Well with the weather here on the East Coast getting colder and flurries starting to linger on the forecast our riding season has come to a close, a bunch of us suited up and headed to Steve Daling's Birch Hill practice track in Pictou County for the last ride of the season.

Alright, well it's crunch time for all those late Christmas shoppers; the long line ups, crazy drivers, and the chaotic madness of people all happens at about this time of year.  (Oh the joys of Christmas!) It's also that time of year where everyone is wondering if there will be a Women's Series in Canada come spring.

There are always rumors flying around that they won't have anything but in the end something always comes up. As much as I want the series to grow and become some thing like the WMA down south it all depends on what the committee votes on for us.

When the Canadian Women's Nationals started in 2006 with the help of Jolene, Mallory, and Jessica it was at its best! I was so happy to hear there was finally going to be a series where the fastest women in Canada would race against each other. I don't know what everyone else's provincial series are like but in Saskatchewan there were usually only 5 of us lined up in the Ladies class; and more than half the class is made up of myself, my older sister Amber, younger sister Dallyn, and my Mom Carrie. To hear that we could actually ride against other girls sounded like such a great experience! I look up to all of those girls, and even up to this day I have so much respect for what they have done to get it all started.

Every year since then the series seems to suffer; we aren't getting the absolute most we can out of it. I understand what they were trying to do when they split it up into an East/West Series. They were trying to make it more cost saving for the women, and get more women riders out to the races, but doing this also decreased the racing action that we had. Let's face it: we don't pull out the entry numbers like the men do. It will take a few years before we come anywhere close to that, but when we had both the East and West together we had the top 5 girls from coast to coast battling it out on the track. Now that it's split the top 5 girls are off in one pack leaving the rest are having their own battles. As a spectator it's not all that exciting.
 
Think about it this way: the men have a full gate + a little more in each class. How many do you think actually  travel the entire circuit across Canada? Top 10? For sure! Top 20 riders? Maybe. When the women's series traveled across Canada we had the top 6 to 10 riders competing at all the rounds. I believe that if you are already committed to doing the series you will find a way to get to every round. Spectators will be more interested in watching all of us together again battling it out.
 
I am sure you will be hearing more about this topic from me in the future but there is just a little slice of what I have been thinking. Where is our series going?
 
Peace out!
 
Denaye Giroux #1W

The new-year is just around the corner and I must say I miss racing and riding my bike. Lucky for me I have been on the west coast in Pemberton BC where if you put on some thick gloves you can get in some decent mountain biking to get some sort of adrenaline rush that still involves two wheels. Still it  doesn’t replace the feeling of a motor-bike. It won't be much longer for me until I’m back racing, though. I’m in the process of trying to get things ready to race the Chillwack Arena-cross then off to the Lethbridge Arena-cross, before finally heading down to California to start my national preparation and possiblly some Supercross preparation. That is if I can get enough support.

Every year I see people in our industry asking “Why aren’t more of our Canadian riders doing AMA supercross or motocross events?” And I guess I want to give everyone my opinion on the topic.

First off for Supercross you need to have a proper bike set up. Meaning you need a much different suspension set up and a different motor set up. Second, you're going to need a practice track to ride on and a proper built one not a back yard supercross track built with your garden tractor. To ride a supercross track in California can cost over 300 dollars a month! Third, you need to be training and preparing for these races at least a month or two in advance which requires a lot of time and commitment. Sure some of you might say just load up the truck and go, but that’s not the way I do things; I’m not going to a race just to say I went to it. If I’m going to do a supercross I want to have the proper set up, the proper amount of practice, and the proper amount of fitness to do it right. What’s the point of going to a race (at my level) if you know your not going to be competitive? I want to know when I do race that I did everything I could to prepare.

My point is that it’s very costly and very hard to race a supercross properly if you don’t have the right support behind you.

Now for the AMA motocross events, I believe more Canadians should be giving it a shot. I know I’m getting my AMA outdoors license this year and am going to give it a try. We race outdoors all summer and our bikes are all set up for it. The only thing stopping most of us is the cost. For the racers that live on the west coast we don’t have a lot of AMA outdoor events close to us that we could quickly drive down to. I think the East coast guys have a bit of an advantage with being a bit closer to the races like Southwick. In the end it all comes down to how much we as riders want to see how far we can go. If you don’t have the drive and determination then the cost of going to these races really doesn’t matter much.

