Decal Works Presents Monday Gate Drop

With Christmas just around the corner, now is the time to visit www.decalmx.com so you can design and order your very own set of custom graphics. DeCal Works has been a leader in the graphic industry for over 15 years, so there’s very few companies with more experience in customer service. DeCal Works has also been supporting Canadian motocross for a long time and is a proud sponsor of this Monday’s Gate Drop and the MX101 FXR Yamaha Team.

As I mentioned above, Christmas is just around the corner. Even though I’m sure almost everyone loves this time of year, the next month is always a busy time with parties, shopping and everything that goes along with the holiday season. Since this is the final Monday Gate Drop of November, we’re beginning December with an Instagram contest. If you’re in need of some very cool 2UNDR Underwear then this is the contest for you. All you have to do is go to our Instagram page @mxpmag and not just like the 2UNDR photo but also tell us why you would like to win a pair of the best underwear in the world. If you do this then you could be one of five lucky people who could win three pairs of 2UNDRs. This contest runs until this Thursday at noon so don’t waste any time entering this cool early Christmas contest. Now onto the news from this past weekend.

The big event in Canada was the next to last rounds of the Future West Moto AX Championships out in beautiful Chilliwack, BC. With the previous rounds being held in Armstrong and Cloverdale, this was the 2015 series’ first visit to the massive Heritage Park Arena in the ‘Wack’. With the biggest floor space of the series to work with, this expanded track is always the favourite among the riders, and it almost always seems to produce some very exciting racing. Now, I will let our man in the west, Brent Worrall, give you all of the juicy details of what went down in Chilliwack at Rounds 5 and 6. However, I can tell you that Cycle North Honda rider Ross Johnson was the big winner as he took home 3 of the 4 main events on his potent CRF250. As the riders head into the final weekend of the 2015 series, Johnson also has the points lead in both the Pro Lites class and the Pro Open class. Throughout this exciting series Johnson has consistently been the fastest rider so look for him to do whatever it takes to clinch yet another AX Championship this coming weekend when the final two rounds visit Chilliwack again. Here are the points standings as the riders get set for Rounds 7 and 8.

Pro Lites:

1. Ross Johnson 137

2. Jake Anstett 112

3. Brad Nauditt 108

4. Ryan Lockhart 97

5. Kyle Swanson 87

Pro Open:

1. Ross Johnson 132

2. Brad Nauditt 120

3. Ryan Lockhart 116

4. Kyle Swanson 90

5. Jess Pettis 76

In between keeping an eye on what was going on in Chilliwack this past weekend, I couldn’t help but pay attention to the big Australian SX taking place in Sydney. This race featured not only the series regulars but also the most successful rider to ever come out of Australia, Chad Reed. This long anticipated visit by Reed appeared to have the entire country watching, as many felt it could’ve been his final SX in front of his home fans. As you remember, James Stewart was also supposed to make the trip Down Under but due to his recent ankle injury, he had to pull out. In his place the promoters invited not only Cooper Webb but also the GOAT himself, Ricky Carmichael. While RC wasn’t brought into race the SX1 class, he was there to race in the ‘Superpole” fastest lap time race, as well as a one-off two-stroke challenge race with his old nemesis Chad Reed. Since his retirement almost a decade ago, RC has become one of the true ambassadors of our sport. Whenever he speaks about his own riding or how the sport has changed, you easily get a true sense of his love and passion for motocross. A perfect example is his trip to Australia this past weekend. Oh sure, he got paid to go and he more than likely flew there first class, but regardless of how much money he received or how comfortable his flight was, it still takes an entire day to travel from his Florida home, across the Pacific Ocean to Australia. I doubt RC needs the money or the attention, so good on him for travelling that far just to be a part of what looked like a very cool event.

The race took place over two nights. During the first night it was our friend Jimmy Decotis who took the win in the SX2 class, and to the fans’ delight, Chad Reed grabbed a very popular win in the SX1 class. Decotis has been in Australia for over a month and has been racing the entire series. After his double win this weekend in Sydney, Jimmy D heads into the final round this coming Saturday with the overall points lead in the SX2 class. After that Jimmy will head back to the USA to begin riding his new Geico Honda as he prepares for the upcoming 2016 Monster Energy SX Series.

So with Jimmy D dominating the SX2 class, all eyes were on the battle between Chad Reed and Cooper Webb on night two. After some early race problems, these two Yamaha riders put on a show that left the fans screaming for more. With very little room for passing on the Sydney track, Webb and Reed pushed themselves to the limit as it all came down to the final corner. Reed tried one final pass but Webb was able to hold off the veteran SX star for the win. It was the type of finish that the promoters were looking for. Although Reed wasn’t able to win night two, he put on a great show. In the bigger picture, Chad Reed also appears to be very comfortable on his new 2016 YZ450F. While it still hasn’t been announced what team he will be on for next season, whatever tent his Yamaha is under at Anaheim 1, Reed will surely be competitive.

So as the riders in the USA all begin to make their final preparations for A1, our Canadian AX riders will get one more shot at glory this weekend in Chilliwack. As I mentioned, Ross Johnson is currently leading the points in both classes so he will be the man to beat this weekend. As Brent Worrall and I discussed a few weeks back on his Canadian Moto Show, my friendly wager with Ryan Lockhart still stands. If Newf can win a main event before this series concludes, then he will receive an MXP Cover in 2016. I hope everything goes well in Chilliwack this weekend and good luck to everyone.