Frid’Eh Update #29 | Kyle Murdoch | Brought to You by Dirt Care
By Billy Rainford
Welcome to Week #29 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update brought to you by Dirt Care. The past couple days have been spent driving from Moncton, NB to Ottawa, ON. I went through the USA to get cheaper gas. Well, although it was up over $4 per gallon in some places, it was still less than the $1.79 pre litre we were paying in the maritimes! Yikes.
I decided to take the back roads when I got to Bangor, Maine, so I could stay south until I got to the border crossing just below Ottawa. It turned out to be a very nice drive that took me to some places I’d never seen before.
Last night was spent at Jay Peak in Vermont. Not many runs on the mountain itself, but it’s a pretty big vertical compared to most hills east of the Rockies. It looked like some pretty steep terrain, too, so it’s a place I wouldn’t mind checking out in the winter if I ever get the chance.
Did I mention about that time my friend won $10.8 million and told us all we had to do was get to Vermont with our skis and he’d take care of the rest? It was pretty sweet.
Anyway, there’s another town in Maine called Gorham that would a be a really nice place to spend some time in the summer. Really clean town with a ton of outdoor activities to get into. Google that, Bowker!
Anyway, because most of my past couple days have been staring out the front of the #dmxdirtcarevan this Update will be pretty short. I’ll be sure to make up for it by heading over to the track to see what stories I can dig up and uncover.
Kyle Murdoch is the rider from Massachusetts who rode both Southwick and River Glade last weekend. Of course, we asked him what doing that double-header was like in our interview. He’s a rider who first came up to Canada a few years ago and has called the eastern round his summer home ever since then.
Here’s a look at how his first three eastern round have gone so far this season:
He’s got top 5 speed all day long, but needs to get better starts and have things go his way to show that. It shouldn’t be long before it happens.
Direct Motocross: Hello again, Kyle. We did one of these interviews last year when you were #37. We went over your history in that one, so we won’t put you through that again. First off, what is it that has brought you back to our Canadian series again for 2026?
Kyle Murdoch: Yea! Back for more this year! I really like it up here, the tracks have really grown on me and become some of my favorites. Overall, just having a lot of fun racing and battling for solid moto finishes in hopes to get my name out there get noticed and maybe get some support! Lastly, all the east coast rounds are within 10 hours from home so it makes a lot more sense to chase this not AMA.
We definitely need to talk about this past weekend. You raced Southwick and then came to Canada to race River Glade in Moncton. First, let’s talk about how your day went at the AMA Pro Motocross Championship at MX338. 21-22 motos put you 26th in the 250 class. How did your racing go from your perspective?
Yes! I’m very happy with my weekend at the ‘Wick. Qualifying was great with p19 and I had a goal to try and score a point/points and have two strong solid motos. I was able to do just that. I scored 1 point for 21st and stayed consistent with 21-22 motos. Worked hard this spring to be the best I could for this summer swing and things have been great so far.
It wasn’t very hot in New Brunswick but it was hot at Southwick, right? Did that have you worried about racing 2 days in a row?
It was definitely a warm one at Southwick this year, not the worst but enough for sure. I wasn’t stressing too much, I just knew I needed to recover enough Saturday night – eat and hydrate. I woke up Sunday feeling surprisingly pretty good and the Glade was perfect weather.
You’ve raced Gopher Dunes and Southwick. How would you compare the 2?
Gopher for me is the favorite. I really like it there; bottomless sand with no hard base. You hear more and more about the base at Southwick each year and it’s very true. It’s a hard track to figure out and is very tricky.
OK, now you have to take us through how it went getting from there to Moncton after the races ended on Saturday? What time did you get to River Glade?
I think we got out of Southwick around 6pm and it was a 10-hour drive north. My uncle, who’s a truck driver, stepped up to help us and actually drove the entire way. We pulled in around 3 am I think at the Glade. Me and my dad were both able to get a bit of rest which was huge.
How were you feeling heading in to the race day?
I felt good! Having a great Saturday gave me a bit of a boost headed into Sunday and I was ready to put together a solid day! River Glade is a fun one too.
You finished 8-7 for 7th in the 250 class on Sunday. How did the races go for you and how were you feeling out there?
Going from sand to total opposite hardpack and deep ruts had me thrown off a bit. I adjusted throughout the day and thought my riding was really good for the circumstances. I had some fun, hard battles both motos with some fast guys, so all in all it was good.
The series now heads to Ottawa and the Sand Del Lee track. What are you up to this week and what is it you do for your 9-5 work?
Back to work during the week for me, Site Construction running equipment during the day and some riding or cycling afterward to finish it off. I’m usually packed by Friday and off to the next round! Looking forward to Sand Del Lee!
What are you hoping for for the rest of the season up here?
Hoping to just keep my riding trending in the direction it is and have solid motos every weekend. Shooting to be in that top 5 every moto and stack some points!
Will we see you on the roads for the ‘Ride with Me’ cycle at Walton again this year?
Yes, you will catch me on the gravel bike, no doubt, at Walton. Great cause and very cool to get everyone together like that pre-race.
How old are you now and what are your hopes for the future of your motocross career?
I am 26 years old. The balance between adult life and moto life for me right now is working out great. I’ll keep pushing hard on the track in hopes something may come about for me someday!
What do you do all winter? Do you get south or do any Supercross racing?
Winter is a real off season for me. Lots of hours working. No Supercross or riding, just a lot of gym time. I get down south around Feb-Mar time toward the end of winter for a few weeks to break the rust off and start riding again.
Who has been your main rival up here, or do you have someone different every week?
The field is deep this year and some of us are close in speed. I’ve had some great battles with a few guys: Tanner Scott, Nathan Germain, and Jayden Riley to name a few.
OK, thanks for taking some time with us this week. See you at Sand Del Lee. Who would you like to thank?
Thank you to everyone behind me this year: My mom, dad, girlfriend, Central Mass Powersports, Factory Connection, Troy Lee Designs, Onium Goggles, ODI, Acerbis, DBK, OGIO, Allballsracing, Dubya, Guts, Dunlop, Twin Air, Renthal, HGS exhaust, Slade Racing, Tamer, Agressive Graphix, WilliamzMotorWerx, Works Connection, Dirt Care.
Tough One for Preston Masciangelo at Southwick
We’ve had one rider flying the maple leaf at the AMA Pro Motocross Championship this summer, and that’s #800 Preston Masciangelo from Brantford, Ontario. Unfortunately, he had some trouble in the sand at Southwick last Saturday and will take a bit of time off. Here’s his Instagram post:
Canadian Triple Crown Series Point Standings after Round 5
Videos from Round 5 at River Glade
And check out this week’s Faces at the Races HERE.
OK, the 4pm deadline is upon us. Have a great weekend, everyone. At this point, it looks like we’re going to get wet on Saturday for Amateur Day. Yep, 100% chance throughout the day. Batten em down, everyone!
Sunday? ZERO % chance of rain and 24C. Perfect.
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