RACEGUY Reports

Fighting to a Finish

Unlike the ill-fated 2010 version of the Atlantic Region season finale, rain may have been on the menu for 2011, but the outcome couldn’t have been more different than last year.

This time around, there would be no rain-out, this year, being replaced by almost ideal MX conditions. While the rain came, sometimes reasonably hard, but for very short periods, it only served to make the historic Riverglade course more challenging and technical. Chronic mist until mid-afternoon provided exceptional dust control while the on-and-off precip caused some of the track’s notorious hard-pack to compact and become shiny and greasy at the same time.

It’s not like the riders needed anything to make the track more challenging with the previously-planned new section open for business, creating a very level playing-field when it came to strategy and line selection. The most curious part, although I passed on using the stopwatch all day due to conditions and new configurations, is that Earl Doucette was on the radio on a number of occasions questioning how Riverglade could have added an uphill, followed by a very unusual chicane-like section with both banked and off-camber characteristics, and still be seeing sub two-minute lap-times.

The hilltop "chicane" in the new section

Look closely. The wildlife is still there

Another feature of the newest Riveglade reno is the fact that the “Orchard Turn” is now a very fast right hand sweeper as the turn has been opened up to feed into the new portion of the track. This resulted in two things. The fastest of the Pros and Intermediates were playing with fire running a very tiny cushion around the outside in order to build exit speed for the uphill that came next. This meant the knobby tracks left behind were breathtakingly close to the edge of the large “lagoon” that holds quenching water for the sprinkler system. The second of the two things it spawned? That would be speculation on when we’d have our first swimmer.

That distinction, with style-points for a total immersion of both bike and rider, goes to Mitchel Guindon, who was plucked from the chocolate brown pond, along with his 85, as the highlight of the Supermini moto. The best part is, both made it back for the second 85 12-16 moto and the Green Bay P.E.I. rider managed to pull off a 6^th O/A in the class, even after zeroing the Supermini. He even had a fresh, clean, predominantly white jersey and a crisp running bike when he made his return for his 2^nd shot at the pond. The outcome was far more rewarding than winning the cannonball competition.

Went to a motocross race

And a swim meet broke out

My slightly wobbly arrival at the track, in the wake of a couple of 10-hour over-night shifts, (and another just hours away), was almost instantly interrupted by hard-core moto reality, as before I had hooked up with all the necessary track people, just feet over my shoulder, Patrick Reid wadded himself and his KTM in a mis-timed landing on the historic spectator jump, leaving Devon Strang wide-eyed and babbling about how ugly it was and how another championship contender had been slapped out of contention by the laws of gravity.

After using this site to set up some of the epic battles we were to face on that fateful Saturday, and briefly detailing the crushing outcome of Devon Strang’s P.E.I. play-day that put an end to his championship series as quickly as his bike came to a stop in the sandy island soil, one of the first riders I sat down with on Saturday at “The Glade” was young Mr. Strang, who came fully equipped with a mental notebook full of news that would make the chase for the championships even more twisted.

While we spoke briefly about Devon’s pulverized pelvis and crossed-up collarbone, the conversation also covered brother David’s impending appearance at the Montreal Supercross and upcoming winter adventure at Colleen Millsaps Georgia-based training facility, eventually we turned to the news we neither really wanted to hear, or deal with.

Fully expecting that the bloodied face and broken-down body language of Patrick Reid, as they scraped him from the track, was to cost him the MX1 Intermediate title he had poured his heart, soul, and guts into, Devon added insult to info.

One hella fast race director

Ryan MacKay, who headed to the final day with an 11 point lead in the Junior GP championship, and an eight point edge for the title in MX2 Junior, as well as a 45 point championship cushion in Schoolboy, would spend the final round watching from the seat of a Honda four-wheeler and popping pain pills as needed.

The MacKay story only got more dramatic. While there was little he could do about his impending overthrow by Konnor Long in both Junior GP and MX2 Junior, Ryan’s 45 point gap over Mathew Clements in Schoolboy still showed mathematical possibilities, if the Riverview NB rider could “man it out” to a couple of wounded-but-willing finishes anywhere near the Keltic Transport KTM of Clements when the flag dropped. MacKay was willing to give it a go.