So if you want to see more of us Canadian riders on the line in the AMA events remember most of us have real jobs just so we can go racing in the summertime in Canada and most of us want to race the AMA events but need a bit of help to make that dream possible. That’s it from me.

Thanks for reading.

Shawn Maffenbeier

Hey everyone, 

I am very excited to be a part of the IMX crew and  keep the readers up to date on what’s going on.

This is my first blog so I’ll tell you a little about myself. Many of you  might know me already from the national circuit. I have been racing pro for 5 years in Canada now and I am the new national number 6 for the 2012 season.  

I was born and raised in Swift Current, Saskatchewan and I started racing motocross when I was 4. Growing up racing I won almost all the provincial titles in Saskatchewan, right from 50cc's to Pro MX1. I’m 19 years old now and have some pretty big goals for the future.

I spend most of my winters in California at the PerformX camp riding and training with some of the up in comers in Canada. When I’m not racing and training I enjoy downhill mountain biking, wakeboarding, snowboarding, and just being catching up with friends and family.

That’s a little bit about myself. Christmas is just around the corner so I through together a small wish list. Check it out. 

1. Wilson SL Devinci DH bike 

2. Amira Specialized Road bike 

3. iPad2

4. The AK Burton Snowboard Gear

5. A Dream Works Track like Justin Barcia's

6. The Rubber Re- run Nixon watch

7. The Jam sunglasses from Dragon

8. Dome race Dunlop tires, a stack of 20 would be nice

9. Free flights around the world

10. And last but not least a nice girlfriend that like to travel! 

That’s it from me.

Thanks for reading!

-          Shawn Maffenbeier

Project bikes are always a big undertaking. After all the e-mails and phone calls to get things organized, there are the hours spent in the garage cleaning parts, rebuilding stuff and assembling the masterpiece. To be honest, this bike has been a large undertaking but it has also been very rewarding on many fronts.

If you read the first installment, you know how this whole ’08 KTM 250XC-F project got off the ground. What started as a simple big bore kit got all ‘Kuli’d’ up in a big hurry. While I do love a pretty bike, I love a solidly built and good performing bike even more. I decided to go for the whole package on this project and couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

I will begin with the engine since it’s what started the whole project. The modifications include a KTM Hard Parts 280 big bore kit and Bondi Engines head porting. The Hard Parts 280 kit comes complete with the cylinder, piston kit and gaskets. It is a high-quality package that was designed to work with this motor and bolts right on. Bondi Engines is a well-known Ontario-based engine builder who has done motors for some of Canada’s fastest racers. Bondi ported the head to remove any casting flaws and for increased air flow into the cylinder.

To complement the internal work in the engine, I wanted to add an exhaust system. In what can only be described as the biggest stroke of luck in my life, I was offered the new 2011 Akrapovic slip-on exhaust. To say this part was new would be an understatement as it was shipped directly to me from the factory in Slovenia. According to Akrapovic marketing man, Peter Kavcic, this was the first unit in North America. Yes, I felt special!

Some features of the new exhaust, which took two years to develop, include lower noise emissions (for those who need to use quiet mufflers on MX tracks), removable noise reduction/spark arrester insert, weight reduction of 0.53 kg over stock, reinforced titanium end cap, double-welded brackets and a titanium muffler outer sleeve for durability.

The interesting thing is that this slip-on fits all KTM 4-stroke EXC, SX-F and SM models from 250cc to 530cc. The quality of this piece is second to none. From the machined flange at the head pipe connection to the welds, brackets and overall finish, you will not find a better exhaust available to the public. The fitment was perfect and installation easy.

It is available exclusively through the KTM Power Parts catalogue.

All these modifications worked together to make a strong running 250F much better in all aspects. Gopher Dunes is a true test of horsepower for any bike with its deep sand. The new motor would pull a gear higher on most parts of the track and the clutch use needed to get out of corners was almost non-existent compared to the stock motor. Where you needed the clutch to get the motor spinning before, the increased torque from the increased displacement and head mods got the bike on top and moving. While the 280 could still rev, it was more effective and easier to ride using the bottom end pull to get you calmly down the track with out any rev limiter drama.

