Frid’Eh Update #40 | Presented by Two Wheel Motorsport

Frid’Eh Update #40 | Presented by Two Wheel Motorsport

By Jeff McConkey and Billy Rainford

Week #40 belongs to Calgary rider, Jared Petruska, whose first moto start crash here in Regina took him out for the remainder of the season | Bigwave photo

Welcome to Week #40 of the Direct Motocross Frid’Eh Update this week presented by Graeme Nelson and the gang over at Two Wheel Motorsport in Guelph, Ontario. Be sure to check them out in person or online.

If I hadn’t stayed in Calgary an extra few days after the Wild Rose MX Park round of the Rockstar Energy MX Nationals, I wouldn’t have had the chance to get to know Jared Petruska and his better half, Dominique Daffé, as well as I did. I met up with the happy couple for a road bike ride out in a park somewhere outside the city of Calgary. I didn’t know where I was going, so it was nice of Jared to let me sit on his rear wheel for 98% of the ride. Dominique was quick to call me out for it once we returned to the parking lot.

Anyway, Jared has been a mainstay on the circuit for a few years now, but a hard crash at the start of a moto at the 2015 round in Regina, Saskatchewan, sidelined him with a concussion for long enough that he missed the 2016 Pro season. I grabbed the hardworking rider for a quick chat to find out what he’s been up to and whether or not we’ll see him line up again in 2017. Here’s what he had to say:

Direct Motocross: Hello, Jared. You weren’t able to race last season due to that crash you had at Regina. Can you take us through the crash and what you went through after it?

Jared Petruska: Hey, Billy. In Regina 2015, I was involved in a first turn crash where I suffered a pretty bad concussion. I can’t recall much from that day but it has been a long road to recovery from that crash due to having 15+ major concussions previous to that one.

How is your speed? Are you back to where you were?

These past couple weekends, I have definitely felt my speed coming back, a few mistakes here and there but that will come. It’s to be expected since I haven’t raced in almost a year and a half.

“In this past July, I started a concussion rehab project through Revelation Health Care, since then I have made huge improvements on and off the bike. I wouldn’t say I’m 100% but I am still continuing treatments and I am continuing to improve.” | Bigwave photo

OK, let’s talk about 2017. What are your racing plans?

Not totally sure about racing plans for 2017. I will definitely be at the west rounds with my girlfriend doing the Women’s West National series. Not being on the gate this summer was tough for me but also made me re-evaluate why I love this sport so much, so I will probably just keep it light, train hard, have fun and take it as it comes.

Will you and Dominique travel all the way east?

It would be pretty tough with work and paying a mortgage, but who knows (Laughs).

With his girlfried, Dominique Daffé, competing in the Women’s West Nationals, all he knows for sure is that he’ll be at those rounds in 2017 | Bigwave photo

Week #40 is presented by Two Wheel Motorsport. Check ’em out!

TWO WHEEL MOTORSPORT is one of Central Ontario’s largest powersport dealers, with one of the largest inventories of new and used machines in the province. We sell and service Kawasaki, Can-am Spyder, Suzuki, Ski-doo, Can-Am atv, Can-am Commander, Husqvarna, Aprilia, Argo, Yamaha, and Moto Guzzi. Motorcycles, snowmobiles, ATVs, and Argo AMPHIBIOUS ATVS are all a part of our world. We sell Kawasaki accessories, Suzuki accessories, Canam accessories, Spyder accessories, Skidoo accessories, Aprilia accessories, Yamaha accessories, and MotoGuzzi accessories. We also sell Quality pre-owned PICKUP TRUCKS, trucks for sale in Guelph, and USED DIESEL PICKUP TRUCKS such as the Ford Superduty, GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Silverado, and Dodge Ram. We can help you if your taste is for a sport bike, a motocross bike, a cruiser motorcycle, a touring bike, a dirt bike, a dual purpose bike, an off road bike or a snowmobile, whether you are seeking new or used (pre-owned).
We also welcome business from Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Fergus, Elora, Elmira, Burlington, Hamilton, Milton, Orangeville, Georgetown, Erin, Woodstock, Ingersoll, London, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Toronto, St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, New Market, Barrie, and Owen Sound.

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Jeff McConkey

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Hey, guys, Happy Friday. The very first thing I would like to do is congratulate every single person involved with the 2016 Canada Motocross Des Nations Team. Obviously, there is Team Manager, Kourtney Lloyd, and the riders, but we need to give a huge congratulations to the entire team and the countless people who donated money and time to send this great team to Italy. There are a ton of people behind the scenes, and they all deserve a huge pat on the back.

