By Billy Rainford

Now what?!

The 49th Annual Mini O’s at Gatorback Cycle Park in Florida are done, local tracks in my area just had their final weekend of the season, and now it’s time to settle into winter here in Canada. Ugh.

Hard butter season is upon us. Complaining about your crappy snow shovel is about to start…again. Why don’t you just go out and buy a new one?! And how about those few spots where your driveway or walkway stop your shovel short and send the butt end of your shovel into your guts…every damn time?! Didn’t fix it over the summer, did you. Neither did I. Canadian winter happiness is a good shovel that efficiently pushes snow off your driveway and onto the lawn. And if it snows too much, just go borrow your neighbour’s snowblower and offer to do their’s while you’re out there.

It’s like many things in life: why waste money on one of your own when you’ve got neighbours who have one? This rule applies for pools, hot tubs, saunas, lawn rollers, tree pruners, snowblowers, and many other things you just can’t seem tor bring yourself to purchase.

I know everyone’s list is a little different. These are just a few I thought of that apply to me and my life. It would be interesting to start a list of things everyone else thought belonged on it.

The biggest news from this past weekend has been the decision by Future West Moto to call the 2020 Canadian Arenacross Championships complete after 6 of the originally scheduled 8 rounds out in Chilliwack, BC.

I know that Lesley Reid really wanted to give the riders and the series sponsors the full program, but #coronavirus counts have been spiking all across the country again and Chilliwack Heritage Park was forced to shut down before the final 2-day weekend was completed.

They were thinking of maybe holding a final weekend in late February and maybe even a bonus weekend in early March, but that just opened up too many other problems and concerns.

It’s asking a lot from riders to wait a couple months and then make the trek back to Chilliwack from faraway places like Saskatchewan and Alberta, as several riders were doing.

Also, our top riders will be making their plans to head south to train (if they can) and a couple will even be busy chasing AMA Supercross dreams south of the border, hopefully. And we certainly don’t want to penalize them for that!

Anyway, the decision came down over the weekend that the results will stand after round 6. That means Kelowna, BC’s #77 Casey Keast will be crowned the champion in both the Pro Am Lights and Pro Open classes. Congratulations, Casey.

Casey Keast from Kelowna, BC is the Pro Am Lights and Pro Open Canadian Arenacross champion. | Bigwave photo

I had the opportunity to head out to BC for all 6 rounds and we broadcast the entire program live over the Future West Moto Facebook page. It seems to have been very well received and we had a great time doing it.

I’d like to give a big thanks to John Wren and Matt Koeleman for joining me in the production.

“The Voice of BC Motocross,” John Wren. | Bigwave photo

John is the “Voice of British Columbia Motocross” and has a voice that is just perfect for calling races. He’s seamlessly throws in all the necessary information, like riders sponsors and series sponsors and schedule information. The guy is good.

Unfortunately, some health issues got the better of him after round 4 and he wasn’t able to make it back for rounds 5 and 6. I hope he’s feeling better and I’m sure he’ll be back on the mic when the gate drops in the spring.

Matt Koeleman was on the camera…all day, every day. | Bigwave photo

Matt Koeleman was the steady hand on the camera all day for every round. I know it got cold standing there but he didn’t complain once. He also did a great job of keeping the action if frame and made it easy to watch from home.

Dan Currie stepped in for John on the mic. | Bigwave photo

Dan Currie stepped in on the microphone in John’s absence and did a great job, too. And it was great to put a face to the “Sano Dano” handle from back in the MX Forum days.

By the way, every time I’m even a little bit tempted to bring MX Forum back and under the DMX umbrella, cooler heads prevail and I leave it in the dark recesses of our minds where maybe it belongs. Thoughts?

It was also great to see Jamie Hellam, former FWM Head Honcho. | Bigwave photo

It was also great to see so many familiar faces while I was out there. Jamie Hellam used to run FWM with his dad, John Hellam. Man, we had some good times back in the day! I will never forget that trip to England back in…2010? Oops, forgot. Actually, it’s not the year that’s important in this whole thing, it’s what happened while we were over there, and I remember every bit of it. Thanks, guys.