It was all speculation and totally unnecessary calculator crunching. Just a couple of quick rooster-crows from the gate-drop at “The Glade”, Clements’ trusty steed came up lame, and, try as they might, there was no repairing or replacing the bike by Saturday morning. Ryan MacKay would salvage one of three Fall Series titles from the shade of the EZ-Ups and the seat of an ATV.

There were so many amazing stories on the day, that to touch on many more would stretch this thing to the point where it needs a hard cover and a place in the library. You’ll see some of it touched upon at the points page, which is another huge undertaking and ongoing as I continue to verify and complete calculations on the big “Upgrade Points” spreadsheet. (You’ll read more about that before the banquet)

Meanwhile, this never-ending front page needs just a couple of items to make it even semi-complete and give you just a tiny look into the story that was the Riverglade wrap-up.

NEVER the preferred method or transportation

On this day, nothing may top Patrick Reid’s “all moto-all man” performance in dragging his battered body to the line and aboard his mount to fight to the last breath for his championship, finishing 7-6 at 7 O/A, and EARNING a championship by seven points that are worth more than ANY other seven points in his career. Respect.

Skip Justason also emphasized the “man” in human, after a little “one-on-one” versus son Brent, (I believe in the Junior GP) that was “just one of those fun little things we do on the final day.” At the time, I remarked, I’d hate to see this little test of egos turn out badly, since Skip was still fighting for or protecting Vet class championships. I should have kept my mouth shut, but if I do that at races, I don’t get paid. The words were, unfortunately, prophetic.

With both of his first Vet motos out of the way, Skip Justason had just pounded his foot to the point where he and his people were very concerned that the foot was broken. Churning out a little of my (usually within the ballpark) head-math, we concluded Skip could risk dumping the Vet Junior moto as his 47 point edge was a clinch. Not so with the Plus-40, where a teeny eleven points separated Scott Fraser from “Skip’s Championship”. He could choose to bail on the Juniors, ride Plus-40 with a potentially broken foot and TRY to stay as close to Scott Fraser as possible, OR head to the ER and win one while settling for 2^nd in the other.

While I might have placed a bet on him gutting it out in the Plus-40, I couldn’t have predicted Justason going “all-in”. Even more out of the realm of reality were “The Skipper’s” improbable 3^rd in Plus-40s for 3^rd O/A on the day, along with 2^nd in Vet Junior for 2^nd O/A. Respect.

Need more? We saw the Fall Series face-to-face between “The Killer Bs”, Belyea and Brennan, go all the way to the final flag of the year. We watched David Strang’s last ride as an Intermediate and his debut on a 450, in both cases enjoying nothing short of brilliance. We also watched Brandon Carter rip down the red digits and test the waters as an Intermediate, only to put in a performance that made him look like he’d already spent a year behind a yellow plate. Don’t forget we got a chance to enjoy the show as Logan Gallant scored a whole team’s wardrobe in Holeshot tees, courtesy the very smoothly run Maritime Cash, Toys For Big Boys, Honda Canada, Riverglade MX Holeshot challenge. (2-stroke addicts should note, all that winning came on a KTM 2-stroke).

Let’s not overlook Damon Baker’s determined drive to the very final flag, that saw the multi-time ATV Pro champion go from non-existent in podium points mid-way through the Fall Series, to proudly on the podium come awards night, just five points off the top step. That drama ranks right up there with watching Cole Butcher reach deeper than he ever has to go from two points back to upset Justin Leger for the Supermini title by a thin five point margin. There was also the intensity of the Curtis Doucet versus T.J. Martin story, with the two tied for second going into the final round, and Martin absolutely determined not to lose. They ended up a mere four points apart, with T.J. accomplishing his goal.

There was David Estabrooks Maritime Cash Holeshot win, followed by his “rag-doll of the year” performance, followed by his remount and ride to the end of the day. In the same breath, we should also mention “Tango” Tony Emond, whos love of big doubles had him dancing seeing stars as he, his bike, and the Riverglade soil became very intimate, very fast. The seemingly indestructible Emond walked away, uphill, and sent me a message explaining how a total nitrogen loss in the rear shock caused the bike’s unexpected reaction and his three-storey drop-kick and grapple with a full grown motorcycle.

Of course it's a little fuzzy...

It's a bunny!

I’m smiling as I say, we also kept the #181 tradition alive through a combination of creativity and sweat provided by Justin Gosslin - berm-bunny extrordinaire - with special mention to Curtis Doucet, who was, apparently, a draft keg (yes, it IS actually “draught”). It was all in the spirit of Kyle, and that’s what truly matters.

