Frid’Eh Update #49 | Evan Smith | Brought to You by Dirt Care
By Billy Rainford
Welcome to Week #49 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update brought to you by Dirt Care. I made it home safely from another trip south on the I-75 to Gainesville, Florida, to cover our Canadians at the 54th Mini O’s at Gatorback Cycle Park. Would you believe I raced there in 1985?
When I was there this year, I remembered this photo and stood in the exact same spot my dad did and took a few photos. My dad passed away right before the pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, so this hit me kind of hard. To be standing in the same spot along the fence as he did 40 years ago with tears in my eyes must have left people watching me wondering what my problem was.
The track was basically concrete back then and the work they’ve put in have really made a huge difference. It gets rough but that’s perfect. Back in my day you could have run a Supermoto tire and done well everywhere except off the start. Now, a high percentage of the riders run sand tires. What a difference!
I always go with the goal of covering our Canadians who make the trek to this amazing event. This year, I dare say there were almost too many for me to keep track of! My plan was like I did at the TransCan the past couple years where I simply record a couple short clips on my phone and then edit them together in a very rudimentary way and upload them to our Instagram and Facebook pages immediately. It was the only way to cover them all with out being up 24 hours a day editing and posting photos after the race days. I hope it was helpful to follow along back home in Canada.
Anyway, I’m home now and looking for the next adventure which looks like it will be Anaheim 1 on January 10th.
I’ll also mention here in the opening that we are on our 3rd snowstorm of the year already here in London, ON! Yes, we always get some snow in these parts but never 3 storms by the end of November! That’s 1980’s kind of stuff. We’ve got snow on the ground here right now and I think there’s a chance this is going to stay. The last couple storms eventually melted away but this could be it.
What I’m trying to say is that if you’re out doing your driveway make sure you set the template wide enough for the rest of winter. #IYKYK
I loved this story a couple years ago at Gopher Dunes. I heard there was a top 5 GNCC rider who was actually going to do his first-ever motocross gate drop that weekend at the Pro National. What?! It was true.
#347 Evan Smith came north from Georgia to race our toughest race of the season. He’s a gnarly off-road guy, so I didn’t think the track was really going to be an issue from him , but it was still a really interesting story to cover.
He was with fellow off-road guy Ben Nelko, so I went over to their pits to have a chat with them. It was true, Evan had never lined up behind a gate.
He faired very well and was 13’s across the board. Not bad. He went back to his off-road roots this past season. He raced 6 rounds of GNCC and his best finish was a 7th in XC1 at Round 4 at Camp Coker in South Carolina.
He’s got another Canadian connection that you’ll read about in a minute. Here’s what he had to say when we got in touch with him this week:
Direct Motocross: Hey, Evan. We haven’t seen you since you showed up as a GNCC guy at Gopher Dunes a couple seasons ago. I love this story and I hope it’s true. You’re a top 5 GNCC guy but the Gopher Dunes National in 2024 was your first MX gate drop. Is this true and, if so, how is that possible?!
Evan Smith: Yeah, it’s been a while! I hope to make it back for one. And it is true, crazy I know! I did a couple little local moto races as a little kid but I focused on off-road my whole life and career until last year. Figured it was time to change that!
Wow. Let’s let people get to know you a little. Can you tell us how old you are, where you’re from, and how you got into dirt bikes in the first place?
I just turned 30 this month, and I’m from Jefferson, Georgia. My story is probably about the same as everyone else’s, I thought dirt bikes were awesome when I was a kid and watched every SX with Ricky Carmichael and those guys. Dad bought me a bike when I was 8 or 9 and I never looked back.
What other sports did you play, were you a good student, and do you do anything else these days?
I was very into soccer as a kid, but once I got old enough to pursue racing a bit more I happily traded it for racing! I was a good student until around high school when I turned into a bit of a smartass. Haha. I do own and operate Tear-Off Gaskets but aside from that I’m still all 2 wheels!
Cool. How did you come into contact with Dylan Kaelin and end up running Tear Off Gaskets?
I had the pleasure of meeting Dylan when he was the trainer down at The Shoals MX in SC. We were buddies while we were there and kept in touch a bit after he left. When the opportunity came up to purchase TOGS, I was excited for the opportunity as I was a huge user and advocate of the product and wanted to see it have the opportunity to continue growing and supply racers with a much needed product!
And how has it been going?
I am nearly 2 years into it and it has been doing pretty well. Still racing full time myself, I don’t have an abundance of time to dedicate to it. But we follow the GNCC series with it along with select amateur national moto races. It’s been steadily growing in Off-road, but we’re still looking to grow the notoriety of our product on the MX side. Hopefully, this interview reaches a few eyes that could use protecting and try our gaskets!
You went 13-13 for 13th at Gopher Dunes and then 11-10 for 10th at Sand Del Lee and scored 21st overall in the 450 class with these two results. Can you take us through how these races actually went for you?
