Honda Canada Racing Presents the Monday Gate Drop

Good day and welcome to another edition of the Honda Canada Racing Monday Gate Drop. Although the weather might not be Spring-like in parts of our glorious country, a quick glance at the calendar tells us that it’s riding season. In Ontario, Gopher Dunes announced this past week that their facility will now be open six days a week. Also, they just opened their AX track so riders are able to practice for the upcoming AX races in Sarnia and Barrie. With Moto Park set to open this coming weekend, the riding season in Ontario is off and running. Hopefully, every other Province will follow soon as winter continues its retreat in Canada.

As I mentioned above, we are currently in a brief two-week hiatus before the 2018 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown Series begins its multiple round eastern swing. With the Sarnia AX coming up on April 7th, and then the Barrie AX the following weekend, this new series is moving right along. While there isn’t one person who can say that the opening two rounds haven’t been exciting, there definitely have been a few teething issues. At the opening round in Abbotsford, the track itself was the issue as the soil was very wet and soft. Who knows what the racing would’ve been like had the track been in decent condition? Let’s assume it would’ve been entertaining as some of the best riders in Canada were on-hand to put on a show. Last weekend at Rounds 2 and 3 in Calgary, the track was not the issue as it looked like one of the best AX tracks ever built. So, you had a great track and a gate full of hungry pro riders all ready to try and prove that they’re the best. Sounds like a match made in heaven if you ask me. Unfortunately, a few other issues came up that apparently no one thought would.

Now, I’m not going to go into each situation as by mid-week last week they just kept coming. In a nutshell, there were multiple rule infractions by a number of riders that resulted in penalties being handed out. Obviously, there are two sides to every story and reasons behind what some riders did in Calgary. In each case, none of the riders intentionally broke the rules, it’s just that in the intense, fast paced world of indoor racing, things can happen very quickly. I think in every sport there are certain rules that are just plain black and white; if you break one of these rules, whether you meant to or not, there is going to be a penalty assessed. Certain stop and go sports have most penalties assessed right then and there and the game moves on. When really serious infractions occur, the incident is reviewed after the fact and then perhaps a more serious penalty is handed out. In motocross, other than a rider receiving a black flag, most penalties are handed out after the fact. As long as the rules are clear and everyone knows where they stand, rules are rules and they are what keep our society rolling along.

To assist in this process in 2018, I volunteered to be part of a five-member rules committee that oversees the goings on at the races. The purpose of this committee is to listen to appeals (if there are any) as well as to look at video of incidents that might not have been seen at the event by the officials and help apply the rules that pertain to the infraction. Here is the official press release that was sent out last week:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 19 2018 MRC Announces the 2018 Competition Rules Committee

Brigden,ON – With the sport of motocross set on a new path in Canadian racing MRC believes in the competitive, controlled and fair rules and regulations. With this comes great knowledge and responsibility for Motorsport Racing Canada. When developing a future for motocross MRC has built a board named : MRC Competition Rules Committee. This board is made up of a wide variety of people that have been involved in all levels in motorsports for many years. The board consist of : Todd Kendal, Ian Hayden, Larry Northrup, Todd Sharpless and Chris Pomeroy.

With the 2018 Rockstar Triple Crown underway there is rules and regulations that have to be developed as this new series grows and the MRC Competition Rules Committee is set to make this a smooth and seamless transition with the review of rules, protests and infractions that happen during the season.

The committee will also assist in the Parts Canada Amateur Opens, Amateur Arenacross and Amateur Supercross. Along with all regional rules for motocross.
For more information on MRC please visit: www.mrcracing.com

I must admit that part if me thinks that it might have been better if the names on this committee were kept internal. However, in this day and age, everyone knows everything, so why not make it public? It’s not like anyone has anything to hide or any agendas when it comes to this sport, we all just simply want what is best for motocross in Canada.

Well, I can tell you that this new committee was busy this past week with phone calls and decision making on multiple fronts. I for one prey that we’re never that busy again, and while I certainly like the other four members, hopefully we don’t have to have another conversation about rules all season long. I must admit, though, that after processing all that went on last week, I do believe that even if it doesn’t appear to be positive on the surface, all of the dialogue that went on during the past seven days between, not just these new rules committee but also the teams and everyone involved in this new series, is very positive for the sport. Nothing ever gets solved unless there is dialogue, whether they are issues with racing or with any relationship, talking is the first step to finding a resolution. Without giving away too much information, this past week has probably seen more communication (good and bad) at all levels of our sport in Canada than ever before. As I said, talking is the first step to solving problems, and we’re all going to be better off.

Before I move onto a different subject, I just want to reiterate that with any new series there is bound to be some growing pains. While the outdoor portion of the new Triple Crown Series is virtually the same as before, except for a few new venues and a new Saturday program, the indoor portion has never been done before at this level. With that in mind, of course there are going to be some issues as to how some rules are applied and how to deal with the added intensity that comes with indoor racing. On one hand, the race conditions are in a controlled environment and the motos are short, but on the other hand, things are happening at light speed and race decisions (for riders, teams, and track personnel) have to be made that much quicker. As we saw during Saturday night’s Indy SX, everything can be running as smooth as silk, and then in an instance it isn’t. I can almost guarantee that everything will be much improved moving forward. After all, the racing on the track has been incredible during the first three rounds of this series and that is what’s most important. Bring on Sarnia, and as I said at the beginning of this column, bring on spring!

Before I say good-bye for another week, there was a pretty good rumour going around this week that the MX101 FXR Racing Team has signed Royal Distributing as a title sponsor for 2018. This is great news as no one wanted to lose Royal Distributing’s support of the pro series. Also, how about Dean Wilson finishing second overall in Indianapolis on Saturday? With a snow storm outside, Dean Wilson had the best ride of his career inside the cozy Lucas Oil Stadium. Another Husqvarna rider who had a great ride was 36-year-old Chad Reed. Reed’s 2018 story has been well documented and it’s great to see him not giving up. Even with a somewhat depleted 450 class, a top five finish before the series ends would be incredible for Reed. It will be interesting to see what Reed does during the off-season. He has stated publicly that he wants to race in 2019, which is awesome news for his fans and for the sport. However, at his age he certainly can’t expect to sit on the couch all summer and then expect to be ready to go for Anaheim 1 in 2019. Any athlete that has or is trying to extend their career past the normal age bracket has to work harder than ever before. In the NHL, the off-ice workout stories of 40+ year old Jaromir Jagr and Chris Chelios are legendary. Once this SX season is over, Reed needs to take some time off to fully recover from his nagging ankle injury, and then train as hard as he ever has before. I know I would love to see at least one more season of Chad Reed at his absolute best, and I know I’m not alone.

That’s it for me this week. I hope everyone has a great week and a fun upcoming Easter weekend. On a personal note, my Dad turns 75-years-old on Friday so we’re obviously celebrating this monumental day. Since I can remember, my Dad has been a true moto Dad. At times he’s been a little too serious in his approach to racing (but what dad hasn’t at one time or another), however, no one can say that he never cared or that he didn’t have my best interests at heart. At 75, he’s not only still a moto dad, but he’s also a moto grandpa and a moto friend to a lot of people at the race track. He loves racing and he loves to see his favourite riders do well. Happy birthday Dad! Here’s to your continued good health and your constant pursuit of happiness.