In order to get a good idea of what the exhaust offered the package, I swapped between the stock XC-F silencer, a stock SX-F silencer and the Akrapovic both with and without the quiet/spark arrestor tip. I did this portion of the test on a loamy track so I would have consistent conditions and feel for each system. The stock XC-F muffler offered nice smooth power and a quiet exhaust note. This, combined with the motor work, put out similar power to the stock motor with the free-breathing SX-F muffler installed. Using the SX-F muffler with the modified motor, the bike was certainly stronger and faster then before the engine changes. This combination worked well but was understandably louder.

I then went to the Akrapovic and the ‘grunt monster’ was born! It was a very noticeable increase in power and the sound registered in between the XC-F and SX-F systems. After the insert was installed, the performance dipped to the SX-F mufflers level while the sound was quieter than the XC-F muffler. To keep myself straight, I had a friend ride the bike in all four configurations to get a second opinion. His thoughts and feelings were the same as mine so I felt confident in my findings.

Big power is great but tends to be counterproductive if your bikes suspension isn’t set up to handle it. A bike that kicks and bucks all around the track isn’t going to be very much fun to ride. Since the 250XC-F is considered a cross-country machine, the suspension settings from the factory are a bit of a compromise.

The bike worked well on the motocross track and in the off-road arena but it was never exceptional. The White Power components that come on the KTM are high-quality units, but the internal settings weren’t optimal. My biggest complaint was always the fork. When I got it to pick up the small bumps well, it bottomed like crazy. Inversely, when I got the bottoming under control, the front end was harsh in the little stuff. I figured that I either needed stiffer fork springs or higher oil levels. Enter Joe Skidd from Superior Suspension Setting (SSS).

Most know Joe from his work at Blackfoot Racing as the suspension/chassis mastermind. A few years ago he started SSS and is sharing his expertise with the general public. After explaining my situation and complaints with my suspension, Joe was confident he could help.

The following procedures were performed: All friction surfaces are improved for less friction. Bleed circuits are modified for better flow character. Compression and rebound valving changed for better damping response, improved small bump ride, improved resistance to bottoming and improved traction. Oil volume in fork is raised to improve dynamic geometry and aid bottoming resistance. Reservoir/bladder kit is installed to replace the less than reliable free piston on the shock. Bigger gas volume reduces fade. Pro Package KTM jobs are $1,079.00. Any additional parts that need to be replaced, including seals, bushings and springs, are extra. In most cases, the stock springs are adequate.

The first thing I noticed was the new SSS shock reservoir. It is a custom-machined piece that is longer than stock and contains the bladder kit mentioned above. Joe includes an installation instruction sheet with each revalve and it is a good idea to follow it. After installing the suspension, I set the sag on the shock and was out for a ride. On the first lap I could already tell it was worlds better than before. The little bumps that used to rip the handlebars out of my hands simply disappeared beneath my wheels. On bigger jumps or flat landing, the harsh bottoming was gone. The suspension was using full travel but the ‘clunk’ was never felt. The bike had a very settled feel to it and it set up for corners better than ever before. The Moncton track has deep ruts in many corners and the bike steered in and through them with little input and never had that ‘stand-up’ feel in mid corner. It was like riding a different bike and I was able to attack the track with confidence. I have gone on a few trail rides with the new settings and have done nothing more than soften up the compression a little for the slower speeds in the trees. It’s the same great action in either discipline.

All of the other products I used during the project worked well. The brake rotors and pads from Magnum Distributing offered great feel and are just as strong as the stock KTM brakes. The Magnum sprockets took a lot of abuse and never caused a problem during a few rather muddy rides. Sicass Racing’s stop/start button is great! I love how it cleans up the handlebar area and offers the ability to do both functions on the throttle side of the bar. Other odds and ends include the KTM Hard Parts tubular rad protectors, which mount perfectly and offer a ton of protection. The Tubliss system has worked perfectly since I first put them in. They do tend to draw attention when people ask me why I have a valve cap on my rim lock.

