Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
There are a number of reasons why I enjoy this time of the year so much. First off, 12 years ago this Saturday my son was born in an Orangeville, ON hospital. On that particular day the sun was shining and the temperature was a very pleasant 24c. Although I was warned by multiple people about how my life was about to change and how fast time would begin to fly by, looking back it’s something I had to go through myself to really understand. Here we are over a decade later, my son is just over a year away from being a teenager and time doesn’t appear to be slowing down at all.
Colton Facciotti’s helmet sits idol prior to practice at the 2007 MXON in Budd Creeks. Photo by James Lissimore
As my son was enjoying his first few weeks of living in our world, Team Canada was getting ready to race the 2007 MXON’s at Budds Creek. That race was a massive deal as at the time it was the first MXON’s on North American soil since Unadilla some 20 years before. I wasn’t able to make it to Budds Creek, but by all accounts it was a party to end all parties. Our Canadian Team was made of JSR, Blair Morgan and Colton Facciotti. To their credit they all rode well and of course did Canada proud. As you may remember, Team USA dominated the day in front of their hometown crowd and Ryan Villopoto had one of his best ever races in the 250 class as he won both of his motos. Also, despite battling an illness, RC rode great in the final race of his long career, and Tim Ferry held his own in one of his final races. Yes, even though I love spring time and the arrival of some nice weather after a cold winter, September has grown to be my favourite month on the calendar as it always seems to be full of excitement.
As I write this I’m sitting on an Air Canada flight that is headed west to Calgary. As we’re climbing out over the north shore of Lake Huron, the sky is getting dark and looking very fall-like. Not that I was eavesdropping or anything, but I heard the lady seated in front of me mention to the person next to her that life was sure different today than it was a year ago. It quickly got me thinking about what I was doing a year ago and what exactly was different in our sport. If we look back 365 days ago, the biggest news in motocross was that the MXON was back in the USA and about to go down at perhaps the most famous tracks on the planet….RED BUD! Way back in 1987 I actually raced a Michigan Spring Series event at Red Bud, and at the time my Dad had the foresight to tell me how cool it was that we were racing there, and that I should remember that day. At the time it was just another track to me, and the long drive to get there stood out more to me than being there. However, my Dad was right, because in the past 30 years Red Bud’s legacy has grown exponentially. It’s still cool when people ask me if I’ve raced at Red Bud before; now I’m able to say yes. Like 2016 when the MXON’s took place in Italy at the famous Maggiore track, going to Red Bud was very special, as it will be this year when most likely over 30,000 people are going to cram into the grandstand at the storied Assen Circuit. As much as it’s going to be cool to watch the MXON’s this weekend, it will seem a little weird not having a team from the Great White North to cheer for.
The 2018 MXON at Red Bud was pretty special for everyone. Photo by James Lissimore
To again prove just how much can change in a calendar year, let’s look at where our 2018 Team Canada riders are today compared to last year. Heading into Red Bud last year, all three of our riders were at the top of their game. Colton Facciotti had come off what I believe to be his best season ever. Aided by more racing than he had done in over a decade, Colton’s race skills were razor sharp a year ago, and he was also motivated by the fact that he was most likely racing in his final MXON’s. Tyler Medaglia was also coming off a great season of racing, and with him winning a 450 moto at the final MXTour round at Walton, T-Dags was ready to take on the world. The final member of that fantastic trio was Canada’s newest champion Jess Pettis. Last year Pettis couldn’t do anything wrong as he dominated the MXTour as well the SXTour. There were times last summer when he could’ve started backwards and probably still won. Much like Dylan Wright this past summer, 2018 was the year that Jess Pettis solidified himself as one of our top riders. To watch three riders, who are all at the top of their games, compete is such a wonderful thing. It’s really too bad they suffered some back luck at Red Bud last year. With their speed and home continent advantage, Team Canada definitely had a Top 10 and maybe even a Top 5 or 6 in their sights.
Fast forward to 2019, we will have no Team Canada to cheer for in Assen. Colton Facciotti is now officially retired and is still basking in the glow of his sixth 450 Outdoor title. Tyler Medaglia is coming off an admirable season racing with the kids in the 250 class. However, he’s now in the midst of transitioning back to a 450 for the remainder of this year and next. For Pettis, after a first turn crash a few weeks ago at the Montreal SX, he’s now dealing with a severe knee injury that will keep him off of the bike for at least four months. Realistically, if we were sending a team to Assen this weekend, Dylan Wright is our only rider who is currently at the top of his game and feeling completely comfortable with his machine. On a side note, I was talking to Ryan Lockhart the other day and we were chatting about how cool it would’ve been to watch Dylan crash and bang his way around the miserable Assen Circuit. We both agreed that two things would be for sure. One, Dylan would’ve most likely done very well, and two, he would’ve made zero riding buddies along the way. I guess we’ll have to wait at least another year for that show.
With all of the preparation that they’ve been doing overseas I’m hoping that Jason Anderson and Team USA win this weekend in Assen. Photo by James Lissimore
If you look at our three Team Canada riders from last year to this year, it makes you realize how quickly life can change. One day you’re on top of the world and the next you’re not. As it’s been proven so many times before, getting to the top is so very hard, but staying there is even harder. Moving forward with Team Canada and the MXON’s, as much as Kourtney Lloyd took the entire process to a level we thought we’d never see in this country, I think what Team USA has done this year is taking it even further. After getting thoroughly embarrassed last year on home soil, their 2019 team of Jason Anderson, Zach Osborne and Justin Cooper have been overseas training in the sand for almost a month. I can’t remember a time where a team has done this much prep for the MXON’s before. After a long season of SX and MX, do you think any of them want to even be riding right now, let alone living overseas and pounding sand tracks everyday? However, this is what North American teams may have to do moving forward if they want to have a chance of winning the biggest prize in motocross. I was talking to one Canadian Team Manager last week about what Team USA is doing this year and he said that never mind the cost of living over there for a month, no team or OEM in Canada could even afford to supply enough parts to keep the bikes running for that long. With the toll sand takes on today’s race bikes, what Team USA is doing just wouldn’t be feasible for Team Canada. The best we could do was practice on mostly stock bikes at Gopher Dunes for two weeks before heading over to Assen. With the effort that Team USA is putting forth this year, I hope they go to Assen this weekend and kick everyone’s butt!
With how much everything has changed in the past year alone, it’s scary to think where we’ll will be a year from now. Of everything that I just spoke about, the only things that are a given is that next year at this time we’ll still be getting ready to celebrate my son’s birthday, and Colton Facciotti will most likely still be retired. Oh yes, the hands of time will continue to move at a feverish pace, and Canadian motocross (and life) will still remain as unpredictable as ever. Finally, even though Team Canada will not be in Assen this weekend, it doesn’t mean that we’re not one of the most talented motocross countries on the planet. With a few grizzly veteran riders, some very talented young pros, and a host of fast, up and coming amateur kids, I’d put Canada up against any other motocross country on any day. Thanks for reading!
