OH, CANADA: MXA RACES A CANADIAN 450 NATIONAL ON A FACTORY YAMAHA

The Prairie Hill MX track was built on a sliver of farmland between fields. This aerial shot was taken before the rain came on Saturday.

BY JOSH MOSIMAN

I  first saw the FXR logo on the starting line of a Supercross LCQ back in 2014. At first, I thought it was a spinoff from Fox, but soon I learned that wasn’t the case. Back then, FXR gear was loud and obnoxious, and the designs weren’t quite my style. I was, and still am, sort of a gear snob. I’ve always loved “looking the part,” matching my gear to my boots and helmet to fit my style. Gear companies come and go, because it’s not easy to break into the motocross industry, and it’s even harder to stay at the top against the 30-, 40- and 50-year-old gear brands. 

Most American motocross riders don’t know it, but FXR is actually a Canadian brand that got its start in the snowmobile world. Milt Reimer owns FXR, and he’s an avid motocross racer who also loves snow. When FXR first started in 1996, there was no high-end snowmobile gear available, so he created it. Taking what he loved about the fit, function, and style of motocross gear, Milt created FXR and pioneered a new market for snowmobile gear. Because of their success in the snow world, FXR had all the resources in place to start a motocross brand and go all in on it. 

AFTER TRAVELING TO AUSTRIA LAST YEAR TO RACE AN AUSTRIAN NATIONAL AND TOUR THE KTM FACTORY, I’VE BEEN ON A MISSION TO REPLICATE THE SAME ACTION PLAN ELSEWHERE.

I didn’t realize how impressive FXR was until I went to one of their dealer shows in Minneapolis in 2019. There I got to see their massive product lineup and even ride in my own FXR snow gear on a full-scale Snocross track. Since their launch into the motocross world, FXR has steadily improved the designs, materials and fit of their gear. Years ago I wasn’t an FXR fan and didn’t think the brand would last. Now, I think FXR has some of the best-fitting gear on the market with some really cool colors, designs and cutting-edge fabrics. 

After traveling to Austria last year to race an Austrian National and tour the KTM factory, I’ve been on a mission to replicate the same action plan elsewhere. My inner businessman loves learning the ins and outs of how different companies operate in our industry. Plus, I love racing in new places and connecting with people who read MXA all over the world. 

With FXR being a Canadian brand and also the title sponsor of the Factory MX101 Yamaha team in Canada, it made perfect sense to head north, tour the FXR facility, ride with Milt and the gang from FXR, and then race a round of the Canadian National Championship with the MX101 team. 

Kevin Tyler is the owner of the MX101 team, and he is also the owner of Sand Del Lee, one of the longest-running motocross tracks in North America. The track started in 1970, and Kevin took over the track in 2001. Of course, Kevin raced himself back in the day, and the Yamaha connection came from when Yamaha supported his racing efforts. He started the team in 2013. FXR came on board in 2015 when they signed Jimmy Decotis and Dylan Wright to the team. American Jimmy Decotis was already a well-known rider in the U.S., so when he showed up in Canada and wore FXR gear, it automatically drew extra attention to the Canadian brand.  

One interesting aspect of the Canadian series is that three out of the eight National tracks are owned by three of the five factory teams. As mentioned, MX101 Yamaha and Kevin Tyler own the Sand Del Lee track in Ottawa, Ontario. The Walton Kawasaki team owns Walton MX in Ontario, and the GDR Honda team (home of current Canadian star Dylan Wright) owns Canada’s most well-known track, Gopher Dunes, which is round four of the series and also happens to be in the Canadian province of Ontario. 

You would think that because I was riding for the MX101 Yamaha team, we would choose to race at their home track; instead, we chose the track closest to the FXR headquarters. FXR is based out of Winnipeg, which is in the Canadian province of Manitoba, directly above the U.S. border with North Dakota and Minnesota. FXR also has U.S. headquarters and warehouses based in Minneapolis, which is about eight hours south of Winnipeg. From their Canadian headquarters, it was a two-hour drive to the Prairie Hill MX National track that I planned to race at for the MX101 team. 

