Throwback Thursday: Summer of 2001

This photo was taken at the Ulverton, QC national back in 2001. This beautiful track played a huge role in Canadian motocross through the 1980s, 1990s and the early 2000s. It’s located just south of Drummondville on the banks of the St Francois River, and with its sandy soil and steep hills, it was a fun track to ride – but also a tough track to ride. In this photo Michael Island (#28) leads Iain Hayden and Josh Woods in the 125 class. Anyone who had a chance to ride the Ulverton track loved it, and it’s going to be good to see it back as part of the series again.

When Darcy Lange burst onto the national scene in 1998, he was wild, fast and very motivated to win. Although he always played second fiddle to JSR and Blair Morgan on the fast and rough outdoor tracks, his real skills were indoors and he would go on from this 2001 photo to be the best indoor rider this country has ever produced. After almost winning the 2007 East Lites Supercross Championship, Darcy was diagnosed with a form of cancer and had to take some time off. Although Darcy recovered from Cancer he did not return to competition, he now lives a very happy life on Vancouver Island with his family. The smile on his face in this photo shows just how much Darcy loved the sport