Inside MotoX & Off Road Racers' Blog

Kini KTM Action Motorsports Bel-Ray

2011-06-16T09:17:00.001-04:00

This two man team from New Zealand had a stellar performance at the second round of the CMRC Canadian Motocross Nationals in Nanaimo. Mason Phillips and Kieran Leigh thoroughly enjoyed the Nanaimo track and weather this weekend.

With a great first moto under his belt, Mason went to work in moto 2 charging hard to give him 4th overall for the weekend. The tight and technical track came as a huge advantage for Mason and his KTM 350 SX-F as well as all of his pre season training, which combined with the mild weather, launched Mason into his riding groove. “Nanaimo was a big confidence booster for me. My KTM 350 SX-F was working amazing and I'm looking forward to making more points back this weekend in Calgary” explains Mason after the races. His fill-in mechanic, Ryan Lockhart, did a great job prepping the 350 and ensuring Mason had everything he needed all weekend.

Kieran, in his second race in Canada, made his Dunlop tires hook up to bring his KTM 250 SX-F to the 9th overall position this weekend. “I worked hard for both finishes at Nanaimo. I'm getting more comfortable with racing over here and excited to race Calgary this weekend. I've heard it's one of the best tracks” said with a huge confident smile. With the help of Rob Munro from Valley Speed Performance to guarantee that his KTM 250 SX-F was in tip top shape all weekend Keiran finished round 2 with a solid ride and consistency which will be the key to the young rider’s success for the remainder of the series. Rob will also be on hand for both riders in Calgary, so look out for some spectacularly prepped bikes and both riders eager to build on their wicked start to 2011.

Mason and Kieran would like to thank all of their sponsors: Kini Gear, Dunlop Tires, TCI, DL Performance, Valley Speed Performance, Alpinestar boots, FMF, RK Chains, LB Graphics, Cycra plastics, VP Gas, Twin Air, Bel-ray, Renthal, Spy, IMX and Kermaxx products.

Making New Lines

2010-02-07T11:51:00.003-05:00

Matt McAnanama is a pretty soft spoken guy when it comes to face to face. He doesn’t seem as interested in the politics of enduros in Ontario as he is in helping Ontario racers get to the level of the rest of Canada, where we can then push each other, as a nation, to step up to a world class level of competition.

Building on the success of organizing his first enduro, the final round of the CEC in Parry Sound, Ontario, Matt has realigned himself with the WEC in order to present an “Enduro Sprint” series (ES). The series will run in partnership with the Ontario Cross Country series (XC), with a possibility of four rounds spread over the summer. The ES races will be held the Saturday prior to the XC event. McAnanama has planned it so the four events will take place at more “remote” locations; places where riders usually camp out the night before. So far they have three confirmed venues: Burnt River, Wingham and Orillia.

The ES races will incorporate the three tests found in a WEC style enduro race without the transfer trials. Basically, riders will complete three individually timed tests, come into the pits for a short break, before going out once more and doing the timed tests again; ideally McAnanama suggests that it should take a Pro-level rider approximately 20 to 25 minutes to complete the three test sections, with most of the time allotted to the enduro test. Riders will do this between six and ten times in a day of tough competition. The class structure will be very similar to the WEC, though he admits that the Pro class might be amalgamated into a singular E class, rather than broken down by displacement.

“It’s a lack of development more than a lack of talent,” McAnanama commented when asked about Wiesner’s comment on the WEC website. “The talent is there; we just need to bring it out. We need an environment where riders like Van Hove and Wojo can thrive... Even Jake said when he came here, he was more relaxed; he rode at a slower pace. When he went out west, he was challenged again.” McAnanama hopes that with these extra practice tests, which will be run as races therefore pushing riders to put their fastest times down, can help draw out the latent talent.

But McAnanama hopes to draw more than just the guys who want extra practice time before Parry Sound and Labelle. He and his crew hope to draw riders who would traditionally not run a WEC style enduro, both young and old. He marks that traditional, “old school” enduros tend to draw an older crowd, and with the largest classes at the Terra Nova enduro last October being the veteran classes it’s hard to disagree. Many younger riders, according to McAnamara, are turned off enduros by the expensive and complicated gear that goes along with it. The Enduro sprints won’t be the same as the XC series, where motocross riders are encouraged to throw on a set of bark busters and blast through the woods, but the extra gear required will be minimal. Like the larger series, bikes will be required to meet a maximum sound level.

The series is looking to attract riders from all levels, from C straight through to Pro. Motocrossers aren’t part of the necessary target, but technically speaking anyone interested in running one of the XC events will be welcome to sign up, provided their machine meets the requirement. He’s also looking for rider input, and understands that without the riders there’s really no point in having a series.

“A lot of people “hmmed” and “hawed” about whether or not something like this would work,” McAnanama said about the series. “But really, the only way to know for sure is to go out and do it. You’ll never know if an event will fly unless you try.” Matt’s positive attitude will be as much a benefit for the series as the change itself, it stands in direct contrast to the old guard’s staunch adherence to tradition in the face of rider dissatisfaction and abysmal turn out.

When asked about where the thinks off road riding in Ontario will be in ten years, whether or not our riders will be up on the same level as the rest of the country, McAnanama said: “It all depends. We’re at a cross road right now. Change has to happen. Change had to happen ten years ago, but things are finally happening now. Right now we’re trying to make some events, try some things out and have some fun.”

For more information hit Matt up on the Dirty Bikes website at www.dirtybikes.ca

Ladies' Night

2010-01-14T09:56:00.003-05:00

When Derek invited me to post on this blog (which, admittedly, I haven’t been doing as often as I should), I was curious as to why. It is, after all, a racer’s blog, and I am decidedly not a racer. I am an observer, and happy with that position. I love the thrill of competition, but lack the necessary skill to turn that love into anything more than a hobby. What I do have, or so I am told, is a way with words, good camera skills and the proper connections in the off road riding community to be considered something of an “off road specialist” (to use Jeff Morgan’s words, not my own). And it is in this capacity I choose to write to all of you in Internet Land.

For the first time in Canadian history, it looks like we will be sending our fast and fearless females to the International Six Days Enduro. This year the world’s premier enduro championship race will be held in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico, November 1 to 6, 2010. In previous years our trophy team and club teams have improved, bringing home fleets of silver and bronze medals, and narrowly missing gold in 2009. In 2010, with the help and ambition of some lively lasses, it looks like we’ll have representation in the Ladies’ class as well.

With two committed riders already, Victoria Hett of British Columbia and Jillian Bolso (ne Kings) of Alberta, the team still needs a third rider to be considered a straight team. Both Hett and Kings are dedicated riders, and eager to head down south in November (and really, who wouldn’t be?) for some spectacular racing against some of the fastest ladies on two wheels. Lining up against the likes of Ludwig Puy and Maria Forrester might sound intimidating, but as Victoria Hett said “Racing and riding is my passion, and it allows me to life the life I dream of and meet the most fabulous people. ... Dirt bike people are good people.” (Yes we are.)

Of representing Canada, the newlywed Jillian Bolso said: “Representing the flag is something that I am looking forward to experiencing! I can’t wait to put on my Canada Jersey, I don't know how it is going to feel, but I imagine at the end of the week it will be pretty emotional!”

Victoria Hett was crowned the first National CEC Ladies Champion in September. After an amazing run, she competed it at all eight rounds of the championship, never once coming in second, a feat matched by fellow KTM rider and BC native, our Mister #1 Bobby Prochnau. The young woman from British Columbia points to the Malcolm Smith epic, “On Any Sunday,” as inspiration for her drive and passion in the sport; the film and epic rider had such an influence on the Hett family that younger brother, Malcolm Hett, was named after the MSR founder. Hett knows that making the run at the ISDE isn’t going to be easy, or cheap (with the average racer paying around $10,000, out of pocket, to get to the event), but is sure the event will be worth it. She is optimistic, though. The young rider had this to say about the financial side of things: “We need help... a lot of help. Sponsors are what will make it possible. ... With support from Canadians, we will make them all very proud.”

Jillian Bolso, herself a fierce western femme fatale, competed at the first four rounds of the CEC as Jillian Kings, but missed the eastern rounds. Something about getting married, or some such none sense. Now happily married, and with “Bolso” proudly across her shoulders on a new set of gear, she’s ready to get dirty in some Mexican mud and dust. The tenacious KTM rider has taken on the role of unofficial team captain, downplaying the important role she’s accepted, Bolso replied: “It’s not so much about being the best; it’s having the most time at this point.” Don’t let her modesty fool you, though, the organizational skills required, and patience needed, for this position are immense; just ask team manager Lee Fryberger.

Both ladies are looking forward to Mexico as a learning stage, the first in many ISDEs for the Lady Canucks. “This is the chance of a life time,” said Hett. “But it is also just the beginning. Mexico will mostly be a learning experience for us, but it will help prepare us for many ISDEs to come, and we will compete with the best in the world, and through experience, we will be successful.” The forcefulness of Victoria Hetts words are matched only by her drive and determination on a bike.

