Frid'Eh Update #45 Presented by Hindle Offroad

Sponsored by: 

By Kyle Carruthers, Dawn McClintok, and Billy Rainford

Ok, everyone, don’t panic yet. Let's rewind a bit before last week’s update when I was talking about studding tires for the winter. Well, this still might be the case for some of Canada but this weekend in Ontario we are going to be seeing temperatures in the double digits with perfect riding conditions. I can’t stress enough how much you should take the bike out of that early-winter hibernation, grease it up, and hit your local track. I know tracks like Gopher Dunes and Motopark will be perfect this weekend and I am sure the east coast and the west coast, with places like Popkum, are just ready to be ripped up, unless you’re competing in the KTM Canadian AX Championship in Chilliwack? While you’re at it, go down to your local dealer, shoot the breeze and spend some of your hard-earned money. Heaven knows all the dealers could use the help this time of year and would appreciate the support.  Forget about raking the leaves, winterizing the house or other chores around the house. There will always be time for that stuff. Instead, spend it riding and laughing with your family and friends. Then, to top the weekend off, go buy a poppy ,string it on your coat and support our armed forces and veterans who have made it possible for us to enjoy this free country and ride our dirt bikes.

Lest we forget.

This week’s update is also brought to you by Hindle Exhaust. Have we mentioned before that Hindle is a Canadian company? Well if we haven’t drilled it into your head yet, we just did again. How cool is it that one of the leading exhaust companies in our sport is Canadian? Their products are great quality and show some of the best horsepower gains in the business. Make sure you consider them when looking to get that extra jam out of your new bike this year. They hold up and they are affordable for a full system. Check out www.hindle.com for more details.

www.hindle.com

This week’s update also goes out to national #45 Jerry Lorenz. Jerry is a Michigan rider who can commonly be seen at Canadian nationals. I caught up with Jerry this week and this is what he had to say.

“Hey, 2012 was good. I wanted to prove I could run up front and I feel I did, in both classes. My bikes were awesome this year. I learned a lot and will be ready for 2013. I feel I can be on the box. For 13 were going to do as many Canadian and U.S nationals as possible and hopefully end up on a team.”

Look for Jerry at a Canadian round near you next year. Bigwave photo

Thanks Jerry and best of luck in 2013. Last week’s update was dedicated to Mark – Antoine Belanger from Quebec and he read the article and got in touch with me.

“Hey, Kyle, thanks for contacting me and putting me on the site! My 2012 season went with a lot of bad luck; I got 2 concussions! I was pretty disappointed to be out of the nationals for 2012. At the Supermotocross of Montreal I did the final and finished 11th with a pretty bad start! I’m getting in shape and trying to be ready for the 2013 east part of the nationals.”

Thanks, Mark, and best of luck to you as well.

Well looks like the action was pretty hot at the KTM Canadian AX rounds in Chilliwack last weekend, but I will let Billy (who was there) get into that more later.

The talk for this weekend is KTM rider Kaven Benoit is going out to ride a Maple Ridge Motorsports KTM and compete. He missed last weekend from being sick, but he reports that he is ready for action and will be lining up tonight. Most of the silly season talk is around Kaven right now and in the team managers' eyes he is the most sought-after ride for 2012. Where will he land? Only time will tell. Either way, I am sure the Orange team of KTM is pumped to have him on their bike this weekend as he goes for main event wins.

Kaven's Maple Ridge Motorsports steed ready to race. Kaven Benoit photo

Now here’s Dawn McClintock with some thoughts on her Nitro Circus experience.

What a great week it has been. Last weekend I made my way up to the Carruther's ranch where we joined forces with a bunch of fantastic moto people and raised a whack of money for a private track owner who has been shut down and has some hefty lawyer bills to settle up. It was amazing to see how our little moto community bans together to help one of our own when they are in need. While being super cold out, it was still a great day of riding followed by some good eats (and shenanigans) hosted by the Amyotte family. Thank you Leanne, Rick and family for your hospitality. Thanks to all who participated and sponsored the event. I believe last count was around $5,700 raised. Well done crew! (By the way Rick; Matthes called and he wants his shorts back.)

