Frid'Eh Update #5

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Hello, everyone, and welcome to the 5th edition of the Frid’Eh Update Presented by the fine folks at 661 Canada. First thing’s first. Canadians Colton Facciotti, JSR, Kyle Beaton, and Brock Hoyer are back in merry England this weekend for the final round of the British SX series in London. The event kicks off tomorrow night at O2 Arena. “BigWave” Billy Rainford has been keeping us posted on news updates and results in between deep-fried everything and pints on MXForum. You can check out his press day report here. Tune into Pink Palace Pirate Radio tomorrow night at 7 PM EST for live audio coverage from London. If you Canadians need any inspiration or words to fire you up, just read Hammertime's thoughts at the Pink Palace.

Who are the fastest riders to ever come out of the province of Manitoba? That’s what Winnipeg born (but now Las Vegas resident) Steve Matthes tried to find out in his two part “Manitoba’s Top Crop” feature. Matthes found some of the most knowledgeable “Flat Land” moto sources (actually, no, he didn’t include himself) and asked them who they felt were, is and will be the best racers from Manitoba. It was an interesting read and it’s pretty impressive how many quality riders have developed in a province not regarded as a motorsport hot bed. Don Formo, Earl Reimer, Kim Houde, Josh Penner, and Ryan Millar, were just a few of the names mentioned. For the full list of “Greats” click here. Check back later for Part Deux.

As we had hoped, the column is already motivating other regions to send in lists of their own fast guys.

“Hey, Steve, great job on the lists; I loved it! I think my list would have included Jimmy Fredrickson, though. Man oh man, so many stories from the 90's riding here in Saskatchewan with him.  I'm sure Derek Sorenson would fill you in on a few. Anyhoo, I spoke with Darcy Lawrence, and we’re sitting down tomorrow night [Wednesday] to compile a Saskatchewan racer list—even “Shurshot” Brent Shury gets a spot on this one. Ask [Don] Formo about the night he punched the hell out of the pumpkin at The Travelodge in Yorkton!”
 
Mikey Morrison
Regina

Doug Dehaan was "that guy" running the 6-9 in the first two Canadian Nationals last year. Considering Big D's AMA SX and MX experience, and his results in Canada and abroad, makes him one of Ontario's finest MX riders.

photo: James Lissimore

After reading Matthes’ article, I can’t help but wonder who are the top riders from my province of Ontario (which we all know is the centre of the universe), so I wrote down some riders who stick out in my mind….

Mike Harnden—A top national pro in the 80’s, Harnden won the 1984 500cc title and led Team Canada to a 10th overall finish at the 1985 MXdN with a fifth-place moto finish in the 250 class.

Doug DeHaan—Born and bred in London, Ontario, “Big D” has ridden for Two Wheel Kawasaki, Blackfoot Honda, Diablo Honda, Yamaha Canada, KTM Canada, and Butler Brothers Honda; he represented Team Canada at the 2005 MXdN in England; qualified for AMA SX and MX events for over 10 years; made a name for himself on the European SX scene; and, from junior to pro, he’s always been a contender regionally.

Ryan Gauld—Often cited as the “Dogger” of Canada, Gauld is probably one of the most naturally gifted Canadian riders to ever throw a leg over a motorcycle. He spent much of his career racing Yamaha’s for Machine Racing, and scored his one and only national overall win with them at Ulverton, Quebec in 1999. His last big accomplishment was finishing third overall in 2006 at Gopher Dunes, despite rowing across the pits late into the evening. It’s hard not to imagine what could have been for “Flyin’” Ryan….

Brad Lockhart—Did you know that “Bad” Brad qualified for a supercross main event at Pontiac in the early 90’s? Well he did, or so Derek Schuster tells me. Lockhart finished on the podium at some nationals but, unfortunately, his career came to an end in `92 after suffering a serious shoulder injury. He now runs the Lockhart Odyssey dealership in Courtland, Ontario, and can sometimes be spotted putting in fast laps at the nearby Gopher Dunes track.

Jesse Wilson—This former Machine Racing rider probably doesn’t sound familiar to many, but he was one of the smoothest riders I’ve ever seen. (I bought his 1995 CR125 too—the fastest 125 I’ve ever ridden to this day—so that’s probably why I like him.) The first time I watched Wilson ride was at the Cedar Springs Off-Road Challenge in 1998. Racing a YZ400 and wearing baggy LBZ gear, Wilson pulled the holeshot in both Expert motos and led until the final laps before being passed by Jason Thorne. At this time, Thorne was a top-10 national rider and Wilson was spending more time fixing airplanes than his dirt bike. Watching Wilson’s fluid style on his 400 that day was enough to sell me on four-strokes.

