Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
Going into the 2013 Monster Energy Motocross Nationals Jeremy Medaglia wasn’t sure if he was going to ride the MX2 or MX1 class. Even at round one in Nanaimo he had both bikes ready to go and signed up for both classes. However, a big crash in the first MX2 practice resulted in a badly bent 250F so the choice was made for him – it would be a summer of MX1 racing. It turned out to be a great decision as Jeremy rode the big YZ 450F incredibly and not only won a national but finished with a hard earned fourth overall in the tough MX1 class. For his efforts, Jeremy was named to Team Canada at the upcoming MXoN in Germany. We caught up with him as he was doing some final preparations for the big event in two weeks.
Q: Hey Jeremy, good to finally get the chance to have a chat with you. What have you been up to since Walton?
A: After Walton I took a few days off to relax and kind of recharge my batteries. Then I went to Madoc to race and I did pretty well there considering it was my first race back on a 250F in a while. Since Madoc I’ve just been training and riding the 250F trying to prepare for the MXoN.
Q: Are you going to be racing the 2014 YZ 250F in Germany?
A: No, we still have my race bike from the spring that we sent over to Germany. It was ready to go and we’d done a lot of testing on it so we should be good to go over there.
Q: Before we talk about the upcoming MXoN, let’s talk about your summer. You finished fourth overall in the MX1 Series, Were you happy with how the series went?
A: I think it went good but to be honest with you I thought it could’ve gone a little better. Even with a couple of DNFs I was still able to finish where I did. I think without those problems I might have been third or even second. Having said that though, I think we had a good summer. I was able to win in Quebec and that obviously meant a lot considering I had a few people saying that riding a 450 this summer was going to be a career killer. I think we did alright.
Q: Who said that?
A: I don’t really want to say, just people that obviously don’t know me very well. It’s funny how things work out though. I had that big crash in practice in Nanaimo and destroyed my 250F so I just focused on MX1. In the end, it ended up being a good thing as I proved I could race a 450 at a high level.
Jeremy worked very hard in 2013, even on his off weekends he kept racing. Here he flies above the Unadilla treeline in August.
Q: A few weeks ago at the final round of the series in Walton, it came down to you and your brother Tyler for third overall in the MX1 series. How did you approach that battle with your brother?
A: Well, we had a few good battles this summer so Walton wasn’t anything new. I just looked at it like another race. I tried to get a good start and ride my own race, I tried everything I could to get around Tyler but he rode great and held me off. It was no different than battling anyone else on the track. The only thing I would never do is run it in on him and make contact. That wouldn’t be too cool.
He got the better of me in the first moto so it all came down to the final moto of the year for third overall. I ended up getting a really bad start while Tyler started up front. That pretty much sealed my fate. I rode hard but ended up finishing behind him in that moto and in the final points standings. It was a tough way to end the series but like I said before, I’m pretty happy with fourth.
Q: That first moto battle was one of the best of the year, for sure. I don’t think you two were more than a few bike lengths apart for 35 minutes. Going back to your big win in Quebec in July, did you feel really confident heading into that race?
A: Yes, I felt pretty good heading into Deschambault. I had come off a strong second overall the week before at Sand Del Lee so things were improving. One of the issues I had was while I was training for the Gopher Dunes round, I worked way too hard in the heat an actually got sick. So at Gopher I just did my best to try and finish the day in one piece. My sickness carried on a little into Sand Del Lee so I was a little off there as well. By the time we got to Quebec I was feeling a lot stronger and I went out and won. This year was a big learning year for me. One of the things I learned was not to overwork like I did before Gopher Dunes. I just have to trust my program and go with what’s been working.
The Medaglia Brothers had a few great battles in 2013. In the final two rounds of the MX1 series they were this close.
Q: You did seem a little off at Gopher Dunes but then you got it back going and finished the series strong. So you had a great season and this summer you were named to Team Canada for the MXoN in two weeks. How cool was that?
A: It’s a huge honour to be able to represent Canada again. I did it a few years ago in Colorado and that was a great experience so I expect the same this time around. Back then everyone said we were sending our B Team and we ended up doing pretty good, so with the riders on this year’s team, hopefully we’ll do well again.
Q: I personally like our team this year. I think between you, your brother and Cole and what you each bring to the table, you have a good chance to do well.
A: Yes for sure, I think we all have really good speed and we’ve shown that we can get good starts even under pressure. All three of us aren’t afraid to rub some paint so when you add those things up we have a good group going. I think it’s going to be fun and hopefully by the end of the weekend, everyone over there knows who Team Canada is.
Q: In the past the MXON has sort of been an afterthought in the industry in Canada, but this year there feels like there’s a little excitement building. Are you feeling that as well?
A: Definitely, this is a huge event and it has a big audience so as a country that has so many good riders and a great national series, there’s no reason for us not to get excited and send a good team. To be honest, I was a little worried at how things were going to be this year after I received the call saying that I was on the team, but right from start things have been really organized and laid out for us. As riders, all we’ve had to do was prepare and next week show up at the airport. You can’t ask for better than that.
As you can see here, Jeremy had no problems riding a 450 this summer.
Q: Well, good luck to all of you in Germany, we’ll all be watching. Looking beyond Germany to 2014, any concrete plans yet?
A: As of right now all I know is that I will be putting the number four on something next year (laughs). I mean, it’s still early so I’m not expecting to know too much right now. I think I proved myself this year on the big bike so I’d love to be back in MX1. If not we’ll see what happens. I am one of the few guys who won a round this past year and I think that’s important when looking for a rider. Hopefully we’ll get something done when I get back from Germany.
Q: I agree with you, I think you deserve a raise (laughs). Well, I’ll let you get back to preparing for Germany. Congratulations on a great season and good luck in Germany. Go Canada Go!!
A: Thanks Palms, we’ll do our best.