Gopher and SDL were awesome! Like we covered, those were my first real gate drops and I was worried about even making it in the motos! So I was pumped, I rode well. However, I was having some kind of brake problem and rode I think 3 of 4 of those motos with no rear brakes after the first couple laps. I also blew out my moto shock in SDL qualifying and raced that round on my Enduro setting (WAYYY soft, but actually felt pretty good on it).
We all talk about Gopher Dunes as being arguably the toughest motocross track in the world. As a season GNCC guy, can you tell us what you thought of it?
Gopher is an awesome track. It wasn’t anywhere near as rough as the FL GNCC or even really Camp Coker, but we for sure don’t push that pace so it’s hard to compare. But pretty wicked and rugged compared to about any other moto track I’ve ridden.
I had to check out your Instagram to see what you’ve been up to. You and Ben Nelko (who you were with up here in Canada) put on a riding school. Is that something you do often?
Occasionally, I do help out with schools with some of my buddies in my off time (usually in the winter) but that was the first with Ben. We ended up having to cancel it anyway. I for sure enjoy them when I get the chance.
Can you sum up what you did in the Enduro world over the summer?
Racing! I raced a round or 2 of our enduro series but we typically have a break in the summer (opposite you guys. Haha). I spent a month doing a road trip in my sprinter out to Vancouver island, Whistler and to see my buddy in Bellingham, WA. Hit some local moto tracks and rode some incredible MTB trails. It was a badass summer!
Nice, you were back in Canada! Any interest in doing more Motocross racing? It would be great to see you up here again in the future.
For sure, I would love to! I have some interest in trying to qualify for an AMA outdoor, so if I get the chance I will definitely be spending a lot of time prepping for it and a good tune-up at Gopher or SDL would be a great opportunity!
What are your winter plans?
Winter will be spent at home in Georgia through the holidays and after I plan to head up to The Shoals MX facility in SC to start prepping for the beginning of our Off-road season in February.
What are your racing plans next season?
Looks like I’ll be able to chase the GNCC schedule again for next year and continue the American National Enduro Series, along with some JDAYs. Hopefully, I can fit in a AMA outdoor or even the Corduroy Enduro up in Ontario. Whatever sounds cool, sky is the limit!
Let me ask about the #347. Is there a story behind this number choice?
Honestly, 347 was assigned to me at my local Hare scramble series for 250B class back in the day and it just kinda stuck. I liked it and it’s been my number ever since.
And who was your sports hero as a little kid?
Ricky Carmichael, no contest!
OK, what kind of music do you listen to and what’s the best movie?
Spotify Wrapped just came out today! My top 3 were Red Clay Strays, Amyl and the Sniffers and maybe Offspring I think? Definitely punk rock, grunge or country.
Top movie might be Wedding Crashers? How do you go wrong with that?!
Thanks for taking some time with us for your week up here in Canada. Good luck in the future and is there anyone you’d like to thank while you have the chance?
It was a great time and I appreciated the massive hospitality! Definitely would like to thank Tyler Medaglia and his family for letting us pal around with me, Ryder Heacock and his fam and friends for the help as well, David Lewis for building my bike and probably Nelko and Brent for showing us even what we were meant to be doing at a moto race. Always an endless list of people to thank, so I’ll just stick to the guys that helped me get to those rounds.
Canadians at the 2025 Mini O’s
As I said at the top, we had som many Canadians at the race this year that is was hard to keep up! Every time I’d hope to head back to the van to upload a new, short video clip, I’d see that there were a few in the very next race. It’s a nice problem to have but made it a challenge. I’m sorry if I missed anyone.
I was posting to our Instagram page which would automatically (after I changed it) post to our Facebook page.
Here are the post-race interviews I did at the awards ceremony:
I’ve got so much stuff from the week clogging my hard drive that I will continue to post things over the weekend.
Round 4 of FIM WSX Saturday in Sweden
You may be a diehard AMA Supercross fan but you can’t deny how cool it is for these riders to be able to travel the world and race in so many different countries. They were just in Australia and now the series heads to Sweden this week.
We’ve got Cole Thompson on the Bud Racing Kawasaki team and Noah Viney on the MCR Honda team to keep an eye on.
Here’s a look at the standing with just 2 rounds left. The series will finish in South Africa.