Most of the project has been about the performance of the bike. Now I want to talk about the look. The orange-powder-coated frame and plastic really looked sharp, but what totally set the bike off for me was the graphics kit by Fuze MX in Edmonton, AB (www.fuzemx.com). Curtis went above and beyond to make this graphics kit happen. I phoned him and gave him an idea of what I wanted and he ran with it. Every weekend I would get dozens of people asking me if the bike was a 2011 model or some sort of limited edition KTM. The layout was a little different but that’s what we were going for and it worked.

The quality of material used in the graphics was incredible and after 15 rides they still look great. A little scratched in some spots but they are still stuck where I put them! And speaking of installation, the material stretches really nicely around curves and corners. Without a doubt the easiest graphics kit I have ever put on.

All the time and effort put into the bike build-up was worth it in the end. What started out as a simple idea got real big in a hurry. The bike is a blast to ride and performs better now than it ever has. It has surpassed all my hopes and I still get a big smile on my face every time I see it in the garage or when someone asks me about it at the track. I certainly need to thank Siert and Greg from Orange Motorsports for spawning the idea in the first place, Chris Bondi for the headwork and jetting advice, Peter Kavcic and Nick Iannitti from Akrapovic, Joe Skidd from Superior Suspension Settings for his magic, Curt Czerniak from Custom Concepts for the powder coat and Curtis Lea from Fuze MX for the graphics and Rick Kotecki from Magnum Distributing. And super-big thanks to everyone who asked about the bike at the track!

If you don’t know the techniques needed to get over a log, the task can seem pretty daunting. All you can think of is that time your buddy told you to just wheelie over it and you ended up on your head.

Most of us have all been there at some point – I know I have! But, if you follow these steps you may end up getting over those logs cleanly and avoid a concussion or two.

This technique is often referred to as the “The Double Blip”

Step 1– The Set Up

Like any obstacle, your first step is to pick a nice set-up line. Try to avoid tree roots or rocks that are at the lead up to the log as these could really through you off-line. Obviously, to make things easier you should look for the lowest part of the log. Also try to get your line as straight on to the log (i.e., as perpendicular to the log) as possible. As you approach the log you need to be standing on the pegs in a neutral body position with your elbows and knees slightly bent. Make sure that you have one or two fingers over the clutch and that your right foot is covering the rear brake.

Step 2 – The Wheelie

Once you are about two or three feet away from the log you need to pull a little wheelie. You want the front wheel to come up to about three-quarters of the height of the log. To achieve this, wheelie when the traction on the lead-up is good; you should be able to simply give a quick but controlled release of the clutch as you simultaneously give a slight blip of the throttle (first blip) and move your weight back slightly. If the lead-up is wet and slippery, however, you will need to help the front end spring up using a little more of your body weight. This time, you will want to use more of subtle throttle/ clutch flick. To help the front end spring up, load the front end at about six to eight feet away from the log. This is done by keeping your arms in a slightly bent but solid form and throwing your weight down and forward as you bend at the knees.

To get the spring effect, you now need to unload the front. At the four or five foot mark, abruptly straighten your knees, keep your arms solid, and throw your weight up and to the back of the bike. This quick transition in your body weight will get the maximum

spring out of your forks and help you get the front wheel up without using as much throttle/ clutch, meaning there is less chance of wheel spin.

Step 3 – The Impact

As the front wheel impacts the log, your forks are going to compress again. As they start to rebound, the weight of the bike and your body is going to be forced into the rear shock. Remember that a bike’s suspension is like a rocking horse; as the front comes up (or rebounds), the rear goes down. When the shock has the total load of the bike and your body weight, you have maximum traction from the rear wheel. So, this is where you need to give the second blip (throttle/clutch). This time, however, depending on the size of the log, it may have to be a much more aggressive blip.

Step 4 – Over the Log

The sudden burst of power delivered by the second blip will slam the rear wheel into the log. As it hits the log, the shock will compress even more and you will have even more traction. The tire should begin to grip on to the log. Next, the shock will rebound really quickly, so make sure you get your weight back. As the shock rebounds, it is throwing the bike up and over the log but keep in mind that you may also be losing traction. This is where you need to roll off the throttle and maybe even engage the clutch. If the log has good traction, keep just enough throttle to prevent the front wheel from dropping. If the log is too slippery, shut the throttle down and slightly pull in the clutch. Bend at the knees and allow the rear of the bike to come up underneath you. The front wheel will now drop over the other side of the log so make sure to keep your weight well back. As the front wheel touches down, try to keep your balance. Let the clutch out smoothly and try to avoid too much wheel spin on the log.

