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Hello friends and welcome aboard the very first ‘Friday Flight’ of 2016. I have never really been one for resolutions of any kind as my life to this point has gone pretty much exactly the way I had hoped it would. Okay, if the truth be told there have been many ups and downs but a concerted effort to live in the ‘now’ has helped tons. 2015 saw many great moments experienced in my personal life with my connection and involvement to this great sport. I have every reason to believe 2016 will be another great ride with many firsts for myself and the sport. Before I get too carried away on what is going on in the wide open world of Moto I just want to take a moment to remember a dear friend. On Sunday morning I was awoken by the tragic news that many of you by now have read about or heard. The passing of our beloved Moto brother Jason Burbine from Joggins, Nova Scotia hit all of us in the community like a ton of bricks. I am at a total loss as Jason was a very unique individual, which I was very proud to call a friend. I am sending every ounce of positive energy I have to his immediate family and friends. I had developed a great working relationship with Jason and his family through my Moto related duties. Jason was one of the burliest individuals you would ever expect to meet at the race track and was never hesitant to use his one of a kind, million dollar smile. R.I.P. my friend, you will be missed more than you could ever imagine.
So this is it friends, the calendar reads January 8th and we are on the eve of what many call the biggest race in the sport of Motocross. No, that is not open for debate as I am not looking to start an argument that would likely end in a best of seven ‘Rock Paper Scissors.’ However, if that did happen, my money would be on Ross Johnson or Ryan Lockhart (inside joke that I am sure has them smiling). Okay, just to validate that, there was a round of the Future West Arenacross Series two years ago where the Dash for Cash ended in a Dead Heat between those two foes. You guessed it, they settled it with a game of ‘Rock Paper Scissors.’ Only in Canada I guess eh!
A1 maybe one of the biggest races on the planet, there is no arguing that. In the modern era of Supercross we live in, the bar has been raised to the highest level imaginable. This discipline of Motocross is cutting edge, next level and there is absolutely no room for error anywhere. When the gate drops on Saturday night you can bet that each and every rider will likely push their own personal ‘Risk Versus Reward’ equation to a new height more than once. So with that being said, what does Round 1 mean? In spite of all the hype and it likely being the toughest ticket for a fan to get of the series, no one will leave Anaheim crowned the 2016 Monster Energy Supercross Champion. We saw evidence of this last year as well as many years in the past. This series is a marathon, to say it is gruelling is an understatement. What you see on your television, if you’re fortunate enough to still get that, is only minuscule compared to what goes on at the track and behind the scenes round in and round out. If you haven’t seen or experienced it firsthand, get out to a round if you can. It will blow your mind to see what these athletes are sacrificing to live this dream. For a lot of these riders and their connections who are making it possible, the beauty is at times simply in the eye of the beholder. We Canadian Motocross fans are fortunate to have our own version of ‘March Madness’ back on the schedule this year at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
When one looks to the answer as to what Round 1 means, in my opinion, the answers vary a lot from rider to rider. Let’s start in the small bike class on the West. It is beyond cool to have Cole Thompson teamed up with Slaton and KTM Racing to be able to continue to pursue his dreams of Supercross glory in an effort to reach new heights in his career. I believe with Cole’s credentials and experience he will have a decent opener. I also believe Cole will put as much stock in getting through the opener in one piece as he will a good result. For a rider like Cole, confidence and building momentum each round will be a huge part of his successful formula. I also believe the ‘Thompson Train’ will gain many followers as his successful season writes itself in 2016. No matter what the results are on the track for Supercross in 2016, just think what this experience enables Cole to bring back to the table for the Rockstar Nationals! Good luck Cole and thanks for picking up your phone this week when the Canadian Moto Show came calling!