We’ll cut this short before everyone starts referring to this site as “DMX Ontario,” but here are a few other riders that could be added to the list: Chuck Mesley, Doug Hoover, Glenn Nicholson, Chris Pomeroy, Ken Clark, Rob McCullough, Kyle Keast, Pierce Chamberlain, Joel Saarits, Derrick Fisher, the Medaglia brothers, Bill Wallin, Chad Fleck, and Jason Burke. I’m sure that I’ve left out some many other talented and deserving riders, so feel free to email me danny@directmotocross and give me crap and let me know who I’ve left out.

Miami, Manitoba’s Ryan Millar is finishing up exams shortly and then heading down to Texas to begin preparing for the Canadian Nationals. I spoke to his father, Ray, and he says that they’ve hired on Kyle Beaton and Spencer Knowles’ former mechanic, Mike Smith, to help Ryan out for 2009. The two will be spending nearly two months training and riding near Oak Hill, and may even hit the Oak Hill and Lake Whitney amateur nationals. Millar doesn’t have to turn pro yet in Canada, so he’ll likely race the B classes and Four-Stroke class if he chooses to line up, says Ray. That’s probably not a bad idea, because even though Ryan stands over six-feet, he’s still only 15-years-old and needs some time to build confidence before jumping into the deep end of the ProSport class.

Ray also informed that there’s a good chance we’ll see Ryan racing MX1 instead of MX2 at the nationals. Ryan feels more comfortable on the 450, and considering his size, it might not be a bad idea.
 

Tyler Medaglia will race for the GPF/Babbittsonline Kawasaki Team tomorrow night in Greensboro, NC.

photo: Tom Cooper

Tyler Medaglia looks to find the podium in his second Toyota AMA Arenacross this weekend in Greensboro, North Carolina. Medaglia, who is riding a GPF/Babbittsonline Kawasaki in the arenacrosses, was posting the fastest time at his debut in Louisville last weekend but that just wasn’t enough to beat AX specialists Jeff Gibson, Chad Johnson, Brock Sellards, and Josh Demuth. Stay tuned to arenacross.com for updates and results. It’s still uncertain if Tyler will race any AMA Supercross, but he hopes to, whether it’s on a KX250F or his OTSFF Suzuki 450.

Since taking an opportunity to race the final two rounds of the Toyota AMA Motocross Championships for Yamaha of Troy, no one’s really known who exactly Tyler’s younger brother Jeremy is racing for in 2009. First, he was fired  by Suzuki OTSFF for taking the YoT deal, then he was rehired; then he was bumped up to MX1 to save money after Suzuki pulled out; then he raced the final Chilliwack AX for Monster Energy/Leading Edge Kawasaki. Well, it’s finally been finalized and Jeremy is signed to race a RM-Z450 for Andre Laurin’s OTSFF team.

“It really doesn’t matter to me which series I race,” says Medaglia. “Sometimes things don’t go as planned, but that’s life and things change. I’m just going to have to work harder. You have to ride the 450 differently; you can’t just flail around on it like a 250F and I’ve learned that.”

Don’t let little “Jer Bear’s” physical size fool you (remember what happened when everyone doubted Tyler’s ability on the 450 last year?); this kid is determined to win whether he’s racing a 250 or 450, in Canada or the US, or against Nye or Villopoto. From the info that I’ve gathered, and results at the Winter Ams, Jeremy is on pace with his brother, and their dad Derrick already had to fly down to Georgia to help keep things civil. Just kidding. Derrick is down south with his boys, but he’s just there keeping their bikes maintained and their minds focused on racing. 

Ryan Lockhart has been crowned the 2009 Canadian Arenacross champ, but can he hold off newcomer Kyle Keast for the Alberta Arenacross crown? We’ll find out next weekend at the Enmax Centre in Lethbridge as both riders are confirmed for the two-night event. Beaton says he may race too, but I think he’s just trying to shake up the Newf. Lethbridge Suzuki’s Dustin Hayes and George De Graaf Jr. will do their best to keep the title at home, but it won’t be easy against the hired guns of Keast and Lockhart. After a little “too much fun” in Lethbridge last year, I’m returning again to cover the event but I’ve decided not to race and give some other guys a shot at the podium. Yeah … right, Danny. Stay tuned to DMX for updates and results from each night of racing in Lethbridge.

When confirming Hayes’ entry for Lethbridge, I was excited to hear that the hard working privateer may follow the entire nine-round national series for the first time ins his career. “I’’ll race the provincials and first four nationals, for sure,” says Hayes. “If I’m doing well in those [nationals], then I may go out east. I’ve never done it before and I think it would be a great experience. I’d like to try racing some of those sand tracks out there. We’ll see how things go first though.”

Loyal Mitch Cooke fans will be happy to know that the Nova Scotian is working hard down in Florida. After lining up bikes through Freedom Cycle Kawasaki (who also sponsors his sister, Heidi), Cooke drove down to the Ocala area to stay with fellow East Coaster and freestyler, Paul Smith. “It’s been going really well,” says Mitch. “I’m riding everyday and love the Kawasaki 450. I’m planning to race this weekend’s Winter Am in Reddick so we’ll see how that goes.”