Step 5 – Roost On!

When the rear wheel touches down, it’s time to get back on the gas.

Keep Riding.

Jake

In past versions of the tech tips column I have concentrated on maintenance and repair tips for select areas of the motorcycle. This issue, if I may, I would like to diverge a little from the usual format. Sometimes a little change is a good thing, isn’t it? Call it a project if you like. This instalment will be part one, call it “The Beginning.”

The whole idea for this “project” started with a simple phone call. The phone rang; I picked it up and said “hello.” The voice on the other end of the line simply said, “Send me your motor.” I thought it was a prank phone call at first but soon realized it was Siert from Orange Motorsports. It seems that Siert had put a KTM Hard Parts 280 big bore kit on his KTM 250-SXF. He figured it was so good that I needed one too. After about three milliseconds of thought I was running for the garage to get my motor out. Within an hour and a half the bike was stripped to the frame and the motor was ready to go out the door.

My bike is an ’08 KTM 250 XC-F with about 45 hours on it. After a few seasons of use and abuse, the old girl was looking a little beat up, although mechanically the bike is still rock solid. I change the oil every ride, the oil filter every other oil change and am very careful with my air filter maintenance. The valve clearance is checked every five hours and they have never needed to be shimmed a single time. While the heart and lungs were still in good shape, the exterior wasn’t as shinny as I would have liked. The paint on the frame was dull, the plastic was scratched, there was a tear in the seat cover and the chain and sprockets were wasted.

I figured since the motor was gone for its check-up and displacement augmentation I would make a list of wear items that needed to be changed. The “must do” list wasn’t really that long, but the “want to do” list was much longer. Now, you need to realize, just as this whole project was getting off the ground, KTM had the nerve to release the details and pictures of the 2011 KTM 350 SX. That’s where I lost all self-control and took the program from a “freshen up” to a ground up rebuild. The new 350 has an orange frame, black skid plate and a cool new look. Why not try and make an ’08 look like a modern 2011? It was all over but the spending at this point!
Orange Motorsports technician Greg Smith was in charge of the motor work – the same Greg Smith who was Michael Willard’s mechanic in 2005 when they won the CMRC East Coast National Championship by the way. Greg performed a leak down test and did a thorough inspection of the whole motor. While everything looked good in his opinion, he suggested changing a few parts “just because.” With 45 hours on the motor there was no use risking a catastrophe down the road for a few inexpensive things. A new cam chain, valve springs, valve keeper and valve seals where the only parts replaced in the top end. He also replaced the shift shaft that was bent as a result of a rather goofy crash on my part. Greg set the head down long enough for Siert to grab it and deliver it to Bondi Engines for a little porting work. Can you feel the pain I deal with in a day? After the head work, everything was buttoned up with the new 280 cylinder and piston and then returned to me for install.

While the motor was gone I had some time to map out the rest of the project. The main hurdle was to find a powder coater to do my frame in the KTM orange. After an Internet search I found a company in Detroit called Custom Concepts. I spoke with owner Curt Czerniak at length about what I wanted and the colour I was looking for. Curt knew exactly what I needed and is an ex-motocrosser himself. He explained in detail the preparation and coating procedure. Everything needed to be removed from the frame before handing it over to him. That means bearing races, rubber grommets, bolts and anything else that is attached. The frame goes in an oven and is baked to burn off all the dirt, grease and other contamination. Another benefit of the baking is that the existing paint is charred and cracks apart. After the piece comes out of the oven, it goes to the sandblasting booth to have all the remaining paint removed. Only when the frame is down to its virgin metal does it get coated. As you can see in the photos, the frame turned out incredible. Since I was in the “coating mood” I had my Flatland Racing aluminum skid plate powder coated black.

