Monday Gate Drop

Good Morning and welcome to another edition of Monday Gate Drop. Other than maybe Alberta, which saw record temperatures this past weekend, the weather in Ontario sure got stuck in the gate on Sunday. I live in Shelburne, Ontario and by 5pm last night we had a light dusting of snow on the ground. It must have made racing tough for those of you that were on the track.

On Saturday I took my son up to Moto Park to do some riding in the afternoon and I was amazed at just how good the conditions were up there. The track received a lot of rain on Friday night so it was a mess on Saturday morning. It needed a lot of work and a little sunshine to dry it up. By 2pm, both the main track and the mini track were in pristine condition and there were a bunch of riders there. As I get older and look at things differently than I used to, I really love watching people ride and having a good time. Not that I didn’t before, but it seems different now.

At Moto Park there were riders of all levels just putting in laps and enjoying themselves. There were fathers and sons hanging out, buddies bench racing and a few pros training for their big races coming up. It was just a good scene. Witnessing stuff like that really solidifies what this sport is all about. I’m sure it was like that at tracks right across Canada this past weekend.

Of course yesterday was Mother’s Day, or as Newman called it “The Mother of all Mail Days”. This day is really the most important day of the year as we get to pay tribute to the unsung heroes of our lives, our Mothers. Being a Mother in this sport has to be one of the toughest things, even though they’re sometimes in the background of their kid’s racing. They play such an instrumental role in making sure everything goes smoothly. During the race day, Mothers basically do everything we don’t see: they keep everyone fed, hydrated, and are at times the calming voice in the pits. They offer support to their son or daughter regardless of how the race goes. You see, Moms tend to judge their kid more by the effort they put in as opposed to their results. If you tried hard and you’re safe, you’re golden in Mom’s eyes. Also, if you ever want to feel sympathy for a mom, watch one during the start of their kid’s race. It’s heart wrenching to watch as they wear each agonizing moment on their sleeve. Looking back I don’t know how my mom did it for so many years, but she did and I‘m so thankful to her! Well motocross moms out there, yesterday was for you and I hope you had a great day.

 With three weeks to go until the first round of the Monster Energy Motocross Nationals in Nanaimo, BC, things are really starting to heat up. We’re definitely in the final preparation stages, as riders and teams are doing their finishing touches to everything. These last few weeks are when the anticipation really starts to build. If you’re a rider, you are worried about a few different things. Are you fit enough? Have you tested enough? Is there any stone left unturned? Also, in these days of Twitter and Facebook, it’s easy to see what your competition is doing so that might be a good thing or a bad thing. At the end of the day all you can do is worry about your own program and go from there.

I think one the biggest questions heading into Nanaimo is how fast Brett Metcalfe will be. This guy is the real deal with a long resume of success both in Australia and the USA. I had the opportunity to speak with him over the weekend and I can say he is really excited about coming to Canada to race. He tested with his new team last week in Kamloops and said that after hanging with the Leading Edge Kawasaki Team for a few days, he can’t wait to get the Nationals started. Although this may be bad news for his competition, it’s great news for Canadian motocross fans as we’re no doubt going to see some awesome racing this summer.

To finish up this edition of Gate Drop, I would like to relay a message I received from long time Riviere Du Loup Arenacross promoter Paul Thibeault. He said that the 33rd Edition of the race went off Saturday night without any problems, they had a sellout crowd again, and the fans got to see some great racing. In the end it was California rider Gared Steinke who took the win over Willy Browning and local hero Karl Normand. It sounds like a great race as usual in Riviere Du Loup. Thanks Paul for the update. I hope everyone has a safe week and I hope it warms up soon in Ontario. Go Leafs Go!!