Aside from a third member for their team, the ladies are also looking for anyone willing to help them financially. As stated above, it is not a cheap venture to go to this event, but with the help of many dedicated sponsors, the dream of Canada’s first ever women’s ISDE team is very realistic. The fiercely national pride these women feel at the honour of being able to represent their country is a kin to the feeling our Olympic athletes will be feeling next month, and while the ISDE and off road riding in general may not garner the same level of media attention, it is no less important to those who compete. Representing your country, regardless of how small the stage, is always an honour. “One thing is for sure,” Jillian Bolso added at the end of our talk. “My Team Canada jersey is going on display on my wall when all of this is over.”

Victoaria Hett is still looking for sponsors, but would like to thank KTM Canada for all their support in the 2009 season, along with Valley Motorsports. She has confirmed VMS as a sponsor for the ISDE, and is currently talking to DMX, who offered support for the final rounds of the CEC.

Jillian Bolso would like to thank Motocandy A&E Racing/KTM, Steel MX Optics, Freestyle Watches, Infokus Designs, Troy Lee Designs, Seitzco Motorsports, her trainer, her husband Noel and all of her friends and family who have helped and supported her, and believed in her. Of the experience, Bolso said: “I look forward to comparing teh times of us who don’t race as a career to those who get to dedicate their lives to it.” The ever positive KTM rider will use her experience at her first ISDE as a way to highlight the areas she needs to work on, to improve for the possibility of Finland in 2011.

Of course, it should be said that the ladies won’t find out until the end of March who’s going to make up the inaugural squad, so there is plenty of time for any other fearless females looking to test their enduro skills against some of the best in the off-road riding world. It’s going to be tough, with lots of heartache and hard work along the way, but as Tory Hett said “Nothing worthwhile comes easy in my experience.”

Anyone interested in helping the cause, or joining the team, can contact Jillian at jjkings@hotmail.com, or can contact Marilyn at the CMA. For those of us on Facebook, (and these days, who isn't?) I've put a link in the title of this post to the Canadian Women's Team's Facebook group. Check them out! They're gonna turn some heads in Mexico. Mark my words.

~Casondra 787~

2009-08-24T06:17:00.002-04:00

By the Thursday before Sand Del Lee, I still wasn’t even sure if I was going to be able to go. I couldn’t find anyone to go with, and was pretty much planning on going alone. I basically begged my brother into coming with me, and by Thursday night had him agreeing to go. The trip was on! Friday morning I loaded up Jody’s trusty S10 and we were on the road by noon. I’ve been to SDL so many times I pretty much know the way, and was on auto pilot most of the way. We rolled into the pits, and immediately came across my New York boys Ron and Chris and decided to set up camp with them again. They had brought up their motorhome this time and had the big fancy set up, while I was pitted outta the S10, and sleeping in the front seat again. My brother had brought along his little camp stove he has for his hiking adventures, and we cooked up some pasta for dinner. Shortly after I filled up the water barrel I got a text from my friend Jeff who offered up his hotel room to me. Of course I took the offer, a bed over the front seat of the truck was sounding pretty good! The only problem was with the barrel filled up, the tailgate wouldn’t close with the bike in there too. I was able to rig up some tie down straps to make a harness and just drove easy and slow out the Kanata to the hotel. I threw my bike right in their room and was able to get a nice comfy sleep. Saturday morning I got up early, and Jeff helped me load up my bike and I was headed back to the track to race amateur day. I stopped at Tim Hortons to grab my brother and I breakfast and was back at the track in good time. As I went to sign in, I couldn’t find my wallet anywhere, I started to panic a little, and then it hit me. I had set it on the roof of the truck when I was putting the coffees in the holders. Immediately Blaze grabbed my cell and got on 411 to find the phone number, and we tore out to find it. We called Tim Hortons and asked them to look in the parking lot as we kept our eyes peeled on the side of the road. Not thinking about the bike, I was driving in panic mode. Not so good when theres a full water barrel in the back. It didn’t take long before the water barrel slid, and bam the bike fell over. So here I was in a panic about my wallet, in the middle of the road trying to tie my bike back down. I was almost in tears by the time we hit Tim Hortons. My bro went next door to ask if anyone there found it, and I went inside. I couldn’t believe it when they handed me my wallet, with all my cash and credit cards still inside! I was so relieved, but it sucked because by this time I had missed sign up for the day, and wasn’t going to be racing today. I unloaded, and headed over to sign in and got my bike through Tech and watched from the sidelines. Saturday night I slept in the front seat of the truck, and was up bright and early for riders meeting. I didn’t feel well, and once rider’s meeting was over I went back to bed for a few hours. Practise came around and went well, the track had some incredibly long straightaways! First moto I had a terrible start, and was way back in the pack. Before halfway my arms started pumping up really bad and I was bracing for a brutal moto, but surprisingly I started to loosen back up again and picked off a bunch of people the last few laps. Before my second moto when I was getting ready to go to the line, the bike decided it wasn’t going to start. Ron helped me out and eventually we got it going. When I got down to the line, same thing…bike wouldn’t start, I had to hold the line up, and some mechanics on the line were nice enough to help me out and give me a bump. I’m not sure who they were exactly but thank you so much to all of you!! My start went much the same, and all I could think about was don’t stall because you won’t get going again!! I finished the day in 14th, enough to earn me 14th in the women’s national series. We loaded up and started the trek home. We stopped quickly for some food, and ran into the KTM team of Fitzgerald and Ofarrel, along with their man friend Kuli at DQ. Who can resist an ice cream after a long hot day of moto? The trip home was another experience of being half asleep at the wheel and getting friendly with rumble strips. It’s really tough racing a national all day and then driving yourself home. I know I’m not the only one who does it, I have mad respect for those who do. I’ve learned this summer what it’s like to be a real true privateer again. I spent a lot of time in the front seat of the truck this summer. We got home by about 2am, and unloaded the truck. I was up bright and early Monday packing the trailer for Walton. My dad headed out by noon with the trailer, and I left around 5. I will do a Walton report in another blog though! I really can’t believe how fast the nationals went by, it’s really sad in a way, but also amazing. I had the greatest summer I could have ever imagined in terms of travelling and having some really cool experiences. My results weren’t as great as they could have maybe been, but I am proud to say I did the whole series, basically on my own. I can’t thank my brother enough for this summer. We both had incredible adventures this summer travelling coast to coast. Part of it we got to experience together and part of it on our own travels. He was on the line with me at Calgary, Riverglade, and Sand Del Lee. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without him thank you so much Blaze I love you!!

~Casondra 787~

2009-08-06T05:15:00.001-04:00

Well Round 4 of the women’s national championships is in the books. The trip to New Brunswick turned out to be quite the adventure. Wednesday evening we didn’t get back from the airport until after 1am. Thursday morning I got up early and loaded up the truck. It was really tight, but I made it work. Packed as tight as we could get in the little S10, my brother and I headed east. We drove straight through, and hit the Riverglade MX track by 8am, just over an 18 hour drive. My brother with his messed up hand had to modify his driving. Only able to use the one hand he developed a system of changing lanes and signaling by sliding his hand over. At first it was pretty jerky but he eventually got it down to be pretty smooth. When we pulled in, we found all the pits pretty much underwater. We headed into the “privateer” pits, which was the centre of the stock car track. We were able to find a cement pad and set up our not so factory pits. Little truck, Bike, powerwasher, pop up and a tent. My brother had his little tent, and I was stuck sleeping in the front seat of the truck. It wasn’t horrible… but it definitely was not the most comfortable sleeping ever. Friday night it started to rain, and we fell asleep to the downpour. I awoke Saturday morning to a huge muddy mess, and decided not to race and save the bike for Sunday. Halfway through the day, by the time pro practice hit the track it was absolutely mint and I was kicking myself for not riding. I got to take some great pictures of some buddies though. 2 of my good friends from New York were pitted with me, and had brought up a buddy of theirs as well whom I got to know. It’s always great meeting people from all over! Saturday night I was able to mooch a shower from my buddy Jeff who had a hotel room. Thanks Jeff!!!

Sunday morning I woke up stinging all over and realized I had gotten a terrible sunburn the day before. Riders meeting went as usual, and practice got underway. I made a quick run out to the truck stop to get some fruit and waters and ice and all that great stuff for our crew. Practise rolled around and I felt great, the track was awesome... with the exception of this one brutally muddy rutted out GP section. First moto came, and I was pumped. A few corners into the moto a girl crashed in the rut in front of me and I had nowhere to go. I attempted to ride over her bike but failed and fell over instead. I was able to keep the bike running but lost a lot of spots early in the race. I got up and going and a few laps later I cross rutted in the muddy section and smoked a hay bail, and took a nice flight over the bars. I got up quickly, but kicked my bike for what seemed like ages. I eventually got it going but was so far behind. I was upset, thinking I was in basically last. When I got back to my pit, my brother told me I was 14th. I was happy with that considering. Second moto I was able to stay up… but so was everybody else I guess, and I was only able to pull off a 15th, taking 15th overall for the day. That was good enough to move myself into 14th in the series going into the last round this weekend. It was definitely tough doing all my own work, washing my own bike between motos and sleeping in the S10.

