Frid’Eh Update #34 | Blake Davies | Brought to You by Dirt Care

By Billy Rainford

Brought to you by Dirt Care

Week #34 belongs to the Mission Missile Blake Davies from Mission, BC. | Bigwave photo

Welcome to Week #34 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update brought to you by Dirt Care. Peace has returned to the delta here at DMX World HQ, for the time being at least. I won’t be going to Budds Creek for the final AMA Pro Motocross Championship round at Budds Creek, and I’m not happy about it.

The weather here in SWO is absolutely perfect! We seem to have lost the humidity and the temperature is perfect for riding, racing, cycling, beach, or whatever else you like to do outside.It’s a welcome change after the high humidity we saw the last month!

We have our annual Crescent Party here this weekend and Emily and I are pretty heavily involved, so that means my travel is limited this week. It’s usually a good time and is a great way for everyone to keep in touch and give the crescent an old timey feel of connectedness.

#34 this year was rookie Pro Blake Davies from Mission, BC. The “Mission Missile” finished the 2025 season up in 4th place in the 250 class and has chosen #58 as his career number.

Here’s a look at Blake’s 2025 season. | Bigwave photo

Here’s a look at his season:

We got in touch with the 6’4″ 200-pounder for a podcast interview where we talked about his 2025 season and then about the very busy, upcoming fall/winter season that will see him racing all sorts of different disciplines. Blake will definitely be on everyone’s list for “Rookie of the Year” when awards are handed out!

You can find our podcast interview wherever you get your podcasts:

We’ll have 3 Canadians to cheer for this round with #975 Corentin Dietz taking another run at it after coming up short last week at Unadilla MX. He qualified 68th and was 29th in the Consolation race where only the top 4 move to the motos in the short race.

#613 Cole Pranger will try to qualify in the 250 class. | Bigwave photo

#613 Cole Pranger will take his first shot at qualifying this week. The Priority MX rider won’t have his teammate Tanner Ward along with him in the 450 class because Tanner was unable to get into the final 2 rounds. The AMA series is that busy!

#800 Preston Masciangelo will race the 450 class. | Bigwave photo

In the 450 class, #800 Preston Masciangelo will try to end the season on a high note as he goes for another race on the big stage. He’s starting to get more and more comfortable on the big bike, so watch for him to continue to improve.

Dylan Wright will race the 450 class on the #533. | Bigwave photo

Dylan Wright is a late entry in the 450 class and he’ll run #533.

I spoke with Team Owner Derek Schuster this afternoon and he said they are all confident they have the bike running reliably after making cylinder, head, and mapping changes to keep it running at a cooler temperature so as to not have the fuel evaporate.

Let’s hope Dylan can end this season on a high note.

We’ll have Brown Dog Wilson providing us with photos from the race, so keep an eye out for those throughout the day.

#1 Haiden Deegan take 43-point lead over #30 Jo Shimoda heading into the final round. | Bigwave photo

After riving to Unadilla last week and seeing Jett Lawrence clinch the 450 class and Corentin try his first-ever AMA National, I decided to stay home this week. #1 Haiden Deegan still has to win the 250 title ahead of Jo Shimoda, but that is almost just a formality. Having said that, an American crowd is going to go off the rails when they announce Haiden as the champion again, so that’s something I’d like to have witnessed first-hand.

250 Class Points Standings

	Rider	Hometown	Points
1	Haiden Deegan	Temecula, CA	460
2	Jo Shimoda	Suzuka City, Japan	417
3	Garrett Marchbanks	Coalville, UT	320
4	Levi Kitchen	Washougal, WA	289
5	Tom Vialle	Avignon, France	282
6	Mikkel Haarup	Silkeborg, Denmark	239
7	Seth Hammaker	Bainbridge, PA	216
8	Maximus Vohland	Sacramento, CA	212
9	Jordon Smith	Belmont, NC	198
10	Michael Mosiman	Sebastopol, CA	180

450 Class Points Standings

	Rider	Hometown	Points
1	Jett Lawrence	Landsborough, Australia	462
2	Hunter Lawrence	Landsborough, Australia	409
3	Eli Tomac	Cortez, CO	364
4	Justin Cooper	Cold Spring Harbor, NY	349
5	R.J. Hampshire	Hudson, FL	328
6	Jorge Prado	Lugo, Galicia, Spain	241
7	Malcolm Stewart	Haines City, FL	209
8	Aaron Plessinger	Hamilton, OH	204
9	Valentin Guillod	Switzerland	179
10	Justin Barcia	Monroe, NY	165

Good luck to our 3 Canadians on Saturday!

