by Gauldy107
Nothing like a hanging Jason “Friday the 13th” Voorhies to freak ya out at @FB313 Halloween party.
Happy Halloween to all you ghosts, ghouls and goblins out there. This week is always a great time of year for fun parties and of course the night of Halloween where all the kids get to dress up and trick or treat. I used to love Halloween. Once I was old enough to go out on my own I always grabbed a pillow case (cause plastic or some sort of plastic shaped pumpkin bag didn’t hold enough candy), strapped my costume on and a way I would go. I spent most of my good trick or treating years in the town of Keswick, Ontario. It was a sweet area because there were lots of houses in one area. The candy haul was always on point. We had a route that we did every year. Also at one point on the route we would stop, have a pop that we would get from this one house each year, and sit at the top of this hill and eat some candy. Little R&R before heading back out to fill the rest of the pillow case. Now, it wasn’t always about the candy. I also got myself, along with some friends, into all kinds of mischief. Whether it was throwing eggs or kicking in pumpkins, there was always a night where we were getting chased from some pissed off house owner. It really added to the excitement. Ah to be young again without a care in the world. So to all you kids out there, enjoy, dress up and get lots of candy to rot your teeth away. For you older ones that will be looking to toss eggs and kick in pumpkins, well, all I have to say is don’t get caught. Happy Halloween!!
The next MXP Cover. MX2 Champion Teddy Maier on the front. Look for this in mailboxes and online by week’s end. Fingers crossed
Now over to the moto world. The biggest news I have coming down the pipes is from the Monster Energy leading Edge Kawasaki team. I caught on Twitter that Kawasaki had their annual dealer meeting in Montreal and saw that the Leading Edge boys were all in attendance along with riders Teddy Maier and Tyler Villopoto. So I talked to team owner Jason Hughes and he said that both these riders are back for 2013. Teddy in MX1 and Tyler moving down to MX2. So there are two spots on the team already to go for next season. They plan to have four riders again just like this year. You may be scratching your head as to who the others will be. Well, I can answer one for you. Cole Thompson, yep that’s right, CT will be lining up all summer long in 2013 at the Monster Energy Motocross Nationals under the Monster Energy Leading Edge tent. The deal is 95% done, which is very cool news for Canadian race fans. Some people will be upset that Cole is not doing the same thing he did last year and racing in the US all year long. Well, you have a point but he is still very young and has a very good chance of winning in Canada, which will help with experience and put some dollars in his pocket so that he can continue chasing that US dream. Even if he did race here for two years, won two titles, made some good pocket change, he could still go to the US when he is 20-21 years old and have lots of time and added experience under his belt to make a name for himself south of the border. So as it sits it will be Maier in MX1, Villopoto and Thompson in MX2 with one slot left. I have heard some of the names that are being talked about; it’s a US rider for sure, but which one is still up in the air.
Teddy Maier, Tyler Villopoto and Cole Thompson will be part of the Monster Energy Leading Edge crew for 2013. There is one spot left on the team.
Interesting news in the KTM pits this week. Colton Facciotti is done and signed for 2013 and it looks like they will be shooting for the same squad again for next year which would have Dusty Klatt and Jeremy Medaglia back under the tent. Nothing is concrete with those two riders but sources say it looks good. Some bummer news though is that Jeremy Medaglia will not be racing this weekend in Chilliwack for the KTM Canada AX series. I have hunted around for the reason and it seems like Jeremy wants to take a break and spend time with family before he heads down south for the winter. Though this being a KTM sponsored series you would think they would want their best guys or at least one of their best guys racing, but I understand a break is always needed from this tough sport.
