RACEGUY Rambles

As Things Stand Right Now

That headline could refer to many subjects I might possibly discuss in the space. Since I tend to draft these things in a stream-of-consciousness fashion, I’d suggest we throw the alphabet and a handful of punctuation in the blender and see what pours out.

In answer to the many who have contacted me and asked; while I don’t expect to do any type of formal race review following each and every event, I do believe post-race Mondays will always be at least partially fueled by events of the weekend.

Having missed Clyde River, Kingston was my season opener, although I went into it having some knowledge of Round 1, mostly based on the results I found at CRMCRacing.com and Facebook posts. Rider results at Clyde represent athletes shaking off a winter of, at best, dry land training, versus the few who have silently slipped away to Florida or Georgia or other points South. The track’s location can also make it difficult and sometimes impossible for some riders to attend, while simultaneously adding names to the sign-in sheets that will only ever race at Clyde River or that track and Kingston at the most. Round 1, no matter where it’s held, is seldom a ruler to measure what will come. At best, it’s an eyeball measurement.

The combination of the two first events becomes something only slightly easier to draw measured conclusions from. Kingston marks the first race for some. The bike-swallowing sand is unlike any other track on the circuit. Many riders are just coming to grips with new gear, new equipment, and in some cases, new bodies that have changed in height and bulk and just don’t fit the bike the same as last fall. It's a demanding, all-in way to start things off.

As always, Kirk and LeeAnne ran an event like a great kitchen - “A place for everything, and everything in its place.” The ever-competitive “Dick” Scott challenged his well worn stopwatch all day to get all those motos in before we had to install lights. The track was prepped to perfection with special emphasis on what would normally be a bog at turn 3 down in “the hole” I must add, though, I have never seen the sand at Kingston so on the verge of saturation that the soil became a different animal altogether. The sand did not respond at all like anybody in their right mind would have expected. The tackiness of the sand was probably a godsend to many riders and resulted in a downturn in linament sales. BTW – Tyler Medaglia loved it, as was evidenced by his laptimes.

We’ll take a quick stroll through the classes as some things are developing after just two weekends in.

Bottom of Form

We’ll start with the wee ones. I’ll also briefly mention my policy of playing down points and titles at this level. That doesn’t mean we’ll ignore the 50s. The first thing that comes to mind is the 4-6 group and the fact that the exact same four riders were on the gate at both rounds. Let’s hope the low turnout is due to geography or other logical reasons, and not because people believe the class has disappeared or was somehow affected by off-road vehicle legislations. By no means has it or will it disappear any time soon and the entry requirements make it even easier to participate with the allowance for a wide variety of “play-bikes”. The 7-8 class is healthier with nine at Clyde River and ten at Kingston, and that class is already developing a small group of untouchables at the front of the points, led by Jackson Landry (400), Damon Burbine (77) and Luke Penney (321) reaching out from third. Morgan Dealy is a rejuvenated rider and has been charging hard since the arenacross, and Seth Jolimore (187) and Ty Landry (101) will be mixing it up near the front.

Riders who have had the benefit of developing through the 50s and even riding crossover to 65s have and will always shine at the top of the 65s. It’s interesting to note that the fastest 65 riders are now double-classing in the 85s in preparation for their eventual age-related advancement. What’s even more interesting is the fact that these “veteran” pee-wees are also leading the 85s.

In the 85 12-16, any rider who wants to reach the top step of the podium is going to have to push Ryan McKay (97) off first. While the Toys for Big Boys rider has gone permanently to the front in four out of four motos, Cole Butcher (53) and Jordan Melanson (91) have been swapping finishes and letting the leader begin to open a gap.

Move along, then. Nothing to see here. That would describe the Pro ATV group as Damon Baker (152) is most often on a completely different level, although a perfect season ended in one moto at Kingston when he uncharacteristically had to settle for second. The battle in behind, though, is at least five riders deep including last week’s prime movers Eric Drapeau (42) and Daniel Looke(83). They may be fighting for second week in and week out, but what a fight it is!