2016 MXON

Team Canada MXON | Bigwave photo

10th overall! So we finished 10th, and that is great, but now I’m thinking we are going to be capable of fighting for spots closer to the top 5in the future. For 2016, we sent over a pretty good team. Not our best, but we sent the best available team we could. I’m just sitting here thinking of all of the possibilities for 2017.

In MX2, there is current champion Cole Thompson. Cole is without a doubt our best MX2 pilot and would be the first choice as of now. But then there is young Dylan Wright. Dylan has the raw speed that you can’t teach or buy. This kid just turned 19 years old and is going to be our top MX2 racer one day soon. He’s been working with former Canadian Champ Matt Goerke and I think it has helped him a ton. I don’t think Dylan is our guy yet, but it won’t be long until he is. Our 2016 Team Canada MX2 rider Shawn Maffenbeier did well in his 1st Des Nations, but I would have to think he will be off to the MX1 class in a year or two.

For MX1, the clear cut choice is Kaven Benoit. Kaven was nothing short of fantastic at Des Nations and the scary part is that he is still improving. I believe that Kaven will be our leader for many years to come.

The next position up is our MX3 rider. As of right now, you would have to think Colton Facciotti is the favourite for this spot. He is a multi-time champion and has a ton of Des Nations experience. Last but not least would be the team manager position. Kourtney Lloyd did a great job and would be my first choice to come back for many years to come. The only other person in my opinion would be Andy White. I think Andy would also do a fantastic job and just think of how great the Team Canada FXR gear would look. All in all, great job Team Canada, you made us all proud.

So what is next in Canada? Well, the wicked crew over at Gopher Dunes is holding their annual Gopher Dunes Sand Storm event. This is an amazing event to close out the racing in Ontario. I think it will be a great event as always and if I were a betting man, I’d put my money on young Austin Watling and Tanner Ward being out front. I watched these two youngsters last weekend at Motopark, and it is safe to say that they the “ones” in Ontario right now.

Watch for #46 Marco Cannella and #424 Austin Watling to be this close again at the Arenacross portion of the Gopher Dunes Sandstorm this weekend | Bigwave photo

I was actually impressed with a few riders last week. Kyle Brown also caught my eye. This kid has great style and is super aggressive. Definitely one to keep an eye on in the future. So much so, we actually caught up with Kyle and featured him in this week’s ‘On The Radar.’

After Sand Storm, we are heading indoors for the start of the AX Tour‘s 2017 season. The first stop will be Sarnia, Ontario, followed by Barrie, Ontario. The big question is… Who’s going to show up in the Pro class? Back in the summer I spoke with Jacob Hayes and he was chomping at the bit the get back into action, and the AX Tour sounded like his first priority. I would like to think his good buddy Cole Thompson has been pounding out the laps in anticipation for the rematch. Matt Goerke has been out at the Dunes testing for Arenacross, so I wouldn’t count him out either. There was also some video of former champ Colton Facciotti putting in some time on the new GRD AX track. I wouldn’t be shocked to see the big red machine show up at the two Ontario rounds.

Will Jacob Hayes find a ride to defend his 2015 Canadian AX Tour titles? | Bigwave photo

Last Sunday, I was able to get some more seat time on the 2017 Husqvarna FC450 at Motopark. The conditions were near perfect, and the bike was about the same. I really can’t get over how easy this bike is to ride. The motor gives you a very smooth power all of the way through. Almost more impressive is the all new front fork. I instantly felt comfortable in any conditions and was able to instantly attack all obstacles and sections. The braking power on the be FC450 is a 10 out of 10. Both the front and rear brake make stopping very easy in all situations. I haven’t been able to ride the FC450 on a pure sand track yet, but I can hear Gopher Dunes calling my name.

Have a great weekend and always remember to #smilefirBC!

Billy Rainford

Thanks, Jeff. I can’t wait to do a few laps on that Husky FC450, myself! I’ll tell you one thing, it’s true what they say about it being easier to acclimate to the time change going from west to east. We just got back from Italy and I’m already back on schedule with the 6-hour time change. It took us about 3 days to get used to the time advance heading there!

2016 MXON | Maggiora, Italy

I don’t want to say too much here about the trip to Italy (there are a bunch of photo reports and video you can check out on the site, already) but I will outline a few things in point form, to make it easier to absorb:

1. Kaven Benoit killed it. Not since Blair Morgan or Dusty Klatt have we seen such a great performance on the biggest stage in the world. I’m rarely a guy to high five and NEVER do I initiate one, but when Kaven rounded the first turn in 2nd place (pressuring for the lead) I started running in circles looking for anyone to meet my hand already in the high five position! Fortunately, James Lissimore was close by and we were both smiling from ear to ear and the high five moment happened. One of these days, we’ll be in the position to win an overall at this thing and I’m sure Ill break out a high TEN! You heard me.

