Frid’Eh Update #21 | Tiger Wood | Brought to You by Dirt Care
Week #21 belongs to Tiger Wood who is from Australia but now calls Florida home and is brought to you by Dirt Care.
By Billy Rainford
Welcome to Week #21 of the DMX Frid’EH Update brought to you by Dirt Care Cleaners and Lubricants. I don’t know about where you are but here in southwestern Ontario the weather has been cold and rainy the past few days. It’s too wet to load up the dirt bike, too wet and windy to ride the road bike, and the trails would be way too messy to ride the MTB. Basically, it sucks.
It reminds me of the spring/summer of 1982 when it seemed to rain every weekend. Did I really just try a call back to 43 years ago??? If you’re young and reading this now, don’t worry, all it takes is time…
Anyway, we’re now just one week away from the start of the 2025 Canadian Triple Crown Series Motocross Nationals at Wild Rose MX in Calgary, Alberta, and just one day from the start of the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championships at Fox Raceway in Pala, California.
It’s always interesting to see which Canadians will line up to race down south before starting the Canadian series and #800 Preston Masciangelo is one of them. He’s in southern California on the eve of lining up against some of the best in the world in the heat and dust of the San Diego area.
From his Instagram page:
250 Provisional Entry List
*Provisional Entry List is subject to change
450 Provisional Entry List
*Provisional Entry List is subject to change
Lots of injured riders will make their return to action tomorrow, so we should see a bunch of the familiar names up at the front battling for podium positions. How fast will the usual top riders like Jett Lawrence, Eli Tomac, Jorge Prado, and Hunter Lawrence be tomorrow? They’ll be up there with Chase Sexton, we know that. How will Benoit Paturel and Valentin Guillod do?
You can watch the Press Conference that was streamed live below:
Fox Raceway TV & Streaming
- Race Day Live (Qualifying) Live – 1:00 PM EDT
- Pre-Race Show Live – 3:30 PM EDT
- Motos Live – 4:00 PM EDT
But before we get there…
Tiger Wood is the Australian rider who calls Florida home who we got to know pretty well last year when he rode for the Honda Canada GDR Fox Racing team at our Nationals. He earned #21 for the 2025 season but he will ride for the PHNX Honda team down south with specific races targeted for the summer which you’ll learn about in our interview.
Here’s a look at how his stay in Canada went last summer:
He raced SMX Next all winter and finished that series with a 10th at the Championship race in Pittsburgh.
He was heading out for a cycle when I spoke with him but he was going to stop at a coffee shop when he was finished to get our chat done. It must be nice to ride in the heat. We haven’t had many opportunities to do that here yet. Cycling and coffee, 2 of my favourite things!
Hello, Tiger. I’ve actually seen you a few times this winter at the Supercross races because you race SMX Next this season. But before we talk about those, let’s back up to last summer up here in Canada. You ended up 8th in the 250 class with a best overall of 6th at Round 2 in Alberta. How would you sum up your racing up here last summer?
Tiger Wood: My summer last year was definitely a learning curve. I learnt a lot and had some tough lessons, but I think it was good to go up there and I think I’m a better racer because of it!
Did you guys have fun travelling a new country? What did you like about Canada and did anything drive you nuts here?
Yeah, I had a fun time traveling around the country with my dad. There were definitely a lot of tough drives after the races but it was so cool getting to see all the new places! Probably the thing that made us go nuts the most was traveling through Quebec not knowing any French. lol. Still was great to experience though!
We always say that every Australian we run into here seems super nice. I always joke that it’s because every one we meet is on holidays! Lol Canadians have a reputation as being some of the friendliest people in the world. Can you confirm this reputation?
Yes, I think that would be a fair statement! Everyone that I spoke to was super friendly and nice!
Side note: I always ask an Aussie what part of Whistler they’re from. Yes, it’s a bit of a dad joke, but it works every time.
I’ve never heard that one. 😂
When I first bumped into you and your dad down south, I asked if you were coming back to Canada in 2025 and it sounded like it was sort of a handshake deal but nothing was official. Can you talk about that at all? Were you expecting to come back up here?
I really wasn’t sure… My dad and I definitely considered it but it just didn’t work out this year.
So, you raced the SMX Next series this winter. Prior to the Championship round in Pittsburg, how had the races gone for you? Were you happy with it?
Yes, I had a pretty good first season on SX. Not super happy with how I rode on the weekends, but it was good to experience it and I think I’ll be better for my 2nd season!
And then you finished 10th in Pittsburg which was the championship. How did that race go for you?
