Frid’Eh Update #7 | Justin Thompson Interview | Presented by Yamaha Motor Canada

By Billy Rainford

Presented by Yamaha Motor Canada

Welcome to Week #7 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update this week presented by Yamaha Motor Canada. It’s a big week for the sport here in Canada for a few reasons. The snowstorms in the east? Nah, but they were noteworthy. Jetwerx and the Triple Crown Series unveiled their extensive list of changes for the upcoming season and the future. It was a Press Release the likes we’ve never seen before. It was big and full of information.

There were so many pieces of information in it, in fact, that we thought it best if we went to the source and talked about each update individually. So, that’s what we did.

Justin Thompson is the ex-pro racer who is the CEO of Jetwerx. Motocross in Canada is their show, along with their sanctioning body, the MRC. If you want to know what’s going on right now in Canadian MX, you can go no higher than Justin. I’m surprised he answered my call!

I’m kidding. He’s been very open and generous with his time whenever I’ve felt the need or want to give him a shout to get caught up on whatever is going on with our series.

Oh, and since it’s his fault with the career numbering system that we don’t have a #7 in the series this season (or a #8 for next week, for that matter), in my eyes that meant he owed me an interview.

I shut the door to the DMX World Headquarters office on Thursday night and we went through every item on the press release in detail. There is a ton of information in this podcast, so, unless you’ve got time to listen to it in its entirety, don’t click the links below!

iTunes:

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/jetwerx-ceo-justin-thompson-talks-about-all-changes/id1499153886?i=1000509764919

Stitchers:

https://www.stitcher.com/show/direct-motocross/episode/jetwerx-ceo-justin-thompson-talks-about-all-the-changes-for-the-2021-triple-crown-series-81767668

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5V3Y58CF4rwbNRMjDWJo3w?si=8DhkKxXbQg6vNGFCvNV5jQ

SUBSCRIBE to your preferred podcast channel and stay up to date.

Thanks again to Justin for being so open about what’s been going on behind the scenes in our industry at the racing level. It was a lot!


Tyler Medaglia to Race GNCC Round 1 this Weekend in South Carolina

Tyler is down at Jim Edgar‘s place in Jacksonville, Florida, getting ready to race the first 3 rounds of the 2021 GNCC Off-Road series.

He’ll be at Big Buck in Union, SC along with Jim and his family who will be taking care of Tyler’s every need as he tries to improve on his best finish of a 5th overall.

Jim will be getting us some updates throughout the day and has even offered to give us a post-race report on the day. I didn’t know this but Jim used to write for Cycle News and FLMX down in Florida. Since I can’t be there this year, this will be great. Thanks, Jim.


250 West Starts this Week at Orlando 2

It sounds like they’ve been hit with some pretty wet weather down in Florida this week. So much rain has fallen that they were forced to make the decision to cover the track and leave it for this week. The hope is to make a few adjustments to it but keep the layout the same as it was last weekend.

With so many injuries to the top riders in the 250 East class, the field ended up losing a lot of its depth at the front of the pack. A lack or riders pushing for the podium should not be a problem as we head to the West.

Check out this entry list:

That’s quite a bit of firepower.

And with the new coast starting, there are a few teams that give us reasons to cheer for them from north off the border. Check out the Canadian connection with these teams:

Manluk Rock River Merge Racing Yamaha

Podcast Interview:

Team PRMX

Podcast Interview:

Club MX

Podcast Interview:

Team Solitaire Nuclear Blast Yamaha

Podcast Interview:

And when we get to Arlington on March 13th, we’ll have Casey Keast to watch in 250 West competition.

Casey Keast will join 250 West when we get to Arlington on March 13th.

Win a Troy Lee Designs RockFight CE Chest Protector at O2


5 Minutes with Dylan Rempel

13-year-old #138 Dylan Rempel got the opportunity of a lifetime as he heads into the 2021 season – an amateur support ride with the gang at Huber Motorsports Kawasaki.

We grabbed him for a chat this week to see what he’s been up to and what he hopes to accomplish this season with this added support.