The next thing in line was to figure out what parts needed replacing, either because they were worn out or had suffered impact trauma of varying degree. After two seasons the stock o-ring chain and sprockets were in bad shape as well as the brake rotors that had met a few rocks along the trail. Rick Kotecki from Magnum Distributing told me about their line of sprockets, brake rotors and brake pads. The sprockets are aluminum and available in an assortment of colours for all makes and models. The brake parts are made in Europe and the brake pad are available in either semi-metallic for regular conditions and full metallic for extreme mud.

The stock handlebars were still straight after two years on the bike and that is some sort of new record for me. I have never tried Pro-Taper bars so I figured it was as good a time as any to give their new EVO bar a try along with a set of their grips. All the other controls were in good shape and simply needed a good cleaning.

Speaking of cleaning, this has to be the most tedious part of any bike rebuild. There are a lot of little things that need to be cleaned. Triple clamps, shifter, brake pedal and kick-starter all had to be polished. The swing arm needed to have the bearings cleaned and inspected. While I was working with the swing arm I polished it a little with an angle grinder spinning a Scotch-Brite pad. You can spend hours cleaning just bolts if you want to do it right. You need to be patient and take your time because the effort put in at this point of the project will really pay off in the end.

Since my wheels had seen their share of hard knocks they got a good truing and a new set of All Balls wheel bearings. The All Balls bearing comes with new wheel seals as well so it’s a nice way to freshen up your wheels. KTM Hard Parts offers a special set of hardened wheel spacers that replaced some banged up stockers. I have been running the TUbliss system in my wheels for a while now and honestly can’t say enough good things about them. You can see a full test on them elsewhere in this issue. Since it was time for a new set of tires I went with the Scorpion MX Extra from Pirelli. I had very good luck with the Pirelli XC Mid-Soft I tested last year so I wanted to try a little different compound this time.

Since my bike has electric start, I have a start button on the throttle side of the bars with a kill switch on the left. While the buttons are compact it is sometimes a pain to have wires running up both sides of the bars. Enter Sicass Racing. They make a switch centre that has both the start and the kill button on one small pod. It is mounted on the throttle side of the bars and plugs right into the stock wiring harness.

As you can see, there is a lot of work involved in doing a complete bike build up. You need to do a little soul searching before starting a project like this. Is your bike in good enough shape to invest all the time and money into it? If you have a bike with a motor that needs a complete rebuild it might not make sense to go to this much work. You would be better off selling it and getting a new one. Since my bike was in excellent mechanical shape I figured I could build it up the way wanted for less than what it would have cost to buy a new bike. Come back next time to see the completed project and a review on some of the products.

Most of us have been 'Wowed' by watching SX or MX.  Whether it was some guy holding the throttle on through a corner longer than anyone else or jumping higher, further, scrubbing... Heck even crashing wows us.  But, honestly, how often have you ever been wowed in off road? 

I mean, I've seen my buddies open my face with a hill climb, down hill, corner speed on ice more than once.  But only recently, have I had my jaw honestly hit its stops, and no offense to a few of my buddies and their obvious skills, but boys you don’t come close. Lol

First incident was 1997 at the World Enduro Championships in Parry Sound.  David Knight was at the height of his domination. He was starting the last test of his weekend, the extreme test at Hurd Pit.  Riders started by going through the gates and immediately hitting a pile of sand approx 8 ft wide and 30 feet long.  This pile had started flat but was now a whooped out piece of junk that frustrated riders.  We watched a number of riders try to accelerate through this section, only to wheelie their bikes into the face of every whoop.

Some faster than others, some quite fast, but no one faster than the big Manx man; out of the hole he was no different, but what he did through the whoops was remarkable! Instead of muscling his bike from face to face trying to keep his speed, David was going fast enough that he was pushing his bike to the earth when and where he wanted it to.  It was an incredible sight to see him 'place' his bike where it needed to be. That was THE first time I have ever seen anyone honestly and completely ride their motorcycle. Everyone else is simply along for the ride, almost like riding a bull.

My latest 'sighting' was this past weekend.  Moose (aka Shane Cuthbertson) and Foordy (the Englishman Stephen Foord) took a road trip to Nampa (Boise), Idaho for an AMA EnduroX.  Might I quickly add that the old guy podium had a dude with all his hair, who rode the only Husaberg in the event?