Where does Kaven Benoit fit in for all of this? Yes, he has been in talks with Leading Edge, OTSFF, and KTM. Now that Leading Edge has their two MX2 riders I would say he is out of the running on that team. OTSFF would love to have Kaven but he really seems to want to stay with KTM. He is so hungry for the MX2 title that he feels the bike and team combination will be the best support for him to win. We do know that OTSFF is looking around for riders and also want to keep Bobby Kiniry and Richard Grey. We also are not blind that OTSFF and Yamaha want to win titles and Kaven Benoit could be the guy that does that for them. Stay tuned for more to come on this story in the coming weeks
The KTM Canada AX series is back this weekend in Chilliwack for two weekends in a row, so four rounds of indoor action. With Jeremy Medaglia out of the series now it will come down to Spencer Knowles, Ryan Lockhart, Brock Hoyer and Dylan Kaelin for these next four races. Cycle North’s Ryan Lockhart will have some extra juice in his corner next weekend as mechanic to the stars Scott Donkersgoed will be flying out and wrenching on the #2 Kawasakis for the next two weekends. Will that help the Newf chase down Knowles for some wins? Will last year’s champion Brock Hoyer be even better with some more time on his new Yamahas? All the action gets underway this Friday in Chilliwack at Heritage Park.
You don’t want to miss these as well:
FRIDAY AX SCHOOL BY DYLAN KAELIN INFO BELOW
$60 8am – 10am Be at the track at 7:30am
Email jamiefwp@telus.net to book. I will do my best to respond but once at the venue next Tuesday I can only receive emails.
Cycle North Ryan Lockhart AX School Next Saturday:
$60 8am – 10am Be at the track at 7:30am
Email jamiefwp@telus.net to book. I will do my best to respond but once at the venue next Tuesday I can only receive emails.
TRACK RENTALS FOR CHILLIWACK ARE OPEN:
Cheapest hours are $300. Get 10 of your buds together at $30 each and you can have the track exclusively to you and your friends for an hour!!!
DEBBIE HONG: mxdebbie@gmail.com 604 856-8443 or cell 604 818-0421
WEDNESDAY 31ST 2PM – 11PM
THURSDAY 1ST 8AM – 11PM
SUNDAY 4TH 9AM-6PM
TUESDAY 6TH 2PM – 11PM
WEDNESDAY 7TH – TRACK CHANGE
THURSDAY 8TH 8AM – 11PM
SUNDAY 11 9AM – 6PM
AX Canada also did this Interview with GA Checkpoint front man Spencer Knowles:
ON TRACK WITH GA CHECKPOINT’S SPENCER KNOWLES
GA Checkpoint Yamaha’s Spencer Knowles, Cycle North Kawasaki’s Ryan Lockhart and Spectra Powersports Yamaha’s Brock Hoyer after Friday’s Pro main.
After taking all four pro main events plus the Kal Gard Head 2 Head competition this past weekend in Cloverdale Future West caught up with the overall KTM Canadian Arenacross Championships points leader to get his thoughts on the first weekend and more.
Q: Spencer, you had a perfect weekend at the opening rounds of the KTM Future West Canadian ARENACROSS Championship last week Cloverdale. How does it feel?
SK: There was quite a few fast guys out there and being able to pull off wins in all four main events felt amazing.
Q: You have always had the speed to win but bad luck and inconsistency has given you some problems in the past. Was Cloverdale the first look at a new Spencer Knowles?
SK: I hope so, like you said I have had some bad luck and been a little inconsistent at times but I’m hoping to pull it all together this year and end up on that podium as much as I can.
Q: The buzz around the pits in Cloverdale was that its your time to shine, you have a bike that you are obviously comfortable with and your confidence and consistency seems to be at its best what’s got you to this point in your career and how did you prepare yourself for AX this year?
SK: I have been riding since I was 5, I’ve had so much support throughout the years from everyone and in combination with endless hours of training, I’m finally at a point where I feel I can be competitive with the top guys. I haven’t been riding much lately, however I’ve been trying to keep my cardio up and have been getting to the gym as often as I can.
Q: Tell us about the Kal Gard Head 2 Head Dash for Cash. Last year you started racing the Head 2 Head’s and right off the bat you made it known that you are a favorite and that you want it. This past weekend again you won both nights. Obviously you put a lot of faith in other riders during these races but it can also be pretty hard hitting does the cash cancel out any fear of something going wrong?
SK: There’s always the chance that something might go wrong, but I try to go out there and be smart, capitalize on the mistakes of the other guy and cross that finish line first without hurting myself or the other rider.
