Spencer Knowles is from British Columbia. He’s young, fast and one of the most underrated riders in Canada, especially compared to those from his graduating group. Often misunderstood, he has grown up around older riders and often we forget his age and the many years he has ahead of him. His amateur career on minis was one where he dominated in the West, but on the big stage in Walton he was outshone by rivals Cole Thompson and Richard Grey. However, he stayed with it and in 2007, as an Intermediate, he began to attract attention when he raced the entire national series. He began to show the speed, determination and the same go-for-broke approach of his fellow BC racers he had grown up riding with. His riding style combines the smoothness of Colton Facciotti and Dusty Klatt, the determination of Darcy Lange, and the wide open, feet off the pegs style of Kyle Beaton. This week he is number 10 on MXP Rankings of the top Canadians lining up in 2013.
Spencer, as we said, grew up with riding partners who were established Pros, National Champions that helped guide him with big brother advice. Former national winner Kyle Beaton was the most active in Spencer’s early years by traveling with him and looking after him for many years to help develop his proven ability. It was a good program for Spencer, working through the tribulations every young Pro encounters, and learning the dogged determination that is the key to it all.
His early years in 2007 were spent traveling shotgun across the country in a pickup, fighting for top 20 results at nationals. His results improved to top 10 results then landed a much sought after ride in 2010 with Monster Energy Leading Edge Kawasaki team. There were flashes of a champion calibre, but he could never seem to put two motos together. His inconsistency was his downfall. Off the gate he was a magician, grabbing countless holeshots, but could not carry that momentum to the end of the race. It caused much frustration for both Spencer and his team. All the kid wanted to do was ride fast on a bike and win races. All the ingredients were there, but it was a year of hard learning that almost pushed him away from the sport.
Enter the 2012 season and a deal that would bring him back to his trusty Yamaha machines. Spencer seemed to fit with the Yamaha and the smaller program, and it showed right out of the gate. He grabbed a podium finish in a moto at the very first round of the Canadian Nationals in Nanaimo, and continued the summer with flashes of championship qualities. More times than not he would ride near the front of the pack. However, he still could not shake the demon on his shoulder that led to small crashes. Speed was not his issue anymore. Finding the confidence and stringing two motos together were all that was left to transform him into a title contender. He learned of the happy medium between crazy speed and knowing when to back it down to accumulate the points, rather than crash and throw a lot more away.
In 2013, Spencer took the first big step of his career to transform into a championship contender. In the up and down world of Arenacross, Knowles was rock solid. He is now the 2013 KTM Canada Canadian Arenacross Champion. He was the fastest guy, solid each and every race. More importantly, he was confident. Winning the title proved that he could put it all together; perhaps he got the push needed to realize that he can become a motocross champion.
Spencer Knowles is in a position to break out in 2013 and become a champion. He is talented, strong and very fast. It is an exciting time for the BC kid. This just may be the season when Knowles becomes a force in the national series. For these reasons and many more, Spencer Knowles is our #10 on MXP Rankings of top Canadian lining up in 2013.