Last night the fun continued when I made my way up to London for the only Canadian showing of Nitro Circus 3D at the Westmount Cineplex. Canada's own, former Women's MX champ, Jolene Van Vugt is part of the Nitro crew and had a break in her schedule to come back home for the showing. Releasing the movie in Canada never did happen, so the Van Vugt family themselves decided to hire the theatre and put on a one-off showing. Jolene was set up an hour prior to the show to sign autographs and pose for fan photos. 220 tickets were sold and fans, friends and family flocked from all over to be there. Some crazy dude even drove down from Sudbury on his day off after flying home from his work in the remote north which takes about 14 hours return flight. Now that's a hard core fan right there. Following the movie, Jolene drew numbers and gave out some cool swag.

Jolene signed autographs before the show started. Sean Bowker photo

Banjos and bagpipes; jumping semis, school buses, wheelchairs and even coolers. It's all in there and the 3D effect was...just wow! The opening freestyle sequence was off the scale and left you wanting more and trust me you got it. The action sequences were broken up with interviews by notable personalities chiming in on their experiences with the NC crew. We heard from Channing Tatum, Ken Block, Johnny Knoxville and Ryan Sheckler to name a few. We got a mix of live show clips right through to backyard antics that happen at the Pastrana compound (don't turn right). Who knew real life Angry Birds could be so fun. Check out the trailer below to get a sample of the frosted doughnut tube fired at the crew at full speed as they wait their fate.

The house filled up quick last night. Sean Bowker photo

I know so many Canadian fans were hugely disappointed when the word got out that the film wouldn't be released in Canada. Jolene sent me a quick text this morning that she wanted me to share with you all. "I'm just so bummed the rest of Canada and our Canada Nitro fans won't get to see it the way it should be seen...on the big screen in 3D "

For those interested, the launch date for DVD sales is November 13. For more details you can visit http://nitrocircus.com/the-nitro-circus-3d-movie/

Awesome to see a Canadian moto girl see so much success in our sport. Sean Bowker photo

Thanks Jolene, Billy, Leah, Bill, Tina and Michelle for making this event happen for a small pocket of your fans and best of luck to Jolene as she heads to Europe to start her NC live tour over there!

Have a great weekend guys!

Cheers,
Dawn

Thanks Dawn and I am definitely disappointed I missed last night. As Dawn was mentioning, last weekend at my home track of 'Carruthers Ranch' we had a great fundraiser ride day to help support a buddy of mine who had his private track shut down by the town. Between the ride day and after party the group came together and raised $5700.00, like Dawn said. I know Adam and his family are extremely greatful for the support and appreciate it dearly. We have a video of the event from Mason Wrozyna going up shortly here on DMX, so keep your eyes out for it.

Bercy Supercross is this weekend as well. There are no Canadians but it is always a great entertaining race. I know Steve Matthes is over there so you can follow @pulpmx on twitter for updates and www.pulpmx.com and racerxonline.com for all the updates from that event.

Tyler Medgalia may not be in Bercy but he is in Germany riding a Honda at the Stuttgart Supercross. We will definitely catch up with him early next week to see how his weekend went.

Ok, over to Billy.

Thanks, guys. I’ve had a great week out here on the west coast, spending time with old friends in Vancouver. After a great weekend of racing at rounds 3 and 4 of the KTM Canadian Arenacross Championships at the Chilliwack Heritage Park in Chilliwack, BC, the action starts again tonight. Huge thanks to Cycle North Powersports and Kourtney Lloyd for giving us the opportunity to get out here and cover the series. If there's one thing I can't stand it's having Canadians race motocross somewhere in the world and not be there to cover it! 

Missing this time will be Image Tech Airway MX Park rider, Brad Nauditt. Brad underwent Lasic eye surgery yesterday down in Washington State to fix eyesight that, as he says, had him just above legally blind. I ask you, how can you go that fast with eyes that bad? I’m a little worried for the rest of the field if he comes back to the next rounds after he recovers. Brad said that he had difficulty focusing quickly which must make racing motocross next to impossible. Here's what he had to say about the procedure after it was done:

"It went good from what they said. I just got home and I can barley see. Everything is so blurry and light sensitive. I saw a pic of myself and I decided it was time to turn the lights off!"