We crashed at the track Sunday night, myself in the front seat of the S10 again. Monday morning we headed over to PEI to do a quick tour. We drove across the confederation bridge, with my trusty pink Honda tagging along in the back of the truck. We did a tour around the Central coast, and hit Charlottetown, Cavendish, the Anne of Green Gables house, and finished the day off with fish and chips on the peer in Summerside. By this point, I had already driven about 8 hours. I drove another 8 hours or so, and asked my brother if he was ready to take over. His hand was hurting and he wasn’t feeling good with driving. I ended up having to drive the entire 26 hours by myself. By the time we hit Ontario, I was getting pretty friendly with the rumble strips. A few hours into Ontario and I had to take a power nap. Half an hour of sleep and I was back on the road. I had to be home in time for work at 1:30 that day. I got home, unloaded and headed straight to work. I had been up for about 35 hours by this point.

Overall it was a pretty cool trip. We got to experience Moncton, and several places in PEI. It was the ultimate privateer trip but it was pretty fun! Definitely a trip I won’t forget that’s for sure. This weekend we head to Ottawa for the last round of the women’s nationals. Right now its Thursday morning at 5am, and I’m just coming to the end of the midnight shift at work. As of now, I still don’t know what my plans are, and I’m supposed to be leaving Friday morning for Ottawa.

Stay tuned for more of my privateer adventures!!

~Casondra 787~

2009-07-28T22:54:00.001-04:00

So I’ve seriously neglected my blogging duties lately, and for that I apologize. I went through a crazy spree of work as soon as I got home and things have slowed down now. The day I flew home, I got picked up at the airport, dropped my bags at home and went straight to work. I worked the next few days, and my gearbag went straight into the trailer, it didn’t even get unpacked and we headed out to gopher for a provincial race on the Sunday. After that, I’ve just been working and trying to ride wherever possible.

Last weekend was the third round of the women’s nationals at gopher dunes. I decided not to ride on the Saturday after having some bike issues that needed to be worked on. My good friend Cale came down and helped me out with getting my valves all back in shape and working on some bearing issues and such. He also helped me switch over my wheels so I could run a sick set of black sand wheels. I also was able to get a brand new set of plastics and graphics courtesy of IMX. The bike looked really sick and I was stoked to go. I was also really happy to finally be on my own bike for a national, have my dad by my side after being out west for the first two rounds without him. I did have my brother in Calgary which helped out huge, but my dad is definitely my backbone in racing. It’s hard without him. Having my own trailer and my dad by my side I was prepared to have a better finish this round. Practise went well, I ran about ¾ of it and decided to pull off and save my energy. I know gopher so well, It’s the closest track to my house I didn’t need to waste energy practising.

First moto I had a pretty good start and was running in around 9th or 10th when I crashed in the bowl corner by the front. The bike was on a funny angle and was tough to get it up, and then by the time I got going I had already lost a few positions. Then as I was trying to get myself turned around in the deep sand, I fell over again, the weight of the bike on the downward angle just pulled me right over. I got up again, and by this time I was completely exhausted. My heart rate went through the roof and my goggles fogged all up. I wanted to rip them off, but gopher is definitely not a fun track to ride getting roosted full of sand with no goggles on. It took me over a lap of riding slow to get my heart rate down and get back in the groove. I was able to work myself back into 14th place. I was happy with that as my goal coming in was to finish with a top 15. Last year I certainly would not have been happy with a 14th, but the competition this year has stepped it up huge, and my conditioning and riding is not nearly where it was last year. It’s disappointing because this year I actually have the opportunity to do these nationals, and I’m not in the shape I need to be for them.

Second moto I had another decent start, and was able to stay up, finishing in 12th. It was probably the longest race I’ve ever done. After the races when I picked up my transponder times, I found out we ran 29 minute motos. Crazy long. I had only recently started working on 20 minute + 2 lap motos in practise. I think a lot of people struggled with the long motos, even Jocelyn who is queen of the sand appeared to be getting tired.

Overall I finished 14th, and was pretty happy with that. It doesn’t sound great saying I got 14th, but considering the stakes I’m up against I think it’s pretty amazing. I have no dealership sponsoring me, I don’t even have a place to get parts for my bike. I’m racing against women who are pitting out of factory rigs and have personal trainers and people backing them up. I pretty much am doing this year on my own, with the help of IMX of course.

After the races, I was able to spend the evening hanging out with my good friend Missy Hackett from BC. We cruised around on the CMRC quad, as missy attempted to learn to drive it, nearly throwing me off the back every time she shifted. We went out for dinner with the track crew, and went back to the track to hang out around the fire. It was a pretty good time!

Coming into Gopher I had a big decision to make, whether I was going to continue following the series east, or call it off. I told myself If I was in the top 15 in the series standings after gopher, I would go, if not, I wouldn’t.
Sure enough, after gopher dunes I find myself in 15th in the Women’s Canadian National Motocross Series, with two rounds to go. I’m working on plans to head East to Moncton New Brunswick this weekend, and Ottawa Ontario the next. Following Ottawa I have to go straight to Trans Can for a week. August is gonna be crazy but I’m really excited for it. I can’t believe the year I’ve been so lucky to have. I’m going to hit both coasts of the country in one summer, doing what I love to do.

My brother flies home Wednesday from his own amazing adventure across Alberta and British Columbia. I am picking him up at the airport Wednesday night and he is going to be home for the night, and we are leaving for New Brunswick Thursday morning. He will hit both coasts of the country, and travel through at least 4 time zones in less than 48 hours! It’s going to be very cool!

You’ve read my Western Adventure Blog, now Stay tuned for the Eastern chapter!!

*Cas*

Day One

2009-07-04T00:30:00.002-04:00

I arrived in Calgary International Airport 1:30 local time, which means it was already 3:30 at home. After picking up my luggage, I spent a few minutes, and a couple dollars, deciding whether I should grab a hotel room for a night or just tough it out in the hotel. After all, there was plenty of work I could be doing. At $125/night I opted to stay up and try to get some thinking done.
Funny thing, after a certain amount of time awake, I wasn’t so much tired as I was starving! Of course, being 2 in the morning, there was nothing inside the airport that was open, and I wasn’t in the mood for snacks from a vending machine. I bit down, had a bottle of water and again decided that I could tough it out. After all, I’m a pretty tough girl when it comes down to it, or so I like to think.
The people you can meet at such odd hours in an international airport can be a little... odd, but then again, along with being “tough,” “odd” is another word used to describe me from time to time. I met “Frenchie” from Lake Louise, he had flown in and missed the last shuttle and would have to wait until 9 in the morning to get the next one. He and a travel buddy, whose name I never did get, were eventually able to get a taxi out there, which was good for them. While an overnight stay is doable, it’s certainly not preferable to a warm bed and a hot shower; I know this now from experience.
Canada Day was Ride Day. My boyfriend and some of our friends went out for the day and I decided that if I couldn’t be the fastest girl on the track, I should be able to last the longest, and I did. I eventually doubled the most laps the only other girl riding was able to do, on her lap pace by the end. This meant that I was a very sore girl coming into Thursday, the day I flew out to Calgary.
I flew out on the red eye, leaving Pearson at 10:45, to arrive, like I already said, at 1 am. So, not only was I stiff because of the long flight, but also because of the riding, but again, I toughed it out.
I picked up my rental car, a Nissan Versa I will begrudgingly admit is kind of cute, and headed off to Coleman. From Calgary to Coleman it’s a three hour drive, doing a healthy 110 kM + an hour. What a drive!? There’s only one word for it: Beautiful. I haven’t been so struck by my country’s natural beauty since the first time I went through the blasted pass through the Canadian Shield on the way to Parry Sound. The mountains, the rolling fields, the wide open spaces... I finally understand the “Go West, Young Man,” mentality.
By noon I was checked into my hotel, and my 1:30 pm, twelve hours after I first landed in Alberta, I was on my way to the site. The site was again, a marvel of natural wonders. After a 30 + minute drive up and through the mountain, taking me through some of the most breath taking scenery I’ve ever seen. It is so very hard to describe. It’s so clichéd, but truly it is something that needs to be seen.
The site itself takes riders through all kinds of huge mountains and some challenging terrain that I can’t wait to watch tomorrow. It is now 10:30 local time, 12:30 Saturday morning home time, and I still haven’t gotten to bed. I'm on my way, though. Tomorrow will be an early morning with a full day of racing scheduled and a fun filled night to boot.
I will have photos tomorrow; promise. Before leaving I forgot to charge my camera batteries, but they're happily charging now.
Cheers, and see you in the mountains!

Let the Count Down Begin!

