PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Mud cannot hide the beauty of motocross. Photo by Massimo Zanzani.

MINI-VIEW: BRETT METCALFE

For many professional racers, the road to success is long and winding, with danger at every turn. No one better epitomizes that analogy than Brett Metcalfe. The Australian, by way of Europe, has spent the past 11 years racing in the United States. Metty has won races and finished several series on the podium, but along the way he has suffered through a rash of injuries and various rides. The amiable 30-year-old filled the void left by Ryan Villopoto at the Monster Energy Kawasaki factory team this past summer, earning fourth overall in a series that he wasn’t originally slated to race.

Metcalfe is about to make another turn in his career path. He recently signed a deal to contest the opening six rounds of the 450 Supercross series for 2015 with the Dirt Candy Graphics team. In what will be their second season racing, Team Dirt Candy will also include Ronnie Stewart and Robert Lind. I caught up with Metty to learn more information about his new deal.

Metcalfe filled in for the injured Ryan Villopoto this summer during the 450 Nationals. He finished fourth overall in the point standings.

MXA: Is it true that you’ll be lining up to the gate at Anaheim 1?

Brett: Yes! Right now it’s agreed that I’ll do the first six rounds. We’ll see after that. I might do a few more races. I’ll make the call when the time comes.

What about racing the Canadian Nationals?

Last year I signed a two-year deal to race the Canadian Nationals for the Monster Energy Leading Edge Kawasaki team, so I’ll be heading up north this summer. Once we finalized that deal and put the second year into effect I took things into consideration about Supercross. I knew that I would be in Southern California for the opening six rounds, so that will make travel easy for me.

Why won’t you be racing more rounds than that?

We’re expecting our second child in April, so I wanted to be around for that. Also, I want to make sure that I’m fully prepared to return to Canada and race the Nationals up there. The Dirt Candy race team has provided me really good support for Supercross. There might be opportunities to race more Supercross rounds after San Diego, but to do the whole series would put me in a hole to prepare for the Canadian Nationals.

What kind of support are you getting through the team? Will you have access to factory parts?

I will not have any factory parts. Dirt Candy is providing the Suzuki’s, and Yoshimura is doing the exhausts and engine work. Factory Connection is helping me out with suspension, and I’ve been connected with them in a roundabout way since 2009. I feel like the things that are going to be used on the bike will be very good, and things will work out well.   

When we last spoke you mentioned that racing Supercross wasn’t all that appealing to you at this point in your career. Why the change of heart?

A good deal came around. I’m happy with the Dirt Candy team. It’s a privately owned team, and I like the guys that are running the program. We’ve talked about long-term goals, and how we can do something over the next few years. That part of it is very exciting to me. Also, I have always wanted to jump back in and do some Supercross races again. In 2013 I was injured and not ready to race, and this year there wasn’t much on the table in terms of an offer. At this level I’m not going to ride for free in order to prove myself again.

What are your future goals?

We want to do this as a joint effort. The owner of the team and I have had a lot of discussions over the past four months. This is the first stepping stone to turning this program into something bigger. They’ll already have two riders, with Ronnie Stewart and Robert Lind, who will be racing for Dirt Candy the entire year. I’m an addition to the team. I hope to bring sponsors and my connections to the program, and so far things have been going really well.

Are your Supercross skills a bit rusty?

[Laughter] No, they’re good. I haven’t ridden since the Monster Energy Cup, aside from a few days this past week. Before the Monster Cup I rode for a few weeks and felt awesome. The Monster Energy Cup results were horrible [note: Metcalfe went 18-8-9 for 17th overall], but that was a tough event. However, given that we built the race bike in my garage and had very little support, I was happy with the way I felt on the bike. The results didn’t show that, but some positives came out of that race.

NEW PRODUCT: BEL-RAY BIKE WASH

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Bike Wash is formulated to safely clean nearly any finish or surface of a motorcycle including, painted surfaces, plastic, rubber, fiberglass, chrome, aluminum and alloy wheels. Before applying Bike Wash, ensure the bike is no longer hot and rinse it with water. Apply Bike Wash by liberally spraying the bike and allowing it to soak in for several minutes. Then, thoroughly rinse the bike with clean water and allow it to dry for a clean, residue-free finish. In addition to motorcycles, Bel-Ray’s Bike Wash can be used to clean any number of other applications, including ATVs, outboard marine motors, bicycles, lawn mowers and lawn and garden equipment. Bel-Ray Bike Wash is available as a 32-oz. spray bottle and can be purchased through authorized powersports dealers worldwide. To find the nearest Bel-Ray dealer, please consult Bel-Ray’s online dealer locator.

HEALTH CORNER: INGREDIENTS YOU SHOULD AVOID

By Brandon Reina

[Note: Brandon Reina is a certified physical trainer and health food nut. He lives in SoCal, where he spends his time helping people improve their lives by exercising and eating well. When he’s not helping people, Reina is busy riding motocross, mountain bikes, and singing karaoke.]

In this day and age it seems like we must have everything bigger, better and faster. I guess you can call this the “American way”. This may work and be beneficial for many aspects of life, but there are some aspects where it’s not. One aspect where it is not beneficial is the food industry. Many companies take the bigger, better, faster approach when constructing food. A vast majority of food products that we see on the shelves are full of processed ingredients. Most of these ingredients are addictive, harmful and often times masked by creative marketing schemes. I recommend avoiding these ingredients, found in foods at your local grocery store, as best as you can.