Anyway, I digress. Taddy Blasusiak: anyone within a stone’s throw of an event that that man competes in is a fool for not going.  When guys like Geoff Aaron, Mike Brown, Cody Webb and Justin Soule, very talented men to be sure, look like they are pedalling tricycles around a bmx course compared to Taddy, well, it’s incredible!

Example, the water 'puddle': its entry is a small dirt ramp and a 2’ log, essentially a 30" kicker, then the puddle, followed by a 4’ stack of heavy logs. Exiting the second puddle, power pole sized logs up the slope to a huge sand pit.   Any who, last lap of practice Brownie was hovering two corners back, lurking; he rips by the flagman, and kicks his KTM into the air doubling into the second water hole.  Made it look like you and I could have done it with a shopping cart! But remember, dry approach, dry kicker log; it makes a big difference.

The night continues. In the main Taddy hole shots and doubles in, Mike doubles, but the traffic is too thick so no one else does for a lap or so.  Cody Webb tries it but lands on the green stuff. Taylor Roberts tries, doesn’t work out so well for him, but he continues racing.

 Taddy and Mike are the only ones to jump it every lap. 

By now, the traffic has left the approach slippery and the log soaked.  Mike manages to jump it in a conventional way, but Taddy sky shots, with the bike pancaked and then drops it down to earth – perfectly, every time!  It was like a scrub, but not. It was midair bike control.  Amazing!

Then, once Taddy took the well deserved checkers, we left our seats only to stop at the base of the stairs to watch Taddy go nuts in the start straight with his KTM; nose wheelies, wheelie donuts, nose wheelies circles, and nose wheelies with one foot on the bars. Man that kid can ride!

That’s a Wow Factor!

With the Atlantic race season over it is time to start training and prepping for next season. Thankfully we are still getting some decent weather besides being a little cold allowing my buddies and I to pound some laps at the track. Last week I got my first chance to ride a fuel injected Honda 250F at Miller Meadow MX, and I have to say they are a blast to ride! Within a few laps I felt right at home. The front suspension was a little soft for my liking, but the bike handled great. The motor was strong and made a ton of power up top. After riding a few laps it’s really made me consider getting a 250F to run some Nationals next season. I still don’t think I can part with my YZ250; the 2-stroke is just too much fun.

The weekend after our last race was the Montreal SX and we made the trip to do some reporting for Inside Motocross & Off Road Magazine with Paul Jordan who was going to shoot some photos and cheer on our Atlantic Canada riders. I chose not to ride the SX this year since I missed so much time riding this summer with my injuries. Paul, mom, dad and my girlfriend loaded up my truck Thursday afternoon and started the 13 hour drive to Montreal. We drove all night and landed at our hotel about 7:00am after getting almost no sleep in the truck we all crashed till about 10:00.

Once we were up and had some breakfast the girls wanted to do what they do best and take in some of Montreal’s prime shopping while Paul, dad & I headed to the stadium. When we got there I immediately wanted to check out the track and pits to see who all showed up. There was a great turn out of Atlantic riders at the race including Davey Fraser, Brad Lockhart, Johnny Montes, Damon Baker and David Strang.

I ran into another newly moved in Atlantic rider Tyler Medaglia and was surprised to see him on a Honda CRF450. Tyler and Klatt were both under the same tent however it was not the Blackfoot rig, instead Klatt on his Yamaha and Tyler on his Honda were running out of the Oakley trailer. Talking to Tyler he said he felt right at home on his CRF. We chatted for a little bit and watched the MX2 Class practice. I stayed around to watch all of the first practices and ran into a good friend/sponsor of my race team Marco Dube. Friday night we all went out for supper at Thursday’s in downtown Montreal then hit the beds after a long drive the night before and long day at the track.

When we got to the track Saturday one of the rhythm sections had been changed to a massive Triple-Triple section for those that wanted to try it and really increased the flow around the track. All of the main events had some amazing racing especially the MX2 moto with both 1^st and 2^nd going down in the last corner and making a mad dash to remount and race to the line for the win. I was super pumped when fellow Atlantic rider Davey Fraser took 5^th overall on a borrowed YZ250F!

The ATV riders surprised me throwing there quads around like I do my YZ. One of the best shows of the night had to be the freestyle with all the guys throwing down a huge bag of tricks including Tom Page’s 360 Body Verial.

