Yamaha Motor Canada Presents Wednesday’s Amateur Profile-Marco Cannella

Marco Cannella is a name everyone should be getting familiar with. He kind of flew under the radar when he was on little bikes, still had amazing speed, consistency and showed great skill and talent on the bike, but seemed to be overshadowed slightly by other names come Walton. Last year he came thundering into the Parts Canada TransCan leaving a permanent mark almost sweeping all nine of his motos except for a second in the final Schoolboy 2 moto. He ended up taking the championships in the MX2 Junior, Schoolboy 1 and Schoolboy 2 classes, and for his efforts he was awarded the lucrative Yamaha factory award. This year he’s jumped right to the front of the pack in the Intermediate class and has found wins immediately. Read on to find out more about one of Canada’s young and most talented up and comers.

MXP: Hey Marco what’s new, what are you up to?

Marco Canella: Hey Cale, lately I’ve been pretty much focusing on my training. Now that I do online school I have the time to be able to get up every day, either swim or cycle, then try to ride and then get another workout in at night.

MXP: That’s awesome. You have been at this motocross game a while already, tell us how you got into it and how it developed for you growing up.

MC: I got into motocross because my Dad he used to have a bike and he took me to a race when I was about three. All I wanted to do after that was ride. He bought me a PW50 and we had to put training wheels on it. I rode for a little bit then I wanted to take them off. By time I was about five we started racing at Steel City club tracks then it escalated to where I am today.

MXP: You are a rider that spends a fair amount of time in the States riding and racing; talk about what you were doing this past winter.

MC: Yeah, we definitely try to race in the States as much as we can. There is just so much competition down there and it only helps to race fast guys. This winter we went down south for about two and a half months. For five weeks we trained at Boswick MX with the MCR camp, which was a blast having Joey (Crown) and Austin (Watling) to ride with every day and have each other to push in the workouts. Once the camp ended we headed off to Daytona. From there we went to Freestone then hit some tracks on the way home until we were able to ride here.

MXP: Sweet, you have your Loretta Lynn’s regionals coming up. How many times have you raced at the Ranch and what are your expectations this summer at the world’s biggest amateur motocross race?

MC: Yeah, last weekend was my first regional. I made it in Schoolboy 2 with a 4th overall and got into a first corner crash and smashed my pipe so I ended up getting an 8th overall. They only take top six so we are heading to another regional this weekend. Hopefully we get in Schoolboy 1 and can make it our 6th time going to the ranch. My best finish at the ranch was a 9th overall in the 85cc 9-11 stock class. Hopefully this year we can beat that and get into the top 5 with the big dogs (haha).

MXP: This year you are already right up front winning consistently in the Intermediate classes. What are your goals in the next couple years? Will we see you line up at any Pro Nationals this summer in Canada?

MC: Well, I would like to race some Canadian pro races but I am only 14 so I have to wait until I’m 16 to start racing pro. If I race a pro race in Canada it could mess me up for racing in the States because they will bump me up to the A class. I am still able to race Schoolboy 1 and 2 for two more years and then a year of B class too, hopefully. But we will see, you never know what happens in this sport.

MXP: What is your relationship with Frankfit and MX Schools?

MC: I definitely have a good relationship with the whole Frankfit crew. They have an amazing program going there and are taking me to the next level in the fitness department. As of riding, Matt Crown is my riding coach and has been a big key to my success. He has been with me since I my first year on 85s; I wouldn’t be where I am without him. Also this summer we are hoping to spend some time up at Motopark. Their track is great for training and preparing for the races, and it will be fun having some fast kids and friends to ride with there.

MXP: There is some really cool news that you will be one of the riders going over to compete for Canada in the World Juniors. Tell us about that whole deal.

MC: Yeah, I am very excited to have been chosen along with Jake Tricco to be going to Spain to race for our country in the World Juniors. Motopark and Iain are putting it together. OTSFF is taking care of all the logistics of equipment to and from. Yamaha is supporting us. I am not sure what to expect yet I know there will be a lot of fast kids there, and hopefully the track is good. Physical fitness will be a big part of this event because the 125cc motos are 25 minutes plus 2 laps, and getting good starts will be important too. Also, it is like a 5 hour time difference so we will have to get used to that in like one or two days before the race. But I believe that if I keep chipping away and with all the support behind me we will be able to go over there and kill it.

MXP: That is awesome! Out of any rider out there, who would you like to see line up on a two-stroke at a Pro National?

MC: I would love to see Jimmy D (Decotis) line up on a two-stroke. I’ve seen him ride his 125cc at WW ranch and it was one of the coolest things I’ve seen. Also, I would like to see Dylan Wright on a two stroke. I remember watching him kill it at the races on his two-stroke. I think his style suits a two-stroke well. But the best would be if Jay Burke was somehow able to line up on a two-stroke. I would love to see that.

MXP: If you could ride for any team in the world, what would be your dream team?

MC: That’s a hard question, there are so many great teams out there but I love riding Yamahas, they are by far my favourite bikes and I always feel so comfortable on them. So in the States it would be a dream to ride on the Star Valley Yamaha team and in Canada it would be awesome if I could ride for the OTSFF team. They would both give me great opportunities.

MXP: What is your favourite track?

MC: My favourite tracks in Canada are definitely Moto Park since this year I am riding for Ian Hayden’s Yamaha Moto Park team, which I am really pumped and thankful for. And when Walton gets tilled up with some good ruts it’s also really fun. In the States it would be either WW ranch, which is an absolutely amazing track, or Freestone because it gets so rough and rutted so it separates everyone and shows who has been putting in the work and who hasn’t.

MXP: Besides motocross, do you have any other plans for the summer?

MC: While I’m not racing I enjoy scootering but I usually retire that hobby until all the big nationals are over. I also enjoy driving RC cars and hanging out with friends. My neighbour Justin and I always have a blast together. Hopefully I get some new experiences this summer with racing and everything.

MXP: Marco, thanks for the time to catch up with you. We know how important sponsors are, any thanks you would like to give out?

MC: No problem Cale thanks for having me for this interview. I would like to thank my Mom And Dad, Yamaha Canada, Moto Park training facility, MCR, Gamma Sales, Dragon, Fly, Atlas, Orthoflex, Frankfit, and Rynopower.