was pretty treacherous for the first few motos, but the sun and breeze showed up and the track was good and challenging like it always is here.

It’s the Straight Rhythm in a short while here, so I’m going to have to end this short and get over there.

I made the mistake of scrolling the comment section on the last FXR Highlight video I did. I seem to have a few haters who think I sound about as exciting as watching paint dry. Well, I suppose that argument could be made, but it’s on purpose because I’m trying to just get the information out there with the video. I’m not doing it live and there’s nobody sitting beside me to bounce things off of.

Anyway, with that incredible intro, here are the videos from last week at River Glade in Moncton, NB:

I didn’t do a MTB Loop of River Glade this year. Trust me, I was actually considering it! It started raining Sunday and didn’t stop. Of course, I would have borrowed someone else’s bike to do it. I wasn’t going to ruin mine! Lol

Anyway, this Update is already late, so we’ll have to end it here for this week. Good luck to everyone here at the ECAN and to those of you who are heading to Loretta Lynn’s.