ICYMI | Catching up with Chase Marquier
By Billy Rainford
We met him last season at McNabb Valley MX in Minnedosa, Manitoba. Chase Marquier is the super-nice guy from Oklahoma with the fancy French name. Most people know there’s another person out there roaming the world with the same name as them, but I bet Chase is an original.
Chase was the fill-in rider for the Manluk Racing Team when Cheyenne Harmon did a number on himself at Round 2 in Prince George. He fit in so well with the team that it even took him to a Supercross run in 2020.
Here’s a look at his 2019 Canadian results:
We grabbed Chase for a chat to let everyone know more about the man from just west of the Ozark National Forest:
Direct Motocross: OK, since this is our first time doing this with you, I get to ask you all my first-timer questions to help people get to know you a little better up here. For starters, where are you from and how did you first get into Motocross?
Chase Marquier: I am from Newcastle, Oklahoma. How I got into motocross was from my dad. He raced in his younger days so he ended up getting my older brother a dirt bike and I believe my older brother talked my parents into getting me a KTM 50 when I was 4 years old.
What was your first race number and why did you choose it?
My first number was 23. I think that was my mom’s softball number so she suggested it and also my dad was number 3 when he raced.
Who did you come up through the amateur ranks with? Who were the hotshots you always had to deal with?
I came up with a solid group from 50’s to big bikes, some I’m still racing to this day. But guys like Alex Frye, Mark Worth, Mitchell Harrison, Benny Bloss, Tristan Charbonneau.. also when I would race an Open class I would always have guys like Adam Cianciarulo, Jordan Smith, Cooper Webb, and other big names like those.
Did you hit all the usual big American Amateur Nationals? WHat was your best race at them?
We tried to hit all the major amateur nationals. We’d do the Spring Nationals in Texas, then I would do the Areas and Regionals for Loretta Lynn’s, then we’d end the year down at Gatorback for the Mini O’s.
I would say my best race would have to be Loretta’s 2014. The week started off pretty rough but then I ended the week with a moto win in Schoolboy 2 and a 2nd in 450 B Stock.
What brought you to Canada in the first place?
What brought me to Canada? Well, last summer I didn’t have any plans for racing during the summer so I started up a lawn business and was doing that. The second outdoor round last summer Team Manluk’s 450 rider got injured, unfortunately, but they needed someone to ride the bike. They called me up and I couldn’t turn it down. Next thing I knew I was on a plane to Canada for round 3 of the outdoor series.
You missed the first 2 rounds of MX last summer and then did the rest of them. You saved your best finish for last at Walton Raceway for a 6th overall. What was your best race, as you saw it last summer up here?
Yeah, I missed the first few rounds last summer and then came in for the third round. I really didn’t even touch a bike after Vegas SX last year until I showed up at the 3rd round at McNabb’s. So I think I showed up for that race with 7 weeks off the bike straight into a mud fest race. Haha. I improved every weekend by quite a bit.
I would have to say things really started to click for me at Deschambault. I really liked that track and scenery. That was definitely my favorite track I raced on, but, as a whole race, Walton sticks out the most for me because I finally got a good start and ran up front for pretty much the whole moto with the guys that were winning races. That felt good.
What is your favourite part of Canada that you saw?
My favorite part was either Moncton or Deschambault. The scenery was top notch.
How would you sum up our series up here? Most people say it definitely has a different feel than the AMA MX Nationals.
I really enjoyed the series. It was a little bit more laid back than maybe the US races, but once the racing started it felt just like an AMA outdoor.
You also raced for the Canadian-backed Manluk Racing Team for Supercross. Can you tell us how that went for you?
I was fortunate enough to race the East coast SX series with the Manluk team. It was pretty good, but definitely should have been a lot better we know. The team and I had a little set back with getting bikes pretty late, nobody’s fault. Just how it goes sometimes. So, I didn’t get any off season riding or testing in. I rode a few times before the first round in Tampa which probably wasn’t a smart idea to go race because l wasn’t ready to go out there and try and push that hard.
I ended up not even making the main event at the first race and then I had a crash at Dallas where I fractured my hand. I took a few weeks off and came back for Daytona. I rode really well there, even qualified 6th out of practice and qualified pretty good out of the heat.
What are your thoughts on that stay in Utah for the final 7 rounds? Did you enjoy your time there?
The stay in Utah was amazing! I think that was the most fun month I’ve ever had. I was a huge fan of racing multiple times a week. Besides that, it was just awesome to be able to do some rad things that Utah has to offer that I don’t really get to back here in Oklahoma. The mountain biking was next level and the fishing was good. I just really enjoyed my time there.
If this COVID-19 pandemic hadn’t happened, what was your plan for racing this summer?
My plan for the summer was to come up to Canada with the Manluk racing team and race the Rockstar Triple Crown series. I’m very bummed that we weren’t able to make it up. I was looking forward to mixing it up with those guys this summer.
What have you been up to with all this down time?
I really haven’t had any down time at all, actually, After Daytona I immediately started training hard and testing hard for the Outdoors on my 450. Since I got home from Utah and once I found out I wasn’t going to be racing in Canada for the summer, I started working for my dad doing construction just to keep money coming in.
Our series is starting up in a couple weeks. Are we going to see the #29 up here at all?
Unfortunately, I won’t be up there to show that new number 29.
What does your near future look like? What are your plans, moving forward?
My future plans right now are really up in the air. Like I said, I’m working full-time right now, 6am to 6pm Monday – Friday, just building up some money. But my goal is to be on the starting line next year for Supercross, ultimately.
OK, that’s about enough of this interrogation! No wait, before I ask you to thank some sponsors, what kind of music do you listen to?
I listen to just about anything other than death metal and screamo. I like country the most but also like my rap and hip hop. Haha
OK, thanks for taking this time with us, Chase. Now, would you like to thank some sponsors? Hopefully, we see you somewhere soon.
Thanks for having me, Billy, always a pleasure! I would definitely like to thank some of the awesome people that made the year possible: Frank at Manluk, I can’t thank him enough truly! Steve and everyone involved with the team, Jim and Rydane at Merge Racing, FXR, Alpinestars, Eks Brand, Defy graphics, Pirelli, Guts, Rekluse, Vertex, UFO, Works Connection, Maxeys, and all the awesome sponsors that contributed to the team this year to make it possible for us riders.
