Frid’Eh Update #3 Brought to You by Dirt Care

By Billy Rainford

Welcome to Week #3 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update brought to you again by Dirt Care. We just came off a very busy weekend at rounds 4 and 5 of the AMA FIM North American Arenacross Championship. By all accounts, I’d say it was a success.

Having indoor racing back in Ontario in January was a huge thing to help fill the gap we have while most of our country is concentrating on stick-and-ball sports, like NHL, NFL, and NBA. A lot of our younger riders are still 2-sport athletes and lace up skates in the winter months. It’s just what we do up here.

Most recently, we had young Brenner Lammens climbing the ranks in both sports a couple years ago. He is a big kid and always looked older than he actually was. He’s had the hockey world keeping tabs on him just like we were in the motocross industry.

Eventually, the draw to the possibility of making a very lucrative career on the ice pulled him away from our sport and he has now found himself a home on the Sarnia Sting, the team an hour west on the 402 of my London Knights.

He was actually in town a couple weeks ago and scored a goal in their win against the Knights. He was drafted in the first round by the team last season. The team insisted that he park the dirt bikes in an attempt to stay healthy for hockey. Actually, I may have been at his last race at Gopher Dunes when he did manage to swap in the roller section and go down hard. That may have been his last fall on dirt too.

Here’s the Sarnia Observer‘s article when the team chose him to play centre for the team:

Sarnia Sting first-round pick Brenner Lammens has high motor

Brenner Lammens plays hockey the same way he rides motocross: full throttle.

Author of the article:

Mark Malone

Published Apr 12, 2025

The Sarnia Sting’s first-round draft pick is a seven-time Canadian amateur motocross champion. He’s been tearing across dirt tracks since he was five years old.

“I think most of my hockey game comes from motocross — the compete and the decision-making,” the centre said. “You have to be very quick and make the right decision or else things could go sideways. I think I’ve learned a lot from it.”

The Sting had one demand before they chose Lammens Friday with the No. 4 overall pick in the Ontario Hockey League draft: Park your bikes in the garage.

He’s too important for their rebuild to risk injury racing.

“We’ve got that shut down now, but I’ll be looking for other things to do now,” Lammens said. “Golfing and other sports.”

Good luck to Brenner with his hockey career.

The show at the International Centre was in conjunction with the North American Motorcycle Supershow. We had a double-header with the Pros on Friday and Saturday nights and then it was the amateur riders’ turn all day Sunday.

Notably, the temporary stands that were brought in for the event were full both nights and the AX crew were happy with that. Also, we had 3 times the number of amateur riders on the track from what they’ve been seeing in other stops in the USA. Like I said, we have a thirst for indoor racing here in Ontario that hasn’t been quenched in a number of years.

Unfortunately, there were some logistical issues with getting their equipment north and across the border. I was told this trouble was a contributing factor to the decision to cancel the 2nd double-header that was set for Calgary January 30-31.

Here’s the Press Release from Arenacross:

The FIM North America Arenacross Championship is thrilled to announce that Reno is returning to the series with a full double‑header weekend. Fans will now get two nights of Arenacross racing in one of the most electric stops on the tour, making Reno one of the marquee moments of the season.

Included in this schedule adjustment, the Calgary rounds will not move forward this season due to recent cross‑border administrative challenges, combined with ongoing municipal water system issues in Calgary. These issues have created unexpected complications that prevent us from delivering the event at the level our fans, riders, and teams expect. We appreciate the understanding of our Canadian fans and look forward to anticipating a return in February of 2027 when conditions allow.

With this update, the remaining championship schedule is:

• Round 8 – Memphis (Jan 24)
• Round 7 – Prescott Valley (Feb 6)
• Round 8 – Reno (Feb 13)
• Round 9 – Reno (Feb 14)
• Round 10 – Guthrie (Feb 20)
• Round 11 – Daytona Beach (Feb 27

We’re incredibly excited to bring Arenacross back to Reno in with a double‑header and  can’t wait to celebrate an unforgettable weekend with our fans.

Here’s how the weekend in Toronto was summed up:

The 2026 FIM North America Arenacross Championship Presented by Kicker Performance Audio crossed the Canada border for Rounds 4 and 5, delivering an unforgettable double-header at the International Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Racing in conjunction with the North American International Motorcycle Supershow, core-fans and newcomers alike were treated to two nights of intense battles and championship-shaping performances.

Breece Goes 6-for-6: Perfect Sweep in AX Pro

MotoConcepts Racing’s Ryan Breece (Athol, ID) put on a clinic in Canada, sweeping all six AX Pro main events across Friday and Saturday to earn wins in both Round 4 and Round 5 overall. Breece’s flawless execution — taking 1-1-1 results in each triple-main format for both nights — extended his championship lead to 16 points heading deeper into the season.