2009-06-20T16:27:00.003-04:00

It didn’t quite hit me until I was driving down to the office in Toronto: I’m really going out west! Not only that, I’m going out west for work, and as a great side benefit I get to cheer on some of my best friends in the business! I’m down to eleven days before I leave, and I’m really starting to feel the excitement build.
I left home pretty early, coming in with the morning rush. Not exactly the most fun event ever, but you know what, with the sun roof open and the tunes cranked, I made do. I walked in and after a momentary lack of recognition I was directed to my pile ‘o’ stuff. Five cases of magazines, one big box of prize packs and a large shipping tube filled with banners. Oh, and stickers, lots of stickers!
We, Mark the art guy and myself, loaded up the Cobalt with everything that was mine to go out west with. This is the first time I’ve ever had a chance to travel out west, and that it’s for a race is just icing on the cake!
I fly out in just over 10 days, on July 2nd. I haven’t been on a plane in over ten years, and this is the first time I’ve ever gone somewhere with a time change. Add to this that I’m technically flying solo on this mission, leaving the boyfriend behind (though, he’s probably going to San Del Lee for amateur week), and as far as I know, no tag-alongs or meet ups set up by the good folks at IMX.
I have to admit though, without considerable encouragement from Derek, help from Jeff and patience from David, this trip would probably not be a possibility, and I would simply be waving “Good-Bye” and wishing my friends “Good Luck” at Pearson International, rather than providing encouragement in the pits.
It’s going to be a heck of a series, with Lawrence Hacking and the gang hard at work to make the first cross Canada enduro championship a success. Stay tuned, and come on out to the event in your area. They’ve made sure that there are plenty of spectator friendly tests, sure to be crowd pleasers.
Round 1 takes place on July 4th and 5th in Blairmore, Alberta. I’ll see you there!
Cheers,
- Suzie

~Casondra 787~

2009-06-15T21:45:00.002-04:00

Well today we decided to experience the mountain life in Alberta. We headed to Moose Mountain to do some downhill mountain biking. I made it barely half way down the trail, when I cart wheeled down a rocky section, busting the derailer off my borrowed bike. As I was walking my bike down the trail, I rolled my ankle over pretty bad on a root and had to hobble my way down the steep trail for a while. Eventually the guys stopped to wait for me wondering what had happened to me. We jimmied up a glove to hold the derailer in place, and my buddy took the broken bike and offered me his. The sky started to get really dark and thunder started rolling in. We started to book it back as fast as we could, and then the skies opened up. It was lightening and thundering and pouring rain.

By this time we had hit the road at the bottom of the trail and were peddling back to the truck. It started to hail huge chunks, and it felt like getting shot with brutal roost for 3km. It really hurt! When we finally got back to the truck we were all soaked and covered in mud. There is nothing grosser feeling than slimy, wet muddy jeans. Blaze and Syko’s friend Shane decided they were going to brave another run, so we shuttled them back to the top in the truck and picked up the other truck that was up at the top from the last run. There was already a small snow cover on the top of the hill. Syko and I chilled at the bottom and warmed up in the truck.

When the guys finally got down the trail, we decided to pack it in for the day. It was just too slippery to run the trails and it was freezing cold. We headed back to Calgary and chilled out at the house with the plan that we would ride tomorrow should it be nice out.

I’m having such an amazing time in Calgary it is so beautiful here and I don’t want to leave. It has been really sweet being off work and just riding and travelling. The guys I’m staying with have been amazing and I can’t thank them enough for hooking me and my bro up with a place to stay this week.

Again, thanks so much to the Giroux’s for the bike, to IMX for the support, and Mark Perrin from MPI for always being there.
Thanks for following my western adventure with me, and I’ll share the rest of my season with you as it happens!!

Love Casondra!!

~Casondra 787~

2009-06-15T21:39:00.002-04:00

We arrived in Calgary early afternoon Wednesday and my buddy JR met me at the track to pick me up. We got back to his place and I settled in and met his roommates. I spent the afternoon just chilling with them, and then in the evening I went on a street bike ride around downtown with Syko. It was really cool, very scary but a great way to experience the city. That evening we met up with the CMRC crew for a fun night on the town. Afterwards we headed back to the track for a bonfire. It was after 3:30 am by the time we left, and we had to jump over the gate that was locked. This resulted in me ripping my back pocket off the brand new jeans I was wearing. What I didn’t realize initially, was that my ID had been in my back pocket. When I got back to the house to put it away, I couldn’t find it. The next morning Jody texted me that he had found it in the driveway. Lucky for me!

Thursday Syko, Ryan and myself headed down to the track to help out the track crew a little bit. While at the track, my phone decided to stop working. Later that night when we headed to Bell to find out what I could do, I was told I had to wait until I was back in Ontario to send it away to be fixed. So I was stuck with no cell. We hung out at the house and watched some movies for the evening.

Friday morning we woke up early and picked up my brother from the greyhound station downtown Calgary. While the guys worked my bro and I caught up on all his stories from being in the bush for the past two months. We went out for dinner, where Blaze pretty much ate out the place.
Saturday came race day!! The track looked so awesome. It is located on the side of a hill right in the business district of Calgary. You can see the whole city skyline in the background of the track. Jocelyn, Blaze and myself walked down the hill to Tim Horton’s for some breakfast. The bottom corner is literally steps from Tim Horton’s it was so crazy!! Practice went well, I felt good on the track. Then we had to sit around for pretty much the whole day as we were last moto. Scorgie and Syko came over to the track and cheered me on. First moto my brother pushed my bike up to the line, and we picked a mint spot by the box. Then as the 30 board was about to go up, we were told that the ladies A class had to start on the left side of the box. I ended up getting stuck far inside in a really bad spot and was really nervous about it. Then, the 30 board flipped to 5 and dropped right away, there was no sideways board, and no warning. This resulted in a terrible jump, and thus a terrible start. I was able to finish with an 8th overall for the day though which helped me get some confidence going for the nationals the next day.

Sunday came national day. Riders meeting was its traditional 7:30am, and then we sat around and watched the pro practices until it was our turn to run. Practise was muddy and sloppy and there were crazy ruts already. The final corner before the finish was an uphill off camber that developed only a single rut in it. Towards the end of practise one girl crashed, and half the class was lined up waiting in the rut behind her. I took one look at it and said screw it, and blasted through the mud up the hill.

First moto came around and I told my brother to try his luck picking a pin for me, as I usually pick bad ones, and sure enough 28th gate pick. I got a pretty decent gate spot though and was pumped to go. I had an excellent jump out of the gate, and was off the concrete pad in a blink. I was charging into the first corner and as I hit the brakes, I just started to slide. They had just watered the track during maintenance. I missed the corner and ended up losing a lot of spots but kept on going, eventually finishing in 21st place. I was so tired when I finally pulled off the track, my brother could see it in my face as I could hardly breathe. He dumped a bottle of water over me and hopped on for a ride back to the pit. The ruts were so deep and the track was really rough. I was pretty disappointed with myself, and wish I had of known more in advance I was going to have this opportunity.

Second moto I knew I was going to be tired, I downed tons of water and ate lots of fruit and spent most of the time in the shade to rest up for it. I probably went to the bathroom 10 times between motos I was pounding back so much water. I got a gate very close to where I was before and had another great jump off the concrete start. I had a better start, but again faded into the background. I was able to finish up with a 19th in the second moto, good enough to gain a few valuable points. Overall I was disappointed with myself but was really excited to have experienced this, and be coming home with 10 points heading into the eastern portion of the national tour.

Sunday night we headed over to the blackfoot inn to meet up with Billy, Mark and Jody. We went over to the roadhouse to celebrate the end of round 2, and Mark was turned away due to his ID being worn out. We ended up walking around downtown Calgary and coming across a small little bar where we sat down for a few drinks. As the night wound down, we said our goodbyes and made our plans to meet up when the series came to Gopher Dunes in a few weeks.

~Casondra 787~

2009-06-11T18:28:00.002-04:00

Well I ended up sitting in the airport for over 4 hours waiting for the guys to come get me. We left for Calgary around 5pm, and drove for a few hours before stopping for some food in salmon arm. After dinner we drove another few hours into Golden, and stopped at a truck stop for the night. I ended up sleeping in the backseat of the truck, with only a sweatshirt for a pillow and a towel for a blanket. It was so cold I barely slept. I was woken to the sound of mark pounding on the windows, and Jody jumping up and down on the back of the truck. We grabbed some breakfast and I changed in the bathroom at the truck stop and we were on our way. We hit a lot of construction which gave us a chance to take some sweet pictures, I climbed out the sunroof of the truck a few times to get some shots. We saw some big horned sheep and a mountain goat alongside the road too! Somewhere in the mountains we spotted some snow alongside the highway and we stopped for a quick little snowball fight, and we got some amazing pictures on an overpass above the glacier river. This place is truly beautiful. I’m really glad I got to drive it instead of fly and miss all the scenery. We were planning on driving straight through the night and I’m glad we didn’t because it’s so much better in the daylight.

~Casondra 787~

2009-06-09T17:26:00.003-04:00

Well, Round 1 of the Monster Energy Women’s Motocross Nationals is in the books!! I’ll catch you up to what I’ve been up to this weekend. On Friday, I arrived in Kamloops around 12:50 BC time… or 3 hours behind Ontario. When I was leaving Calgary I was texting with Amber, who I was planning on staying with and it turned out there was a big mix up. The Girouxs’ didn’t realized I was staying with them, or driving back to Calgary with them. I sat in the airport, calling everyone I knew was in BC trying to find a ride to the track. I was stuck there for a few hours before I called Derek at IMX, who suggested I rent a car.

I ended up doing that, and just as I was paying Kyle Keast showed up behind me. He said I could follow him and Johnny Silegren back to the track. A quick stop to pick up the Medaglias’ and we were on our way. They drove really fast, and I lost them at a red light. So here I was driving through the city trying to figure out where I was, no map and no clue where I was going. I stopped for directions, and they told me to just follow Westside for a long time. Well by a long time, they meant it. I thought for sure I was lost, and then I came upon a sign that said another 20km to the track. Finally I made it to whispering pines raceway!

