Decal Works Presents Monday Gate Drop

As we find ourselves in the early stages of the 2015 Holiday Season, the time has come to begin thinking about what we might want to buy for the people we love. One great idea would be a set of custom graphics from the company that sponsors this Monday Gate Drop column each and every week, DeCal Works. All you have to do is log onto www.decalmx.com and within minutes you can design and order your very own set of the best graphics in the business.

It’s hard to believe that we’re beginning the final week of November; the last few months have certainly flown by. Soon it will be December, and then before we know it, hopefully Santa will be sliding down our chimneys to put some gifts under our trees. I personally love the Christmas season as it’s great to see stores decorated and all of our little ones excited. But before we get to Christmas, we still have a few races in Canada that have to be completed.

The 2015 Future West Moto AX Championships resumes Friday night in this awesome building. Photo by James Lissimore

This Friday in Chilliwack, BC the 2015 Future West Moto AX Championship resumes in one of the best AX facilities in this country. The Agriplex in Chilliwack is a massive building that houses not only the track but also the heated pits for all of the riders. Exactly two years ago I headed out there to check things out. Up until that point I hadn’t visited this long running BC series since 1999 when I went to the Abbotsford round as a Pro rider, and that was a different experience all together as it was more like a business trip.

Two years ago, I remember taking a very early flight to Vancouver on the Friday morning and then having to pin it in my rental car so I could arrive in time for practice. Yes, I said practice. You see, one of the reasons I made the trip out to BC in 2013 was so I could not only watch the racing, but also so I could race the Vet class. Thanks to Ryan Lockhart and his gracious sponsor Troy Smith of Maple Ridge Motorsports, I had Newf’s race ready KX450F to race, so all I had to do was bring my gear bag.

From the moment I arrived at the arena in Chilliwack I was greeted by a few familiar faces. The first person I saw was Newf himself who had just finished up one of his popular riding schools and was headed back home to grab a nap before his Pro practice. Newf told me his bike was ready for me, and then he reminded me not to crash and bend it up. Of course I agreed and told him that I’d do my best, and then I headed inside to sign up and say hi to my longtime friends, the Hellam brothers. The Hellam boys and I go way back as before they moved out to BC they used to live right here in Ontario. Many times I lined up beside Dave in the 85cc class, and I remember them always being fun to hang out with at the track. Anyway, inside the Chilliwack Heritage Park Arena I tracked down my old friends and signed up for the “Legends” class.

With a huge floor space inside the Heritage Park Arena, the track is always big and provides alot of great racing. Photo by James Lissimore

Like almost every AX event, in Chilliwack the amateurs qualified during the day and then each class got a final race at night mixed in with the Pros. I love this format as it gives all the amateur riders a good amount of track time during the day, and then a chance to race at night under the lights. The added pressure of racing at night in between the Pro races is a great learning experience for a young rider, and it’s no surprise why this BC AX series has spit out so many fast riders over the years.

Practice and qualifying in the Legends class went very well. Not only was I able to keep Newf’s bike on two wheels, but I was also able to win my heat race and make it into the night show with the first gate pick. When I wasn’t on the track, I spent my time walking around and talking to as many amateur riders as possible. Even two years ago this series ran like a well-oiled machine, and to see all of the kids coming off the Chilliwack track with big smiles on their faces made me wish that Ontario had a similar series for our kids (thankfully we do now).

After a cool opening ceremony the Pro races began, and if you remember, in 2013 there were top Canadian riders like Jeremy and Tyler Medaglia competing, along with names like Lockhart, Nauditt and of course Ross Johnson. The battles were intense that night in every class as the riders battled for every inch on the big Chilliwack track. With lap times that were a little longer than most AX races, the riders were able to set up passes and race with each other. With the cool track set up that the Chilliwack arena offered, every race that night was awesome to watch. By the time the Legends class final came up at the end of the night it was well past my bed time, however thanks to the power of Newf’s Maple Ridge Kawasaki I was able to holeshot, stay awake and grab my first win on BC soil since 1999.

Thanks to Newf and Troy Smith from Maple Ridge Motorsports I had a great time in Chilliwack two years ago. Photo by James Lissimore.

All in all, that weekend in Chilliwack was just an awesome experience and I was glad that I did it. For almost 20 years this series has been going strong. It’s not only given local BC riders a chance to keep racing throughout the winter, but it’s also attracted riders at one time or another from right across Canada and the USA. With just two weekends remaining in the 2015 series, the riders have just a few more chances to prove themselves before this year’s racing season is officially over. So to the Hellams before, and to Lesley Reid and Future West Moto now, good luck this weekend and here’s to another many more years of BC arenacross.

That is it for me this week, I hope everyone has a great week, and let’s get out and begin our Christmas shopping. Head to your local dealer, head to Royal Distributing or website, or, as I said at the beginning of this Gate Drop, log onto www.decalmx.com and order a set of graphics and one of DeCal Works new seat covers. Also, good luck to everyone in Chilliwack this weekend and Happy Thanksgiving to our friends south of the border.

All eyes will be on Gainesville, FL as a few of our top Canadian riders amateur are competing this week at the 44th annual Thor Winter Olympics.