Matrix Concepts Canada Presents the Flood 2.0

To kick this week’s column off, I have to say thank you to Melody from Walton for stepping in last week when I was busy getting ready for AMO Rd1 at Gopher Dunes. She wrote a very nice piece sharing that my wife Amy is a saint. I can agree, as I’m no easy prize to live with. And as the season starts, I can confidently say that I’m a total asshole when it comes to being a good husband, LOL. Thanks, Mel, and I love you, Amy!!

So the race season began in Ontario as well as BC last week. The rest of the country is not far behind, so the race season gate has dropped. It is the best time of year. People are happy to get racing, the smell of race gas is in the air, parents are sharing their winter anger towards their kids or other racers, chirping about 65 racers having big bore bikes, and of course, the wonderful customers always wondering, “Why is this way. Why don’t you do it that way?” I mean, what a time to be alive as a promoter. They always say if you love your job, it’s not a job. I suppose that is correct in specific ways within my career choice. I love what I do. I love seeing well-run, on-time, structured events. I love seeing families celebrate motos with high fives and hugs. I enjoy seeing families embrace the tough loss or a big crash. The warm heart feeling it brings when you see a brand new kid embrace the sport like I have seen it since I was five is something you just can’t bag up and sell. There is so much to enjoy and love about my job. I’ve continually shared that my passion for moto is insane. I think the majority of the people that come to the track can see that. I’ve found a solid comfort zone within the events where I allow myself to not let my passion get ahead of me when I need to deal with a parent or racer that is so offside they should be just handed their money back and sent packing off the property. These moments are not many, but enough to wonder how some of these people get through the week. Or is AMO just their punching bag for how shitty their job or life at the moment is. That’s the part where I have learned to turn the passion down a  little and embrace each situation with a level head and try to understand where they are coming from. Just like sending food back to a restaurant, or asking a salesman why this charge is there, etc. Approaching a situation with fire and aggression usually only acts like throwing gas on a fire. I used to be this way, more of an f$%# you guy rather than understand and fix the situation. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older or maturing; regardless of why I find it fun now to be better in this type of situation. It’s healthy for sure. I recommend to some of you out there that attack instead of understanding. Racing a dirt bike is a privilege most don’t have or even know. The chances of your racer turning this into a career like a stick and a ball sports player are very low. The goal for us all heading to the track is enjoying time with family, meeting new friends, hopefully kicking a little ass in the motos, and heading home when it’s all said and done, ready to do it again.

I wrote a FLOOD 2.0 not long ago sharing that this upcoming Triple Crown series could rival what we saw back in 1997. Well, after this weekend seeing some of the fastest Canadians we have raced in front of me, I’m excited to see the outcome of 2022 for the series and industry. If you follow the sport heavily like me, you can see that the MXGP series is struggling with the loss of Carroli, Fevre, and Herlings in the premier class. They are also struggling to get 25 riders on their race gates because of the cost to go racing. The loss of those named above has stolen the hype of arguably the greatest race series ever in 2021. Your series is only as good as the races in it. Our Candian series is now about to embark on a similar adventure. But what’s cool about it is the best guys are in the series from the year before, and the best guys are about to battle for their chance at a title. Both titles were won by Canadians: Dylan Wright 450 and Jacob Piccolo 250. It’s almost guaranteed that Canadians will win both titles again, not because of the lack of US talent coming, but because the Canadians on home soil are the best. It’s been proven for numerous years with concrete data. I’m a proud canuck. I love hockey, golf, and motocross for my sports fix. I won’t be at the west rounds this year because of AMO events, but you’ll be damn sure I will be watching or following the minute-by-minute updates. As I said, the series is only as good as its racers. The Canadian talent right now in both classes has turned some heads around the world, and I have no doubt our heads will turn again in 2022 at every gate drop of the Triple Crown series. Oh Canada, we stand on guard for thee…..

Matrix Concepts Canada is a proud supporter of all things motocross in Canada. With popular brands like Atlas Brace, Renthal, Strider, 100%, Mobius Braces, and Works Connection they have the bases covered for riders of all ages and skill levels. Visit www.matrixconcepts.ca for more information.