I found the Girouxs’ and got my bike set up. I spent the night hanging out with Missy Hackett, and ended up crashing with her and her mom Carrie in their trailer. Thank you guys so much for that!!

Saturday morning I got up and got ready for my first ride on the Team Giroux Yamaha. Practise went really well, the bike hit a lot differently than the power of my Honda, but the suspension felt pretty good. I learned the track pretty quickly and was doing most of the reasonable jumps. Some of the jumps were just crazy, there was a 90 ft sand double that the lites pro guys were struggling to clear. First moto I had a pretty crappy start but the main point of racing the amateur day was just to adjust to the bike and track as best as possible. There were 39 girls on the gate, the largest turnout the women’s nationals have seen to date. Saturday is amateur day, or basically just a day for the women to get some seat time on the new track.

I finished out the moto with a 14th, and I was pretty happy with that, considering I had a total of 3 laps of practise on the bike ever. Second moto I crashed in the first corner with a few other girls, and could feel my finger bleeding in my glove. I decided not looking at it would be the best idea, and got up to finish. I’ve heard horror stories about people having their fingers cut off and not even realizing it until they take their gloves off and I was a little worried about that. I was feeling good and working my way up, until the front table top.

The girl beside me nose dived really bad as we were jumping almost side by side, her bike shot across in front of me and I smoked it as I came down the landing. All I know is I flew for a looong time! I was waiting and waiting to hit the ground and it felt like forever before I hit. When I did hit, I crawled off to the side as fast I could to check myself out before I got up. My head felt fine, my hip was a little sore but just minor. Then as I went to stand up, I could feel this pressure on my shoulders. I looked up and the Shrader’s mechanic was there making sure I was ok. As I was racing a Shrader’s Yamaha, he had met me earlier in the weekend and was watching out for me. The paramedic was next, and basically pushed me back down, and held my shoulders so I couldn’t move. I kept yelling at him that I was fine but he didn’t want to listen to me. Finally I basically shoved him off me and got up. The race was over by this point and I was pissed I didn’t get to finish, but at least it wasn’t the important race.

When I got back to the Giroux pit, I pulled my glove off to check it out. I had ripped my nail off and tore up some skin but it wasn’t missing, good news! As I pulled my gear off I noticed some small rasberries but again, nothing major so I was happy. I bent the clutch lever a little but no significant damage to the bike made Roland happy I’m sure haha!! That afternoon I met up with my good friend and sponsor Mark Perrin from MPI. He offered for me to stay at his hotel that night with Daryl Murphey from the CMRC. It was really nice to finally get a shower and a good sleep.

Sunday morning was the big day. We got the track early, and hit riders meeting at 7:30. Monster Energy had a big surprise for everyone, dropping their riders off by helicopter. We watched the pro practises and then it was our turn. For the first time, women are required to wear transponders this year. As we lined up for practise, they informed us that we would need to qualify, and that our practise times would determine if we made it in. So obviously I went hard, and pushed for the highest time I could. I felt good, and somebody said I was around 15th out of 35 with my qualifying time. Moto 1 came, and we were told that we didn’t in fact need to qualify, they had made a mistake, and we would need to pick pins instead. Everyone was pissed, we had gone hard and not taken the time we maybe could have to check some sections out more in depth. It also worked against a lot of the top qualifiers who may have picked poor pins.

Moto 1 saw a lot of crashes. My teammate Ami Houde crashed in the first corner and lay there the whole moto. It’s really sad having to drive by someone getting worked on all moto. She ended up breaking her wrist and will be out for a few weeks to recover. A lot of other girls crashed, or DNF’d as well. I felt off, I wasn’t able to charge hard, and the track was already brutal. I was able to work into a 16th place finish. While I wasn’t happy with this, I also have a lot of things that aren’t in place they should be. I definitely was not ready for this round, and I wasn’t planning on coming out until less than week before. It was a last minute decision, and I don’t have much time on my own bike even. I’m not on my own bike out here, and I don’t have my dad out here with me. My dad is at almost every single race with me, and when I don’t have him it’s not the same. He can read me, he knows exactly what we have to do to be ready.

Second moto went much the same, except I smacked my hand off a watering post that was really close to a corner. It really hurt and I have some nice bruising across it now. The track was totally mangled, and I was tired after the second lap. It was a struggle to keep the bike straight and in control. I finished 18th for a 17th place overall. Again, I’m not happy with that, but at the same time I feel it’s pretty decent consider I’m not where I should be to compete at this level. Had I been on my own bike I think it would have been a better finish.

We headed back to the hotel and crashed early, we were all super tired. The next day I dropped Daryl off at the airport and headed back to the track where Mark and the boys took down all the banners. I went for a nice jog down a cool little trail alongside the Fraser river with the mountains all around me. After clean up, Mark and I decided to get a hotel for the night rather than crash at the track. We drove around to probably 5 places before finding a reasonably priced one. It turned out to be a really cute little place and we had a good nights sleep.

Now its Tuesday, and the guys are still at the track cleaning up the banners and finish line. I had to bring my rental car back today, so I’m sitting in the Kamloops airport waiting for the monster rig to come get me. I hope I’m not here all day, as we are planning on heading to Calgary tonight. I’m really excited to drive through the mountains and see the landscape. And I’m excited to see my good friend Scorgie, whose place I will be staying at for the week. My brother is coming into Calgary Friday morning and will be helping me out for the weekend. I haven’t seen him since he left in April and it will be awesome to have him there with me.

This trip really is an adventure, and it’s incredible so far. I’m so proud to be a part of the moto scene, it really is an amazing place. I can’t thank the Giroux’s enough for letting me pit with them and having a bike for me to ride, and Mark for giving me a place to stay and helping me out on the line and just everything that he does for me!! Again, gotta thank IMX of course for making it possible!!

Wow, ok that was long!! I’ll try to update more frequently, sometimes it’s hard to get wireless.

Love Cas

~Casondra 787~

2009-06-05T12:52:00.003-04:00

Here’s a quick update. Just arrived in Calgary, and I’m sitting here on our wonderful 3 hour layover with Colton Facciotti and Jocelyn Killough. We are counting the ogio bags, and playing spot the racers. We've already seen Tyler and Jeremy Medaglia's dad Derek, and KTM mechanic Mike.

I had my first experience with an airplane bathroom today. The first time I used it, it was pretty turbulent. I was thinking to myself man I really would not like to die in this bathroom. I made it out alive... but the second time I realized the bathroom is just especially turbulent. Note to self for next time!!

~Casondra 787~

2009-06-05T06:36:00.004-04:00

It seems like every year for the past few seasons I come in with little support, and don’t plan on racing much… and then each season just seems to end up better than the last. Last year I didn’t plan on racing the series, and then next thing I knew I was under the rig at nationals for Team Honda Powerhouse. I ended up having my most successful season yet, bringing home a provincial title. It was two dreams come true in one season. Not only did I finally bring home a big championship, I got to pit in a rig, like a factory rider. If I had to retire after that season, I would have been happy with what I had accomplished.

This year started out much the same, with only my friend Mark of MPI, and my loyal and trusty IMX magazine behind me, it didn’t look like I was going to be racing much if at all. I also had hoped to be gone to RCMP training already.

So here I am, 3 races into the season with hardly any bike time, and I find myself sitting in the airport waiting for a flight to round 1 of the Canadian pro national championships in Kamloops, British Columbia. I can’t even describe how excited I am! I don’t feel that I am ready for the big time competition that the national series brings, I don’t have enough time on the bike… and I am going to be riding a Yamaha instead of my usual Honda.

Regardless, I am preparing to fulfil another dream that I have been wanting to do since the women’s pro national series was first announced. I am so excited to see all the girls out west, and probably some of my girls from around here too! I just got a text from Jocelyn who I am going to meet up with in Calgary on our layover.

The Giroux family has been amazing enough to offer me not only a bike to ride, but a place to stay and a ride back to calgary with them as well. IMX has once again stepped up to help me with the costs, they have been so incredible for me I can't describe it!! I am going to be meeting up with Mark from MPI once i get out there, and I know he will help me out as much as he can too!! I can't thank any of them enough for this opportunity!!

Stay tuned for all my adventure updates!!

<3 Cas

Welcome to the 2009 Outdoors

2009-06-03T16:33:00.005-04:00

As I pack for Kamloops, Round One of the 2009 Monster Energy Nationals, I look at the calendar and say, Ill be home in 4 weeks. It’s a little crazy since I got off a plane at 11pm last night after flying home from being in California and Las Vegas for the past 10 days. It’s been a few weeks since my last blog, and Vegas Supercross was a great show. Time fly’s however as Alessi and Dungey have the points lead after the first two rounds of the AMA Lucas Oil Motocross Nationals. Im going switch gears into what I am being asked about on facebook and msn, My Vacation, no Vacation is a real vacation as the phone keeps ringing and emails keep filling the inbox, however I attempted to have a fun vacation before the season began and it was for sure one of the best trips I've ever had. I had 8 days to relax and didn’t relax at all, I saw the a good Angels vs Seattle Baseball game, Almost cried laughing at Dane Cook's show, Went to Disneyland, went Surfing, lost at some Blackjack, and went to the MTV Movie Awards. All in all it was an epic time.

