MXP Chatter: Mark Stallybrass

In life and in sport, we all need leaders; someone who stands at the top of the heap and makes decision, not based on what might be popular, but based on what they feel is right. For over 20 years, the man at the top of our sport has been Mark Stallybrass, a man who won’t always tell you want you want to hear, however with Mark you will always know where you stand. Through some good economic times, and more recently some tough ones, Mark has guided the CMRC and our National series through it all. This past summer the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals crossed this great country of ours producing some of the best racing we’ve ever seen along the way. Riders like Colton Facciotti, Kaven Benoit and the addition of Mike Alessi, put on quite a show for not only Canadian fans, but fans all over the world. We caught up with Mark after all the dust had settled on the 2014 series grand finale at Walton Raceway to get his thoughts on how this very entertaining summer of racing went.

MXP: Hey Mark, thank you for taking the time to give us your thoughts. Now that Walton is done and the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals are history, is it safe to say that you’re going to go and sleep for a week?

MS: I’m trying to but I still have a lot of work to do to wrap up this year’s series and make sure the regional races in the fall are all in order. I do plan to take a few days off at the end of the week but that’s about it.

This summer saw some big changes to the series, an extra round was added, there were some concerts, and of course a brand new series sponsor with Rockstar Energy Drink. This might be a tough question but overall how do think everything went?

Overall I’m very happy with how the series went. The new association with Rockstar is working out really well, the attendance for the Nationals was up at every round, our social media following has gone through the roof, the number of teams increased and the racing was fantastic throughout the entire series. The music didn’t go as I’d hoped but I’ll just chalk that up to experience – you never know until you try.

 From the feedback you got from everyone involved, is a ten round series the way to go for 2015 and beyond?

Yes, I would say so. I spoke with a few people that said they didn’t even notice the extra round, in terms of the workload or ten being too much. In fact, no one said they didn’t like ten. The series has grown and matured to the point that a tenth round is necessary. I just hope the economy continues to improve because an extra round does add to the overall cost for teams and everyone involved.

This summer you also had some unexpected difficulties such as rain at a few rounds. It was especially bad in Regina and you had to go to a two moto format. During situations like that how do you and your crew stay sane?

This was my twenty-second year of the Nationals and I haven’t missed a round. It’s experience that gets you through. I was actually pleased with myself at Regina because I was pretty calm throughout it all. The core of my crew has a wealth of experience as well so they deal with what’s thrown at them. We all know you can’t change the weather so we just take it as it comes. I will say, though, I’ve never seen the conditions of the pits like this year in Regina. I hope I never see that again!

In your position you try and control what happens off the track as best you can, but you must have been happy with the exciting racing we saw on the track all season?

I thought the racing in both classes was the best we’ve had in a long time, if not ever. As a series promoter, you always want multiple winners throughout the year and the champion determined at the last moto of the last race. That keeps the anticipation high from start to finish and it keeps fans and enthusiasts focused on the series. This year we had most of that and it was proven by the number of people that were following the series.

Race fans in Canada got to witness one of the best outdoor riders in the world, Mike Alessi, race this summer. How did they end up coming up here this summer? Did you just get a call one day from them saying they were heading north?

That’s exactly how it happened. In December, Tony Alessi called me and asked if their team would be welcomed to come and race the series. I told him of course they’d be welcome, and I’d treat them no better or no worse than any other team on the circuit. From there Tony tried putting some deals together to allow them to come up, considered a few different riders for the team, then came through and raced the series from start to finish.

Deserved or not, the Alessis came up here with a certain reputation. Although they didn’t completely stay out of the principal’s office, from a media perspective they were very professional to deal with all season. How were they from your perspective?

First of all, I don’t judge people by reputation so the team, Tony and Mike came in with a clean slate. From my perspective, the team and how they do their business is totally professional and they were a great addition to the series. Tony was no problem to deal with; he wants the best for his team and he’s very competitive – there’s nothing wrong with that. If there was ever an issue, he’d list his concerns, we’d deal with it and it was over. No drama. I hope he comes back next year because he has a lot of experience in motocross and he adds to the professionalism of the series.