Faces at the Races | 2025 Unadilla MX National | Callus Moto

Brought to you by Callus Moto

Head over to Callusmoto.com and use the discount code DMX15 to save $$$. I don’t think Mitch Cooke has it set up, but he should! Lol

OK, let’s have a fun look at some people who were at Round 10 of the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Unadilla MX in New Berlin, NY.

Of course, we have to start with our 1 almost-Canadian who was lining up to try for his first-ever AMA Pro National, #975 Corentin Dietz. He didn’t make the motos but he learned a lot about what it takes at this highest level.

And that’s TJ Lanphear. He races up here in Canada quite often and is the Dirt Care USA guy. He didn’t make the motos either and simply wasn’t happy with the way he rode at Unadilla.

I was talking to someone when I felt a tickle on my arm. It was Mike Brown and it was great to see him at the races again. I didn’t get a chance to chat with him, but he’s doing much better. That’s him talking with SWAP Moto.

#373 is Gavin Betts from New York. He’s one of the up-and-comers Callus Moto supports. He didn’t have a very good day and came up short of making the motos (15th in the Consi).

Big race day is stressful on everyone on your team.

I’m not a huge fan of the actual shirt TJ’s Man Friend, Justin Perras, is wearing here, but it’s got Dirt Care on it so we’ll allow it. And the bike sure was clean!

No, we don’t usually show riding photos in these columns but his face is showing and adding the name Haiden Deegan to a column is good for the algorythm…

Bummer for #107 Mikkel Haarup who crashed on this fast and unforgiving uphill and damaged his shoulder.

Right here in this column is where you’ll find this photo, Rylee Forkner.

Riders had to whiz right past the Media Center on the way to the line, so I stood there and snapped for a while. When was the last time someone dominated the 250 class like #30 Jo Shimoda did on Saturday?! That was some impressive riding! He was 40 seconds up in moto 1.

#16 Tom Vialle looked comfortable too on this more European style track. He was 3rd (4-2).

It was great to have #100 Cole Davies back on the line. He looked comfortable early on but his motos will continue to improve. 23-23 for 26th.

It’s like when I get to the track and realize I forgot my helmet… Ty Masterpool was 13th (9-20).

The most important thing about this photo, you ask? It’s literally the only one I have of Brent Duffy where he isn’t smiling as wide as the sun! He almost looks…dare I say…angry!

#75 Gage Linville on his was to 23rd (20-26).

That’s #65 Lux Turner. He almost cracked the top 10 in moto 2 and finished 14th (19-11). Fastest brother/sister duo out there?

#142 Crockett Myers was one of my favourite Supermini riders to watch back in the day, along with Ty Masterpool. He almost ran me over here on his way to 8th in the Consi.

#736 is Jace Allred. He’s from Utah and was 11th in the Consi.

Just Reservoir Dog-ing all over the pits…

That’s Payton “Moon Unit” Morningstar. He tried to get in but didn’t make it.

Nobody knows what exactly John McKenney does, but he seems to be at every big US race I’m at.

Nobody introduced me to the middle buddy, and I’m not sure but I think I threw ‘rock’ out, so I win!

#105 Marcus Phelps grabbed the final spot into the motos with a 4th in the Consi. 38-27 put him 33rd.

Lachlan “La La” Turner was having a wardrobe malfunction when she threw up this peace sign. Again, I threw ‘rock’ and she must have wondered what my problem was. Someone tell us who that is beside here, please.

I wasn’t sure what Tom Vialle gestured when he crossed the line. Anyone know what he was doing?

RJ Hampshire led some laps and ended up 4th (4-5).

#94 Ken Roczen made his return at Unadilla and threw some of the smoothest whips, as usual. I still remember seeing him for the first time at the 2009 MXON in Italy and he was tossing the bike (Yes, a Suzuki back then too!) better than anyone. Except maybe Mitch Cooke! He was 5th in moto 1, but…

From Ken about moto 2:

2nd moto i had about 15min in me. I was pretty gassed at that point.
The Intensity racing is always at another level than at home. The track was hard pack and super fast, bumpy and it all kind of beat me to shit 😆
I was cramping so bad in my obliques and under my rib cage i literally couldn’t inhale anymore it was like a knife in there.
I have never actually had that happen to that extend.
I obviously wanted to finish the race i only had 3 laps to go but it was such strange pain and not being able to inhale… i ended up going back to the rig and called it a day.

Is that a former Canadian Triple Crown Champion I see here? You bet it is. #86 Mitchell Harrison finished 14-14 for 14th overall and looked really good on the track Saturday. And that’s #69 Kyle Webster from Australia beside him. He cracked the top 10 in 9th (8-9). Nice.

It was a bit weird not seeing Haiden Deegan go after Shimoda out front, but with a now 43-point lead in the standings, it was a risk versus reward thing. And let’s not forget about the MXON!

That’s what Jordan Wilsey of “RussOgraphy518” looks like. He was grabbing the sweet clips this past weekend and is a New York resident himself.

You never want to be far from a cold beverage.

Multi-time Canadian WMX champion Jamie Astadillo was wearing her Crew Chief hat for moto 2.

If you’ve been around the sport a while, you know who belongs to this walk immediately. I know Nathan Bles does! That’s John Wernsdorfer from MPH in the USA who used to help riders up here in Canada.

I’m always curious what riders listen to. Country or rap, what’s your pick for #98 Drew Adams? He qualified P1 and then finished 15th (18-12) in the motos.

It’s a riding shot so I’m breaking my own rules here, but I think this is my favourite action shot of the day. #36 Garrett Marchbanks just keeps making passes. He finished 5-5 for 6th.

Signing autographs? Cashing cheques? What’s Jett Lawrence doing here?

Time to get that #1 back on the bike, Christien Ducharme!

I now have more photos of Eli Tomac than I do of his dad John Tomac, but it’s closer than you may think!

To use an old cliché, these two have forgotten more about Motocross than most of us know! That’s Jeremy Albrecht and Johnny O’Mara.

canard /kə-närd′/
noun
– An unfounded or false, deliberately misleading story.
– A short winglike control surface projecting from the fuselage of an aircraft, such as a space shuttle, mounted forward of the main wing and serving as a horizontal stabilizer.
– An aircraft whose horizontal stabilizing surfaces are forward of the main wing

We all knew he was gonna get there. #96 Hunter Lawrence is now up to speed in the USA. Remember him in England a few years ago?! I do.

Most riders have fans and haters. Eli Tomac just has the former. He finished 3-3 for 3rd. I didn’t see him fall at the bottom of Screw U. It was a hike to get down there.

Remember Jacob Hayes? Sure you do. He’s “wetting his beak” with all these Lawrence wins!

That’s a hard-working Mitch Kendra right there.

I always like bumping into Shane Drew at these races. Even HE doesn’t know what’s going on with Dylan Wright’s bike!

And that’s a very happy Grant Hutcheson who is the 450 Crew Chief.

What a dream for 2 brothers to come all the way from Australia and dominate the #1 MX series in the world. (Them’s fighting words!)

Paging Moto XXX…paging Moto xxx… Oh, and I’m sorry I took all your Dirt Care stickers.

Speaking of Dirt Care, did Justin Perras just make it in here for at least the 3rd time???

We both always laugh about the time we literally bumped into each other in a hotel in Berlin one time. That’s LB who you may recognize from every time you’ve been to the Mini O’s.

You’ve probably noticed that I steer clear of political talk, but this is funny…I think…is it? Can we laugh at this?? I don’t even know!

