Just in time to fight away the winter blues, Halifax will host the first Halifax International Motorcycle Show this weekend at the Cunard Centre.

This show will be the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada, putting the focus on motorcycles and manufacturers instead of retail of lifestyle accessories and related products.

Show details
Location: Cunard Centre, 961 Marginal Road, Halifax Show hours: Friday, Feb. 17, 5-8 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 18, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 19, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets: $15 at the door or $10 in advance; available from www.therealmotorcycleshow.com or all Nova Scotia motorcycle dealerships.

Show promoter, Tim Leslie of Bikerboy Powersports Ltd., is optimistic that the show will be a hit. He anticipates upwards of 15,000 people in attendance.

"This is a true motorcycle show, put on the way it should be, [with] the latest machines from around the world," he explains.

These include companies from Italy, Russia, Germany, South Korea, Japan, the Netherlands, Canada and the U.S. The show is meant to compete in the vein of other world motorcycle shows where manufacturers unveil the newest and best of their offerings.

Tim has made the show a local affair, using all local resources to plan and promote it.

After several years in the powersport industry, and 30 years in sales and as a local entrepreneur, he wanted to make sure the local dealers and businesses benefit from this type of show.

Some key exhibitors to look for include national manufacturers such as Kawasaki, BMW, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Suzuki, Victory and Yamaha, with manufacturers less common to Canada, such as MV Agusta of Italy and Russian Sidecar manufacturer, Ural also making appearances.

The exhibitor list also offers something for racers, with several racing and motocross equipment companies in attendance.

Another manufacturer that is sure to be a highlight of the show is Zero Motorcycles with their innovative electric bikes that are causing a stir in the market.

Take some time to come in out of the cold and make sure you check out the Halifax International Motorcycle Show. It’s sure to get you in the mood to ride.

Betty Blog #4

by Brett Lee

I feel like I can set my watch by this rant that I go on at least once a year. I am watching supercross; the best riders in the world that are paid millions of dollars to race on the edge with as little protective equipment as they can get away with. It drives me insane.

Injuries are inevitable for many motocross athletes. Without the proper gear, a rider is just asking to be sidelined from any type of riding. We all know that not being able to ride due to injury is a major let down for the rider, the fans, the sponsors and the series. When we look at upper body injuries, specifically shoulder, ribs and back injuries, they can be prevented with hard shell chest protectors with a properly suspended shoulder cushion.

Here is where I start. Eli Tomac has been riding great this year; aggressive and on the buttery edge that riders ride when at the top of their game. However, and this is what makes Motocross/Supercross so exciting and unpredictable, it is that point that carries a rider to the checkers or send them crashing to the mat. It can happen to anyone at any time, and more often than not it does. Back to Eli: he was knifing through the pack when his front end dipped in a tough whoop section and he was drilled into the ground. He had a large series points lead and a lot on the line. He wasn’t the only rider to hit the soil in the whoops but he had perhaps the most on the line that night. He was tossed over the bars, landed on his back on a whoop, drilled by his bike in the back then handed off the series points lead and perhaps the championship. While protective gear would not have changed the crash, it may have allowed him to jump back up and leave San Diego still holding the points lead.

Eli Tomac. Photo by Rich Shepherd

The old school thought is not lost on me. I have heard it. If you dress for a crash, you’re going to crash - heard it. Comfort and confidence is the key to success for a rider - heard it.  I understand this rationale from a racer whose mentality is as fragile as Grandma’s china. But if I am a team manager and I invest literally hundreds of thousands of dollars into riders and their program then I want to protect that investment. I want to do everything possible to ensure the bike being raced is the best it can be, and the rider has the tools to be their best and most protected.

A healthy athlete is a concern many sports managers consider. Noted tough guy and two-time Stanley Cup winner Bobby Clarke was the soul of the Philadelphia Flyers team that captured two league championships in the mid-1970s. Clarke went on to become the team’s General Manager, a vocal hands-on manager. In the delicate Eric Lindros era, Clarke became annoyed at what he saw as preventable injuries and took it upon himself to inspect players’ equipment. Management replaced any equipment, regardless of the players’ objections; they felt did not offer the proper level of protection.  Perhaps it needs to be this way in motocross at the top level; managers looking at their riders and ensuring that investment is protected. A rider who is paid well and is well supported is obligated to consider his manager’s and sponsors’ wishes.

Maybe I am getting old, maybe it is the fact that most things in racing I have seen before. There is no question the stakes are getting higher on and off the track. The risk and rewards are bigger for everyone involved. Protective equipment is better than ever and more comfortable than it has been at any point in our sport. For those reasons and a hundred more, riders should strap on everything they can to be in every race of the year.

Her name is Maryeve Dufault and this is everything you need to know about this model-turned-badass.

When I say that Dufault has become a badass now that she has a seat for the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide season, I'm not exactly telling the truth. This French Canadian got started racing since she was four years old, starting off in motocross and breaking both her arms before she turned nine. So she has a history of being tough.

Hayden Halstead moved to Waterford from Cambridge when he was in Grade 3. His parents built a motocross track on their property where he practised locally for about five years before moving on to full-size bikes.

Continuing to develop his skills locally has paid off , as he raced in the 2011 Canadian series with competitors from Canada and United States. He finished second overall at the Amateur Canadian Nationals held in Walton, Ont. At his first professional level national motocross race in Courtland, Ont., Halstead qualified 12th-fastest out of 80 professional racers from Canada and United States.

In 2011, he won the Ron Nye Memorial award for the Canadian who has displayed the most determination in the motocross sport. This determination is evident with his family's plans to travel to the Georgia Practice Facility at March break, so Halstead can hone his motocross skills. It's a family-oriented training facility, where he works with his dad to get the bikes and gear ready. His mom takes charge of registration and keeps him on track with his food and water intake. It really is a family team effort.

In 2012, Halstead wants to keep improving his ranking in order to be in the four pro-nationals where racers from all provinces compete in Walton, Courtland and two Quebec locations. There's that determination showing again in Hayden Halstead's motocross racing as he works hard toward his goals.

It was 1991 when I travelled across Canada to Westlock, Alberta for the CMA Amateur Nationals. I competed in the 60 class, and won, and 80 Expert. I had two of my 80s seize in the first two motos so I was sidelined for that class and became a spectator. In the 80 class, Carl Kuster and Doug DeHaan battled like no other for the win. DeHaan came out on top but it was the rider in third, when at the time I had no clue who he was, that would later become one of the best racers this country has ever seen. Blair Morgan was his name. For years after this race his name was everywhere. It wasn't until 1996 when he started to make a name for himself after he won the opening night of the Toronto SX following a last lap “duel to the death” with JSR. From 1997 to 2008 he won countless championships in Motocross, plus became the best Snocross racer in the world. He fathered two beautiful children, and garnered numerous fans around the globe. Blair Morgan was an action sports icon. In 2008, his career was cut short…or was it? Listen in as we rehash old times and talk of cherished memories with Blair Morgan.

Click Photo or Link below to tune in:

Listen HERE

Michelin took a group of auto writers recently to the Mecaglisse motorsport track in Quebec's Laurentians region to introduce its latest weapon for Canadian winter driving: the X-Ice Xi3 snow tire. There, under the direction of the Richard Spenard (a decorated racing veteran who was the first instructor to Jacques Villeneuve), a team of racers from Formula One, motocross, the Porsche Turbo Cup and other competition provided a fleet of snow tire-shod vehicles and took bets on which of their charges would be the first to kiss a snow bank or get stuck in a drift. (No vehicles were harmed during the making of this event, but one unnamed journalist earned the "Cone of Shame" award for automotive atrocities performed on some innocent lane markers.)

Hoyer takes two championships

Williams Lake’s Brock Hoyer is interviewed after winning the Future West Canadian Arenacross Championship last weekend in Chilliwack.

Clayton Racicot photo
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• Hoyer shooting for two arenacross championships
• Hoyer cranks throttle for nationals
• Hoyer takes fifth spin at nationals
• Hurricanes win championship
• Golfers compete at club championships
• Shogun students return from championships

By Greg Sabatino - Williams Lake Tribune
Published: February 09, 2012 7:00 AM

Brock Hoyer knew going into this winter’s Future West Canadian Arenacross Championship that a strong showing would position him nicely for a run at a Canadian national outdoor championship in the summer.

On Saturday, the 24-year-old Williams Lake rider wrapped up two Future West Canadian Arenacross Championships at Chilliwack’s Heritage Park Arena — one in the AX Open Pro Class, the other in the AX Pro AM class.

Hoyer has won the AX Open Pro class in the past, but has never held both titles at the same time.

“I won the open class two years ago but to win both consecutively is pretty amazing,” Hoyer said. “Just the hard work the whole team put in to make the bike and product to make everything work so well.”

Hoyer had a 20-point lead heading into Friday night’s qualifying and main event races in both classes. He said his goal going into the weekend was to keep it steady, finish and secure the win.

“Basically I just had to finish in the top 10 to win the championship,” he said. “I went out there to ride smart and not make any mistakes, because if I didn’t finish I had a chance of not making the main [event].”

On Friday Hoyer sealed the deal on both classes by winning both main events and both qualifiers.

“That made it pretty good going into the second day knowing I had the championship,” he said.

Hoyer said he now has his sights set on carrying his momentum into the Monster Energy Motocross Nationals Series.

“One of the nice things about winning this championship is to keep the ball rolling for outdoors with sponsors — they see that as a bigger thing,” he said, noting it’s expensive to complete all nine rounds, from Vanvouver Island to Nova Scotia, on the national series.

Hoyer said sponsor Spectra Power Sports Ltd., and some others, are now looking at helping him complete the entire series.

“The last time I did all nine rounds was two years ago,” he said. “Funding is a big thing and then missing work, on top of it. Spectra’s great, though, they give me time off [work] when I need it so that helps a lot, too.”

“The big thing is we want to go east and finish with a single digit number in the top 10 in Canada.

“I know I can do it. I just need to go there.”

via wltribune.com

Brent ‘Airmail’ Worrall suffered a devastating injury at the Walton TransCan last August and has been left without feeling in the lower part of his body. Through perseverance, hard work, close friends and family, and an amazing attitude, he manages to stay positive about his future and looks forward to whatever comes next for him. I had a chance to chat with Brent and talk about all of it.

“We did have one of those mud races. We just can’t get away from the rain it seemed like. We had a big crowd of people—we had over six seven hundred people there. We had Guatemalan riders were here again; they performed well. We had just over twenty riders this weekend. It turned out great. We had MX1 professional category. The winner for that one was Travis Dyke—he has been racing up in Canada for the last two years; professionally training and everything. He surprised us a little bit by coming out. He actually took first place. He is a solid rider—he’s doing good in foreign and we really respect him for it. We had a great time with him. He promised he will be here for the next race on the twenty-sixth of February. That’s a tough rider and we’re all anticipating that show.

Knowles Hits the Yamaha Checkpoint for 2012!

Spencer Knowles to race the Yamaha GA Checkpoint YZ250F for 2012

 

For Immediate Release – Spencer Knowles will be twisting the grip on the fastest 250F in Canada for the 2012 Canadian Motocross Nationals.

 

The New Westminster, BC native will pilot the Yamaha GA Checkpoint YZ250F in the BC spring series, then line up at the Nationals when they kick off in Nanaimo on June 3.

 

“I haven’t been this excited to start a year in a long time! I’ve got great support from Yamaha and GA Checkpoint, AXO has taken care of me for gear and this new YZ250F is an awesome bike,” relayed an excited Knowles. Although he only raced the Western half of the nationals in 2011, Knowles showed great speed with his best finish a 4^th at ‘The Wastelands.’

“I’m really excited to work with Spencer. He is a low maintenance guy who understands what it takes to perform at the track and his role in representing the dealership,” comments Gordon Aulenback, owner of GA Checkpoint. “I wouldn’t want to have put this deal together with any other rider.”

 

Bryan Hudgin, Yamaha’s race director, was equally impressed. “I haven’t spoken much with Spencer in the past but after a few quick phone calls I knew he was our guy. I always like riders that chose Yamaha before they were top pros and I like how he wanted to race that YZ250F as soon as possible. He’s hungry to win!”

 

Knowles will contest the remainder of the Chilliwack Arenacross events on the YZ250F before starting his outdoor program.

 

Knowles finished with, “It’s nice to have everything in place so early in the season. It’s all about preparation from now until Nanaimo. I’m going to be ready so when the gate drops the #28 Yamaha is leading everyone around the first corner.”

Replacement rides are the new standard for the sport, so it’s no longer a surprise to see a rider in need get a shot when a star goes down. That’s the case with Bobby Kiniry, who has picked up a spot on Rockstar Energy Star-Valli Yamaha in place of the injured Ryan Morais. The friendly New Yorker didn’t have much time to prepare for Oakland, but he put his YZ450F in the main and finished eighteenth. We caught up with BK after the race to see how it went.