Jamie now works for Chilliwack Heritage Park, so he’s there for almost every event that goes on in this place. I didn’t see John there, but we thought of him all day long as the massive ventilation fan he built from scratch many years ago whirred loudly just off camera. That’s what you heard fighting for airtime with the announcer’s voice and the bikes.

I will say this, Canadian Motocross is in good hands out west. The amount of indoor talent I saw all the way down to the little riders on 50cc bikes was impressive! Our best Supercross riders always come from BC and this FWM series is the reason why. Let’s hope the world returns to normal and we can continue this great tradition of racing.

Greg Poisson gets in his early morning, pre-race stretches. | Bigwave photo

Having Greg Poisson there for the final weekend was also huge for us. While I was glued to the laptop and running back and forth, trying to get a photo or two during the races, Greg was able to keep every up to date on our social media pages.

Our early morning hike up in the mountains about Chilliwack Heritage park made for some hilarity, too. Thanks for the help. Greg.

Pro Am Lights 
Place – Name
Number – Hometown
10/17/2020
Finish
10/18/2020
Finish
10/24/2020
Finish
10/25/2020
Finish
11/7/2020
Finish
11/8/2020
Finish
Total Points
1st – CASEY KEAST
#77 – KELOWNA, BC
2nd 1st 3rd 1st 1st 1st 142
2nd – JULIEN BENEK
#170 – MISSION, BC
1st 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 135 (-7)
3rd – TYLER YATES
#133 – DUNCAN, BC
6th 6th 5th 5th 5th 5th 94 (-48)
4th – DEVYN SMITH
#30 – MISSION, BC
8th 8th 6th 7th 6th 7th 84 (-58)
5th – LUKE SVENSSON
#12 – LANGLEY, BC
9th 9th 9th 6th 8th 8th 77 (-65)
6th – TEREN GERBER
#482 – CALGARY, AB
3rd 3rd 4th 4th     76 (-66)
7th – PARKER EALES
#36 – MAPLE RIDGE, BC
4th 4th     4th 3rd 74 (-68)
8th – ZACH UFIMZEFF
#234 – LAKE COUNTRY, BC
    8th 3rd 3rd 4th 71 (-71)
9th – DAWSON GRAVELLE
#819 – MISSION, BC
11th   7th 9th 7th 6th 65 (-77)
10th – JACOB PICCOLO
#381 – ABBOTSFORD, BC
DNS   1st 11th DNF DNS 35 (-107)
Pro Open 
Place – Name
Number – Hometown
10/17/2020
Finish
10/18/2020
Finish
10/24/2020
Finish
10/25/2020
Finish
11/7/2020
Finish
11/8/2020
Finish
Total Points
1st – CASEY KEAST
#77 – KELOWNA, BC
1st 2nd 2nd 3rd 1st 3rd 134
2nd – KEYLAN MESTON
#10 – CALGARY, AB
3rd 1st 1st 4th 4th 2nd 128 (-6)
3rd – BROCK HOYER
#2 – WILLIAMS LAKE, BC
2nd 3rd 3rd 5th 2nd 1st 125 (-9)
4th – JULIEN BENEK
#170 – MISSION, BC
5th 4th 4th 2nd 3rd 4th 112 (-22)
5th – JACOB PICCOLO
#381 – ABBOTSFORD, BC
DNS   5th 1st 5th 5th 73 (-61)
6th – TEREN GERBER
#482 – CALGARY, AB
6th 5th 6th 6th     61 (-73)
7th – PARKER EALES
#36 – MAPLE RIDGE, BC
4th DNF     6th 6th 48 (-86)
8th – DYLAN DELAPLACE
#291 – LANGLEY, BC
DNF 6th 7th       29 (-105)
9th – CODIE ROUSE
#700 – WEYBURN, SK
8th 8th         26 (-108)

Canadians at the Mini O’s

Can you believe the 49th Annual Thor Mini O’s Presented by Pro Circuit had record number of riders and entries this year? I guess it makes sense. Almost 5300 riders showed up at Gatorback for this year’s event. Wow. Here’s a look at how the Canadians who made the trip fared.

