NORTHERN NOTES: BLEEDING RED AND WHITE

Highlights and history on Team Canada’s performances at the Motocross of Nations …

Words by Danny Brault

It’s not over yet – there is still one more race to go before that fat lady can start belting out another tune.

We’re now only a week away from the annual Motocross of Nations, which takes place next Saturday and Sunday, September 27-28th in Kegums, Latvia. Everything is in place for Team Canada to bump elbows and scrape paint with the best of the best at the ‘Olympics of Motocross!’

We have freshly crowned, National MX1 and MX2 champs, Colton Facciotti and Kaven Benoit signed on, along with two-time MX2 champ and proven MX1 race winner, Tyler Medaglia, who will be representing his country in the MX3 class; they’ve got their race bikes, gear, mechanics, man friends, and of course their fearless leader, Ryan Gauld; he’s cashed the cheques and loaded the crates – it’s go-time.

Canada wants it this year, I can feel it … and isn’t it ‘aboot’ our time to get it?

We have the speed, talent and fitness between our three riders, but like every race, starts are critical and that’s a deciding factor at an event like MXoN. Colton Facciotti isn’t going to be able to slice his way through the pack in Latvia, like he does at, say, Gopher Dunes. Well, with a guy like Colt … who knows, maybe he could?

Is it possible for a Canadian to holeshot against a ‘works’ bike from Europe or ‘factory’ bike from the US? Not to mention the riders aboard them, like Ryan Dungey and Antonio Cairioli? Of course it’s possible! Sure, GDR TLD Honda and Royal Distributing KTM Fox Racing may not boast the same ridiculous budgets of other race teams in the world, but they build quality machines that any racer would be thrilled to ride – and Canada has led starts and laps before at MXoN.

Remember back to 2004 when Dusty Klatt and Jean-Sebastien Roy ripped holeshots in the deep sands of Lierop, Netherlands? Both were riding for Blackfoot Honda at the time (Blair Morgan was on the team as well, riding a Blair Morgan Racing YZ250), with Klatt putting his CRF250R out front in his MX2 qualifier and JSR taking the final MOTO holeshot on Sunday in Leirop! That’s right, our ‘King’ battled with names like Strijbos and Everts before finishing 25th. (In that same moto, Blair made an incredible charge up to 16th!)

Klatt – Roy – Morgan … certainly a ‘dream-team’ compilation of Canadian talent, which would go on to record Canada’s best ever overall finish at the MXoN with an 8th in Lierop. Morgan also scored Canada’s best (?) moto finish ever with a 6th-place in the first MX3 moto. I included the (?) because former Team Canada Manager, Carl Bastedo, says that it was Canada’s best moto result, but I’ve been led to believe that it was Mike Harnden who held this honour. Harden, who grew up in Oshawa, Ontario, says that he finished 5th at the MXoN in Germany in 1985.

Here’s what Harnden recalls from the MXoN Germany ’85 (read full article here):

“All in all, Canada finished tenth on the day and I went 10-5-8. I got a bad start in the first one, rode the race of my life in the second one and the last one I crashed off the start and worked my way up. Like I said, the other guys were around tenth. The real bummer for me was that we didn’t get any purse money for the tenth because the CMA said that expenses were too high and they needed the money! Doug (Hoover) was pissed as was I. That was a long, hard race for nothing. I guess our purse money was needed to offset the expenses, which were too high.”

Speaking of heroes of old, have you checked out this cool website featuring biographies and stories on former Canadian racers and champions? It’s “Legends of Canadian Motocross,” featuring words and photos by Will DeClerq and Bill Petro. You old dogs will love it.

Here’s a note from the website on Glen Nicholson, who also rode for Team Canada twice in his career:

“Nicholson reached his peak, however, in 1987 when he snared a National No.3 ranking. That same year, and in 1986, he was a member of Team Canada at the Motocross Des Nations in the United States and Italy respectively. For a number of years, Nicholson used his popularity as a motocross rider to front a drug awareness program at schools throughout Ontario for the Canadian Institute for Prevention of Addiction. He was also instrumental in promoting the sport of motocross as a founding member of Moto News, a bi-weekly, nationally distributed motosport newspaper for which he was a test rider.

Read more about old school life of motocross here: locmx.com.

This week’s ‘Mainstream Moto’ features Colton Facciotti who catches up with his local Tillsonburg (“My back still aches when I hear that word…”) newspaper. Here’s what Colt has to say about representing the Red and White next weekend in Latvia.

Cool to see our moto-brethern to the south giving some love to Team Canada in their 2015 MXoN “Ones to Watch” preview.

Although … upon closer inspection, some poor reporting by the Transworld MX author. He writes: “Could this be the year they rush through the ranks and land in the top-twenty?”