I think Mike is a good guy, he was nothing but thankful to the fans whenever he was on the podium, he wasn’t dirty at all on the track, and he enjoyed his time in Canada so I guess all of the naysayers were disappointed he turned out the way he did.

Like him or not, Mike Alessi is a huge name in our sport and is known worldwide. Having him race in Canada had to have brought the series a lot of extra attention from outside this country?

He definitely brought a lot of attention to the series, plus he also added to the credibility of the series. He was sitting in fourth in the late stages of the AMA 450 Outdoor Nationals last year so he’s obviously one of the best in the world. For him to come up and not dominate shows that our top Canadian riders are ranked right up there with the world’s best. On the media side, the number of Americans following the series on the internet and social media has increased substantially so Mike and his team are most likely the reason for that.

With top riders like Matt Goerke, Brett Metcalfe and Mike Alessi coming up here to race the last few years, and also with less and less good rides available in the USA, do you think more and more riders will look north for a chance to race?

That’s already happening. Team Managers’ phones have already been ringing. All I can say is it’s going to be really interesting to see who comes up. From what I’ve heard so far, the 2015 series’ field will be the deepest and most talented ever. Plus, more privateers may have a look as well because it’s cheaper to race the Canadian series, the travel schedule is a lot easier, and the chances of getting exposure would be greater.

Do you still think that some American riders that come up here to race still underestimate how fast Canadian riders are on home soil?

We have hosted Americans for over 15 years so I don’t think that’s the case anymore. With two Canadians winning the championships this year, people know what they’re in for now.

I know you can’t cheer for one rider or another, but as a Canadian you must be proud at how well Kaven Benoit and Colton Facciotti rode this summer to bring home both the MX2 and MX1 Championships?

I am definitely proud of their accomplishments. Both of them won by consistently being at the front of the pack, they stayed focused and didn’t let any outside distractions affect them. Considering the depth of the field they both faced, Colton and Kaven should be very proud of their accomplishments. The MXoN is going to be interesting.

You’ve been at this now for over 20 years. Do you still have the same energy and drive that you had back then?

At one point a few years ago I was getting a little burnt out, but for the past two years I’ve really had a resurgence of energy. People may not want to hear this but I’ve got a good 10-15 years left in me. How the series has been progressing each year and how it’s looking for the future, there’s no way I’m backing out now. Some people may say I don’t care but they’re totally wrong. My goal is to increase the money for the riders, increase and improve television coverage, increase our social media efforts, increase sponsorship, increase the number of spectators and Canadians that follow the sport, introduce programs to encourage more Canadian privateers to follow the series; there’s a lot to do but it’s going to take time. I’m proud of where the series has come from and I’m pumped at where it’s going.

I know that these next few weeks are a time for reflection, but at what point do you start thinking about 2015?

Too late, I’m already there. I’ve been making plans and having discussions about the 2015 series probably since June. I’ve got a good idea of what’s coming but there is still a lot of work ahead of me.

Other than the problems Mother Nature caused this summer, is there anything that you can think of now that you’d like to see change for next year?

I can see a number of rules being added to our rulebook. There were a number of incidents that occurred this year that we have to address. You can never anticipate scenarios until they happen, and this year there were a few, so we’ll learn from the experience and make improvements.

Whether it’s Wendy, Susan and Lisa in the scoring trailer, or Daryl and Paul in the referee shirts, how valuable is your team to the success the series has enjoyed? You guys have been together for a while now.

Don’t forget Fabs, Travs, Gauldy, and the Hill’s Video crew. The team I have now is the best I could have ever hoped for. Every one of them is the best in the country at what they do, and each of them has made a huge contribution to the series and the sport. The majority of them have worked with me since the ‘90s so they’re obviously very loyal and have the same goals to advance the series as I do. The series wouldn’t be where it’s at without every one of them.

Well Mark, thanks for your time. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we can’t wait for the gate to drop next year.

Thanks Chris, I can’t wait either.