Jeremy Medaglia has been on the Open Pro podium in the last two rounds of the Winter Ams, so it will be interesting to see how he and Cooke match up this weekend. Cooke plans to spend two months training and racing in Florida before possibly flying to Europe to work with five-time World Champion Georges Jobe. He sounds genuinely happy with things, too, despite returning to racing as a privateer after four years on major race teams. I’ve said it before (and I’m sure many others have as well), but maybe this is Mitch Cooke’s year.

While many Canadian amateurs are seeking heat and competition down south, Orange Motorsports KTM’s Richard Grey is enjoying the heavy snowfall in Southwestern Ontario. The multi-time national amateur champ prefers to spend his winters around his home, hunting in the fall and snowmobiling in the winter. “We’ll probably head down to North Carolina in a month though,” says Grey. “My mom and I will go down with Siert [Weiringa] and Liam O’Farrell.”

There’s no denying that Grey is one of Canada’s most promising amateurs, as evidence from his top-5 finishes at Loretta Lynn’s last year, and who can forget the battle between him, Cole Thompson and Spencer Knowles in the Schoolboy class at the Walton TransCan? (If you don’t remember, check out Lissimore’s wallpapers on our home page to see them in action.) Watching them screaming around the track on their two-strokes certainly reminded everyone of the good old days, I’m sure.

 

Richard Grey has traded in his KTM for a Ski-Doo this winter. Well, not literally, just until he and his family head south in a month to begin preparing for the MX season.

photo: James Lissimore

Speaking of the good old days, I talked with good old John Nelson this morning. The ISDE medal holder is excited for the new Canadian Enduro Championships, and plans to bring home the Plus 50 title. Can you believe that Nelson is turning 50 this year? Or that he’s going to travel all the way out west to BC and Alberta? Make sure you remind him every chance that you get. (Those comments probably just cost me any advertising opportunities with Machine Racing.)

Nelson’s still very much into moto, too, and is trying to decide who should run the Machine Racing colours this year. I mentioned Jason Burke, but he’s already supporting him in-directly through Brad Coles’ Label It program. If anyone thinks they’re tough enough to handle racing for the “Moaner,” shoot him an email at john@machineracing.com. I tried asking for ride but I had to hang up the phone after listening to Nelson laugh for 15 minutes.

And what would a Frid’Eh Update be without a mention of Kyle Keast. Not a very good one, that’s for sure. The latest news involves Keast partnering up with his local Suzuki dealership in Lindsay, Ontario. “They’re going to help me out with a 250F this year,” he says. “I’ll use that for the Provincials and also the Toronto Supercross coming up in March.” So that’s one Canuck in for Toronto. If anyone knows of any other riders planning to race, send an email to danny@directmotocross.com.

In off-road news, Marty “The Party” Halmazna is once again proving that he’s Canada’s toughest motorcycle rider in two weeks at the Hell’s Gate Enduro in Italy. “I was sad that Last Man Standing didn’t happen in 2008, so I started poking around for something to do,” says Halmazna. “I sent an email to the race [Hell’s Gate] organizers, asking them what’s going on. They had heard of me and pestered me to come out there. They said I would be the first Canadian to race the event and they’re helping me in getting over there, along with my sponsors. I’m pumped to go over and represent our country!”

As the name suggests, Hell’s Gate is no walk in the park. “At the end of the race, there is a hill called ‘Hell’s Climb,’ and it’s this hill that’s never been climbed,” says Halmazna. “The finish line is at the top and rumour has it that the spectactors almost don’t even let you climb the hill. If you make it that far, you must be one of the top riders in the world, and they take pride in helping you drag your bike up this impossible climb.”

Check out this video to see the extreme challenges Halmazna and riders from all over the world will face at Hell’s Gate.

While the three-time Erzberg Rodeo finisher is continuing to focus on conquering these “tough guy” events, he’s slowly falling in love with motocross—a side of racing he only recently discovered. “I got the bug because it was easier for me to go to the track and do motos and I got hooked,” he says. “When you start riding with guys like Julian Cerny, you get faster, and I’m having fun. I did a couple of vet nationals, and I had the speed, but I didn’t have that 25-minute stamina; I’m not used to sprinting like that. It’s helped me in the woods, too. I’m catching myself railing corners around trees and it’s only adding to my ability.”

Depending on how things work out with his schedule, we may see Halmazna line up for Canadian National or two, as well as some rounds of the CEC.

The Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series returns to the West Coast tomorrow night in San Francisco. Weege and Holley will be calling out on SupercrosLIVE!, You can catch TV coverage of the Lites class on SPEED Sunday @ noon EST, and Supercross action @ 2 PM EST on CBS.

Thanks for reading!