Top 20?! Correction! Team Canada has already finished in the top-20 more than once. In fact, we’ve been in the top-20 since 2004 (we didn’t send a team in 2011 or 2012). However, this is motocross and as they say, “You’re only as good as your last race,” so maybe the author is only referring to Canada’s lacklustre performance last year when we failed to make the A final. At any rate, we ARE a top-10 contender when you consider past results. You’ll see.

I’ve never attended a MXoN in Europe, but did catch Budds Creek in 2007 when Blackfoot Yamaha’s trio of JSR, Morgan and Facciotti rode hard to a respectable 10th overall (Colton had the best moto with a 12th in the MX2 class). I’ve been told that if you want to experience a “real” MXoN, then you must escape the “Born in the U-S-A!” to truly appreciate the magnitude of the event. America’s quite far and expensive for most of the teams and hardcore fans to travel to, whereas in Europe, you have all of these smaller countries packed in tight and it’s only a hop-skip-and-a-jump and you’re in a new land. More cultures, more languages and way, way more techno.

Sadly, I too will be like most Canadian fans, watching from the couch as Colt, Kaven and Tyler take on the world in Latvia. What’s the best way to follow MXoN race action? You can watch it LIVE online! You got ’er, Roger. Call your buddies up, fill up the cooler and fridge with your favourite moto drinks and snacks, and drop the tailgate, because you can take in two full days of live coverage from the 2014 MXoN. Sign up here: www.MXGP-TV.com.

For those in the social world, the MXoN posts some cool content and updates leading up to the event on their Event Facebook page.

Team Canada MXoN Fun Fact: Former pro turned FMXer, Jason Thorne, raced for Team Canada in 2000 at the France MXoN, along with Darcy Lange and Doug Dehaan. Jason “Airborne” Thorne, holeshots to heel clickers, Metal Mulisha to Team Canada – the guy’s done it all!

Team Canada’s MXoN overall results since 2004:

2004 – 8th
2005 – 17th
2006 – 18th
2007 – 10th
2008 – 13th
2009 – 27th
2010 – 17th
*2011/ 2012 – No team sent
2013 – 3rd in B final
2014 – ???

Last weekend there was some big adventure in my life, taking part in the 3rd Annual Orange Crush Adventure Rally race in Quebec. The two-day rally featured 150 Frenchmen and a handful of Anglophones as we raced in teams of 3 from Montreal to Parent to La Tuque. We cover approx. 900 kms, which translates into 18-hours on the seat of a motorcycle!

A ‘fun competition’ event, the Orange Crush is one of those times where you simply enjoy being on a motorcycle with a bunch of other guys who share the same passion. KTM Canada has been title sponsor of the event since it began in 2012, showing off their versatile line of dual-sport bikes and encouraging more Canadians to try their hand at the growing art of adventure riding.

Going into the race, I was hoping KTM would hook me up with a 500 EXC or 690 Enduro, but now that it’s all said and done, I’m happy they threw me onto an Adventure 1190. I was a little intimidated at first on the thought of manhandling this 150 horsepower machine through single track trails, over rocks and ‘Special Tests,’ but the 1190 handles amazingly light and nimble on the trail for a bike its size. It wasn’t long before I was riding over my head (but fortunately never landed on my head … well, except for once when I tested the durability a 500 EXC by steering straight into the trees. We both survived.).

To see what exactly an “Orange Crush” is all about, view the post-event photo report here.

One of the Orange Crush racers shared his helmet coverage, which shows the ever-changing terrain we experienced.

This weekend doesn’t hold nearly as much adventure for me. A few chores and house repairs, and then a visit to my good buddy Kyle Keast, who took a nasty header last Sunday at Sand Del Lee that left him with a broken back.

The Machine Racing Yamaha rider was down in Ottawa, practicing with his girlfriend, Shandel Przybilla, when Kyle’s YZ450F engine locked up and he was sent over the bars and onto his head.

Fortunately, Keast is walking, talking and in no major pain, but he did compress two vertebrae, the T6 and T7 (and the T7 is cracked in two spots), which leaves Keast in a custom ‘body cast’ for a few months. He’s been on his back at the Queensway Carlton Hospital since Sunday afternoon, but is back home to Lindsay today. Not being able to ride is one thing but the 30 year-old’s biggest concern right now is juggling his construction company’s workload without being able to move around a whole lot.

“That’s the worst part, we have so much work going on right now and things usually get done quicker when I’m there,” he says. “But, I’m thankful I’m still walking because it could be a lot worse.”

That said, anyone looking for a job, hit up Keaster on Twitter (@kylekeast4). He promises he won’t yell at you … too much. If you do contact him for a job, word to the wise: don’t ask when the first break is.

By all accounts, after a good rest this off-season, Keast plans to return to the track next summer, most likely a similar schedule to this year: hit up his favourite local races and then jump into the national tour when it kicks up in the east at Gopher Dunes.

Thanks for reading. Go Canada Go!