The Junior Quads will get this very brief mention. When I can get excited about your moto because I actually know who’s who, I will start showing you respect in here that the class actually deserves. Until I see respect paid to the lap scorers and track officials by way of clear, easily read numbers, according to the CMRC rule book, my respect level is low. That’s another complete blog for another day. Today I’m just rambling. I was ranting last week.

The Intermediate classes are destined to be THE classes to watch this season. The numbers are good, there are loads of riders with something to prove, and the skill level, particularly at the front of the MX1, is very equal and that makes for smokin’ hot racing. MX2 has all the makings of mayhem. Testosterone fuels the front five and there isn’t one rider there who isn’t capable of a win. In fact, the list of contenders goes ten deep! The on-again off-again rivalry between points leader Devin MacPherson (472) and 2^nd place Curtis Doucet (777) has been rekindled by on on-track encounter, David Strang (700) must now play catch-up after taking Kingston off in favour of an arenacross in Quebec, and West, Smith, and Butler have had a sweet taste of the front five. When black and yellow plates are on the track, line the fences. You won’t regret a second of it.

Photo courtesy: Wayne Simpson

All 3 Junior classes start the year dripping with talent. Mark down the names of the guys who will be moving up a rank at the end of the Spring series. Mitchell Fraser (33), Devin Sleigh (122), Chris O’Connell (102), and Konnor Long (719) all came out of hibernation swinging as did the “no relation” Clements boys, Myles (120) and Mathew (31). Guaranteed, there will also be a few surprises right behind them. Devin Sleigh leads both the MX2 Junior and the GP. Myles Clements is top three in both.

With Morgan Gillis opting out of the Womens class and now out with injuries for the next month, Alexandra Josey (28) can only race the track and the stopwatch at the front of the pack. AJ gets to come back from a season off and go straight to the head of the class as she rehabilitates her rebuilt knee.

Not much to offer on the various Veterans classes that the average race fan couldn’t pick up on themselves. It’s kind of a shame low rider turnout canned the 25+ class at Clyde River, but Ryan Farris wasted no time asserting himself at the front in Kingston. The Landry brothers have positioned themselves one and two in 40+, and Scott Josey finds himself in the hunt and liking the newfound horsepower of his 250 Gas Gas. I do, personally, have a concern about the rider who decimated the Vet Junior class at Kingston. Jean Pothier (115) is not all that long removed from Intermediate/Pro level competition and would have been a little more welcome in 25+ or Vet Master. If I assume correctly, that he will only be racing close to home, it’s not significant. If Jean follows the series, a class change is in order.

Perfect performances place Devin MacPherson (472) at the point in the Schoolboy class with strong performances so far equating to a solid second for Mathew Clements (31). Supermini brings in the usual suspects with Ryan Mckay (97) and Jordan Melanson (91) at each other for top spot, while Cole Butcher (53) and Sam Devlin (20) hover.

Currently, we have Canada’s MX2 Pro champion sitting in the lead in Youth, with Davey Fraser (61) abdicating a post-Clyde one point lead in order to race in Quebec. Tyler Medaglia (95 or 1) sits on a comfy cushion of 22 points over Bradley Lockhart (286) who spent the day on what I call “rent-a-rides” following a costly mechanical. Watch Devin MacPherson in this class. He is out there with guys MUCH older than him in motocross years.

Photo courtesy: Dubach Racing

“Funky Cold Medaglia” will head west for round-one of the Monster Energy Pro Nationals with another class lead. In fact, whether he races Riverglade or not, he could very well continue to hold the lead after round-three of this series. When Tyler leaves the picture, the four-race dogfight to come will be intense.

These posts will not always cover each class every week. In other words, they will become mercifully shorter. Unless, of course, there are some seriously significant stories that need to be told.

We will update again on the run-up to Riverglade. In the meantime, if you click “comments” just below this picture, you can leave comments. It’s even easier to leave comments if you “Follow” the site. Finally, the least you can do for a guy who types his fingers to the bone for you is click on the ads and help grow this place.

Have a great week and be safe. See you Saturday.