Frid’Eh Update #18 | Parker Eales | Brought to You by KTM Canada
By Billy Rainford
Welcome to Week #18 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update this week brought to you by KTM Canada. It’s a weekend at home for me this week, for the first time in a while. I’m looking forward to getting out on the mountain bikes with Greg Poisson this afternoon, riding somewhere local on Saturday, and then heading up to Auburn to check out Round 2 of the AMO Racing series at the track many rank as their favourite of all time. I may not be going to Denver for Supercross, but my weekend is definitely slammed!
The past 3 weekends were a blast and a blur. I went to Atlanta, New Jersey, and then Nashville. Emily was able to come to the last 2 with me, so that was great. We both really enjoy the trip to New Jersey and Nashville. If you’re wondering which race to go to in the future, I’d put both of these high on your list of possibilities. East Rutherford is literally across the river from New York City and it’s a great chance to pop into the Big Apple to see what all the fuss is about. If you’re not a big city kind of person, this trip may not actually be for you. We’d had about enough after the 2 days we spent there. LOL
Nashville is a great city with tons of cool things to do and check out. The food and music scene are amazing. Nissan Stadium is right across the Cumberland River from Broadway where all the action is. You can find easy parking at the stadium or your hotel and grab a little stand-up electric scooter and buzz to a million different hot spots in a matter of minutes. We really hope Feld can make Nashville a regular stop on the circuit.
#18 is Parker Eales from Maple Ridge, BC. We’ve been in contact with Parker a lot this past winter. He was down in California racing some 250 West Supercross again this season so I saw him, Kyle Springman, and Kevin Urqhart at all the usual practice track in SoCal while I was out there in January.
Parker may be our tallest racer we have on the Canadian Triple Crown Series circuit, but he’s definitely got the thickest head of hair, no question. But would you believe that every hairdresser (barber) I went to when I was younger would always say, “Wow, you’ll never go bald…you’ve got the thickest head of hair I’ve ever seen!” It’s true.
Let’s have a look at Parker’s 2022 Canadian season:
After the Calgary Arenacross, Parker lined up for the Future West Moto Canadian Arenacross Championships and took home the Pro title.
We got in touch with him to talk about it all and what he’s got planned for the upcoming racing season:
Direct Motocross: Hello again, Parker. We had some fun chasing you around California for some Supercross this season. Looking back over your races, can you tell us how you feel about it and what you learned?
Parker Eales: Hey, Billy! Hope things are well with you. Man, that was a great experience for sure, I wish things could have gone a bit better but with not much prep and the weather that we were given, I was pretty happy with it all. I learned so much, to be honest, Supercross is a whole nother ball game and I was pretty stoked to be able to get the chance to get my feet wet with it.
Would you suggest others try to make some AMA Supercross races happen and what’s the minimum they would/should do to take a shot at it?
Yeah, for sure! If you have some half decent support, I’d suggest to do it! It’s definitely a lot of money and it takes some serious time and effort to get comfortable with it, but, if the opportunity is there, why not try and take it. I’d been thinking about it for a few years and this year back in October I just told myself that I’m going to do it no matter what. lol. It’s probably only going to get harder to do as you get older.
I spoke to Kyle Springman after the Big Kahuna but not you yet. Can you tell us how that event went for you?
The Big Kahuna was rad! It’s such a cool event. This year was my second time doing it. I loved it! It went well actually! I wasn’t able to get a big tank for my bike so I had to stop for fuel like three times so that made it a little tough, but overall I was stoked with how it went.
Is off-road racing something you might get more into when you stop chasing the MX Nationals?
100%. I love that type of riding. I’d be interested in doing that also as I race MX. It’s a special feeling when you’re able to race for 2.5-3 hours and make it out alive!
Kyle said there was no time for beer after the race! Enduro is all about the after-beer. Were you able to celebrate afterward?
Haha We were all so done from the race! The first thought was getting some water in us. No adult beverages this time!
Weak. I’m also always checking out the mountain bike riding and racing you guys are doing out there in BC. Have you done any racing this spring?
Yeah, I’d seen there was some mountain bike racing going on. I hadn’t done any myself but I saw Davey Fraser was racing and by the looks of it, he did super well, which is cool to see. The trails around home have been awesome lately so I’ve definitely been getting my laps in, just no racing for me.
Are you a big downhill guy or do you do XC stuff too? What’s your preference?
I’m pretty interested in all types of riding. I enjoy earning my turns for sure but a day hitting some big jumps is what I love most! I am not an e-bike guy yet unlike a few of my friends! 😉
How has work been going? Can you tell everyone what it is you do when you’re not riding or racing?
It’s been going well! Busy, busy this time of year for sure! It seems like the days just fly by. Being at work for 9-10 hours each day then either riding or doing some training after really makes for a busy schedule, but I love it! I do civil construction. I’m fortunate to be able to run my own job and crew which actually helps with my schedule for racing MX.
