This weeks Monday Gate Drop is once again brought to you by the fine people at Honda Canada Racing. With their lead rider Colton Facciotti already training for the 2017 season, Honda Canada and the GDR Fox Racing Team is very excited for what lies ahead. We at MXP Magazine are very proud to have the backing of Honda Canada and we wish them luck on the race track in the future.
Good day and welcome to the first Monday of February 2017. With this entire country firmly entrenched in winter right now, spring and riding definitely feel along way away. Even our normally wet and green west coast received yet another winter storm late last week, so everyone there is currently digging out. I can’t even imagine how difficult it is to get the Vancouver area right now, I’m a lot of people are just staying home and waiting for it to melt! With February obviously being a short month, spring must be just around the corner.
So on to the last evening and one of the best football games we’ve ever seen. Whether you’re a Falcons fan or a Patriots fan, you most certainly had a lot to cheer about in Superbowl 51. In the end, obviously Tom Brady and the patriots pulled through and won, but with the game going into for the very first overtime, it could’ve gone either way. However, the Patriots won and deservedly so. And how about 39 year old Tom Brady? We’ve all witnessed some incredible comeback performances in every sport, but this one perhaps is the best ever. Under the guidance of Brady’s unflappable demeanour, his accurate right arm, and a little nervousness by the Atlanta Falcons, the Patriots stormed back with the best quarter and half of football in history.
Ryan Dungey is an athlete in our sport who has always performed very well under pressure. Photo by Krystyn Slack
These days who doesn’t love an athlete that can perform under the most pressure and the most weighted of expectations. In motocross it’s the rider who is capable of getting that holeshot when they absolutely have to, or race that perfect moto when it matters the most. Whether you’re just starting out in racing, or you’re a seasoned pro, performing well when you have to is never easy. What we saw last night was truly remarkable by Tom Brady, to maintained his composure and his pinpoint accuracy on sports largest and most pressure packed stage was almost inhuman. Even before yesterday’s big game Brady was the poster child for perseverance and greatness. When he was young, he was told time and time again that he wasn’t good enough reach the level that he wanted at the quarterback position. Compared to his competition he was too weak, to slow and his arm wasn’t strong enough. However, he had inside himself what every top athlete does, a deep seeded belief in himself and in his abilities. And no scout, or coach was going to deflate that all important self confidence. Now, I don’t know what Tom Brady’s childhood was like, like most of us I’m sure it wasn’t perfect. But, I’m willing to bet that his parents and his experiences as a child went along way to making him believe that it was okay to be great and okay to try and be better than the person next to him.
After a week of rain in the Oakland area, the track for round 5 was very soft and rutted. It was definitely the most challenging race of 2017. Photo by Krystyn Slack
In todays world, I’m all for giving every child the same opportunities to succeed, however, it sometimes feels like society isn’t promoting greatness anymore. I’ve sat through hockey coaching clinics where the instructors have told those in attendance to remind our players and parents that the chances of their kids ever reaching the NHL are minuscule. I’ve also listened to rider meetings when the referee has told the parents to stay calm as their kids are not going to be the next Ryan Dungey, it’s all about having fun. I certainly agree about the fun part as I’m sure even Tom Brady has very fond memories of his childhood competitions, but I would never tell a child, or their parents that they don’t have much of a chance to one day play in the NHL, or be a supercross champion. Yes, it’s a big goal and there’s a lot of steps between a local football game and the superbowl, but anything is possible! Athletes like the now 5-time Superbowl Champion Tom Brady are living proof of that.
So from the gridiron we move to the track and one of the best kept secrets that I have ever seen in Canadian motocross. On Friday, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Team made it official that they had signed Dean Wilson for the rest of 2017. This is a great deal for Dean as he had been doing the privateer Yamaha thing for the first part of the supercross series. He will no doubt take a few rounds to get comfortable on the much more agile Husqvarna, but it should come quick. Dean’s biggest adjustment will now come from dealing with the weight of expectation now that he’s part of a factory team. Let’s hope this is the beginning of a great comeback for our favourite half-Canadian rider.
Yes it’s true, Christophe Pourcel is headed to Canada this summer to compete in the MX1 class. Photo by Krystyn Slack
The surprise part of the Husqvarna news wasn’t so much the signing of Wilson, but it was the announcement that Christophe Pourcel will now be racing the 2017 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals this summer in Canada. This is great news for the series as it adds another big name to the MX1 class. With the absence of Davi Millsaps and Brett Metcalfe, the 2017 series needs to add a few names to replace those stars. And while Pourcel isn’t exactly Davi Millsaps, the native of France is capable of winning motos this summer. To me Pourcel has always appeared to be the type of rider capable of doing anything he chooses to do. He has a lot of outdoor speed as we’ve seen in recent years in the USA, and when healthy and motivated, the sky is limit for Pourcel. Obviously with his neck injuries that he’s suffered over the years, the thought of being aggressive in supercross this year didn’t appeal to him. However, racing on our tight and sometimes slippery tracks might just be what the doctor ordered for him. This is pretty much a full USA deal, so Husqvarna will be sending up a semi-truck and Pourcel’s factory Husqvarna FC450 for him to race. If anything, his presence will add to the entertainment value of the series, as well as motivate the other MX1 riders to beat him. I cannot wait to watch Pourcel’s smooth style on some of our rough tracks. With just four short months until the series kicks off in Kamloops, it will be interesting to see what happens between now and then.
Well that is it for me this week. I’m sure everyone is still trying to catch their breath after last nights incredible football game. That game will most certainly live in infamy as one of the greatest games ever played. The Monster Energy Supercross Series moves east this weekend to Dallas for round 6. This will be the final 250SX west round before they take a well earned break and the 250SX east class takes over. Our own Cole Thompson will be racing that series beginning at round 2 in Atlanta. I’m really liking Cole’s chances of having a great series as he’s a great SX rider. I hope everyone has a great week and please stay warm! Spring is almost here. Finally, congratulations to Cody Matechuk who bested Brock Hoyer and Cory Graffunder at the opening round of the 2017 Motovan Canadian Snow Bike MX Nationals this past weekend in Revelstoke, BC. Round two will go in a few weeks back in Revelstoke. Here is also an update from Ken Roczen regarding his most recent injuries: