Frid’Eh Update #6 | Shawn Maffenbeier Podcast | Presented by Yamaha Motor Canada

By Billy Rainford

Presented by Yamaha Motor Canada
Week #6 belongs to #3 Shawn Maffenbeier. | Bigwave photo

Welcome to Week #6 of the DMX Frid’EH Update this week presented by Yamaha Motor Canada. If you’ll recall, we weren’t able to post up a Week #3 Update a couple weeks ago, so we’re circling back.

Shawn Maffenbeier is from Swift Current, SK but now calls Kamloops, BC home. Shawn is career #3 and was so busy making some off-season cash that we weren’t able to sync up a time for an interview when it was actually his turn.

Well, the good news is that he’s back to giving MX 100% of his focus and so we were able to track him down Thursday night for a podcast.

Shawn on his #37 450 at Walton Raceway back in 2009. | Bigwave photo

Shawn is always a fun interview and when you add in the fact that he was in his truck with Ryan Lockhart when we had our chat, you know there’s even more to enjoy.

The two of them are out in Chilliwack, BC putting on the always busy MX schools for up-and-coming Future West Moto Arenacross riders out there at Chilliwack Heritage Park.

Shawn’s 2022 season wasn’t without it’s challenges and he was forced home a bit early after that terrifying first-turn crash on the final day at MX Deschambault near Quebec City that saw many riders down, including Blair Nauta who ended up in the trees!

Maff is back with the MX101 Yamaha team for another season. | Bigwave 2017 photo

Anyway, he got married after that and is ready to get after it again for Kevin Tyler and the gang at MX101 Yamaha.

I’m on my way over to Angel Stadium for A3 Media Day today. It’s crazy hot here and I’m going to enjoy every second of it before we make the drive north and east to Minneapolis for the start of the 250 East the following week.

Before we go to the podcast, here’s a look at Shawn’s 2021 season:

Here’s what Shawn had to say. | Bigwave 2011 photo

Spotify:

If you don’t use Spotify, you can find all of our podcasts on your favourite supplier (except I Heart Radio, we’ll be on there as soon as I get back to Canada).

Here’s a shot of the first-turn crash in Deschambault that took Shawn out. | Bigwave photo

Boy, that doesn’t seem like a lot of work on my part when I just link a podcast. I feel sort of guilty leaving it there for the week. If I had more time I’d have typed it out so it looked like I’d done more work!

As you all know, Cole Thompson‘s Supercross season has come to an early end after getting landed on at Glendale last Saturday night in Race #2. He’s already in Texas rehabbing his torn labrum at Chloe’s family’s place.

Cole was showing everyone that he still has the pace to run up with the fast and aggressive youngsters in the 250 class. I hope people in high places know that he’s an even smoother 450 rider. Maybe someone will come knocking on his door because I know he’d like to race some more Supercross before he hangs up the leathers for good.

There have been rumours of people looking for his services for the upcoming summer season of Canadian Triple Crown Series but he said he has no problem sitting the summer out unless a deal makes sense for where he is in his career. We’ll have to wait and see what happens and how his shoulder reacts to rehab. Shoulders and knees suck.


I shot a few short videos of Canadians and others down here in California this week. Check them out:

Noah Viney at Viney Ranch:

Josh Hill at Viney Ranch:

Mitch Goheen at State Fair MX:

OK, I’m off to make the drive from Murrieta to LA. So far, it hasn’t been a terrible drive, but I’ll be forced to head out of LA during rush hour on a Friday afternoon again, so it’s just a matter of time before I’m stuck in the Highway 91 parking lot. I think I’ll ride the bike path later on and do the drive when the traffic dies down. We’ll see…

Have a great weekend, everyone. I’ll snoop around the pits and see who I can talk to for some Canadian-related content in the A3 pits and in the stands. Time to slather some 60 SPF on my head and get to work!

OK, we’ll let Josh Hansen say it this week: “See you at the races...” | Bigwave photo