The Side by Sides proved to be a great crowd pleasing addition to the weekend.  Their main event was exciting to watch with only 4 of them making it out of the first turn cleanly. We left the stadium around 11:00 and headed back to the hotel to unwind. Sunday morning came early so we loaded up at 8:00am hitting the road  for the long drive back to Nova Scotia.

I want to thank everybody that has made Wide Open Racings 2011 season possible, Estabrooks Bracing Solutions, CTi2, Ossur, Kermaxx Performance Accessories, Printwerx.ca, Pro Wheels Racing Components, Inside Motocross & Off Road Magazine, MD Distributions, Forma MX Boots, Deft Family MX Gloves, Pro-Tech Suspension, Pro Cycle, Motovan.com, Fox Eye Wear, CVO

The Atlantic Region Fall Series came to a close Sept 24^th at Riverglade MX Park in New Brunswick. Friday morning we loaded up the trailer and headed to the track for Saturday’s race. The weather was not looking good with rain in the forecast but Mother Nature pulled through and made for an excellent day of racing keeping the track conditions absolutely perfect. The Riverglade crew worked hard and opened up the off camber section before the big spectator triple finish line which was a great track change making for some epic moto finishes in the last race of the season.

Coming into this round there was some real championship battles in a majority of the classes and it definitely showed with everyone on the track bringing their “A” game and riding with a make it or break it attitude. In the 85cc 7 to 11 class Justin Leger who has had an amazing fall series stepping up his riding to challenge one of the hardest kids to beat on a 85cc bike in Atlantic Canada Brett Young. At the end of the day Justin and Brett swapped wins in their two motos giving Brett the 1^st overall in the Championship and Justin Leger finishing a close 6 Points behind in 2^nd.

In the MX1 Intermediate class Patrick Reid had the points lead by 9 points and after suffering a huge crash in practice resulting in 8 stitches and some bruised kidneys, Patrick showed he is a true racer continuing to ride in all of his motos to take home the MX1 Intermediate Fall Series Championship

The battle of the day had to be in the MX2 Intermediate Class. David Strang ran away with the championship but #778 TJ Martin and #777 Curtis Doucet were tied in 2^nd coming into the last round making tensions high and the anticipation for the moto start off the charts! In Moto one TJ and Curtis battled almost the entire moto with only a max of two bike lengths between each rider until Curtis made a slight bobble causing him to drop back and TJ get the advantage going into moto two.  In moto two TJ and Curtis met on the track once again pushing each other to their limits, the finish of this moto would show true heart and determination by TJ making a last lap last corner pass grabbing a handful of throttle exiting the new off camber section and drag racing Curtis to the checkers edging him out by a wheel length and taking 2^nd overall in the series!.

Once again Wide Open Racing came with their minds set on the Podium. Chelsey Hall just missed out on getting the hole shot in both her motos and went 4 and 4  for 4^th overall on the day claiming 2^nd place overall the Ladies Championship. The youngest member of the team Logan Gallant was the star of the day taking 3 out of 4 moto hole shots finishing on the podium in 3 of 4 motos and moving himself to 3^rd overall in the MX2 Junior and Schoolboy Championship. Johnny Gallant had a full day of racing running both the Vet Junior and MX1 Junior. He finished strong in Vet Junior, breaking into the top 5 overall on the day after battling from dead last to 7^th in moto following a turn 2 crash. In MX1 Junior Johnny rode two strong motos in the highly competitive class finishing in the top 10 overall for the day and taking 8^th Place overall in MX1 Junior for the Fall Series. I myself had a strong day of motos taking 4^th overall and the highlight being getting the hole shot on my 250 two-stroke.   

I want to thank everybody that has made Wide Open Racings 2011 season possible: Estabrooks Bracing Solutions, CTi2, Ossur, Kermaxx Performance Accessories, Printwerx.ca, Pro Wheels Racing Components, Inside Motocross & Off Road Magazine, MD Distributions, Forma MX Boots, Deft Family MX Gloves, Pro-Tech Suspension, Pro Cycle, Motovan.com, Fox Eye Wear, CVO. Thanks again to everyone.