Let's hope he heals quickly and can get back up here for the next rounds of the series to make things more interesting.

BC riders have always been great at indoor racing. The KTM Canadian Arenacross Championships has always given those who could participate an advantage as they moved into their potential supercross or arenacross stage of their riding careers. Darcy Lange, Kyle Beaton, Brady Sheren, Colton Facciotti, and now Spencer Knowles are all products of this great series. There are two youngsters out here now that are next in line: Dylan Delaplace and Jesse Pettis. I had a chance to chat with Dylan last night to get to know him a little better and to find out how he is making out now that he is a full-time pro racer and is competing in the series in BC this winter.

DMX: Hello, Dylan, would you mind introducing yourself for those who aren’t familiar with you yet?

Dylan Delaplace: Hello, my name is Dylan Delaplace, I live in Langley, BC and I’m 17. I’ve been riding since I was 3 and racing since I was 4.

We’re here heading into rounds 5 and 6 of the arenacross series, how has it gone for you so far?

I didn’t have the results I was looking for in Cloverdale, but I came into last weekend with a more open mind about how I was going to do and managed to make it into all the mains except one. I was happy, overall, with last weekend. I’m going to try to stay off the ground.

They’ve redone the track for this weekend. What do you think of the new track design?

The track looks pretty good this weekend. They put in some whoops this weekend so that will separate riders more than last weekend instead of ‘freight-training’ around the whole track. I think it’s going to be good.

How are your whoop skills?

Not too bad. I’m getting better at them by riding with some faster guys this year.

How is the transition to pro going for you?

It was a big transition for me. Intermediates aren’t as aggressive so I had to change up my riding style a little bit to race with these guys and try to stay closer to the front.

How did you do last year in the intermediate classes?

I won all the motos in intermediate last year in arenacross. Outdoors, I did pretty good last year. I did the outdoor nationals and qualified for every round I tried.

What are you hoping for this weekend?

I want to qualify for every main but that’s going to be pretty tough with (Kaven) Benoit and everyone here, so qualifying and improving my finishes from last weekend are my goals.

Are you close with any of these top guys? Has anyone been giving you any pointers?

Ya, Ryan (Lockhart) and I spent all summer riding together and they give me pointers here and there.

Well, thanks for chatting with us. I know you’re about to head onto the track for your practice session, but go ahead and thank your sponsors before you head off.

Thanks. I’d like to thank RTR Performance, Factory Connection, CTS Suspension, PTI Graphics, TLD, Arai helmets, Ogio, CTi2, Renegade Fuels, and Spy.

Watch for Dylan to do well this weekend as he keeps getting used to racing these other top riders in the pro classes. It’s always great to see young riders as committed to the sport as this. The future is indoors, so the sooner you embrace it the better off you’ll be as a racer.

RTR KTM rider, Dylan Delaplace, is ready to take the next step to becoming a competitive pro rider here in Canada. Bigwave photo

I was able to get out to Chilliwack Heritage Park last night to watch some of the pro riders practice on the newly-designed track. I know that Cycle North Kawasaki rider, Ryan Lockhart, was disapponted last week that there was no whoop section to separate the riders, so he has to be happy this weekend. There is a tricky section along the spectator straight that, I'm sure, will be the focus of a lot of eyes this weekend. They aren't perfectly spaced out and are of slightly different sizes. It is going to be difficult for anyone to get on top of them consistently and even more difficult for those who don't have experience dealing with this tricky obstacle. I predict one or two riders getting very well-acquainted with the fence at the end of the section.

As Kyle mentioned, Kaven Benoit made it out here this weekend. He was suffering from bronchitis (and still isn't 100%) and will see what he can do this weekend on his Maple RIdge Motorsports KTM 250F this week. I was watching him and he looked good except through the whoops. He's pitted directly across from Ryan Lockhart who has Donk for his mechanic. Lockhart's bike looks great through them so I wonder how much information Donk would be willing to pass on to Kaven? I'm guessing not much. Donk mentioned that he "knew a few tricks" to get Ryan's bike through the whoops better. Anyway, if Kaven can get his bike tracking through the whoops a little better for the races, I'm sure he will be right up front battling with the leaders. Where's my boy, Jerome? Oh, I should mention that Kaven said he was very close to finalizing his deal for next year. He knows where he wants to be, but we'll just have to wait to see what 2013 has in store for this potential MX2 champ. I tried bluffing him into giving it away, but he's much too smart for my antics.