#25 Tristan Dares – Rockwood, Ontario:

2020 – MX MINI O’S – 11/25/2020 – GATORBACK
 Class   Number   Brand       Moto 1   Class Finish     
 250 C   #25  KTM       DNS         
 250 C LIMITED   #25  KTM     5th   DNS   40th     
                 
 
2020 – SX MINI O’S – 11/22/2020 – GATORBACK
 Class   Number   Brand     Moto 1   Moto 2   Class Finish     
 250 C   #25  KTM     8th   10th   10th     
 250 C LIMITED   #25  KTM     8th   11th   11th 

#43(3) Noah Viney – Murrieta, California

2020 – MX MINI O’S – 11/25/2020 – GATORBACK
 Class   Number   Brand     Moto 1   Moto 2   Class Finish     
 MINI SR 1 (12-14)   #433  KTM     1st   7th   5th     
 MINI SR 2 (13-15)   #433  KTM     6th   5th   5th     
 SUPERMINI 1 (12-15)   #43  KTM     5th   7th   7th     
 SUPERMINI 2 (13-16)   #43  KTM     9th   6th   9th     
             

#117 Easton Genest – Dinsmore, Saskatchewan

2020 – MX MINI O’S – 11/25/2020 – GATORBACK
 Class   Number   Brand     Moto 1   Moto 2   Class Finish     
 250 C JR (12-17) LIMITED   #117  YAM     9th   9th   13th     
 250 C LIMITED   #117  YAM     7th   17th   16th     
                 
 
2020 – SX MINI O’S – 11/22/2020 – GATORBACK
 Class   Number   Brand     Moto 1   Moto 2   Class Finish     
 250 C JR (12-17) LIMITED   #117  YAM     20th   27th   27th     
 250 C LIMITED   #117  YAM     16th   32nd   32nd 

157 Ryder Snelgrove – Essex, Ontario

2020 – MX MINI O’S – 11/25/2020 – GATORBACK
 Class   Number   Brand       Moto 1   Class Finish     
 51CC (4-8) LIMITED   #157  COB       19th         
 51CC (7-8) LIMITED   #157  COB     18th   33rd   38th     
                 
 
2020 – SX MINI O’S – 11/22/2020 – GATORBACK
 Class   Number   Brand       Moto 1   Class Finish     
 51CC (4-8) LIMITED   #157  COB       19th         
 51CC (7-8) LIMITED   #157  COB     18th   38th   38th 

#158 Nathan Snelgrove – Essex, Ontario

2020 – MX MINI O’S – 11/25/2020 – GATORBACK
 Class   Number   Brand     Moto 1   Moto 2   Class Finish     
 65 (7-11)   #158  HSK     8th   24th   21st     
 65CC (10-11)   #158  HSK     13th   11th   11th     
 65CC (10-11) LIMITED   #158  HSK     13th   DNF   22nd     
                 
 
2020 – SX MINI O’S – 11/22/2020 – GATORBACK
 Class   Number   Brand     Moto 1   Moto 2   Class Finish     
 65 (7-11)   #158  HSK     8th   14th   14th     
 65CC (10-11)   #158  HSK     15th   22nd   22nd     
 65CC (10-11) LIMITED   #158  HSK     12th   20th   20th 

#164 Ryder McNabb – Minnedosa, Manitoba

2020 – MX MINI O’S – 11/25/2020 – GATORBACK
 Class   Number   Brand     Moto 1   Moto 2   Class Finish     
 250 A   #164  HON     5th   13th   12th     
 250 PRO SPORT   #164  HON     6th   21st   18th     
                 
 
2020 – SX MINI O’S – 11/22/2020 – GATORBACK
 Class   Number   Brand     Moto 1   Moto 2   Class Finish     
 250 A   #164  HON     13th   21st   21st     
 250 PRO SPORT   #164  HON     17th   27th   27th 