#138 Dylan Rempel is a fast, up-and-coming amateur rider from Ontario. He’s improving so quickly you could almost hear him getting faster last season! His speed and dedication have caught the eye of Chad Goodwin and the Monster Kawasaki Pro Circuit team who are expanding to support an amateur rider, among other things, in 2021. We caught up with the Team Green rider to get his take on all these changes.

#138 Dylan Rempel with his new Team Green ride. | Rempel photo

Direct Motocross: Hello, Dylan. We haven’t spoken with you since a couple big things happened. First off, you got injured at the Mini O’s this past November. Can you take us through what happened there, first?

Dylan Rempel: It happened in a practice with a fresh, wet track and I was going down a straightaway and slid out and dabbed my foot and tore my ligaments.

How long did it keep you off the bike?

I was off the bike for about three months.

Dylan’s self portrait of his leg injury at the 2020 Mini O’s in Florida. | Dylan Rempel selfie photo

Wow. And now you’re finally back riding and with new support from the Kawasaki  team. Obviously, Chad Goodwin and the gang spoke with your parents and you together. How did this all come together for you guys? When did they first talk to you about it?

They first talked to us at TransCan and then Chad talked to my dad about at Gopher Dunes Supercross and I was pumped about it. My dad was debating until I talked him into it and now we’re glad we made the switch onto the Kawasaki.

How will this affect your program for the new season? I guess it takes quite a bit of pressure off your parents, right?

I’ll be doing all the nationals with the Huber Motorsports team, and it helps my parents a lot because I have three sisters at home.

You’re down south riding and training now. Where are you and who are you training with?

I’m in Homer, Georgia, training with Zach (Lurie) from Maximum Powersports.

How’s the new bike? Are you loving it yet? Any major differences in the way it feels compared to your last rides?

It feels great and I feel really comfortable on it and looking forward to testing the race bikes with the team.

Dylan’s improvement was noticeable in 2020 and it’s paid off with a support ride for 2021. | Bigwave photo

What are your winter racing plans?

We are doing Tampa SX and Daytona (RCSX) and some local races all over Georgia.

What about this coming summer? What are you planning on racing?

All the AMO races and the nationals.

How old are you now and what classes will you be racing?

I am 13 and I will be racing 85 (12-16), Supermini, and Schoolboy (12-17).

Will big summer targets be Loretta Lynn’s and the TansCan?

We hope to do Loretta Lynn’s, but if there is still quarantining then we will just be doing TransCan this year.

Watch for the #138 at a National near you in 2021. | Dylan Rempel Instagram photo

You really improved last season. What’s the highlight from last season for you?

Walton would have been one of my highlights, but my sprocket fell of in the first moto which ended it to get the championship. But the highlight from last year was when I heard that Kawasaki wanted me on the team!

What kind of music do you listen to?

I listen to rap and classic rock.

What’s the best thing on Netflix/Amazon etc. right now? 

Honestly, I don’t watch movies so I don’t know.

Well, we appreciate you taking the time with us today. Good luck down south and who would you like to thank?

I would like to thank Gerhart and Christian Huber, Kawasaki Canada for the opportunity to help me reach my future goals, and big thanks to my parents, without them this wouldn’t be possible. 

Nothing but yellow bibs. | Bigwave photo

Interestingly, there is a certain energy drink missing from his list of thanks at the end of the interview. We’re seeing the departure of a couple energy drink title sponsors in the Canadian MX scene as we head into 2021. We’ve heard rumours about how they’ll make up the difference to their program, but we’ll wait to see how the sponsor run changes as we near the season before we say too much here.


We’ll leave it there for the week. We’ve got so much snow here in Southwestern Ontario that I can’t see how we’re going to be riding dirt bikes for months! It looks really nice but it’s pretty sad, especially when our ski hills are ant hills and I don’t have a snowmobile. All we seem to do in it is shovel and spin our wheels!

Have a great weekend, everyone.

I’ll leave you with what has to be the greatest TV/MX reference of all time! Family Guy does it again.