8-12 for Kaven.

#112 Kaven Benoit | Lissimore photo

2. Shawn Maffenbeier had a great showing for his first-ever MXON. Shawn proved that he was one of our fastest MX2 riders all season. He went into this MXON with an open mind and tried to remain calm under so much national scrutiny. When he got jammed up and squirted off the track, he knew he had his work cut out for him, but he handled it like the true champion he is and rode hard to the finish line.

He got himself back to 32nd spot by the flag and his lap times weren’t far off the group ahead of him. You need everything to go perfectly at this event if you are going to do well (or win) and Shawn proved he has the heart and speed to do it.

32-25 for Shawn.

#113 Shawn Maffenbeier | Lissimore photo

3. Tyler Medaglia was solid, as usual, and had the speed to run up near the top 10. He had a good start in his first moto and ended the first lap in 13th spot. By the end of the race, he was 18th – a pretty good score. Unfortunately, he was outside the top 30 off the start in the second and was fighting his way through the pack. He made it up to 22nd by lap 8 but then a deep rut jumped up and bit his chain guide, popping his chain off. He fixed it and headed out again, but when he could see it was going to keep coming off, he decided it was too dangerous to keep going on that steep track and pulled off.

He wasn’t happy to have to count his 35th, but that’s just the way it goes in Motocross. Like I said, everything has to go perfectly to win at this event.

18-35 for Tyler.

#114 Tyler Medaglia | Lissimore photo

We finished 10th overall and all we can do is move forward and be very happy with that. Yes, we could have done better, but that’s what 2017 at Matterley Basin in England is for, right!

4. Jeffrey Herlings will be in contention for the title when he moves to MXGP in 2017. Herlings was hounding Jason Anderson in that second moto. He fell and let him get away but showed his true speed in the final moto of the day by taking the win. I say he wins in 2017.

#18 Jeffrey Herlings | Lissimore photo

5. Antonio Cairoli is the King of Italy and the MXGP in general. Any kid getting into the sport should really look at Tony and try to emulate him. I don’t just mean his speed on the track. He has a great attitude and genuinely seems to take the time to stop and smell the roses along the way. He is money in the bank at these races and finished 2-2 this year to lead Team Italy to 5th.

#40 Antonio Cairoli | Lissimore photo

6. Jason Anderson is an animal! Have you seen the photos of him from after the races? He’s in a cast because he broke his foot Saturday and still went out and won that 2nd moto! That is a performance that deserves special attention. However, I will say that you need to race to the checkered flag, do a huge whip/no-hander, and THEN slow down to celebrate. This was NOT the fault of anyone behind him. They were in a tight battle to the flag and the winner isn’t the only one who matters in a race, contrary to the t-shirt you may own.

#6 Jason Anderson | Lissimore photo

7. Cooper Webb has to just move on. Team USA had a nice little lead with 1 1/2 laps to go. Cooper was being pressured from behind and made a silly error to tip over in one of the steep off-camber turns. Yes, it cost the team the title, but so did every other mistake any of them made leading up to that point.

We only think about the final one that does the damage, like a missed shot in basketball at the buzzer, but if the team hadn’t missed a layup early on, they could have won. It’s a team event and everything counts toward the final result, not just the one we all focus on at the end. Still, though, that really sucked! lol

#4 Cooper Webb | Lissimore photo

8. Having a bunch of the 1986 guys do a parade lap ruled! That was really cool to see all those old guys out on the track again. I even saw a rider out there on a Cagiva! It looked like Ricky Johnson had the most fun of all. Even though he and Johnny O’Mara sat in the pick up with David Bailey while the rest hit the track, he jumped out and hugged or high-fived every rider as they came off the track. It was a pretty cool moment.

Ricky Johnson and Stefan Everts | Bigwave photo

9. A MXON in Europe is the coolest moto event you will ever attend. Seriously, if you’ve never been to one, you don’t know what you’re missing. I’m here to tell you you need to book your flight to England and go next fall. If you don’t have the time of your life, Jeff will reimburse the price of your flight (Kidding, kidding!). But go.

2016 MXON | Bigwave photo

10. Italy is a great country. As Emily and I drove around the warmer parts early in the week, I had the feeling we were in Mexico. But then I looked a little closer and saw that it was neat as a pin and was nowhere near as dangerous-feeling as Mexico. It had everything you’d want from Mexico with the added bonus of amazing culture and a very long history. You should go.

