Prior to the beginning of the 2015 Canadian National AX Tour, there were a number of riders both pro and amateur who didn’t have much experience racing on an arenacross track. However, that all changed when the gate dropped on the opening round in London, ON, where those same riders had some much needed time battling it out indoors. When Justin Thompson decided to bring his successful AX Tour Series up here from the USA, he made sure he did it with a multi-year plan. With the series now complete and year one in the books, we decided to give Justin a call to ask how he thought the eight round Canadian National AX Tour went. Here are five questions with Justin Thompson.
MXP: I have to be honest with you Justin, it’s hard to believe that the series is over already. Those four weekends went by very quick.
JT: For sure, four great weekends and it’s done. Obviously for my crew and I, there was much more to it than just four weekends and eight races. There was a lot of work to do before it began and during the weeks in between. However, everything went great and we’re very happy with the rider response and the fan response. I know there’s been a series out west that has been very successful and is very popular, but I felt like it was time for a National series.
With great battles on the track and alot of excitement off the track, Justin Thompson (on left) is very happy with how the first Canadian National AX Tour went. Photo by Tom Bax
I guess my next question is, how do things look for 2016? Will the series return?
Definitely!!! I came into this with a five year plan and we still have four left (laughs). We admittedly got a late start on this series, but it all ended up coming together nicely and everything went fairly smooth. It was great to see AX back in Ontario as it’s just been way too long. To be able to go to London and then to Sarnia and have both events be a success, that really meant a lot to me, my crew and to my family.
Anyway, to answer your original question, yes, the series will be back in 2016 and we’re very excited about it. The plan is to go to one night of racing instead of two, that is what we do in the USA and it works much better. We’re also going to four cities in the East and four in the West, so it will still be an eight round series. The last thing we may change is the Lites class. We’re considering having an East and West Championship in the Lites class so it will help the local riders.
That sounds great JT. What were a few of the highlights for you during the series?
Well, there were a few, for sure. The first would probably be the series itself. We were able to visit four awesome cites in three different Provinces, including my hometown in Sarnia. I was really happy with how the Valvoline sponsored live broadcast went between you, Andy White and Billy Rainford calling the action. We had some great feedback on it. At the first weekend in London we had an audience of around 2,000 people, and by the final round last weekend our audience was well over 10,000 each night from all over the World.
I was also happy that even with a shortage of top pro riders (especially in the West) we were able to create an exciting chase for the championship. The battle between Cole [Thompson] and Jacob [Hayes] was as good as it gets, and like I said, we had people following it from everywhere. And finally, I was happy that we were able to bring all three media outlets in Canada together and have you guys work almost as a team. I know each of you bring something different to the table; for us to be able to utilize all of your skills was very impressive to me.
Wow! Over the 10,000 for the live broadcast is very impressive. I will agree with you, things did appear to run smoothly both with the competition on the track and with the competition between the media off the track (laughs). Was there anything you’d do differently?
Not too much, actually, other than altering the schedule a little for 2016 and going to just one night. There’s always more we could’ve done with advertising and marketing, however, for year one I was happy with how everything went. To see riders of all ages have big smiles on their faces at the end of the day was extremely satisfying. I’ve actually had riders and families who attended one of the rounds email me to say what a great time they had and that they’ll be back in 2016. Yes, we run races, but we’re really in the entertainment business and the customer service business, and I thought we achieved our goals in those areas for the first year.
It was great to see top Canadian riders like Cole Thompson race all 8 rounds of the AX Tour. It was also great to see sponsors like Monster Energy, Royal Distributing, Valvoline, Marin Bikes and FXR step up and support this brand new series. Photo by Tom Bax
Well, congratulations on how everything went. Now that we get to relax for a few months, do you and the AX Tour crew get right back at in a few weeks in Kentucky?
Yes, round one of our USA series begins soon in Bowling Green KY and it is only 11 hours from Ontario, so if any Canadians want to come down, you guys are more than welcome. The series in the USA runs exactly the same as it did here, so you’ll know what to expect. We’ve been doing this a while now in the States so we know what to expect. It was a gamble to bring the series to Canada, but it was something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I’m glad we decided to do it!
I’m glad as well, it was fun to watch all of the riders progress throughout the weekend at each of the races. You and I grew up riding AX races, but for some of these kids, they never have raced indoors. With your series, the Future West AX Series in BC and of course the long running AX series in Quebec, riders from all over now have a chance to race AX.
For sure, that was the plan and I’m excited to do it all again in 2016. Finally, I want to send our best wishes to Bobby Kiniry and his family. It was very unfortunate to see him get injured in Sarnia and then to hear of his retirement last week. He’s an awesome role model for our young riders and a great ambassador for our sport. He will be missed.