Now moving to the MX side of things, 2009 is shaping up to be one of the best years in history for Motocross in Canada. The MX2 class, I like Beaton as a favorite to win, however Nye is back and Kawasaki also has a couple riders who should be able to make it up on the box a few times. One thing that I would like to see more of is support from the Canadian manufactures....Honda and Suzuki MX2 riders??? and what about supporting rookies and home talent? This year I expect there to be 5 to 10 Americans coming to Canada to race and these guys will be putting on a show. The top 10 guys in MX2 all look to be roughly the same speed. I will not be surprised to see a few American riders getting rides by the end of the season. MX1, I’m going to pick Carpenter and Klatt to come out swinging and split moto wins in Kamloops. MX1 is still a guessing game for the series, look for the same boys to be top 5, and possibly top 10 as last year.

This Sunday is the opening round of the series, Saturday in Kamloops there’s a Monster Energy Pre Party at TD's. All is welcome to attend if you’re in the Kamloops area! I’m flying out in 10 hours, so I better end this blog, until next week, keep on the gas!Remember the series goes Kamloops, Calgary, Edmonton and Mordan (MB), be sure to check out MPI as we travel across Canada on the Monster Energy National Motocross Championships Tour.

Lean on Me

2009-05-30T23:17:00.002-04:00

I’ve been asked several times why I love going to enduros and off road races so much when I am all but incapable of riding the tough terrain myself. After lots of thought on the subject, I still remained without an answer, that is, until this weekend.
This past weekend was the season opener of the CMA Hare Scramble series in Port Colborne, Ontario. Not only is there a great, family friendly atmosphere, but while the competition on the track is fierce, it is left where it belongs: in the woods. The pits are a friendly, all for one and one for all, place, where weekend warrior mechanics (most often fathers) are willing to help anyone, even those in direct competition with those who they’re cheering for (sons, and increasingly daughters).
What reminded me specifically of this special camaraderie was when Mike Vandenhoek, the Pro #4, was forced to pit. His clutch was stuck. Mike’s dad was the first one to his assistance, followed by Dave Linton, father of #3 rider Tyler Linton, and “Poppa Hooter,” Chris van Hove’s father. Instances like this are not uncommon either, and it isn’t confined to simply the Pro ranks. On several occasions I’ve seen Pro fathers help morning and youth riders, morning riders with mechanical knowledge help Pros and other afternoon riders, and countless spectators, in both the morning and afternoon, help complete strangers with pit stops and gas, offering whatever assistance is asked of them. It seems that no matter who you are on the track, when you pull into the pits you’re a friend if you need help.
In 2008, again with Mike Vandenhoek (I hope he doesn’t think I’m picking on him!) , a smashed water pump took him out of the Wilberforce round. The #4 GasGas was taken off, in spite of what mechanical help could be offered by Poppa Hooter, Mister Linton and a slew of morning rider/weekend mechanics. But Mike refused to sit the rest of his hometown hare scramble out. Strapping on a reflective vest Mike went back out on to the course as a sweeper, helping riders who were stuck or lost get back to the pits.
At any given enduro there are numerous marshals, volunteer sweepers and spectators willing to help riders get through safely. One look at the Extreme Test rock crawl at the Parry Sound Grand Prix last year was proof enough.
Perhaps it comes from a sense of being part of an under exposure “sub culture” of motorcycle riding. While in Europe things are different, with large sponsors and big 53’ trailers, for the most part, here in Canada, factory rides are few and far between. With fewer than twenty Professional calibre riders with what can be considered “factory” sponsorship (meaning a dedicated mechanic, complimentary bikes and parts), the need for an all for one, one for all, mentality is perhaps greater than it is in motocross. Also, given the rough nature of the sport, riders require a greater technical knowledge; if your machine breaks down on a motocross track, you simply push it off the track and wait for help, when you’re seven kilometres deep in some dark trails you’re in for a very long push.
This is not to say that motocross doesn’t have a sense of helpfulness. Motocross, and all of its somewhat freakish off shoots, has a very family focussed atmosphere, where children are taught the value of being a good loser, and a gracious winner. There just seems to be an almost Karmic “I’ll help you when you need it, and you help me when I need it,” in enduro/hare scramble riding and racing. The size of the scene, small even compared to the Canadian motocross scene, makes it much more intimate.

The Times

2009-05-16T21:58:00.004-04:00

They are a-changin’...
Bob Dylan sang those words almost four decades ago, and things are still changing. With the advent of the Canadian Enduro Championship Canada will finally have a truly national off road racing series, with events held in Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec and Parry Sound, focussing on the World Enduro style race (with untimed transfer trails connecting timed, spectator friendly, “test” sites), rather than the traditional, single lap, extended loop enduros (such as the Corduroy Enduro). Not only does the multiple loop format allow riders to learn fast lines to pick, it makes the events much friendlier to spectators, and the more spectators, the easier the marketability of the product, in this case enduro races. With events in four provinces, riders will be given a unique chance to enjoy not only the natural beauty of Canada, but also the chance to compete against other racers from across the country. Canada is a massive country, with diverse terrain and an equally diverse talent pool. We have riders who are experienced with mud, some who are at home on the giant rock shield, and others still who find no trouble in navigating dense single track woods trails. And they will all find something they love, and perhaps loathe, in the course of the eight race series.
This new form of Enduro racing in Canada is sure to be a hit with the riders, and promoters are working hard to make sure that this series is a success from a spectator point of view. It is unsure whether it will be an Eastern or Western rider who takes the overall title, but what is sure is that this summer will be one of change, hopefully good changes, but definitely change.
Changes, this writer thinks, are long overdue. Canada deserves a national enduro series. Canadian enduro racer deserve the recognition that comes from a truly national series, the pride that comes from being able to say “Yes, I really am the best in all of Canada,” and the exposure that only a cross country series can provide.
I hope that everyone who reads IM and IMX, and who follows this blog, will turn out to their local enduro races, hare scrambles, or even a WEC event if one comes close to you. Fan/spectator support means so much to organizers, who put tonnes of effort into getting this series off the ground, and to sponsors who financially backed these races, in times that are less than optimal. But more than organizers, more than sponsors, fan turn out and spectator support means the world to the riders. They do it for themselves, let’s be honest, but to hear “Great ride,” from a spectator can turn a crappy day of being stuck in the mud into the best ride you’ve ever had.
First round takes place in Blairmore, Alberta, July 4 and 5; can’t wait to see you there!
- SuziQ

~Casondra 787~

2009-05-11T09:33:00.002-04:00

Well this weekend at Auburn definitely did not go as planned. I think every time I have ever raced at Auburn it has been a muddy mess. Early in the week my dad had to go away for work, and was planning on being home Thursday. I got a call from my mom on Thursday saying that Dad wasn’t going to be home to take me riding, so I was going to have to find a ride. She took it to mean racing on the weekend, and passed it on to me. So I called up my friend Thomas, who was awesome enough to stop by my house and pick up my bike for me to take up to Auburn. After this happened I gave my dad a call, to let him know I found a ride. He had no idea what I was talking about, and wondered why I would have found a ride. Turns out, the call he made to my mom was for riding on Thursday night, for practice since we usually ride Tuesdays and Thursdays. It was just a mess of miscommunication. Cell phones can be our greatest friends, but sometimes the messages get lost in translation, just like that old telephone game from when we were kids. My dad ended up getting home from his work trip Friday afternoon, and he hooked up the trailer and we headed out. Again we took Jakey with us, and despite him being almost full grown now, he still thinks he is a puppy. He sat on my lap and drooled the entire 3 hour trip.

When we got to the track the sun was shining and it was nice and warm. The track looked mint and I was super excited to finally get to ride Auburn again after over a year of not being there. We had a nice bonfire with the Cook’s and Chantel stole my blackberry for some facebook catch-up. I don’t think I slept much that night, I don’t know why I just could not fall asleep no matter how hard I tried. The next morning we awoke to that familiar pitter patter on the metal roof. At rider’s meeting it was just misting and spitting a little bit but the rains were on their way. By the time practice started it was raining and the track was pretty greasy. The rain got harder and harder, and by the time the motos came it was a mess. When I was about to head down to the line the rain stopped and the sun started peaking out, but the pits and track were already sloppy. On my way down to the line, we had to cross through this big puddle, it was unavoidable. I had my dad on the back doubling him to the line, and as I plowed in my front wheel just dropped away from me and the back end slid away. There must have been some ruts hidden under the water I didn’t see and my dad and I went for a swim. I can’t even express how much it sucked! Here it was, stopped raining and I was soaked head to toe.

While we were waiting on the line, the head ref called us all over to check out the track changes. They had to cut out the back sections and the steep hill as it was dangerous and nobody was making it around. The starting line was complete mush. When I dropped the clutch for the start and started out into the slop, the bike just died. What an awesome way to start the day, fell in a puddle was wet, and I just stalled on the start. I got going but was already far enough behind. I was able to make some passes and work up to around 6th, but the track was a mess. I was pretty pissed with myself to say the least. I really hate mud!
Just after my moto, the sun came out and it the track appeared to be drying up a bit. Then the winds came. The pop up went flying into the neighbours trailer. Sorry Guys! The rain then started coming down hard. The track got worse and worse, and by the end of first motos the decision was made to cancel the rest of the day. 3 of my buddies, Matt, James, Garret and I took shelter in my trailer until the rains slowed down, and then we packed up and headed home. Overall it was a really disappointing weekend, and hopefully next race is a little better. I have a few weekends off to get some more riding time in for the next one.