The MX101 Yamaha guys welcomed MXA with open arms. After their star rider, Shawn Maffenbeier, retired last year, they hired American Preston Kilroy at the last minute to join their team for the summer up north. I raced on Preston’s practice bike, which was identical to his race bike, only it didn’t have FCP engine mounts and head stays. Allan Brown re-mapped the Vortex ECU to smooth out the YZ450F power to work with the FMF Factory 4.1 exhaust system and VP Racing’s T4 fuel. It was equipped with a complete Rekluse TorqDrive clutch with its basket, inner hub and pressure plate. Additionally, the MX101 YZ450F had a GYTR ignition cover; Raptor titanium footpegs; Renthal bars, grips and sprocket; Acerbis plastics with the Raptor 2 front number plate; and a LightSpeed carbon skid plate.

SURPRISINGLY, I WAS THE EIGHTH QUICKEST IN QUALIFYING AND THE TRACK WAS A MESS. INSTEAD OF FRYING MY CLUTCH AND TRYING FOR ANOTHER LAP, I SETTLED ON MY ONE AND ONLY QUALIFYING LAP IN THE MUD.

The suspension was set up for me by Joe Skid of SSS Suspension, and we ran Ride Engineering’s split triple clamps in the stock 22mm offset. The only add-on I requested was the GYTR Brembo hydraulic clutch. The Yamaha YZ450F has a strong engine, and the stock cable clutch has a very distinct on/off feel. I like the hydraulic system because it smooths out the YZ450F’s abrupt hit. MX101 also has Sebastien Racine and Austin Jones representing MX101 in the 250 class. 

This was the second time that Prairie Hill MX had held a National, and unfortunately, they’ve dealt with severe weather both times! The last Canadian National held there was in 2022, and it was extremely hot and windy, with most of the banners being blown off the track and into the woods before the races began on Sunday. This time, the forecast originally showed it would rain on Saturday, so the track crew didn’t water as much or rip the track as deep for amateur racing on Saturday. We spent the day watching Milt Reimer and the other FXR employees race. The layout of the track was beautiful, almost like a golf course with perfect grass in between the lanes that neatly swerved through some trees. 

Unfortunately, the beautiful Prairie Hill track didn’t stay pristine for very long. Once amateur racing finished, the track crew dug the track deep and watered it heavily to prepare for Sunday’s Pro racing. Then the rains came. It poured on Saturday night. From the sidelines on Sunday morning, it didn’t look terrible, but as soon as dozers drove onto the track, it became apparent just how bad the situation was. One of the dozers got stuck on the track for a while. The promoters made the track shorter, canceled free practice, and kept the dozers working on the track until noon, pushing the mud off. By then, it was time to go out for qualifying. Thankfully, the wind was blowing, which helped dry out the top layer of dirt. The beautiful grass infields were now covered by piles of mud. 

NORMALLY, WHEN I’M AT AN AMA 450 NATIONAL, I’M OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE, SO I RIDE TENTATIVELY. I WAS PROUD OF MYSELF AT PRAIRIE HILL FOR PUSHING HARD ENOUGH TO FIND MY LIMIT OR THE DAY.

 
Qualifying was intense. I ran a Dunlop MX14 scoop tire, and I was very thankful for it! I did one slow lap to learn the track, and then I went wide open on the next lap to score my qualifying lap time. Surprisingly, I was the eighth quickest in qualifying, and the track was a mess. Instead of frying my clutch and trying for another lap, I settled on my one and only qualifying lap in the mud. 

Josh diving into one of the many deep ruts at Prairie Hill MX.

Carson Soviak is one of the chief designers for motocross gear at FXR. He works mainly on the fit and function of the gear, but graphic design and color choices are also part of his job. Carson was nice enough to be my mechanic for the weekend, and things weren’t going to be too hard for him—until it rained! The mud always takes an extra toll on the bikes and requires lots of extra work between motos. I only did three laps of practice, so my clutch and the rest of the bike were plenty good for the first moto, but after only three laps of practice, the bike needed to be washed to get about 30 pounds of mud off it. 