Q: Newf and Hoyer both started off the AX season on new rides with Ryan switching to his Cycle North Kawasaki ride just a few weeks before the opening round at Cloverdale and Brock switching to a new Spectra Powersports Yamaha which he rode for the first time on Friday at Cloverdale. Do you think that being able to use your 2012 race bike gave you a big advantage during the first weekends or is it just getting riding time in before the event?
SK: Bike setup does go a long way, I was in the same situation last year when I made the switch to my GA Checkpoint Yamaha, and it takes a little while to feel comfortable on a new ride. My bike felt awesome all weekend, but I also felt I rode well and chose some good lines.
Q: Jeremy Medaglia does not have as much AX experience as the other riders in the series and a damaged bike took him out of round one but he’s obviously a top MX2 rider in Canada and made the podium twice in round 2. Do you see Jeremy as one of your main rivals as the series progresses?
SK: Jeremy is a great rider and his speed is among the best in Canada, so yes, I obviously do feel he will be some of my tougher competition throughout the series. I feel that as long as I stay consistent, my speed in the AX will pull me through to some more finishes on the top of that podium.
Q: Newf and Beats have both took you under their wings as you worked your way up the amateur ranks. When it gets to this stage and you have to force your way passed them on the track do you give them any special room and respect or do you race them as if they were anyone else on the track?
SK: I guess I do, I know that i maybe shouldn’t but they have helped me out so much throughout the years and helped make me the rider I am today. I like to see those guys do well and I wish them the best in their careers.
Spencer Knowles signing autographs at the GA Checkpoint booth for fans of Arenacross at Round 1 in Cloverdale!
Q: Are there any young Spenny’s coming out the work that you have taken under your wing?
SK: Not at this point, I have been more focused on making myself a better rider at this point and most of my time off of racing, I am working to help support my racing or training. Maybe in a couple years down the road, I would definitely like to help an up and comer, but for now I feel I need to focus on my own riding.
Q: It’s sad to see your mentor Beats sidelined and I know you are in close contact with him, how is he doing and are we going to see him as a spectator at the next rounds in the Wack?
SK: Yea, I hate seeing stuff like that happen, especially to someone so close to me. I’ve been to see him as much as I can while I was in town and he will always be the lively beats that we all know and love. I’d love to have him come out, I guess we will just have to wait and see.
Q: Tell us who’s supporting you for this year’s Arenacross series?
SK: I can’t thank the people that are helping me this year enough, GA Checkpoint Yamaha has been great to me, i’d also like to thank AXO, Ogio, FMF, Atlas Brace, 100% Goggles, Enzo Racing, Big O Tires in Port Coquitlam, and my mom and dad, they have all been amazing. I’d also like to thank my mechanic Mike Smith for getting my bikes ready, he’s been another guy who has been there for me since day 1.
Thanks Spenny see you next week at Chilliwack!
So this past weekend I headed up to Motopark on Sunday and was greeted by the best track of the year. I was able to take the 2013 CRF 450 with me and rip up the perfectly manicured Motopark track. I won’t get into too much detail about the bike, but as per usual Honda has built a stellar product. The new air forks are so cool to mess with and so easy to change if you have the proper tool. All the new changes seem to really make the bike feel very light and easy to manhandle when out on the track. The only negative I would say it had was it has very mellow power off the bottom. A little tuning and that could be fixed. They are calling this bike “The Scrub Generation,” meaning they have tailored the machine for the youth of today and how they are all trying to become the next “Bubba Scrub” expert. Look for a MXPFilms coming this week from the Outlaw Production crew.
To end this off I want to mention that MXP and myself will be heading down to the Florida Mini O’s in two weeks. Shoot me a message – gauldy@mxpmag.com or Facebook or Twitter and let me know if you’re going down. I want to ensure that all the Canucks that make the trip will be getting lots of press. So far, myself, Tanner Ward, Hunter Scott, Taylor Ciampichini, and Westen Wrozyna (I’m assuming) are all on the list of Canadians heading down. Hope to see lots more.
height=350Young Canadian Mitch Goheen prepping for AX that starts in January. Great job on the vid Mitch and good luck!!
height=350Ami Houde is at again with another installment of #AmiandJamieMxAdventures Though it looks like Jamie was a little late for this video. LOL