I’ll take just a second to also say thanks to everyone who participated in any way in the “Joe Show” fundraisers. The Lion’s Club, with ringmaster Glenn, rounded up almost $300 in 50/50 money alone, and Kurt Taylor and the Burke family get huge props for looking after tickets for that amazing lottery.

Fundraising awards go to The Lions

Kurt Taylor, and the Burke Family

These are for everybody else

Come awards night, we will have some old hands at podium appearances, along with some very deserving fresh new faces. Stories like the ones above will have somehow gotten bigger and better and even more the stuff of which legends are made. (and wait ‘til the alcohol starts talkin’!) In my mind, this season, both series, and each and every race, came with this type of drama and so many great stories. That’s what makes our sport unquestionably one of a kind. I guess that’s what keeps me coming back.

I’ll continue to get everything together for the points page, although I’m about to start another string of 10 hour all-nighters, so I’ll need you to bear with me. In the meantime, make sure you have your banquet tickets in hand NOW. Drop everything you’re doing for the most important single meeting you can attend in any year and bring your best thoughts and questions to the AGM. Finally, keep dropping back here. We’ll be wrapping up 2011 and getting into some really interesting “stuff” over the off-season.

Another sure sign of the end of the season

This place is about to get BUSY again. Don’t stray too far. The “on track” season is coming to a close…but the “on line” season is just getting interesting.

RACEGUY & RIVERGLADE

Looking Back on the Day
September 21, 2011

“Back in the day” --- Now THERE’S an expression that can get an old fart in a heap of hurt. “Back in the day” is a phrase that most often means its user has a problem letting go of the past. I try to shy away from it like the plague, but every once in a while, old-fartitis causes one to trip over the term and find it necessary to slip it in somewhere.

Thinking about all the work that has already gone into making this Saturday’s series finale at Riverglade something far beyond just another motocross raceday, makes me proud to be part of this sport. Thinking about what the weekend will hold for you in memories that will last a lifetime, makes me think about the so-called “good ole days” and how much it meant to those of us who got to share the experience.

Today, we enjoy a professionally managed and highly structured raceday that is a continuous nine hours, with very little, if any, downtime. Today, we still get to enjoy the moto-moms’ legacy, which is now a chilli dinner, but I’m sure, a lot of the “fun” we used to have, has been toned down a bit, due to the risks of being caught on cell-phone pics or video, and the threat of it all ending up on Facebook, You Tube or Twitter.

The tradition of the “moto-moms’” continues. The night-before party is still one of the best social events anywhere, raceday morning pancakes date back to the era of Gord Close and Harry Lord. The racing will be as intense as ever, as always, and – just like the good ole days - there will be plenty of riders changing everything from class number-plates, to bikes, to the classes they will ride on raceday. Oh, yeah…the banquet tickets will be on sale…another traditional Riverglade Finale feature.

The season finale has always given us the unexpected as well. Kyle Elliott was the master of that discipline. When Kyle suited-up to go to the line…Kyle suited up. I still feel the sting of the loss of Kyle Elliott, but I hope someone with a sense of humour will pay tribute of Kyle this weekend and keep a tradition alive. We miss you Kyle. It would take one helluva man to even TRY to fill your sumo suit.

Now, we get into the part where things have changed or been lost altogether. I know I will miss things on this list, but here is just a very small sample of what always made the Riverglade season finale so incredibly unique as a whole package.

Back in the day, (There! I said it!!), this race drew dozens of “strangers” who’s yearly race calendar included ONLY this event. We also had a pretty consistent turn-out of riders from Quebec. Often, we’d have a one-off rides by local legends who had “retired” but needed a fix. Throw on some of your old gear, (the stuff that you can still get into), borrow a ride for the day, buy a jug of fuel, and hit the grin factory.

Again, looking at ancient history, one race never failed to captivate the crowd and always more received more help and encouragement than any other class. Ask your favorite old fart about “The Mechanics Race”. You could write a book on the antics of mechanic-riders, their mechanics, the families and friends, the pranks and practical jokes, the bikes…DAMN  I miss “The Mechanics Race”. Possibly more than once, we also ran a two-up or tandem race. If you were to Google “peeing your pants laughing”, I’m pretty sure there would be a link to a motocross two-up tangle. Then, of course, there’s always the “Dads on pee-wee bikes” sprint race, even a “moms only” event at least once, if my memory isn’t mixing reality with hallucination together again.