~Casondra 787~

2009-05-05T14:42:00.003-04:00

8:00 Saturday night I got the call. We were going racing! After debating all week whether I would be ready, and trying to get the bike fixed, we made the decision to go. I figured I was going to get my butt kicked, but I decided some points were better than none. I hopped online and bought my 09 membership, and rushed home to pack the trailer. My dad was awesome enough to have spent the day loading up for me while I was at work, and I just had some minor stuff to finish up. 6am Sunday morning as I was letting the dogs out, I felt that sickness I get on race mornings, and out came all my breakfast. I almost always get sick on race mornings, just nerves I guess. Sure enough, my dad took way too long to get ready, and as we were heading out the door, already late, the dogs took off and I had to chase them around until they finally came back. Jakey hopped in the truck with us and we were off. We got the track as riders meeting was starting. My poor dad had a broken toe and was hobbling around trying to help me get everything ready so I could get out for practice on time. Practice was typical gopher practice, Flat and soft. We ended up being last moto of the entire day, so me and Chantel hung out at our pits most of the day. By the time our moto came around the track was destroyed. Of course, I’m in terrible shape considering I’ve only been on my bike 3 times since November, and they schedule us last moto. I was really nervous sitting in staging, and picked my usual terrible pin. I had 37th gate pick, but there was only about 14 girls so I wasn’t too worried about it. I had a pretty decent start, and rode through the first corner about 4th, and rode to a 4th finish. My second moto went much the same, I went pretty sideways out of the gate but was able to catch up quickly and ride to a 5th place for a 4th overall. It was much better than I had expected to do, and I was happy with my ride. I’m also glad I went as I was able to see some amazing pro racing. Some of the top Canadian pros came out to battle the sands. I was especially impressed with Liam Ofarrel’s battles with the Medaglia brothers and Kyle Keast. I ended up getting pretty sunburned on my face, but overall I had a great day. I’m really glad I decided to go. Next weekend we head to Auburn for the first round of provincials and I’m excited to head back there after it being off the schedule last year.

~Casondra 787~

2009-05-02T13:10:00.003-04:00

Friends and Rivalries

Tonight’s Monster Energy Supercross Finals will certainly prove to be a stellar ending to a ridiculous season long battle. Regardless of who takes the championship, the racing this year has done something special for our sport. The Reed vs. Stewart rivalry has brought us to our couch each weekend to watch them duke it out. Rivalries are what drive our sport, what drive us to compete for that win. But at what point do the rivalries consume us? The SX rivalry has certainly been healthy for our sport, bringing fans to the seats, and sponsors into the ring. Yet at the same time, it has pitted teams, and riders against each other. It is no secret that there is no love lost between Stewart and Reed, and now other teams and riders have taken sides. At home on our couch, it has pitted my dad and I against one another, cheering each week for our rider. My dad is a Stewart fan, and I’m a Reed fan. Tonight’s race is certainly one for the history books, and I can’t wait to see it play out live tonight.

On that note, the reason I’m writing about this topic, is because of friendships. On the Women’s Moto scene, most of the girls are close. We are all friends off the track, we hang out and we keep in touch over facebook and msn. I’m very excited to be sharing this blog with two good competitors and friends, Amber Giroux and Missy Hackett. I can’t wait for nationals to start here out East so I can see my girls!

This past week my longtime friend Cole came and picked me up for a ride at Gopher Dunes. I’ve watched Cole come from a cute little chubby kid on an 80, to a top contender in the Intermediate and B classes. The Campbell family has become a second family to me. They have done so much for me over the past few years. Once at the track, I ran into another person who has become like family to me, my little Nadia. The Zager family is another family that has done so much for me.

Without Moto I never would have the opportunity to meet such incredible people. It has provided me the opportunity to develop friendships like this. And while the girls are competitors on the track, they are also some of my best friends off it. We’ve found a way to “keep what happens on the track, on the track.” As the famous saying goes.

Unfortunately, I wrecked my FMF can this past week and my dad has been rushing to try and get it fixed in time for our Amateur National Qualifier tomorrow at Gopher Dunes. As I sit here at work typing this out, I’m hoping he gets it done in time. If not, I’ll see you all there anyway, I’ll be out with my puppy cheering on my moto family!

Ride Safe!

Love Cas

Las Vegas SX Finals and 09 Monster Energy Nationals

2009-04-29T13:21:00.007-04:00

There are only 72 hours remaining until the 2009 Monster Energy Supercross Championship will be just another year in the record books. Stewart has a six point lead over Reed, meaning that if Reed wins, Stewart only needs to finish second or third to win the Championship, however if Reed wins and Stewart finishes 4th or worse Reed would become the 2009 Champion. If I was going to make any bets in Vegas I would take lucky number 7 to come out on top in the SX Class. In the Supercross Lites class I have to go with Dungey (Number 10), as he could win his 3rd Toyota Truck in 3 years. Either way, Saturday night’s races could possibly be the best races of the year for three reasons. (1) Its for the Championship in the SX class and bragging rights in the Lites class, Stewart vs. Reed comes down to this weekend and there’s the whole lot of money at stake in bonus checks! I also expect Josh Grant, RV, IT, K-DUB and Shorty to finish the season strong (2) Dungeys last 250F Supercross race probably, and team Pro Circuit has 4 riders all lining up together who all can finish in the top 5, Trey Canard is back as well plus Ill throw in Wil Hahn as a wildcard (3) If Mike Alessi gets the holeshot or jumps out ahead of Stewart you can expect payback from last weekend as team tactics will come into play. Last weekend Kyle Chisholm, Stewart’s teammate was suspended by AMA and FIM for making contact with Reed. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Alessi pull the same type of move on Stewart to help Reed out. Everyone can catch the action on SPEED beginning at 10 pm EST, 7pm PST. Let the fireworks begin!

Switching gears to Canadian Motocross, I want to personally thank all who attended the 2009 Ontario Arenacross Championship as it was a great success for the first year of an AX Series. 2009 is turning out to be a very busy year for not only myself, but for our company MPI. This summer MPI is working on several exciting and interactive activities. Our Sport Management department is working with the CMRC Nationals, The Walton TransCan Grand National Championship and other select races throughout North America. Our Athlete Division is working with Canadian Amateur Motocross rising star Dylan Kaelin, and Women's Pro Series riders Ami Houde and Cassondra Greene as these athletes’s look to make a big splash stepping into the Pro Ranks. Another important date for MPI is the launching of our clothing line which is scheduled for May 7. Final tweaks are being made to our website, once launched there will be huge discounts available, as well as sponsorship opportunities available to select riders.

There’s only 39 days left before the Monster Energy Motocross National Series starts in Kamloops, BC. Now that the sun's shining and warm weather is upon us, hopefully everyone has gotten the chance to get their bikes to a local track and experience arm pump for the first time this season. If your still looking for a new 2009 ride check out http://www.bobsmotorsport.com/ or http://www.hudsonmotorcycles.com/ and they will be sure to set you up with a great deal! MPI has recently teamed together with http://www.motoheaven.net/ if you have not checked this Facebook application out yet, be sure to take a minute and see it for yourself, as you can find tracks all over North America to ride on. Take the time and help this site grow and it will benefit everyone in the motocross community! I want to thank IMX for asking me to write a weekly blog, I am hoping to be able to post my blog up every Wednesday. In closing, I am going to come up with a different trivia question each week and offer some great prizes, this weeks winner will receive a Royal Distributing Gift Card as well as a MPI T-Shirt. The first Southwestern Ontario Amateur National Qualifier is at Gopher Dunes this weekend, so I think its rather fitting this week's trivia question is about Walton TransCan History - "Most people don't know that CMRC's Amateur Racing Director, Brett Lee has won one Canadian Amateur Motocross Championship. This week's question is - What class did Brett win and what year was it in?"

Email your answers to mark@motocrosscanada.ca Best of Luck!
See You Next Week!
Mark

Trials and Tribulations

2009-04-28T00:59:00.005-04:00

I’ve always been the kind of person who replies, “Sure, why not?” when someone asks me if I want to do something. In the past, this attitude has gotten me in to trouble, but on the other hand, it also got me into a five year (and counting) relationship with a really great guy, who introduced me to riding, which has branched off and opened a whole new world to me that I would have otherwise not known.

It was that “Why not?” attitude that kicked in when a friend invited me to go trials riding. You know, trials riding? Going really slow, over really big obstacles, on those funny looking motorcycles? Looks easy. It isn’t. But hey, it was December, there was over a foot and a half of snow on the ground, and I hadn’t been riding in two months, and I knew it would be at least four more before I got back on my dirt bike, so I couldn’t say no.

With that in mind my boyfriend and I loaded up our gear and headed out to go trials riding for the first time. It was late December when Ontario was suffering from temperatures that were, undeniably, cold. We’re talking regularly dipping into the minus 20 degrees Celsius, without the wind chill.