Jo is very popular. I hung out at his place once a long time ago with the Vineys and he was literally the nicest kid you’d ever meet.

“Is that Dirt Care product you’re using on those? OK, great, thanks.”

Whether you’re a fan or not, you have to appreciate it when a rider literally changes the way people ride bikes.

“I really thought I had this one…” Eli is pretty safe in 3rd place but Justin Cooper is only 15 back.

Eli is still the most popular 450 rider on the track. Grown ups – Eli. Kids – Deegan.

Stealing Brown Dog Wilson’s job for a second here.

Even though we’re no longer sending Total Devotion Award winners to Club MX, Mike Bonnacci is still our buddy.

I’m not a souvenir guy but that’s a keeper.

The camera really makes this place look smaller and much less glamourous!

“Je pars pour lutter contre le crime!” (I’m off to fight crime!) “*See you at the races, Le Big*…”

Some Great News about Bobby Gravel

Bobby Gravel is finally on the road to recovery. | Bigwave photo

Some great news about Bobby Gravel! Bobby is out of his induced coma and making some very positive progress.

From his mom, Louanne: “Bobby is finally out of his coma and slowly improving every day. He’s strong and determined, long road ahead of him but I have no doubt he will make it.

“We wanna thank everyone for their support and love and messages. We are incredibly grateful. I knew Bobby was a good kid but hearing from everyone how nice and kind and amazing he is really helped us through this difficult time.

“We will forever be grateful for everything everyone has done. It’s incredible how people came together for him, I have no words.

“Me and Eric are so proud of this kid and everything he’s overcome. With his determination and good heart he will be back to his old self sooner than later. ❤️

“He is finally stable enough that we can get transfered to Ontario. But it’s day and night he’s doing amazing, moving talking. I still can’t believe it. Never thought this day would come.”

2026 Canadian Triple Crown Series national Numbers

The new numbers have been released for the 2026 season of the Canadian Triple Crown Series. As I’m sure most of you did too, I looked to see who got the dubious honour this year and it looks to be Ryan Derry.

Condolences to Gavin Shackelly’s Family and Friends

I’m sorry I missed this tragic news back in July.

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Team Canada ISDE in Italy

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Caleb Vankoughnett Makes CTV News about MXON

From CTV NEWS:

Caleb Vankoughnett pulls on his Yamaha jersey for practice at Moto86 near Wingham, but in a little over a month from now, that will be a Canadian jersey on his back.

“I’m just so excited. It’s a great opportunity,” said the Bluevale teen.

“I’m not really going there to like to win, but I’m just going to go have some fun. And it’s just a great experience. So, I’m super excited.”

At the ripe old age of 14, Vankoughnett will ride for Team Canada at the upcoming Motocross of Nations taking place this fall in Indiana. He’s one of nine amateurs and three pros selected to pull on the Canadian colours at the world-class event, known as the “Olympics of Motocross”.

“I’m just so grateful to be able to do this. I’m really fortunate to have the financial stability and support of my team MX 101 and Yamaha,” said Vankoughnett.

“They’re super good supporters and I’ve been putting in so much work. So yeah, I’m so happy to be able to do this.”

The young Huron County native has been riding motocross since the age of four. In the sixth grade, he signed a lucrative sponsorship deal with Kawasaki, becoming one of the youngest riders to do so in Canada.

He has since moved over to Yamaha, but motocross is not a pastime or hobby for Vankoughnett, it’s his job, as he pushes towards turning pro, which can’t happen until he turns 16.

“I’ve been putting tons of work in. I was down in Texas for like a month and a half by myself, just training and putting in as much work as I can,” he said.

“And then now we’re going to go back, probably after Indiana. We’ll go back down and keep grinding again.”

Last year, 36 nations were represented at the Motocross of Nations, which has been running since 1947. Canada ended up in 15th place last year. Vankoughnett hopes to change that, but mostly plans to soak in his first, but probably not last, time representing Canada on the track.

“It’ll be a great experience. I’ll get to see some new people and represent Yamaha and Canada,” said Vankoughnett.

Have a great weekend everyone, and enjoy watching Budds Creek on Saturday.