OK, speaking of racing, what are your plans for this summer? Will you be flying in and out or how is this summer going to go?
My plans are to do the whole series! I’m going to drive to the west rounds, of course, but after that I’m going to be sending my bike out east. The plan is to work from Monday to Friday at around lunch then catch a flight out east to the races and fly home Sunday night. I think for Quebec and Moncton I’ll have to fly home Monday morning. That’s the plan as of now, unless something comes up. I’d love to take the summer off and hit the road over anything but at the moment it really isn’t in the budget for me to do.
As a tall guy with the biggest head of hair, what are some of the positives and negatives of being over 6’3” and racing moto? Do you find it has unique challenges?
There’s definitely some positives for sure. I think you can really use your leverage for gripping the bike and it also helps when the ruts get super deep. There are some challenges for sure! Lower back gets a little sore. haha. I find myself running my legs over sometimes???
I checked out results from Kelowna but it looks like the laps and timing may have been off? Can you tell us how you did at that one in the Pro Am class? I see young Blake Davies grabbed the start and won moto 2, how is everyone looking?
Kelowna was fun. Saturday went pretty well, I showed some good speed, I thought. Kelowna is a great track but it’s super fast and kind of follow-the-leader. Sunday was an off day for sure. It was a mudder out there and I found myself on the ground in my motos. Blake was riding great though. He had some really good speed especially for how muddy it was! He’s riding super well and I think you’re gonna see big things from him this summer!
Will you do any more racing before we head to Round 1 in Edmonton?
Yeah, for sure! Last weekend I actually went to Calgary to do their Spring Series. Did a bit of racing with a fellow rider at the crossroads. I think you know who I am talking about. I’ll do some more of the Future West rounds too.
Haha Paging Keylan Meston… Are you looking forward to this “hybrid” race at RAD Torque Raceway? What are you hoping for this season?
Yeah, I think it’s going to be pretty sweet. I think it would be nice to have a bit of a preview what we are up against. I don’t think anyone knows what it’s going to be like. Should be cool to try something new like that though. I’m super excited for this season! I’m hoping to get some good starts and put myself up there with that group. I know I can pick my pace up when I get a start with those guys and hopefully build from there. A consistent summer is what I’m looking for!
OK, thank you for chatting with us again, Parker. Do you have your hair figured out for this season and who would you like to thank?
You bet, Billy, thanks for the interview! It’s never figured out, you know that! Big thank you to: Holeshot Motorsports, Fox Canada, KTM Canada, Direct Suspension Services, Fusion Graffix, Matrix Concepts, FMF Vision, Mobius Braces, Seco Seat Cover, Frazer Excavation.
Supercross Heads to Denver
With only 2 rounds left to decide champions in the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series, the anticipation of these titles coming down to the wire left the conversation when #2 Cooper Webb crashed and got hurt in Nashville last Saturday. Here’s his update:
Defending champion #1 Eli Tomac now has an 18-point lead over #23 Chase Sexton who won last week ahead of Tomac. Most think Chase will win these last 2 rounds and Eli will happily podium his way to his 3rd 450 SX title.
#51 Justin Barcia and #21 Jason Anderson were also victims of the tricky Nashville track and will miss the remaining rounds. So that means, #94 Ken Roczen jumps up the ranks and will likely take 3rd in the series when the checkered flag waves in SLC (he’s currently 24 points down).
In the 250 West class, #18 Jett Lawrence is as dominant as his older brother, Hunter Lawrence, in the East. These 2 Aussies are head and shoulders above the rest of the 250 class riders, and I don’t care how you slice it. Jett has a 39-point lead over #24 RJ Hampshire while Enzo Lopes (118) and #43 Levi “The Heat” Kitchen (112) are left to fight over 3rd spot.
At this point, I’m afraid all we can do is enjoy the quality of riding at the front and look for battles throughout the field to pay attention to.
Denver will also host the Pulp MX Yamaha LCQ Challenge this year. I was at it last season and it was a blast. The privateers get a great change to rake in substantial amounts of money and it’s really cool that Steve Matthes organizes this event.
We went LIVE on Instagram last year in Salt Lake City. You can watch that here:
First Look: 2023 Thor GasGas Racing Race Bikes
First look at the Thor GasGas Racing race bikes for the 2023 Canadian Triple Crown Series.
Mitchell Harrison – 2023 GASGAS MC 250F
Ève Brodeur – 2023 GASGAS MC 250F
Tyler Medaglia – 2023.5 GASGAS MC 450F Factory Edition
Shelby Turner Recovering from Double ACL Surgery
We’ve mentioned this in weeks past, but if you’re not following her progress on her Instagram page, you should be; she’s an animal and a total inspiration!