Thankfully, we got a sight lap before the first moto, so I could see some of the lines that were broken in during the first 250 race. The ruts were long, sticky and starting to get hard-packed. The sun was out and the wind was blowing, so the ruts were deep and long; but, as the ruts dried out, they got very edgy, which made them even more technical. I always have to remind myself to look to the end of the rut, not at my front tire. It keeps me from dabbing my inside leg on the ground and throwing off my balance.

Unfortunately, the GYTR hydraulic clutch didn’t like the start. I watched how long the starter held the gate during the amateur races and the first 250 Pro moto, so I knew not to rev the bike up too soon. I try not to stare at the gate until as late as possible, because your reaction time gets slower the longer you stare at something. Unfortunately, I still looked at the gate and started to rev too early. The hydraulic clutch started fading, and the bike crept forward. When the gate finally dropped, I had no modulation of the clutch left. It just let go, and I did a big wheelie. It was embarrassing to come out of the gate looking like a rookie next to the points leader Jess Pettis and last year’s champion Dylan Wright. 

I made good progress on the first lap and found myself in 12th and battled there for the rest of the moto. The track was insanely rutted. When there weren’t ruts in the corners, there was mud, but most of the track was hardcore ruts all the way across. There were a few lines where I was losing time, and it wasn’t until late in the race that I finally saw the places where the front runners were jumping out of the rut early and cutting new lines.  

For the second moto, I made sure not to look down so early, and it helped with my clutch modulation off the gate—big time. I got a better start, but I had a hard time sealing the deal in the first turn. I came out eighth off the start. This moto was much better for me. I was more comfortable with the track, and I jockeyed back and forth early with multiple riders. I also was more open-minded, trying to look for better lines while racing. I held ninth for 28 minutes, and then I tipped over with just two laps to go. I got up in 11th and went on to finish 11th, completely exhausted at this point. 

I was bummed to give up a top-10 finish with that crash, but I was proud of myself for pushing. Normally, when I’m at an AMA 450 National, I’m out of my comfort zone. I ride so tentatively that I never crash, nor do I go as fast as I am capable of. I was proud of myself at Prairie Hill for pushing hard enough to find my limit for the day. 

The 171 looked good inside the factory Yamaha pits.

Overall, the experience of racing in Canada was awesome. A few thousand Canadian race fans drove through the rain to the middle of nowhere to watch the race, and I was excited to meet so many Motocross Action fans. Thanks to all the extra time we had with free practice being canceled and qualifying being delayed, I had more time to meet people and entertain the kids who either raced in the Amateur classes the day prior or drove out to watch the race. I signed almost 100 autographs. I also signed a bicycle, a pair of sunglasses, a bunch of shirts, hats, some jerseys, even other riders’ number plates, and some of the Canadian heroes’ posters. 

The MX101 team uses Ride Engineering triple clamps in the stock 22mm offset.

The FXR and MX101 Yamaha crews took great care of me, and the Canadian race fans made me feel like a star. During last year’s trip to Austria with KTM, I got to witness firsthand how passionate the KTM employees are. They work together at the factory all week and race together at the Austrian Nationals on the weekends. During our time in Canada, I found FXR to be very similar. I got to ride with Carson Soviak, Milt Reimer and a bunch of other FXR employees at Milt’s track on the Thursday before the race, and then we watched Milt and the guys race on Amateur Day at Prairie Hill on Saturday. Trips like this helped me to understand why FXR is growing at such a rapid rate in our industry. They are heavily invested in racing at the highest levels, with ClubMX Yamaha in the U.S. and MX101 Yamaha in Canada, and they love racing themselves at the grassroots level. 

Milt Reimer (left), Josh Mosiman (center) and Carson Soviak (right).

Since MXA’s trip to Canada, we’ve run into Milt at the Vet Weekend at Mammoth and racing the Amateur Day at the Red Bud National. He’s passionate about racing, and he’s passionate about FXR. It’s hard not to be passionate about a guy who is so passionate about motocross.