#300 Weston Snelgrove – Essex, Ontario

2020 – SX MINI O’S – 11/22/2020 – GATORBACK
 Class   Number   Brand       Moto 1   Class Finish     
 51CC (4-6) SHAFT DR LIMITED   #300  YAM       23rd 

#409 Brennan Schofield – Falmouth, Nova Scotia

2020 – MX MINI O’S – 11/25/2020 – GATORBACK
 Class   Number   Brand       Moto 1   Class Finish     
 125 (12-17) B/C   #409  YAM       17th         
 250 C   #409  YAM       DNF         
 250 C JR (12-17) LIMITED   #409  YAM     8th   13th   15th     
 250 C LIMITED   #409  YAM     9th   12th   12th     
                 
 
2020 – SX MINI O’S – 11/22/2020 – GATORBACK
 Class   Number   Brand     Moto 1   Moto 2   Class Finish     
 250 C   #409  YAM     8th   15th   15th     
 250 C LIMITED   #409  YAM     8th   12th   12th

#626 Ethan Darrach – Moncton, New Brunswick

2020 – MX MINI O’S – 11/25/2020 – GATORBACK
 Class   Number   Brand       Moto 1   Class Finish     
 85CC (12-13)   #626  YAM       22nd         
 85CC (12-13) LIMITED   #626  YAM     20th   35th   36th     
 85CC (9-13)   #626  YAM       20th         
 MINI SR 1 (12-14)   #626  YAM       DNS         
                 
 
2020 – SX MINI O’S – 11/22/2020 – GATORBACK
 Class   Number   Brand       Moto 1   Class Finish     
 85CC (12-13)   #626  YAM       27th         
 85CC (12-13) LIMITED   #626  YAM     17th   35th   35th     
 85CC (9-13)   #626  YAM       21st 

Congratulations to everyone who made the trip this year. I hated to miss it, but hopefully I’ll make that bi-annual trip down I-75 in 2021.


I’ll leave you with a little laugh to start your week.

I headed out Gopher Dunes last week to take advantage of a very rare 20-degree C day in November. I was trying out a bunch of new 2021 Leatt gear and having a fun time trying to get a little comfortable on a bike again.

I don’t have sand tires on Jeff McConkey‘s Yamaha YZ250 2-stroke, so I knew I was in a little tough before I even threw a leg over the bike, but I didn’t care because, like I said, I’m just trying to get a little more seat time to feel comfortable again.

The track was in primo condition, so I had no excuses (that I knew of…). As I kept putting in laps, I remember saying to myself: “Wow, I don’t even feel tired or have any arm pump!” I do quite a lot of cycling so I’m happy to see it transfer nicely to fitness on the rough track. I was more surprised not to have my forearms pump up.

As I kept going I noticed I was having a little bit of a hard time controlling the bike in the tricky, sandy conditions. I know I’ve only been out a couple times, so I attributed it to that and kept trying.

Emily and I get home and I pop the bike up on the sand to give it one final cleaning before it goes away for the winter. Yep, I’m sure you’ve already seen where this is going – the rear tire was completely flat. What a bonehead!

Rode all day with a rear flat. Not that it would make much of a difference right now… What a fool! | Emily Nicholson photo

I know you want to run it a little soft for these conditions, but zero PSI is taking it a little too far. And I don’t even want to tell you when the last time was that I removed a wheel. Let’s just say that is had an 8 as the 3rd number…

Looks like it’ll sit there in this sad state until the weather warms up next spring…unless someone talks me into heading south for some riding this winter then I guess I’l be forced to do it.

Anyway, when you’re riding as crappy as I am right now, it’s nice to find out you have something you can blame it on, even if it’s just a little…

Have a great week, everyone.

PS Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to our iTunes and Stitcher podcast pages so you get notified when we throw up a new interview. Thanks.

Have a great week. | Bigwave photo