11. Finally, congratulations to Kourtney Lloyd for putting this thing together and doing a great job. Kourtney has been involved in Pro motocross for a bunch of years now and when she stepped up and threw her name in the hat for the Team Manager position, she showed a lot of guts. It can be a thankless job and one that sees a lot of people only focusing on what went wrong. Fortunately, not much went wrong this year and she can take a lot of the credit for that.

Kourtney Lloyd | Emily Nicholson photo

The only thing negative that happened from my perspective is we got hosed on internet connection at the house we were put up in, but that wasn’t her fault, as she was told there would be wifi. Italy isn’t the kind of place where you just go to the nearest Tim Horton’s or McDonalds to use the internet. I would have liked to have been posting a few more articles from the race so next year we’ll make sure the wifi is strong! Whenever I get back from one of these things, I always feel I could have done more.

“This watch could have been one more…” (Google it, Bowker!)

Thanks to the entire team for welcoming us with open arms and putting up with us throwing cameras in their faces while they were trying to get ready for this race. I shot a ton of video, so I’ll get to work putting together a recap of Team Canada’s experience in Italy. Oh, and Ross Thompson, yes, I finally got your cold on the way home. My nose is red from blowing it. I’m just happy none of the riders picked it up before the race, but I bet one of them is coughing right now!

Oh, and here’s how you thought Team Canada would do in our Poll Question:

Don’t sell your bike quite yet!

There is actually a lot of racing left all across Canada this fall. Riders and teams are getting ready for the two Arenacross series that now take place. The weather is still decent, so get out there on your practice track and head to an event near you next month!

Here’s a look at the two Arenacross schedules:

I spoke with Derek Schuster today and he is pretty excited to put on their first Arenacross event Saturday. They have tarped the track to keep it race ready and the forecast keeps improving for Saturday. At one time they were calling for 50mm of rain but it is now down to just a chance of getting 5.

Top riders who he thinks will be there:

Colton Facciotti – thinking about it

Cole Thompson – thinking about it

Nathan Bles

Kyle Keast

Brock Leitner

Marco Cannella

Austin Watling

Tanner Ward

Casey Keast Turns Pro

Watching the development of riders through the amateur ranks is one of my favourite parts of this sport. Sometimes you can pick those who are destined for greatness, other times you can’t. In fact, a lot of us sit around and talk about how very few of us ever thought Colton Facciotti had what it takes to make it as a Pro rider. Yes, he turned Pro at the ripe old age of 14, but he didn’t strike most as a rider who had “It” back ion the day. Yes, we were wrong.

Kelowna, BC’s Casey Keast has been lighting up the Amateurs for the past few years. He’s had some great finishes on both sides of the border. Sometimes, his off-track antics were what kept us from thinking he has what it will take to make it, but he has shown time and time that he does.

He has now moved up to the Pro ranks and should be a rider to watch move up through the top level of the sport just like he has over the past few years. There aren’t always riders to get excited about who trade in their yellow plates for Pros, but Casey is a rider who should do just that. Good luck with this new challenge Casey. This should be fun!

Kelowna, BC’s Casey Keast is now a full-time Pro racer | Bigwave photo

Red Bull Straight Rhythm | Pomona, California | October 22

Monster Energy Cup | Las Vegas, Nevada | October 15

Nitro Circus Live World Tour | Kamloops, BC | October 1

Yep, the Nitro Circus gang will be in Kamloops, BC tomorrow (Saturday). I actually bumped into Billy Van Vugt today in London as he was just about to head to the airport to head out west for the show. If you’re out there, go check it out. Whether you’re a diehard FMX person or not, you will be fully entertained.

Monster Energy SMX Riders’ Cup | Veltin’s Arena – Somewhere, Germany | October 8

OK, have a great weekend, everyone. There’s still lots of riding and racing to be found across Canada before the snow flies. It’s your job to go out and find it! We get the great opportunity to head to Motopark next Tuesday to ride the 2017 Yamaha YZF 450 and 250‘s. I’m looking forward to actually throwing a leg over a bike and trying out the new changes to the Motopark track. I haven’t been there since they did all the work to it.

And then the following week, we get to try out a bunch of the 2017 KTM Off Road machines somewhere northeast of Toronto. It’s going to be a fun couple weeks around here!

Thanks for all the support!

I can’t believe I almost lost this next bunch of photos! Luckily, I went a lookin’! They all want to say, “See you at the races…” so we’ll let them.

Kourtney and Summer.

Maff.

This guy.

Mathieu Deroy.

Tyler and Kibby.

Josh Snider.

These mean muggers. Shawn didn’t get the memo.

And this proud papa. See you at the races…