At one point in time, the most important place you could have your name immortalized was the “Team Trophy”. The “Team Race” consisted of three-rider teams that included one Junior, one Intermediate, and one Pro, with a draw to determine who raced with whom. Scoring was MXdN format, with the team scoring the LEAST number of points after adding the points of all three riders. This race was a straight-up 100% payback, so the winning team got more than just their names on that magnificent trophy.

My favorite thing about the “Team” trophy is that there are teams engraved on there that include home-grown local boys teamed with Canadian champions. Having your name and Marco Dube engraved as team mates has to be a helluva feeling.

Alas, as the class structure grew and grew, schedules became tighter and tighter, and time for anything other than accepted classes became non-existent.

One more thing I am missing. While there are some folks still using the season finale as a showroom to sell off their excess and used “stuff”, in the 70s and 80s, that race was like a HUGE flea-market or garage-sale. This alone added to the crowd as it drew out a whole herd of off-roaders, play-riders, budget racers, and poseurs, all with cash-in-hand ready to snatch up your worn out Gaernes, or buy out your entire stock of leftover tear-offs.

As I said, we still have some people taking advantage of a captive audience, but just imagine the difference if we organized and promoted a huge flea-market/swap-meet at the final race of the year.

OK. Time to get my head out of the past and back to reality. We WILL have another weekend to remember at Riverglade. We WILL have drama and excitement GUARANTEED, due to a lot of close championship chases and scores to be settled. We just won’t have “a few of my favourite things” as mentioned above.

You know what? I guess this makes me kind of glad I was there “back in the day”.

See everyone at “The Glade”. Bring along your grin liniment.

**I’m working on pictures right now, but Photo Bucket is totally messed up. I’ll add ‘em when that $^##^&@*% web site lets me at them. Check back.

FOR DETAILS ON JOE DOUCETTE FUNDRAISERS AND THE COMPLETE RIVERGLADE WEEKEND SCHEDULE, CLICK THE "Breaking News" tab above.

RACEGUY Renumerates

This is IT!

Now-or-Never Time is Here

Number-one on my list of things to get said before I jump in to the topic of the day, is a huge thank you and congratulations to the Strang Gang for an absolutely top-notch event. I could find no flaws whatsoever in how well everything went together. (well...maybe one little one - see 3rd photo below)

Secondly, I, once again, apologize for not getting things done here as promised. When I bitched and moaned about everything around me going downhill and sideways simultaneously, the list seemed never-ending. That was BEFORE a major engine failure on the way to Pleasant Valley, a little unsolicited body work.....here's a better look at my last two weeks...

Add all that weirdness to starting a job that is 10 hour shifts from 11pm to 9am, while going through some pretty extensive testing for another job during daytime hours...anyway, let's just say I've been a little off my rhythm. I'll get it all straightened out, I promise! You have my apologies and a plea that you bear with me.

NOW.....down to the reason we're here. My night before any race is taken up by reviewing and reassessing championship battles going in to the next round. This week, I foolishly decided to take a look at the already-complete Spring results and compare, contrast, and take a look at the trending.

What I discovered was, in some cases, fascinating, and others, almost frightening. While I certainly enjoy new names popping up in the Fall Series Fast-Five, the disappearance of others makes for the most volatile and unpredictable twin series in my often challenged memory. Just try to follow the curves.

Of the list of riders who finished the Spring Championship among the front-five, a huge number were absent from RACEGUY’S Fast-Five going into round-5. I was going to offer a quick rundown, but I don’t think there is such a thing. It starts in 50cc 7-8, where Spring Champion Jackson Landry is absent from the Fall list.

65cc podium finishers in 2^nd and 3^rd in the Spring, Brock Landry and Jesse Wells are not part of the equation for the Fall. 85cc 12-16 Spring Champion Ryan MacKay has taken his talents up the ladder, while 85cc 7-11 3^rd and 4^th place Spring finishers, Brock Landry and Jesse Wells are again missing from the list.

My favorite people in the world are often Juniors who are REAL racers and move themselves up in accordance with their abilities. It’s for that reason ATV Junior champ and 3^rd place Stephane Bourque have left Fall Series accolades to others. These guys have my respect.