I was pretty disappointed on my result in Pittsburgh. I didn’t have the best start and got tangled in a pile up on lap 1. I actually felt that was the best riding I’d done on race day but the results didn’t show for it which was a bummer.
Supercross is a different animal for sure. What was the toughest thing for you to adjust to and what did you learn from this season?
It being my first season, I would have to say just getting used to the suspension and learning to trust it with how stiff it is. Also learning how to ride tracks that tight with stiff suspension that doesn’t want to turn great is a challenge, so you do really have to change your technique for SX.
What have you been doing since the series ended?
As soon as Pittsburgh was over I got back on MX and have been grinding getting ready for the first round of MX Combines.
So, is that your focus on this summer? What are you racing?
My focus is doing the 3 Scouting Moto Combines. I’ve been working hard and I really want to put in some good results in the 3 races this summer.
And then you’ll do the final 2 SMX Next Finals in Charlotte and St Louis, I assume? Are you looking forward to the hybrid tracks?
Yes, I am! It will be good to learn something new again. I’m exited and looking forward to getting on the hybrid track after Ironman MX and working on getting a setup dialled for Charlotte!
Obviously, your goal is to land a ride to race indoors and out down south at some point, I assume? That’s always been your goal, right?
Yes, that has been my goal ever since I moved over here! The rest of this year is really important and I’m working hard to try and make that a reality.
Would you consider coming north again if it was an option? Would you ever consider heading back to Australia to race?
I think I would definitely consider racing up north or back home, but my goal is definitely racing Pro in the US.
Hey, before we let you go, give us your numbers. What is your age, height and weight?
I’m 18 years old, 5’11″ in height, and 155 pounds
Well, it’s been great getting to know you guys. I’m sure I haven’t seen the last of you. Good luck with your racing this summer. Is there anyone yo’d like to thank before you go?
I’d like to thank the Phoenix Racing Honda team for giving me the opportunity to race for them this year! Thank you!
Claudie and James Lissimore are Parents!
Congratulations to Claudie and James Lissimore who welcomed their first child into the world just now! Eleanor Lissimore will have no choice but to grab a camera and a bicycle before she’s even walking. It looks like James has a new assistant.
How “Cool” is Guaranteed Comfort Honda Team?
Just how “cool” is the Guaranteed Comfort Hanover Honda team, you ask? Check this out:
This is the other powerhouse HVAC team out of Ontario that will be competing in our MX Nationals this summer. As you can see, they are a Honda team, however, they have welcomed #14 Quinn Amyotte into the fold on his privateer KTM.
As I keep saying, HVAC is the the new Energy Drink in our sport!
It’s pretty easy to see the upside of having the very likeable rider on your squad. Good luck to everyone.
Riviere-du-Loup Arenacross this Weekend
The 43rd Annual Riviere-Du-Loup Arenacross is this weekend. If you’re anywhere near the area, you owe it to yourself to check this event out. I haven’t been in quite a few years, but the last time I was there it was something to remember. You won’t see local support anywhere like you see when the AX riders come to town in RDL!
Sure, gone are the days when Ryan Lockhart would be the star of the afterparty, shirtless and singing “Small Town Boy” by Journey at the top of his lungs, but I could be wrong!
I know Josh Cartwright has already left Texas to be there!
Good luck, everyone.
WLTN Kawasaki Heading into Round 1
I had some fun with Brett Lee and the WLTN Kawasaki team on a post they made asking if Phil Nicoletti would be a top 10 guy up here. 🤦♂️
But seriously, rumours around Club MX are that Phil has Devin Simonson covered and is right with Coty Schock on the 450, so I think it’s pretty safe to say he’s ready to compete for podiums in our 450 class right off the hop.
As for #101 Dylan Walsh, he had a pretty big crash at the Denver Supercross so let’s hope he’s coming into round 1 healthy and ready to do battle.
He tried to ride practice at the final round in Salt Lake City but was obviously off the pace and didn’t get a qualifying time.
OK, go watch the Press Conference from Fox Raceway LIVE right now. I know where everyone will be for most of the day tomorrow! Who’s your money on in 250 and 450?
We had Josh Snider stop by the other day to take a look at our MGB that we can’t seem to get running. It looks like it might be as simple as the distributer wire not carrying a charge, so I’m going to head out into the garage now and replace all the wires and see if we have a convertible to drive around this weekend. Now if it will just. stop. raining.
One last thing, and you’re probably not going to believe this. We’ll have Luc Caouette (AKA Frenchie) shooting photos for us this week at Fox Raceway and next week at Hangtown. Yes, THAT Luc Caouette. He works in the INDY Car series now and has fallen in love with shooting photos. Let’s see what he can come up with.
Let’s go racing!
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