Decal Works Presents Monday Gate Drop

This week’s Monday Gate Drop is brought to you once again by Decal Works. There is still a few months of racing left in the 2015 season so it’s not too late to order a set of graphics. All you have to do is log on to www.decalmx.com and within minutes you can design and order your very own set of custom Decal Works graphics.

I hope everyone had a great final weekend of August 2015. The weather (in Ontario at least) was decent, and this coming week the heat of summer appears to be back. My weekend was good, although last night my wife suggested we watch the MTV Video Music Awards. Well, I think Daniel Blair summed it up best when during the broadcast he jokingly tweeted that “The VMAs are the reason why the world hates the USA.” Other than the odd moment, this show was absolutely intelligence draining and it’s a miracle that I’m able to put two coherent thoughts together this morning. I guess in the end we’re the ones who actually watched it. Truth be told, my wife has had her privileges for picking TV shows suspended for a while.

Davin’s face needed a little work on Saturday afternoon after his crash. Sorry this photo is a little blurry, but maybe this how Davin was seeing the World at the time.

As I mentioned, though, my weekend was pretty good. On Saturday we went up to Moto Park to ride and to celebrate another 50cc rider’s eighth birthday. The track was in perfect condition, so all the boys in attendance had a great day of riding and hanging out. If you see Tristan Brulotte around, don’t forget to wish him a happy belated birthday. Of course, our time there wasn’t without a little drama as near the end of the day Moto Park’s trusted mechanic, Davin Grose, took a large digger off the number four tabletop. I just happened to be talking with MP owner Iain Hayden when Davin came into the clubhouse very disorientated and needing some assistance. While he tried unsuccessfully to remember anything about what happened or even what day it was, we patched him up before he left for the hospital. From what I hear, Davin is okay and just a little sore and dinged up. I think he’s very lucky as it could’ve been a lot worse. Davin is one of those ‘help you with anything’ type of guys at Moto Park. He’s also a very good rider so I know I speak for everyone when I send him our very best wishes.

Nevermind Chucky Cheese..Tristan Brulotte wanted to have his birthday party at Moto Park with all of hismotocross friends.

Now on to what I want to talk about this week, the closing of one of the most iconic dealerships in our sport, Machine Racing. First opening in Bradford, Ontario in 1975, Machine Racing moved its location a few times before finally settling in a large building just NE of Newmarket. Over the years, Bill Philip and John Nelson have sold a lot of motorcycles and have helped a lot of riders, not just in Ontario but right across Canada. Whether you needed parts, bikes, advice or just simply to chat about the sport, Machine Racing has been there in so many different capacities. And now their doors are closed and they’ve sadly become a part of the rich history of our sport.

The first time I ever took notice of Machine Racing was back in the late 1980s when they began supporting a number of my fellow amateur riders in Ontario. Up until that point, the only time I saw their name at the track it was associated with one of the best riders to ever throw their leg over a dirt bike, Doug Hoover. For years, John Nelson not only supported Hoover but he also called him a close friend. Throughout the late stages of Hoover’s career he did a lot of racing locally and Machine Racing was a big part of that. After Hoover retired, Jeff Surwall took over the reigns of Machine’s resident fast guy, which marked the beginning of perhaps John Nelson’s biggest infatuation with a rider. Surwall and Nelson became great friends, and from 1989 to 1992, Surwall’s presence at the local Ontario races was very successful both on the track and off the track for Machine Racing.

When John Nelson’s second favourite rider Ryan Gauld was with MXP, this was one of the Machine Racing ad’s that was put together for one of the issues.

When I turned Pro in August of 1989, I instantly became not just one of Surwall’s competitors but also the new recipient of John’s famous rhetoric. In those early years I never really knew what to think of John and his comedic stick. At the time I was 17-years-old and I thought he was just trying to get in my head because I was a threat to his golden child, Surwall. Little did I know at the time, it was just John being John and he really didn’t mean any harm by it. In fact, when I broke my leg in 1990 and I was lying in a Toronto hospital bed with a fresh rod in my leg, the phone in my room rang a mere 12 hours after surgery with John and Jeff’s voices on the other end. They were both calling to see how I was and to wish me well. You know it’s funny, that was 25 years ago and I still remember how good that made me feel. I don’t think I’m the only person who was curious about John’s motives when they first met him, only to learn that at the end of the day he has one of the biggest hearts in our sport. The comments and the perception that he doesn’t care, this is just how John is, and lucky for all of us, his actions have always spoken louder than his endless (and sometimes negative) words.

Obviously, I was able to recover from that broken leg. Two years later Surwall retired from motocross and moved on to starting the massive No Fear casual wear company. Surwall’s departure left a huge gap in John’s program, however with Canadian motocross going through one of its bleakest times, I don’t think it really mattered too much to the dealership. After the CMRC stepped in and the Canadians Nationals began to recover, so did the economy and soon there was a reason to go racing again. Finally in 1994, I received support from Machine Racing and for the rest of the decade I was part of the family.

John Nelson and Machine Racing have been a fixture at the races for ever two decades and have definitely been responsible for helping out a ton of Ontario riders. photo by James Lissimore

While I have many, many stories to tell about those six seasons, when I look back those were definitely the best years of my motocross life. Not just on paper where the results were concerned, but with the bonds and friendship that I was able to develop with people, some of which are going today. Yes, those were fun times, and looking back I miss them. Although I never became as close with John as Surwall did (I don’t think anyone has), I always felt as though he had my back. John was one of those bosses that you only heard from if he either had a funny story to tell you or if he wanted to give you crap about something. Compliments were few and far between, but when they did come your way, they were always in some sort of code. When I finally won my first national overall in 1995, John called me and simply said “It’s about time!” The following year when I won three of four motos at the same national, I got another call from him saying “Of course you won, it was muddy, no one can beat you in the mud.” At the time I was slightly perplexed at his reaction or lack of reaction, but in hindsight that was John jumping for joy.

You could write a book with Machine Racing stories (actually that’s a pretty good idea) as almost everyone has one or two, or a dozen. The dealership has been a lot of things to a lot of people and its legacy will stand by itself in this industry. When I first heard that it was closing I couldn’t believe it, I thought it would go on forever. But, everything must come to an end and I’m sure Machine Racing will be just as successful as a part of Canadian moto history as it did as a dealership.

Very few riders could match the smooth style of Doug Hoover during the 1980’s. Hoover was the first high profile rider to be sponsored by Machine Racing.

As for the two main characters in this long running show, Bill is headed for retirement and some relaxation and John is headed to St. Onge Recreation to run their off-road motorcycle department. Everything will be fine and the world will go on; all we have now are memories. Not just memories of a motorcycle dealership, but a one-off place in the universe where you would be called ‘a plug’ and it be a term of endearment, a place where, instead of hello, you got a ‘What do you want?’ Yes, inside the walls of Machine Racing there was a different language for sure, but it did make you feel like you were part of a big family. We at MXP wish everyone at Machine Racing all the best in the future. Thank you for everything you did for me and for what you did for the sport of motocross in Ontario. You guys are definitely dead last! (Oh, that’s Machine Racing talk.) You guys are the best!!