SX2:
- 99 Max Anstie 135
- 69 Coty Schock 107
- 1 Shane McElrath 95
- 43 Cullin Park 90
- 2 Cole Thompson 80
- 16 Enzo Lopes 77
- 110 Kyle Peters 69
- 460 Michael Hicks 57
- 141 Maxime Desprey 50
- 11 Kyle Chisholm 43
- 64 Robbie Wageman 31
- 100 Anthony Bourdon 30
- 39 Noah Viney 25
- 95 Lance Kobusch 20
- 20 Wilson Todd 10
SX1:
- 94 Ken Roczen 122
- 28 Christian Craig 95
- 17 Joey Savatgy 85
- 21 Jason Anderson 77
- 20 Greg Aranda 46
- 98 Austin Poilitelli 43
- 29 Henry Miller 40
- 200 Ryan Breece 39
- 46 Justin Hill 37
- 911 Jordi Tixier 33
- 99 Jorge Zaragoza 31
- 88 Devin Simonson 27
- 719 Vince Friese 19
- 102 Matt Moss 14
5 Questions with 2025 West Coast Arenacross Champion, Julien Benek
When we spoke with Julien Benek from Mission, BC last month, he was just getting back on the bike after a long time away from the sport due to injury. Well, he got back on his Kawasaki and just went undefeated in the 2025 West Coast Arenacross championship at Chilliwack Heritage Park in Chilliwack, BC.
We asked him 5 questions after his win and here’s what he had to say:
Julien, you went from being off the bike due to pretty serious concussion symptoms to going undefeated in the 2025 West Coast Arenacross series. This has to be at the top of the list for you as far as accomplishments go, no? Can you take us through this whole process of getting there and then winning it all?
It was definitely quite the comeback for me, but I’ve done crazier. Having that much consistency was the part that impressed me the most. I really enjoyed being out and racing my dirt bike again. Prior to racing I was able to put about 10-15 hours on the bike and was making sure every time I rode I was practicing something. Because I work I have limited time to ride so I make the most out of my riding sessions.
Did you race the Dash for Cash races too? Those have been crazy in The Barn since…forever. How did yours go?
Yes, I raced the Dash for Cash races and did not have too much luck in those. Haha. I had a big crash on the first weekend and second weekend I made too many mistakes and wasn’t able to win, but I still had a sick time.
Did you have any scary moments during the series?
I had one moment where I thought I was going over the bars super hard. I hit my rear brake going up the face of a triple in and nose cased it super hard. Luckily, I was able to hang on to it and rode out of it nearly perfect, considering the situation I was in.
How close to 100% are you right now and does this mean you’ll be chasing the Canadian Triple Crown Series MX Nationals in 2026?
I would say that I am close to 100%, but still would like to take more time off and take things slow for now. I obviously didn’t lose any speed and I want to come back on my own terms.
When we spoke last month, you said you weren’t sure whether or not you’d chase AMA Supercross this coming season. Does this win change anything?
Yes and no. I would like to race Supercross, but I am not prepared enough to start training in time for racing, so I think it’s best I sit this one out and cheer on the boys.
Final Standings:
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Full results HERE.
Update 2026 Canadian Triple Crown Series Schedule
The dates are the same but now River Glade will come before Sand Del Lee.
Kyle Keast Takes Over at Walton Raceway
The big news lately was the announcement that Kyle Keast “The Dozer” will take over at Walton Raceway starting this season. Here’s the announcement:
Keast take over ownership this year. A lifelong motocross racer, Kyle and his wife Sophia are bringing their team’s skills, passion, and energy to build on Walton’s long and impactful legacy.
“This is such a cool opportunity for me, to take on this role in Canadian motocross,” said Kyle. “I went to my first TransCan as a kid on a Honda CR60. Now my own kids are racing. I want the TransCan Grand National Championship to stay the special event it has always been for racers and families. What we can bring is development of the infrastructure around the property and the race track itself. It is a special destination and we want it to grow.”
“For Melody and myself, we are still huge fans of moto. That is not changing,” said Lee. “We wanted to align with people who are as passionate as we are about creating an awesome space for people to enjoy. Kyle and Sophia share that passion. We are excited for what we will continue to bring to Canadian moto, to keep growing the Edge of Walton Challenge Course, and to support where we can to keep the Walton TransCan Grand National Championship and the Canadian Triple Crown Series finale as flagship events in Canada. Our goal is to see strong and successful years ahead.”
Exciting track and grounds improvements, expanded programming, and new initiatives built to broaden Walton’s future and keep racer and visitor experiences fresh are already in motion. Fans, families, racers, and industry partners can expect Walton’s 2026 season to deliver elevated experiences while maintaining the familiar Canadian destination it has been since 1972.
Braxton Zeitner to Honda GDR Fox
From GDR Racing:
Canada’s fastest-rising amateur has a new home. At just 14 years old, Braxton Zeitner steps into the 2026 season as the newest member of Honda Canada GDR Fox Racing.
From Mission, BC to the sand of Gopher Dunes, he’s spent his summers sharpening his craft beside champions – and now he’s earned the call-up.
A new chapter begins, and he’ll be writing it in red.
If you’ve seen him ride, you already know why the hype is real.
If you haven’t… you will.
Happy Holidays, everyone. If it’s an option, take advantage of the time you get to spend with friends and family.
We’re trying to shore up support for the fast-approaching 2026 season, so if you or someone you know may be interested in a partnership with us here at DMX, please get in touch with me at [email protected]. Thank you.
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