Good luck with it all, Shelby.
Canadian Triple Crown Series Less than a Month Away!
We are now within a month of Round 1 of the 2023 Canadian Triple Crown Series MX Nationals at RAD Torque Raceway outside Edmonton, Alberta. And don’t forget, this round will serve as both a Supercross round and a Motocross round. We’re not really sure what to expect from the track, but we’ve been told that riders should show up with MX suspension.
#1 Dylan Wright is coming into this season with 2 solid ACL’s and an undefeated season to work with. As far as the 450 class is concerned, I think the title is his to lose and the excitement at the front of the pack will again be the streak.
One would have to think that a healthy #15 Jess Pettis will be Dylan’s biggest threat. He took the season off from Supercross to focus on being ready to dethrone the Honda star in 2023. He’s really the last rider to show he can run the pace of the defending champ, so we’ll be interested to see how they come out of the gate in Edmonton.
The battle for 3rd place between riders #5 Tyler Medaglia and a rejuvenated #3 Shawn Maffenbeier should be the other action to keep an eye on. I really shouldn’t count either of these two veterans out of the possibility of a win either.
Behind them, I think you can expect some great battles between #84 Tanner Ward, #25 Daniel Elmore and new-to-the-450-class #20 Jeremy McKie.
Tanner will be mad at me for not mentioning him in the first paragraph, and after round 1 I may have to edit him in there, but we’ll wait until the dust settles in Alberta.
I think the 2 riders to keep an eye on are Elmore and McKie. We all expect great things out of the other riders I’ve mentioned because they’ve already shown it at this level, but I think the trajectory of #25 and #20 will have a lot of fans impressed.
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The 250 class is where a lot of the buzz will be this season. A few weeks ago, picking a winner was difficult enough, but since then, defending champ #64 Ryder McNabb and former 250 East Champion #891 Justin Bogle have been injured.
Ryder is coming back from a broken leg and Justin broke his arm while training. Neither rider will have much time on their bikes before the gate drops on June 3rd. In fact, it will be a surprise if Bogle can be at Round 1 on the bike at all! I speak with WLTN Kawasaki Seven team owner Brett Lee quite frequently and he says we’ll just have to wait and see how Justin is coming along.
As far as other riders to watch, the 250 class will have world class rider Josiah Natzke, 2021 250 champion Jake Piccolo, and 2022 250 Triple Crown champion Mitchell Harrison, to name a few of the top contenders.
But don’t forget about the next few riders:
#14 Quinn Amyotte has been racing and training all winter down in Florida. He keeps getting faster and should be one of the riders looking to race with the other top guys.
I think #12 Sebastien Racine will be a rider to watch this season. He came out guns a-blazing last season and should be more comfortable racing at the front this year. Not to mention, he finished 3rd overall in the 250 class last year!
I also expect good things from Julien Benek (250?), Zach Ufimzeff, Tyler Gibbs, Dylan Rempel, Tyler Yates, Wyatt Kerr, and Preston Masciangelo. I don’t expect to see them in the top 3 at the end of motos, but it would be cool if they proved me wrong! The names I mentioned ahead of these guys don’t leave a lot of room in the top 10 and I think these riders are the ones who will be fighting for the remaining spots.
As far as youngsters go, let’s all watch the progression of Tanner Scott and Blake Davies. These 2 will be Al Dyck‘s riders on the MVP Racing Team and should be on a fast-improving trajectory this season. Tanner is a first-year Pro and Blake will be their yellow-plated amateur rider.
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Watch for our preview shows coming up on the site. We’ll break it down further before we get to round 1.
May is Motorcycle Safety & Awareness Month
As a motorcyclist, May 1st signifies the true start of the riding season here in Canada. It is also the start of the Motorcycle Safety & Awareness Month.
The safety part refers to the rider. It encourages you to refresh your riding skills through training & practice. It reminds you to wear all the gear all the time (ATGATT). Riding safe is all about having the skills and making the right decisions.
Awareness pertains to automobiles. Motorcycles are back on the road again. Please use your social media tools to remind all drivers to add motorcycles to their visual menus.
The Return of Jimmy Decotis?
I’m not one to start rumours, but Mrs. Decotis (Jamie the Canadian) told me in Nashville that Jimmy Decotis was hoping to line up for a Canadian MX National this coming summer and that Sand Del Lee is the obvious choice after Jimmy riding for the team.
It would be great to see Jimmy back at the races even if it is just for a one-off race after his long battle with Lyme Disease. See you this summer, guys!
OK, that’ll do it for this week. Greg and I are heading out for a MTB ride now. He’s on a brand new steed so he should be pretty happy. Enjoy the Denver Supercross and if you’re going to be in Auburn on Sunday, I’ll see you there!
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