Decal Works Presents The Monday Gate Drop

This week’s Monday Gate Drop is once again brought to you by the awesome, hockey and motocross loving folks at DeCal Works. With the month of March and the arrival of Spring so close that we can almost taste it, now is the perfect time to visit www.decalmx.com and within just a few short minutes you can design and order your very own set of custom graphics.

So as I mentioned above in my DeCal Works PSA, we are just a week shy of the month that every Canadian moto person loves, the month of March and the arrival of Spring. As in the real Spring, not the Spring that some of us in Canada have been experience periodically since November. This is the time of year when our Canadian riders really begin to get excited as for most, riding season is just around the corner. I personally love hearing stories about people getting ready to head South to ride during this time of the year. Yes, a part of me is a little jealous, but it always takes me back to how excited I used to be as I was preparing to leave for Florida. Over the years I’ve done the down South thing in every way possible, I’ve gone with my parents, I’ve gone by myself, I’ve traveled there with fellow riders and most recently, I’ve headed down to sunnier and warmer climates with my own Family. Each time has been unique in it’s own way and each time has provided memories that will last a lifetime. That I believe is half the fun of going away to ride, there are always the riding stories and the off track stories that everyone has when they return. When you strip away the politics and the financial burden that goes along with this sport (and any sport for that matter), it’s all about the competition and the memories! As you can probably tell, I doubt we will be heading South this year to ride and for that reason I’m praying for an early Spring here in Ontario. So please email me any cool stories you have of riding down South so I can live vicariously through you. Thanks!

Cole Thompson was once again smooth all day in Dallas and qualified directly to the main event from his heat race. Photo by Frank Hoppen

So speaking of Canadian moto politics, is it just me or does it appear like we’re in full campaign mode in this Country. Instead our moto leaders telling everyone to ‘vote for me’, they’re out there saying ‘race with me’. So I guess it’s no surprise that I’ve had numerous people come up to me and tell me (without really asking) where I’m going to be racing this summer. “Oh you must be only allowed to do CMRC races this year because they own MXP.“ Well, my answer them is simple, for one, I’m not even completely sure that I’m racing in 2016, I will be riding of course, but racing is a whole other story. However, where my son is concerned, we will be doing a little bit of everything this season. We live 45 minutes from Moto Park so if there is an event there than I’m pretty sure we’re going, Gopher Dunes, Sand Del Lee, Walton, RJ’s, Deschambault, and the AX Tour in the fall, those are just some of the events the I’ll be at in Ontario this season.

The reason I bring this up is that at this past weekend’s Toronto Motorcycle Show I had no less than twenty people approach me and ask where I think they should race this summer. Again, my answer was simple, race where you want to race and at what tracks you like riding on. I know people have soured on going to RJ’s for whatever reason, but on most days the track is very good so why not go and race there. Moto Park a proven winner, Gopher Dunes brings out an entirely new set of challenges that we don’t get to ride on very often, so go and have fun in the sand. Walton has deep and awesome ruts, etc, etc. My point is that no one can tell you how to spend your money, least of all me. So, go have fun in 2016 and support this sport in whichever way you see fit. As long as people are supporting the sport then we all win!

The Dallas track was hard packed and very hard to pass on. Cole had a great main event going before his crashed late in the race. Photo by Frank Hoppen

Speaking of the Toronto Motorcycle Show this past weekend. How awesome is it to see people sitting on bikes and getting excited about just motorcycles in general? The Enercare Centre in Toronto was packed on Saturday and with the mild temperatures outside, a few brave souls actually rode their bikes to the show. With such a small and tight knit industry, it’s always great to attend these shows and see everyone. Also, with the Toronto Supercross just a mere three weeks away, all of us are excited about that. From what I hear, the Toronto SX is going to be huge this year as ticket sales have gone very well so far. With our cheap Canadian dollar, I’m sure you’ll see a massive contingent come up from the USA, and with all of the SX loving fans in this Country, add that together and without a doubt the Roger’s Centre is going to be jammed packed on March 12th.

It also looks as though the racing is going to be great in Toronto if Saturday night in Dallas is any indication, things definitely appear to be heating up in the 450SX class. With Ken Roczen showing that he has all the tools and speed to not only run with Ryan Dungey, but to beat him also. This bodes well for the upcoming rounds of the 2016 Monster Energy Supercross Series. It will be very interesting to see what happens in the next few weekends as Ryan Dungey responds to Roczen’s increased speed? No one knows the inner workings of Ken Roczen better then Dungey and his trainer Aldon Baker, and while Baker will no doubt keep Dungey training hard, I believe that Baker will work more on Dungey’s mind and trying to throw Roczen off his new game. Like a coach strategizing against an opposing team’s best player, I think this is exactly what Baker and his crew will begin to do now with Roczen. Aldon Baker is a genius on so many different levels and if you can afford him and deal with the workload of his program, you really are on a differnet level from the competition. We’re seeing that each weekend with not just Dungey, but also Jason Anderson and Marvin Musquin. As the series heads now to three very tough races in the next three weekends, Atlanta, Daytona and Toronto, this next 30 days will go a long way in determining the 2016 Monster Energy SX Champion.

After a few second place finishes at the first six rounds of the 2016 Monster Energy SX Series. RCH Suzuki rider Ken Roczen finally put it all together in Dallas and rode off to a thrilling victory. Photo by Frank Hoppen

Sadly, I haven’t heard of any Canadian riders who are signing up for Toronto on March 12th. So unless anything changes, the only Canadians we’ll see on the starting line is the cute, cuddly and super fast KTM JR. Supercross riders as there are an abundance of Canadian kids racing in this cool event. Here is the official list from KTM North America:

So that is it for me this week and the DeCal Works Monday Gate Drop. I will however leave you with a very cool photo that I admittedly stole off Facebook. It’s from the Canadian offices of Matrix and Atlas Neck Braces, and it’s of Bill McLean’s Championships winning Yamaha with a very cool tribute mural behind. I didn’t know Bill all that well, however during the few conversations I had with this legend, I was always entertained, humbled and most importantly, educated by his vast knowledge of motocross. We miss you Bill and this is very awesome tribute. Have a great final week of February and we’ll talk next week. If you have any questions or comments you can email me at chris@mxpmag.com.

Congratulations to the McLean family on this awesome display at the Matrix offices in BC.