Consistent podium efforts from Breece’s MotoConcepts Racing Honda teammate Austin Politelli (Murrieta, CA) earned him second overall on both nights, with Politelli putting up a solid string of 2-2-2 finishes to stay firmly in the title conversation. 

Canadian favorite Cole Thompson (Brigden, ON) delighted the Toronto fans with impressive speed and clean moto scores, securing third overall at Round 4 with 4-3-4 and repeating as third overall at Round 5 with consistent podium-chasing results.

AX Pro Podium Results – Toronto Rounds

Round 4 Overall

1. Ryan Breece – Honda (1-1-1)
2. Austin Politelli – Honda (2-2-2)
3. Cole Thompson – Yamaha (4-3-4)
4. Kyle Bitterman – Honda
5. Julien Benek – Kawasaki  

Round 5 Overall

1. Ryan Breece – Honda (1-1-1)
2. Austin Politelli – Honda (2-2-2)
3. Cole Thompson – Yamaha (3-3-3)
4. Steve Mages – Kawasaki
5. Julien Benek – Kawasaki

The series heads to Memphis, TN January 24th.

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Eli Tomac Leads Every Lap at Anaheim 1 to Capture 54th Career Victory at Monster Energy Supercross Opener

Max Anstie Becomes Oldest 250SMX Winner Ever with Dominant Win

ANAHEIM, Calif. (January 10, 2026) – The 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship got underway in front of a sold-out crowd inside Angel Stadium for the opening round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. It turned out to be a memorable night for the elder statesman of the sport as 33-year-old Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Eli Tomac captured the 54th win of his legendary career in his debut with the team following a dominant performance in which the Coloradoan led every lap.

450

The 450SMX Class Main Event was forced to restart when a red flag brought the race to a halt on the opening lap after a multi-rider incident. When the gate dropped for the second time, Tomac positioned himself right behind his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Jorge Prado and seized control of the lead on the opening lap. Once out front, Tomac easily gapped the field while Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen made an impressive charge into contention after rounding the first turn deep in the top 10. The German veteran made multiple passes to slot himself just outside the top three and eventually worked his way around Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence for third before making the pass on Prado for second. Roczen closed to within a couple seconds of Tomac and kept him honest throughout the 20 Minute + 1 Lap race but never got close enough to mount a challenge.

Tomac took his second Anaheim 1 victory by a margin of 1.4 seconds over Roczen, while Prado leveraged the holeshot into the single-best-performance of the Spaniard’s U.S. racing career and his maiden Supercross podium in his seventh start. Following the race, Prado’s KTM failed the post-race sound inspection, which resulted in a penalty from the AMA of three championship points. Prado retained his third-place finish.

Lawrence earned his best Anaheim 1 result in fourth as he came out on top of a race-long battle with Twisted Tea Suzuki Presented by Progressive rider Jason Anderson, who finished fifth. Defending 450SMX Class Champion Cooper Webb endured through an up and down Main Event to finish seventh, just ahead of last season’s championship runner-up Chase Sexton, who went down and went off track multiple times in his debut for Monster Energy Kawasaki.

With the win, Tomac has established a three-point lead over Roczen in the 450SMX Class standings, with Prado in third, five points behind his teammate.

Eli Tomac – 1st Place – 450SMX Class

“What a start for us. We got out of the gate well and then it was just on. I would say our motorcycle was the best when it mattered. My bike was so in tune, and I had a great flow around the track. We can still do it. We got A1. What a cool night.”

Ken Roczen – 2nd Place – 450SMX Class

“We had an amazing race. Eli and I were just yo-yo-ing within one second. I would catch him a little bit then I’d make a little mistake, and he’d gain a little bit. It was just tough. It was a very tricky and very busy track that I expected to be softer than it was. You had to be really patient on the throttle. Overall, I’m very excited with this second place and I hope we have many more of those coming.”

Jorge Prado – 3rd Place – 450SMX Class

“This is unreal. I can’t even think about standing on the podium right now. This shouldn’t be now, it should maybe be at the end of the year or maybe next year, not Round 1. Hard work always pays off and this offseason I’ve been putting in a lot of work. I always do, but with the right people we managed to get here with a good result. With just the little experience I have in Supercross this feels amazing.”