Kaven Benoit is here on a Maple Ridge Motorsports KTM. He isn't feeling 100% but if he gives 110 it should work out about even. Bigwave photo

Speaking of Ryan Lockhart, we mentioned he was having issues with his knee again last week so I asked him how he was doing. One look at his right knee and he didn't really have to say a word. It is really frustrating for him that they don't seem to be able to get it sorted out after all this time. Last time he had troubles with it, they went in and actually found a piece of medical hardware left inside! Anyway, he's riding through some discomfort, but will be out there on the track regardless. He has a ton of indoor experience and I think that will pay off for him as others struggle through the whoop section. (we could play a drinking game where you have to take a drink every time I say, 'whoop.')

In my photo report last week I may have come across a little harsher than I meant to Big Steel Box rider, #4 Brayden Stuart, regarding the Dash for Cash final. It's pretty much anything goes in these things (and he reminded me of some of Lee Coutts finals) so I guess I should have made it clearer that I was just ribbing him last week. I spoke to him last night during the practice session and everything is fine. Just don't cut the track this weekend and we'll be fine, Brayden. Sorry, I couldn't resist...and I'll add an 'LOL' to be clear.

Big Steel Box rider, Brayden Stuart, took home $500 for winning the Dash for Cash last Saturday night. Bigwave photo

I saw a photo of Nathan Bles riding trails up in Sudbury, Ontario, so I got in touch with him to see what that was all about.

"Well, just in Sudbury getting my mining ticket to be able to work underground. Will be done tomorrow. I haven't figured out what I am doing next year. I hope I can get a bike and stuff together for next, but haven't found any help yet."

Wow, times are tough in moto these days! Hopefully, someone with the skills Nathan has can come up with something for the racing season in 2013. It would be sad to lose another rider of his caliber due to lack of any sort of backing.

I always like to find out who is heading south to compete in the big amateur championships over the winter months. The Mini O's are coming up Nov 19-24 at Gatorback, so I did some digging to see who was planning to attend. I caught up with young Kennedy Lutz from Yorkton, SK. She impressed a lot of people when I was there last year so I was hoping she was going to be able to return this year. Here is what she had to say about what she's been up to since we last saw her and what her plans are:

"Since Walton, I haven't been riding a whole lot. Went to a couple Saskatchewan rounds and practiced at our local track a few times. All of October our weather has been terrible, so I haven't been on a bike for about 6 weeks. I just got a YZ125 that I will ride for the first time when we practice at GPF next week. Also trying to make my supermini a little taller to maybe be able to ride it one more year.

We leave tomorrow for GPF. We hope to get there sometime Sunday, and practice until Thursday. Friday I get to ride with James Stewart at his house in Florida. All of the first place finishers at Freestone Spring National last year got invited to go.

If I I'm riding my 125 good enough, I will enter in the ladies class on it at Mini O's. I will also enter girls 12-15 and supermini 1 class. I'm still eligible to race in the girls 9-11 and 85 9-11 class but I'm just too tall for my 85. I don't really have any expectations on how I'm going to finish, but top 3 in the girls would be nice. I want to get more seat time on my big bike so I can be fast for next spring.

Over winter I'm going to do some training in Texas, hopefully more than last year, and get ready to race the Spring Nationals at Mill Creek, Oak Hill, and Freestone. Come spring, I will decide if I will continue riding my supermini and qualify for Loretta's 12-15 girls class. It would be nice to be racing my 125 at some of the Canadian national rounds, but they sometimes conflict with my Loretta Qualifiers.

I definitely want to thank the people that helped me out: Rick at Schraders, Doug at Yorkton Dodge, EBR Performance, FMF, Loudmouth, and my dad and little sister for all the time they dedicate for my racing."