After several wrong turns, two Timmies stops and missing the drive way, we finally made it to the place. It was a moderately heated, quite well insulated, Dura-Shelter type building with a large platform with plenty of different types of obstacles on top, as well as several raps and a kind of stair case built out of old spools (you know, the kind you see on the high way when they’re putting up hydro lines?). And I’m standing there, now dressed in my motocross gear (which, by the way, is vented for comfort in the summer heat, and not very warm) and a hoodie, watching my very patient, soon to be teacher, putting his engineering skills to good use, modifying the course so I don’t get hurt.

For those of you who don’t familiar with Brian Wojanrowski, and haven’t been following the off road updates in Inside Motorcycle and Inside Motocross, here’s the short version. Former motocrosser turned off road machine, Wojo is an accomplished rider, having ridden at the ISDE, won the overall championship at last year’s WEC series and has held the #2 CMA Hare Scramble plate for two years in a row, with his sights set on the big #1 this year. He has overcome several serious injuries, but still thinks of riding as fun. Racing, on the other hand, he takes very seriously. He is a fierce competitor, but leaves what happens on the track where it belongs, on the track.

He is also a very good, very patient, teacher, as I would soon find out.
So, there we were, and I’m sitting on a pile of wood watching Wojo and his buddy climb, bounce and rocket over obstacles and suddenly it hits me, “I might be over my head.” Never one to let me do something dumb, and possible fun, on my own, my boyfriend, Mark, is beside me. In contrast to me, he’s excited. He can’t wait to get a chance to ride one of the funny looking Scorpas. Of course, Mark’s been riding since he was 9, and is up and riding in no time. In about ten minutes he’s mastered not only the ability of turning the somewhat twitchy bikes, but also going up the ramp to the top of the platform, and then back down.

I wish I could say it was that easy for me, but that would be a huge lie, and someone (most likely Mark) would call me on it.

HOWEVER!

Wojo, as I said, is a very good teacher, very patient, and, unlike my boyfriend when he taught me how to ride, is very good at articulating exactly what to do and what not to do. After initially driving straight into a wall, he gave me a few basic instructions which, in retrospect, are common sense. Always look where you want to go, not at the front tire; if you look at the front tire, you`re going to crash. Keep your knees bent and your head up, it helps your balance. Use your weight to help turn the bike rather than relying solely on the handle bars. And, most importantly, when in doubt, grab the clutch.

It took about ten minutes, maybe twenty, but eventually I got the hang of riding the bike on the flat ground and was able to turn the bike in a space roughly the same size as a compact car would take up. Oh, and this might be a good time to point out that the floor of the building was polished concrete, and I had snow on my boots, so not only was I having an issue with balance, but the minute my boot hit the ground, it lost traction, making me just that much less confident.
The second step was getting up the ramp on one side of the platform and going down the other side. The ramp up the back of the platform was narrow, but not as steep, while the ramp up the front of the platform was wide, but at a much steeper incline.

Wojo`s advice was on getting up the ramp was two-fold, and very simple. Number One: Do not stop, no matter what. Keep the momentum going forward. If you`re going up the ramp and you pull the clutch, you will then be doing down the ramp, backwards. Not good; the object of the exercise was to get up the ramp. Number Two: Do not sit down. The balance on a trails bike is different, meant for riders in a standing position (obvious, really, as they have no seat). When you “sit” on a trials bike, you change the balance so there’s more weight over the rear tire, making it easier for the bike to tip backwards, sending you, once again, down the ramp, this time on your head. Again, not good.

After a few failed attempts, I finally make it up to the top of the ramp and onto the platform. Now what? I pull in the clutch and wait for my trusty teacher to run around to the other side of the platform to give advice on how to get back down off the platform, which was about five to six feet off the ground, depending on what section you were on.

Getting down was much easier, as gravity does most of the work for you, you merely have to keep balance, be easy on the rear brake (too much front brake, as with any bike, will launch you over the handle bars), look forward, head up. With eyes on Wojo I ease off the brake and clutch just enough to get over the lip of the ramp and start going down and...Next thing I know, I’m on the ground. I did it. I had managed to go up one side and down the other. I did this several times, circling back around to the rear ramp each time, before Wojo had me do it the opposite direction. There wasn’t as much run off room going that way, and eventually I let off to let Mark ride again.

Mark, by the way, was already working his way onto small obstacles by this time. He was also contemplating the cost of purchasing one of those fun little motorcycles, I’m sure of it. The final task Wojo set out for me sounds pretty simple: go up the front ramp to the top of the platform, turn around, and come back down the ramp. Easy enough, right? Not so, the top of the ramp was approximately the same size as two queen beds put side by side, width wise, and Mark and Wojo were both standing at the top.

I made it up no problem, but for the first few attempts Wojo had to help me turn the bike around. I eventually got the hang of it. After three or four runs I was feeling pretty confident, turning on my own, going down the ramp pretty slow, but up it fast, but in control. While I never did get up onto any of the obstacles, I did learn a lot about riding a trials bike, and the patience and balance required. If you like going fast, trials riding is not for you, but if you dig a challenge and want to improve your over all skill as a rider, it might be something to try.

Big thanks to Wojo for being so bloody patient with me. I can be a difficult student sometimes, but I had a good teacher and it made all the difference. Also, thanks to his friend who let us ride at his place, even though he couldn’t come out.

~CaSoNdRa 787~

2009-04-25T12:53:00.005-04:00

Hey Everyone!!
The new season is upon us and I’m excited to get started racing again. I spent the first few months of the winter recovering after knocking myself out in New York in November. I also decided to apply to be an RCMP officer. I wrote an accelerated applicant exam, and passed! As I went through all the paperwork, and passed each test, it was looking really good that I might be gone out west sooner than I had expected. I knew that if I got accepted I would be moving out to Regina to train for 6 months and would have to put riding on hold for that time. It was a bummer, but it was also really exciting to be moving into the career I’ve been working towards for so long.

When I got involved with the MPI Ontario Arenacross Series I was thinking it was going to spell the end of racing for a while. I got to run the sign in with my buddy James from MotoRegistry, and helped set up the track and compile results and all the administrative tasks. It was an exciting experience to see racing from the other side of the fence, I made some great new friends, and got to bring home my first indoor championship as well! Justin Cippilone was great enough to let me race his bike while I was down in Wallaceburg, and Mark Perrin put me up each weekend.

After arena cross was over, it was tough for me to say good bye. Then I got the call from my close friend Davey, who was looking for help at the Toronto Supercross. I got to be his mechanic at this prestigious race and it was the coolest thing ever. Sitting at riders meeting surrounded by the best riders in the world had me in awe. I got to walk right out onto the track and do track walk with Stewart and Reed and all the guys. It was truly amazing and I will never forget it.

After super cross I was itching to get back on my own bike even just for practise a bit before I was to leave. After a few weeks of bugging my dad to get it back together, we finally got it back in one piece last weekend. After 6 months of it sitting in pieces, I finally heard my baby run. I was dying to ride. After my RCMP interview last week, they let me know that it would be a few months still before I would get to go out, pending I pass my polygraph exam. This was the response I was kind of looking for, and as I exited the office, the text messages started to fly. I let all my supporters know that I would be racing again! At least until I left.

On Thursday I got out for my first ride outdoors in 6 months. It was amazing. I was so happy just to get out and be part of the atmosphere again, and get on the bike of course. I went out to a friend’s track, and it felt incredible. I’m sure everyone out there knows what I’m talking about, when that rush of passion for the sport takes you over again for another summer.

My plan is to get out riding Sunday and at least twice during the week and hopefully be in good enough shape to race at the first round of the Ontario Provincials at Gopher Dunes on Sunday May 3rd.

My plans for the season are a little up in the air, it depends on when I’m due to leave for out west if I pass my final steps. I’m going to hit as many ANQs that I can, and if I’m here for Walton I’ll be doing that as well. As for nationals, I hope to be able to hit the Gopher, and Sand del lee rounds. I may be able to do the east round as well if things work out with the MPI team.

I just want to thank everyone so much for checking out my blog!! As well to IMX for being such an amazing supporter of me for the last few years. Derek has always been there for me and I appreciate it so much. I also want to thank Mark Perrin at MPI who will be helping me out this year . Stay tuned for more updates!
<3 Love Casondra 787

Welcome to the racer's blog

2009-04-24T13:52:00.004-04:00

Welcome to the new Inside Moto-X and Off-Road racer's blog. Check in here to see what makes two-wheeled racers tick. We are putting together a list of great contributors to keep you informed on the goings on of racing in Canada. On the list so far is Mark Perrin, Casondra Greene, Missy Hackett, Amber Giroux, Iain Hayden and Suzanne Howie. Each of these people will bring you a unique perspective on the Canadian racing scene.

Keep an eye on things here we will be adding more contributors over time and I am sure that things will get interesting.

Jeff Morgan
Editor

Inside MotoX & Off Road Racers' Blog

Kini KTM Action Motorsports Bel-Ray

Making New Lines

Ladies' Night

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Day One

Let the Count Down Begin!

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Welcome to the 2009 Outdoors

Lean on Me

The Times

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Las Vegas SX Finals and 09 Monster Energy Nationals

Trials and Tribulations

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Welcome to the racer's blog

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