250 West

The first race of the Western Divisional 250SMX Class was historic as England’s Max Anstie became the oldest winner in the history of the smaller displacement at 32 years, 8 months, and 16 days of age. The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider brought confidence into the Main Event after winning his Heat Race and took advantage of a start inside the top five to quickly move into the top three. Anstie continued to move forward and took his time to take second place from Honda HRC Progressive’s Chance Hymas before tracking down Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Ryder DiFrancesco for the race lead with a little more than seven minutes and one lap to go. Once out front, Anstie was able to sprint away from the field to capture his fourth career SMX victory by a margin of 7.5 seconds.

Hymas was able to make a late pass on DiFrancesco to earn a runner-up finish in his first start since suffering a torn ACL last June, while DiFrancesco parlayed the Main Event holeshot into the first podium result of his career in his 13th Supercross start.

After a dominant Heat Race performance, defending Western Divisional 250SMX Champion Haiden Deegan was never a factor in the Main Event. The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider started outside the top 10 but made an impressive climb through the field to narrowly miss out on the podium in fourth.

Anstie now holds a three-point lead over Hymas in the Western Divisional 250SMX Class, while DiFrancesco sits five points out of the lead and Deegan seven points behind his teammate.

Max Anstie – 1st Place – Western Divisional 250SMX Class

“I’m just blown away. I remember coming here when I was 7 years old watching Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart race around here. To actually win tonight, that’s something special. Anaheim has a place in my heart. I always dreamed of being here and now I’m here. I’m 32 years old and this is the best night of my career thus far. It’s only Round 1. I know I’ve still got nine more [races] to go, and I know after last year what can happen. I’ll refocus tomorrow and go back to work for this championship.”

Chance Hymas – 2nd Place – Western Divisional 250SMX Class

“I’m kind of speechless. It’s been a long road just to get back to this. I haven’t raced since High Point [during the Pro Motocross Championship]. I honestly thought my career was over. I dug deep and I’ve got some really good people in my corner. The pieces are coming together and I’m figuring it out. It’s the first round and we came away with a really good result.”

Ryder DiFrancesco – 3rd Place – Western Divisional 250SMX Class

“I got out front and thought I was going to give it all I got and win this thing or pull it into a third. I dream about this, especially at A1. I grew up coming here. I laid it all out there tonight.”

🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

#800 Preston Masciangelo:

Q: 23rd (1:10.459

Heat 2: 12th

LCQ: 7th (just 4 seconds out of 4th)

#585 Blake Davies:

Q: 28th (1:11.047

Heat 1: 20th

LCQ: 12th

#214 Tyler Gibbs:

Q: 33rd (1:11.738)

Heat 2: 18th

LCQ: 13th (just 1.5 seconds behind Davies)

Whiskey Throttle caught up with Preston after his Media Day ride at SnapDragon Stadium in San Diego today:

You can watch it HERE.

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Let’s have a look at how the top 10 riders and teams are shaping up for the 2026 season:

250 Class:

1. #1 Preston Kilroy – Returns to MX101 Yamaha to defend title
2. #24 Dylan Rempel – moves to Honda Canada GDR Fox
3. #12 Sebastien Racine – moves to 450 class on a SSR Kawasaki
4. #58 Blake Davies – moves to AVL Husqvarna
5. #53 Dylan Walsh – won’t be returning to Canada
6. #11 Noah Viney – riding for ISRT Kawasaki in the USA
7. #6 Ryder McNabb – moves to 450 class on a Guaranteed Comfort Honda
8. #13 Clayton Schmucki – privateer ride
9. #25 Cole Pranger – heads into his 2nd year on a Priority MX GasGas
10. #64 Wyatt Kerr – moves to Guaranteed Comfort Honda

450 Class:

1. #1 Phil Nicoletti – not returning to Canada to defend title
2. #84 Tanner Ward – returns to Priority MX GasGas
3. #15 Jess Pettis – returns to MX101 Yamaha
4. #14 Quinn Amyotte – returns to Priority MX GasGas
5. #107 Lars Van Berkel – focussed on upcoming Sand Race but would like to return to Canada
6. #377 Daniel Elmore – returns to AVL Husqvarna
7. #9 Dylan Wright – returns to Honda Canada GDR Fox
8. #16 Tanner Scott -privateer ride
9. #19 Noah Porter – new ride with Dusty Rocks MX Yamaha
10. #21 Gavin Brough – unsure of his 2026 racing plans

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Times are Local/Pacific

Race Day Live streamed live on Peacock starting at 10:00 am Pacific/1:00pm Eastern

Racing streamed live on Peacock at 4:00pm PT/7:00 ET

Encore presentation on NBC on Sunday, January 18 at 11:00am PT/ 2:00pm ET

Here in Canada, check it all out on the SMX Video Pass

Have a great weekend, everyone.