Thanks for the update, Kennedy. I'm not sure if DMX will make it to the Mini O's, but don't let that stop you from kicking butt down there! Good luck.

I can't believe we're already at week #45. This is a special week for me because #45 was the very first number I chose when I started racing 'back in the day.' I will now bore you with how I came about picking this number...

I was a young lad of 12 and had just got my first dirt bike. It was an old Kawasaki KX80 and the guy I bought it from had never put a number on the black plates, so I decided it was something I was going to have to remedy. I racked my brain for any number that had significance. I had nothing. I didn't even have a favourite colour! The only thing I could come up with was the possibility of #24 after a case of beer. Then, as I watched the World Series for the first and only time in my life, I took a liking to the Philladelphia pitcher, Tug McGraw, simply because of his funny name. He happened to be #45. I hope everyone feels better knowing that story. Also, please don't Google this information or you will find out how old I really am!

Like I mentioned earlier, I had a chance to hang out with friends in Vancouver during the week. As I roamed around I grabbed the odd photo to share. Here's a look at a few things I did this week:

You have to love Vancouver when the weather is nice in November! That's the 137 metre pool, Kits Beach, and downtown. You could throw a rock from here and hit my old place. Man, I miss the west coast! Bigwave photo

Guys, you know how you wake up every morning and thank Lululemon for inventing the 'stretch yoga pant?' Well, that business has been very good to founder, Chip Wilson, who just bought 2 or 3 waterfront lots, bulldozed them, and is building an absolute palace! I won't even get into the origin of the name... Bigwave photo

I went out and visited my clothing sponsor (you heard me), Arson, to pick up some new swag. They are having their annual Factory Outlet Sale this weekend. If you're in the Vancouver area, check it out! Bigwave photo

They love me there and are always happy when I come for a visit, as 'The Jane' demonstrates. Bigwave photo

Since we are in the middle of some cool-but-sunny weather out here right now, I rented a car and headed out to the Popkum track to see what was going on. Here are a few pics of the place:

Situated alongside the #1 Highway, Popkum is a must-see if you're in the area. Bigwave photo

The little bike track looks pretty sweet, but all the recent rain means they will need a few dry days to have it ready to ride. Bigwave photo

The dog-house (which would look much better pink) and start straight. Bigwave photo

The track is built on the edge of a mountain, so they face a few added challenges like massive boulders. Bigwave photo

Where I'm from, this means squirrels, sparrows, or maybe a ground hog...here, it means bears, mountain lions, and cougars (the bad kind)! Bigwave photo

That's John Holden. He was happy to show me around the place and explain the overall goals. Bigwave photo

This rock separator is worth its weight in gold around these parts! Bigwave photo

The track is literally at the side of the busy highway. You can't miss it! Bigwave photo

Ok, that ends this week's 'Show and Tell' portion.

As Kyle mentioned, good luck to Tyler Medaglia who is over in Stuttgart, Germany, competing this weekend. I found a live stream link for the event. Germany is 6 hours ahead of Toronto, so if opening ceremonies are in Germany are at 6:00pm (and a train leaves Baltimore 30-minutes later) that should mean they are live at noon today in Toronto? Anyway, here is the link.

Also, last week I linked the Arenacross Tour down in the deep south that Cole Thompson will be competing in. The series starts this weekend in West Monroe, LA. Cole was the one to beat in the events he hit last winter, so look for him to pocket some cash as he tries to earn enough money so he can hit the Eastcoast LItes supercross races. Here is a link to their home page so you can get results as soon as they are available.

I'll end my contribution this week with a short video of the track here in Chilliwack. I took video of three of the contenders; Spencer Knowles, Ryan Lockhart, and Keven Benoit. It's a lap from each of them. I apologize for the quality of the video. I'm staying in a hotel (Thanks, FWP!) and, since I shot the video just last night, I didn't know how fast it would uplaod to Youtube so I cranked the quality way down to ensure the quickest upload possible. Anyway, here it is. It will give you an idea of what the track looks like and you can bench race about who looks the best on their one lap. Good luck to everyone racing and enjoy your riding wherever you are. Don't forget to take a moment to remember those who fought and gave their lives so we could enjoy all the things we take for granted. 11-11-11.