Monday Gate Drop

Hello and Happy Monday to everyone! I trust everyone had a great weekend whether you spent time at the track or away from it. I spent my Sunday at Moto Park riding with my family and as usual the turnout was good and the track was in great shape. One of the riders who was also at Moto Park yesterday was Richard Grey who recently got his hands on a Honda CRF450 and has been putting in laps. In between his practice motos he told me that he’s really been missing just riding a dirt bike and having fun. It was great to see Grey’s patented smooth style on the track yesterday; I’m sure his endurance was suffering a little, however he’s still young so it should come back soon.

One rider who didn’t have a great day yesterday was Kyle Keast who had a hard crash at Sand Del Lee. I obviously wasn’t there nor have I spoken to Kyle about the nature of his injuries but by the sounds of it he’s going to be okay. We wish him a speedy recovery and all the best in the next few months while he heals up. Here’s a note from the boys at Sand Del Lee about Kyle’s situation:

“Pro racer Kyle Keast was out practicing at Sand Del Lee yesterday with his girlfriend Shandel (he couldn’t race on Saturday because of work commitments) and suffered a back injury. Something happened with his bike, causing him to crash hard off the face of a jump. Of all spots on the track….

The tough as nails rider walked off the track but was soon put on a board and taken to the hospital.

After some reviews from doctors, it was determined that Kyle did crack two vertebrae. He’s walking, talking and says he feels sore but not too bad. But he’s going to be taking it easy for three months or so.

Get well soon Kyle! Knowing you, you’ll probably be back at work next week. Rest up though and come out swinging in 2015!”

So we’re just under three weeks away from the 2014 MXON and everything seems to be ready to go. Bikes are being shipped, our riders seem ready and the hype machine is building. The obvious big question is how will Team Canada do in Latvia? I think the only proper answer is that no one really knows. Talent-wise and speed-wise, our team of Colton Facciotti, Tyler Medaglia and Kaven Benoit are capable of finishing in the top five on a good day. However, as anyone who’s travelled to Europe knows, from the moment you touchdown on their soil you just feel different. The food is different, the air is different, heck, everything is different, and your body and its reflexes realize this very quickly! This is what happens when you transport yourself 7000kms across the globe. When you factor in all of this, I don’t think it’s a surprise that this country’s best MXON finish was is 2007 when the event took place in North America.

Like everyone, I hope this team goes over to Latvia and proves to the world what we already know: that our riders are some of the best on the planet. Although Eastern Europe is a long way to go to prove this, it sounds like as good a place as any. After a few years of some bad luck at this event, Canada deserves a few cards to fall into place. Whatever happens, though, it’s going to be very exciting to watch. Go Canada Go!

In between now and Latvia, we have a few cool races going on here in this country. Yes, it is fall and our motocross season is winding down, however sometimes these late season events are a lot of fun as everyone is pretty relaxed. In Ontario this coming weekend is a race at Moto Park. As I mentioned earlier, the track up there is in great shape and the weather forecast looks good for Sunday. The following weekend is the next to final round of the Rockstar Energy Drink Ontario Provincial Series at Walton Raceway. With a practice day on the Saturday and the race on Sunday, a weekend at Walton sounds like a great idea for some fall festivities.

Another really cool event coming up in two weeks in Calgary is the Red Bull Rock and Logs Endurocross race. With top riders like Geoff Aaron and Mike Brown set to attend, it should be a great event. All Calgary needs is the weather to cooperate as this time of year it can be a little unpredictable. Case in point is today as Calgary is experiencing their first snowfall of the season. Check out the cool track map for this year’s Red Bull Rocks and Logs.

So that is it for me this week. If you’re in the need for a little mid-week moto information then don’t forget to tune into Brent Worrall’s Canadian Moto Show on Wednesday evening. Airmail has been doing an incredible job with his show and each week it gets better and better. I hope everyone has a safe week and I’ll see you at Moto Park this Sunday. In the meantime, let’s all wish Kyle Keast the absolute best!!!!