What about a guy like Cooper Webb? On paper he is the top dog and has every right to make that statement opening night. I believe Webb will be very hard to beat on the Lites bike. So onward and upward I also look to Joey Savatgy to have a great series. This kid is fast and I believe he will provide Pro Circuit with the kind of podium presence they are accustomed to. How about Jimmy Decotis back on the Geico Honda? How cool is that added to the fact that he raced here in Canada last year? He also sat on my living room couch for an interview after slaying the field at the opener in Kamloops. Okay, I have many reasons to cheer for the likeable Jimmy D. With Jimmy coming in with the momentum he gained from his Australian Supercross victory, a top 5 in this series overall would not surprise me. Jimmy Decotis, who swears by Ryno Power Sports Supplements, has been given a second opportunity not many riders get. Jimmy will harness and put to work for him everything he has learned through what he has and has not done in the past. Good luck Jimmy. I know I speak for many when I say it would be cool to have you lined up again at Round 1 in Kamloops. There are many other riders bringing the kind of fuel and experience to the table that Jimmy has in the Lites West: Christian Craig, Zach Osborne, Tyler Bowers, the list goes on. Once again, I think the only rider in the Lites West capable of beating Cooper Webb is Cooper Webb, maybe I am wrong. The race fan in me kind of hopes so!
To me, the 450 class has a few more question marks but this is the true attrition class ’Survivor Series’ that fits. Where does 30-year-old James Stewart fit in? I would like to think there are good things in James’s future. He continues to amaze race fans and critics with types of things only he can do on a motorcycle. After his injury in Lille’ to add to the many things he has stacked up against him, James surely has his work cut out for him. The other rider who, as of this writing, has not named the tent he will be under Saturday night is Chad Reed. Where does this veteran stack up? Will he win a main event this year again? I say no, but if I am wrong I will be like the many and go, WOW! never saw that coming. Chad, if you are still looking for a rig to pit under come Saturday, just head over to the ‘Legends And Heroes’ truck and pit there. I am sure no one would complain. Now to my top 3 contenders just before this first Flight of the season lifts off. Here again, if I am wrong, good! Maybe Trey Canard has had some form of off-season exorcism of the demons that have plagued him performed allowing him to dodge the bullets of bad luck in 2016. We all know Trey is capable but his history favours the odds against him. How can you not pull for the talented rider who has persevered through more than the average bear? Before I get to the top three, let me mention that I believe Jason Anderson will win a main event this year and maybe more than one. He looked very good on that new Husky and is a bi-product of the ‘Baker’s Factory’ and practices with all of Aldon’s mighty prodigies.
The top 3, as I see it in the way of contenders in the 450 class, are Ryan Dungey, Ken Roczen and Eli Tomac. There was no bigger Eli Tomac fan than myself last year but his starts were an absolute killer. I also feel that he let things bother him a little more than a savvy veteran racer would and it cost him on more than one occasion. I was trackside in San Diego when one of these exact moments happened with Chad Reed. Yes, Tomac is now teamed up with the winning track record of Kawasaki on a bike that corners more to Eli’s liking but there is more. Eli has had reconstructive shoulder surgery after his horrific crash outdoors and it may take time to get up to speed. When he does I believe there will be races where he wins and wins easily. Will the Championship be out of reach when this happens? Maybe, maybe not. Ken Roczen will, as he has always does, bust out his best early in this series. Ken Roczen is like a quarter horse in the sense that most series he has had success in, he leads and breaks away early. The big question this year will be the ability to sustain the bid, stay healthy through 17 rounds, and become a true Supercross thoroughbred. After what happened last year, you bet he has some added fuel. After all, how could he not? That coupled with his determination to overcome many things including the dissing by his own father of his current team, RCH. You can bet K-Roc will be all business week in and week out, and will win often in this series. Will he beat Ryan Dungey? On many nights I believe he will but as I said this series is more of a war than it is a battle. My War hero for 2016 is not a unique selection or original one. Love him or hate him, Ryan Dungey is built for this series. What he did last year was nothing short of amazing. Once he found his best stride, no one had what he had. The KTM he rode last year had been totally rebuilt, more nubile and was a shadow of its former self. Dungey was also very sick to start 2015 and got on Aldon’s program late but still made it work. He has had some time since the outdoors and has been living comfortably, and confidently in a zone of his own building up to this season. He is quietly heading into 2016 with that all-elusive proven winning formula that his competitors are still searching for. Good luck to Ryan Dungey and all others living out their Supercross dreams in 2016. My six weeks in California cannot start soon enough.
Drop that gate and let’s go racing friends. Until next Friday Friday…….. ‘Airmail’ Out!