This week’s Monday Gate Drop is once again brought to you by the fine people at DeCal Works. With the 2016 motocross season now underway, and the NHL Playoffs all set to begin on Wednesday, this is the perfect time to order your very own set of custom graphics. All you have to do is log onto to www.decalmx.com and within minutes you can design and order a complete set of graphics.
Due to the fact that I just came inside from putting salt on the steps in front of my house, that pretty much tells you how the weather is in Ontario. Although this winter came in like a lamb, it is certainly going out like a lion as Southern Ontario received one more shot of snow and cold this past weekend. I can’t remember a spring that has been this cold before, considering we’re almost halfway through the month of April and I’m still shoveling my driveway; this is just unacceptable. However, on the positive side of things, as we head into the first CMRC event this coming Sunday at Moto Park, the long range forecast looks great! Maybe I’ll finally be able to retire my snow blower for the season. Yes, the 2016 Southwestern motocross season is about to begin and the conditions are finally going to be what they should be for this time of year.
Jacob Piccolo listens at the Orange Brigade Camp as Nathan Ramsey goes over some of the finer details on how to ride a dirt bike.
Another reason that I find this cold weather very depressing is that last week I was able to spend five days in beautiful California. I was there on behalf of KTM Canada to attend the first Orange Brigade Camp of 2016, and also to witness in person the James Lissimore photo shoot for the 2016 KTM Thor Racing Team. Just as it did last season, this team will feature both Kaven Benoit and Cole Thompson under the tent, as well as another top rider who will most likely be named later. With Benoit racing his first season in the MX1 class and Thompson set to race the MX2 class, as well as a switch to Thor clothing for 2016, this team will no doubt be ‘Ready to Race’ come the opening round in Kamloops. Watching the KTM Thor photo shoot live was pretty cool as Benoit and Thompson both rode the SX test track really well. I mean, you’d expect that from Cole as he’s been riding SX for a while now, but considering Kaven hasn’t ridden on a real SX track for over a year, he adapted pretty fast to the tough obstacles.
On Monday I spent the day out at Cahuillia Creek MX Park as the West Coast Orange Brigade Camp took place. This camp featured all of the top KTM Amateur kids in North America, including fast Canadian kids Jacob Piccollo and Tanner Ward. Now, I don’t want to go into too many details as this will be a big story in the next issue of MXP Magazine, however, I can give you a little insight about what these camps are all about. Right from the beginning of the day, these Orange Brigade kids are treated exceptionally by the people at KTM. Not only did they spend the day getting instructed by former pros Nathan Ramsey and Buddy Antunez, but they also learned important things like how to speak properly and how to give professional interviews. There was no detail left untouched for these kids, not to mention that just being around each other was a positive experience. Both Tanner and Jacob rode brilliantly all day and definitely did Canada proud. What a great experience it was for these kids and I’m sure they all left the track feeling much more prepared for the upcoming summer.
Both Kaven Benoit and Cole Thompson are ready to race in 2016. Photo by James Lissimore
On the final day in California we received a comprehensive tour of both the KTM HQ as well as the WP Suspension race shop. The KTM HQ also features the Red Bull KTM race shop. As we were getting the tour, Roger Decoster was running around getting ready for Saturday’s Indianapolis SX. As with the Orange Brigade Camp, no detail is left untouched at KTM and it was pretty awesome to see it in person. It was an awesome trip and thank you to KTM Canada for making it possible.
Another Canadian rider who was also down in California with us was Eve Brodeur. She was there to race the WMX National this past weekend as she prepares for her Canadian season. Eve is not only a KTM Canada sponsored rider but she is also part of the new Motovan Black Rider program, and on the weekend she debuted the new Black Rider gear. Here is a photo of Eve from this past weekend’s race.
Eve Brodeur was looking great in California as she debuted the 2016 Motovan Black Rider gear.
Did anyone take the time yesterday to sit and watch the final round of the 2016 Masters Golf Tournament? Since I was home and in relax mode, I tuned to watch the world’s best golfers tackle what has to be one of the planet’s most beautiful golf courses. Well, in case you missed it, the defending Master’s Champion Jordan Spieth had a decent lead as he entered yesterday’s final nine holes. Then, in the blink of an eye he suffered a few mental lapses because 30 minutes later he was behind by three strokes. He went on to lose what should’ve been another dominant victory in Augusta. It was hard to watch as the 22-year-old Spieth just melted down and no one could do anything about it. It really made me realize (once again) just how good Tiger Woods was in his prime. Right from the beginning of Tiger’s pro career he was so mentally strong. Any time he was in the same position as Spieth was yesterday, he almost always got the job done. Of course there was the PGA Championship a number of years back when he gave a late lead to a hard charging Y.E. Yang and lost what should’ve been his 15th Major win. But other than that day, Tiger was the best closer of any athlete in any sport in the world.
In his prime, Tiger Woods was as mentally tough as anyone in the history of sports.
We in motocross are getting a glimpse of the same mental toughness when it comes to Ryan Dungey. As we all saw on Saturday night in Indianapolis, Dungey easily could’ve let Ken Roczen motor on by as he already enjoyed a large points lead. But instead, Dungey fought as hard as anyone we’ve seen in this sport and he simply wouldn’t be denied the victory inside Lucas Oil Stadium. These little mental victories over his competition are not only important as the 2016 Monster Energy Supercross Series winds down, but they’re also important as these top riders head into the upcoming outdoor series. We haven’t seen a SX Champion ride with the same combination of precision and mental toughness as Ryan Dungey since Jeremy McGrath did in the 1990s. Back then McGrath would occasionally have to fight off challenges from his rivals, and just when they thought they had the upper hand with a heat win or a main event holeshot, McGrath would dig deep and quickly show who was boss. During the main event in Indy, any time Roczen got close or even briefly made the pass, Dungey found another level of riding and proved why he is currently the best rider in the world. It only goes to prove that to be the best in any sport you have to be talented, fit, have good equipment, but most of all you have to be mentally tough when it matters the most. We saw it for so many years with Tiger Woods and now we’re seeing with Ryan Dungey!
Even though Ken Roczen was all over him for 20 laps, Ryan Dungey would not budge as he took the victory in Indianapolis. Photo by Frank Hoppen
Well, that is it for me this week. As I mentioned earlier, the SWO racing season kicks off this weekend at Moto Park and the weather finally looks to be cooperating. I hope everyone has a safe week riding and good luck to everyone who is racing this weekend. Again, thanks to DeCal Works for the support.