This week we venture even closer to the top of the heap, and week by week we get even closer to
the start of the new season. Yes racers, the season is not far off; soon the gate will drop for round one of the Monster Energy Motocross Nationals in Nanaimo. One rider who will be there, ready and fit, is featured in this week’s MXP Ranking of the top 20 Canadians: Ontario rider Dylan Kaelin.
Deceptive is probably the best way to describe Dylan Kaelin’s speed and style as one of Canada’s top Pros. When watching Kaelin race, it is easy to be surprised at how far up in the results he finishes. In a class of hyper-aggressive MX2 riders, Kaelin seems to be calm and calculated which has been his trademark throughout his entire career.
Dylan, although not a huge kid these days, outgrew the minis at a young age. His 50cc battles with amateur rival Richard Grey were among campfire lore because the chubby kid on a Cobra was ’t afraid to race hard for the win. As he grew older, Kaelin became a big-race racer. He graduated to the bigger bikes at a very young age, 12, which limited the number of events his family attended. When it was game time at a big race, you could count on Kaelin being there. However, his style became smoother, perhaps because he was so young when he moved up to a 250F, and he began to mature into the rider he is today. His deceptive speed is what landed him near the front of the pack. The bigger the race or hype surrounding the event, the more Kaelin had to offer.
Big races motivated Kaelin, which was common throughout his career. His accomplishments include 7 CMRC Parts Canada Walton Trans Can Championships, the 2007 Alpinestar Bronze Boot Award winner, the GPF Ironman Award, and the winner of the 2009 Rick Joseph Award. He had an exceptional amateur career that went unnoticed for many areas, most likely due to his deceptive speed. In the new age of CMRC timed qualifying, he once used a little luck to be the first Intermediate to secure the number one gate pick (it did poor rain for the seeded group session). As a Pro, he battled consistently inside the top 10, and in 2012 consistently sat around 5th each moto, always surprising people along the way.
What Kaelin brings to the table is elite fitness. Many fast riders don’t share his level of fitness. Chances are if he’s knocking on your door with a few laps to go, you had better speed up
because he won’t fade away. When his qualifying times don’t meet his expectations, come race time you can bet safe money that when the gate drops Kaelin will raise his game.
What Kaelin will be looking for is a breakthrough ride in 2013 which has yet come his way;the ride where luck falls in his favour and lands him on the podium, just once. The racer, the deceptively fast kid, needs to experience that feeling just once for him to duplicate the result and solidify the fact that he is one of the elite racers in the MX2 class. He has the tools to become one of the best MX2 riders in the country. For those reasons, Dylan Kaelin is this week’s MXP Ranking #16.