Going into the weekend at Strangs, Spring Champion Damon Baker had not yet made a Fast-Five appearance in the Pro Quad group. That will change for the 6^th and final round. Also notably absent this fall is Josh Doyle, who will step up on the banquet podium in 3^rd for the Spring, but is a non-entity for the Fall.

Scottie Young is not back to defend his Spring title in the MX1 Intermediate, while injuries have kept Devin MacPherson from doubling up on his MX2 Intermediate crown. Injuries have also put an end to David Butler’s defense of his 3^rd in the Spring.

Another of my “real men of moto” heroes for 2011 is Devin Sleigh, who won’t defend a Spring Junior GP title and has proven himself an instant threat in his new undertakings. After a Spring Series 3^rd, Myles Clements will be hard pressed to even make a mark on the Junior GP numbers in the Fall, as Strang’s marked his return from the disabled list.

MX1 Junior Spring Champion, Randy Dunbar, has been a non-player in the Fall sitting back in 15^th place having raced only two rounds. Mark Brown has taken his Spring Series silver and parked it for the Fall.

Devin Sleigh’s Spring title in MX2 Junior will mark his last podium with red and white plates, but that isn’t all that throws this class wide open. Myles Clements, the back of the front five in the spring, is just returning from injury. Mathew Clements is scrambling from 6^th place, Ryan MacKay has moved up to the big bikes, and the combination of Konnor Long, Logan Gallant, Alec Belyea, and Ryker Brennan has upset threat written all over it.

Alexandra Josey has been a non-entity this Fall, seeing only two events, one of which was rain-shortened. Francine Leger is still riding out her recovery from damage to her hand, which we all know can be concentration killer and powerfully painful. She will hit only three of the six fall rounds. After a ridiculous rag-doll this past weekend at Strangs, Jessica Malaknejadorangi will be a questionable start for the final Riverglade round. IF she could tough out a top 3, the remote possibility exists she could still find a spot on the podium on banquet night. Emily O’Neill and Chelsey Hall will have a lot to say about that.

The Plus-25 Vets are another wide open book this Fall. 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th place finishers from the Spring, Roger Toney, Bob Newey, and David Atkinson are all absent from Fall points. With two missed events, it also appears Johnny Montes will fail to repeat his Spring title as he goes into the final round 26 points behind Jason Viner.

Once again, Devin MacPherson’s stay on the disabled list means we’ll have a new Schoolboy champion for the Fall. Logan Gallant, Justin MacKinnon, and Brandon Frenette, 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th in the Spring have all struggled to maintain those standards this fall. Logan is closest to the banquet podium, sitting 19 points behind Isaac Nice.

Vet Junior Spring Champion Eric Findlay has not returned to defend his title this fall. Neither has 2^nd place finisher, John Gallant. Vet Junior is another class that will see big changes on banquet night.

Final words go to Ryan MacKay and Devin MacPherson, who will both play a role one final time, MacKay by taking his Spring title and leaving the Supermini class, and MacPherson, whos injury-related absence in the Youth class will keep him from repeating at least his 3^rd place finish from the spring.

So why am I concerned, and, yes, even frightened by what the numbers are saying? Well, quite simply, it would appear predictions we began making about 4 years ago are now, in some part, coming true.

As with other series and regions across North America, more and more riders and families are cherry-picking their events, even within the confines of short six race series as we opted for this year.

It’s the big picture that has me asking more questions than I could possibly have answers for. Our long-range outlook considered the need in current economic times to maximize your racing dollars and minimize expenses. Everyone could foresee reduced rider registrations and the need for an efficient flow to the series. Everyone was prepared for at least some of the changes that are coming about.

Again, it’s that big picture we had better start paying very close attention to, and the time to start is right now.

Our status and standing, as this season comes to a close, opens the door for many questions that will have a great bearing on the future of motocross here in the region. These are, in fact, questions that are being asked by racers and race organizations across this country and south of the border.

How do we maintain ridership through a slow economy? How do we add value to the experience? Where do we find additional sources of financial support? How do riders and teams package themselves for sponsors? How do we create and encourage new participants at the entry level? Oh…that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The way we’re taking part in our sport has changed…possibly FOREVER. The time to start thinking about the future is the present. Wouldn’t you rather be part of the solution than part of the problem?

Think about it.

I’ll have more to say about the season finale soon. Fast-Five is going up now at the “Atl-Points” tab.