Artificial sweeteners: Aspartame (Equal), Sucralose (Splenda), Saccharine (Sweet ’N Low) and Acesulfame-K (Sweet One) are the most common artificial sweeteners. Scientists alter the chemical composition of sugar, petroleum, and amino acids to create these compounds. There is much debate about what they actually do in the body when ingested. There are studies that link these ingredients to neurological damage, gastrointestinal problems, endocrine problems, cancer, tumors and Gulf War Syndrome. I would recommend staying away from these as much as possible and eat more of a natural diet. Honey is a good alternative, or simply regular sugar (in moderation, of course).

Artificial Colors: Blue1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 3, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 are the most common food colors. Many health advocates have been trying to get the FDA to ban artificial colors for years. Some studies have linked these colors to hyperactivity in children, as well as cancer of the thyroid, adrenals, bladder, kidney and brain. Look for juice or sports drinks that don’t have these added colors. A better choice would be to eat fruit and berries without the additives.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS): This is a challenging ingredient to avoid, because it is found in many products. Americans consume more calories from HFCS than any other macronutrient. One issue with HFCS is that it claims to be “natural” when in reality it is not a naturally occurring substance. HFCS is made up of glucose and fructose, but not in equal parts (45% glucose and 55% fructose). Products made with HFCS are sweeter and cheaper to make. Without going into too much detail about how fructose is broken down, I’ll keep it short and sweet (pun intended). Naturally occurring fructose in fruit doesn’t exhibit the same biological effects as free high fructose does. My suggestion? Eat real fruit. Too much sugar can have damaging effects on your body. We have seen an increased chance of diabetes, obesity, other metabolic syndromes, heart disease, cancer and more from ingesting too much sugar. Limit your daily intake and lean more the natural real food side.

Now that I have completely scared you from ever eating anything again, I’ll sum it up by recommending what you should eat. Look for foods that have the smallest ingredient list. Better yet, stick with real food that is as natural as possible. Once you start that train you might be surprised how well your body responds.

If interested in more information or personal training sessions by Brandon himself, contact him at [email protected].

MASSIMO ZANZANI’S GP MOTOCROSS MOMENTS

There’s a reason why we employ master Italian photographer, Massimo Zanzani, to shoot the Grand Prix series for MXA every year. The guy does amazing work behind the lens. Massimo travels around the world, capturing the stars of the sport in very unique environments. The only similarity shared among his photos is that they have a rider in them. Take a look at some of Zanzani’s great photos from the 2014 GPs.

VIDEO: BARN PROS/HOME DEPOT/YAMAHA PHOTO SHOOT

MINI-VIEW: TREY CANARD

Interview and photos by Spencer Rathkamp

MXA: Coming off of the Monster Cup, there has been some time to get testing done and keep the progress moving for the 2015 season. How’s everything going?

Trey: So far, so good. We have made steady progress. I don’t feel like we have done anything to mess up the bike, and there haven’t been many setbacks. We have gradually gone forward, which is good. I’m happy if I can make a little bit of progress with my riding here and there.

MXA: You have another two years with factory Honda, but there have been little changes within Honda. Can you touch on that?

Yes, there have been some changes made. There are some different personnel, which is sad in one way, because I have worked with some really great people in the past four years. Moving forward, I believe that there are great things happening and the team is very excited and everyone is genuinely happy to be a part of the program. It’s great to have the Japanese involved more, and I think they are going to be a great asset.

What are your feelings about the media day that factory Honda has put on?

I haven’t seen a buzz with Honda like this since I have been with them, and it’s a very exciting thing to see what’s happening with the racing program. Hopefully it continues.

What have you been up to lately?

I’ve been back in Oklahoma with my wife and family. I’ve really been trying to enjoy those things. When racing gets going you are always on the go and you’re tired. It’s nice to spend time with the family, as well as do the work. We all basically do the same things–we all ride our bicycles, do the riding, and we all lift the weights. It’s fun to work hard and I really enjoy it.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Do you have any big plans?

Not really. This will be the first year that my wife’s family and my family will get together, so that will be a lot of fun. Maybe I’ll eat some bad food.

What’s your favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal?

I’m going to have to go with either the pecan pie or pumpkin pie with coffee. That’s good stuff.

FACTORY HONDA 2015 TEAM INTRO OUT-TAKES

A look at the Honda media day, held at Castillo Ranch, from the perspective of Spencer Rathkamp

Cole Seely’s factory Honda. Note the Showa forks…

…while Trey Canard intends on running Kayaba suspension for the 2015 season.

ANSWER RACING SIGNS WIL HAHN

Photo by John Basher.

Press release: Answer Racing is pleased to announce the signing of Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Wil Hahn for 2015 and beyond. Hahn will be entering into his second season in the highly competitive 450 class in both the Monster Energy Supercross and Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. Being with ANSR is somewhere I knew I wanted to be right off the bat. Tucker Rocky is huge where I come from in the Midwest, so to be a part of that organization who owns ANSR is very special to me,” states Wil Hahn.

ANSR Brand Manager Randy Valade states: “We are extremely excited to have Wil join the ANSR family. The future looks bright for Hahn and we can’t wait to see how the season unfolds for this very talented rider.” Keep an eye out for Hahn as he lines up on the gate at Anaheim on January 3rd, 2015. To view the entire collection of ANSR apparel and protection visit www.answerracing.com