Landon Nelson tops tight Team Green Rider Support race!
Meet this year's Grand Prize winner of a 2012 KX

With the 2011 Team Green Rider Support season in the books, it was a tight race to the finish in the K-points battle. This year's Grand Prize winner is British Columbia's Landon Nelson. This 13-year-old supermini and 85cc racer was supported by Cycle North Power Sports and rolled his Kawasaki to the start line for an incredible 50 races this year! His commitment paid off and he'll be receiving a 2012 KX that will help him build on this solid start to his race career. We caught up with Landon to find out how he felt about winning this year's Grand Prize.

Congratulations on being the grand prize winner for this year's Team Green Rider Support program.

Yes, thank you.

How excited was your family to hear about the 2012 KX you'll be receiving?

We were all very excited to hear. My whole family helps out with my racing.

How will it help with your racing career?

This will help out a lot as my mom and dad won't have to buy me a new bike when I move up to the big bike classes.

Which bike do you hope to choose?

We are going to pick the KX250F as it will probably only be another year before I move up to that size.

How did you find out about the Team Green program?

Cycle North told us about it and that's how we got started. I think I won by two points.

You raced two bikes this season, a KX85 and a KX100. Which are you most comfortable on?

I'm getting a bit big for the 85cc. I'm more comfortable on my 100 because it's the perfect size for me and it has bigger wheels so it's easier to ride.

Have you ridden a 250F before?

I've rode my buddy's around before but I haven't raced one. That is still at least a season away.

Tell us about your race season?

It was awesome, there were some new tracks in our series this year and it was really fun. I ran about 50 races all together so it was pretty busy.

You didn't win every race, but you were very consistent this season and those weekly finishes added up to help you win Team Green. How did you stay so consistent?

Just lots of practice, lots of racing and lots of repetition. My dad gets me to work on things like corners, I will do the same corner 20 times to get my flow and body positioning right. I really felt a lot more focused and consistent this year.

How many years have you been racing?

I've been racing for 6 years and I'm 13 now. I started riding when I was 5 when my dad got me a Honda 50 and I was always making and hitting little jumps around my yard. One day I was watching TV and my dad turned on a Supercross race and I saw Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart and then I was hooked. When I was 7 years old, my dad bought me a KTM 50 and that was my first year of racing.

When did you first start racing Kawasaki?

I started racing Kawasaki's when I was 8. I raced a Kawasaki 65cc for 2 years.

What challenges did you face this season as you fought for points in the Team Green title chase?

I have some really good riders that I race against in my series We all have great battles and really tight races. At the Pro Am Championship, on the September long weekend, I blew up my 85cc up on practice day and my 100cc blew up on the first day of racing. Jess Pettis lent me one of his bikes for day 2 and I crashed in the sand section and got a concussion.

How long were you out of action for?

The next race was in 2 weeks so my dad had to rebuild both bikes and we weren't sure if my doctor was going let me ride. I had to finish 3 weekends of racing to keep my points up.

You also won three championships in BC this year. Tell us about those?

It was really exciting. At the Spring Series, I won the Supermini Championship and got 2nd in 85 12-16. Then for the Fall Series. I won both Supermini and the 85cc 12-16 Championships. I couldn't have done it without a lot of different people that helped me this year.

What grade are you in? Do you get to ride or race during the winter? Locally or down south?

I am in grade 8. We live in Prince George so we get lots of snow in the winter so there is no riding until April or May. My mom and dad would like to take me to California but they put everything they got just to get me to the races so it becomes a cost thing.

Arenacross is quite popular in BC. Have you ever raced indoors?

The first year I had my KX 65, I went to arena cross and we did it for a couple of years. It's a very tight track but it was a lot of fun too. I like outdoors better though. Prince George is about 8 hours from Chilliwack so it becomes pretty expensive too.

Is there a local dealership that supports you?

Yes, I am sponsored by Cycle North Power Sports. Kourtney has been very good to me and comes to a lot of my races to cheer me and the rest of the team on.

Who do you want to thank for their support this season.

I would like to thank Cycle North Power Sports, Canadian Kawasaki, Top Gun Collision, Print Werx.ca, Motovan, The Pettis family, Cycle North Parts Department for making sure my parts were always there for me, Kourtney Lloyd, Doug Allercott and Cole Bernier, my family for spending lots of their weekends at the track supporting me. And most of all, my dad for being my # 1 coach and mechanic and for getting me to the start line every time!

Do you plan to stick with the sport?

Oh yeah, I want to stick with the sport. My goal in life is to become a professional motocross racer.

Who do you look up to in the pro class?

Right now, Dean Wilson.

Congratulations and good luck in 2012.

Thank you!