Frid’Eh Update #4 Presented by Shot Race Gear

By Jeff McConkey and Billy Rainford

Week #4 belongs to Australian rider, Brett Metcalfe | Bigwave photo

Welcome to Week #4 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update this week brought to you by Shot Race Gear. Well, it was good while it lasted. We knew a rider like Brett Metcalfe couldn’t stay in Canada forever, didn’t we? Heading into last season, when we heard that the likeable Australian was coming back to Canada to race our series again, we knew we needed to enjoy it while we could.

Brett is one of those riders who doesn’t come around often enough – fast, hard-working, polite, courteous, classy, and, most importantly, great with us media types. You always knew what you were going to get when you spoke with Brett after a hard day of Canadian Moto… the un-sugarcoated truth, like it or not. It was refreshing.

Sometimes, you feel intrusive when you know a rider hasn’t had the kind of day they would have liked and you still need to get an interview with them. Brett usually had pretty good days, but on the days when he didn’t, he was still quick to give up some of his time to chat with all the media outlets.

Well, word on the street is that we won’t be seeing the former MX1 Champion back in Canada anytime soon for a full-time run at the Rockstar MX Nationals. Brett has agreed to a full year of racing back in his home country in 2017.

Brett will head home to Australia to race in 2017 | Bigwave photo

I’ve seen him at both the San Diego and Anaheim 2 Supercrosses and each time we joke about how he’s going to race in both countries this summer. In San Diego he joked, “It’s going to be a lot of travel!”  Then, when Jeff asked him if we’d see him in Canada this summer, he said he’d love to try and make it to at least a round.

Here’s a look at Brett’s 2016 summer:

Brett didn’t get an overall last summer but he landed on the podium 50% of the time – not bad. Good luck ‘down under’ this coming summer, Brett. Watch for an interview with him as soon as we can get in touch with him.

Good luck down under, Brett | Bigwave photo

Week #4 is presented by Shot Race Gear

Welcome a new era in riding with SHOT RACE GEAR‘s 2017 light weight gear.

For 20 years, SHOT RACE GEAR® has been developing with the world’s fastest racers the lightest gear on the market today.

Our collection is made from the finest handpicked materials and is engineered to meet the most challenging racing conditions.

SHOT RACE GEAR® gives you a new effortless riding experience, enhancing your performance, in the lightest,

highly comfortable and durable gear available in the industry today.

JEFF McCONKEY

Hey guys, happy Friday. It’s kind of rough writing this back in Ontario after doing this last week from SoCal. Yeah, it wasn’t the warmest, and it was raining, but it was better than this Ontario weather. It was nice to get back in the saddle and see everybody that I have been missing since last year. This was my first visit to Anaheim, and it was a good one.

Before I start talking about anything, I have to give all of the credit in the world to the track crew. WOW! They turned what was destined to be an absolute mudder into a really good track. Press day was cancelled Friday due to all of the rain, and then it started coming down ever harder that night. To my surprise, when I woke at 6am Eastern time Saturday morning, the rain had stopped, but I was still expecting the worse. It rained so much, there was no way it wouldn’t be a sloppy, muddy mess, so I  was debating hitting Walmart for a set of rubber boots.

How A2 wasn’t a mudder is a Dirt Wurx industry secret! | Bigwave photo

Well, good thing I was lazy and didn’t waste my money on a set. They were not needed at all. The sides of the track were bad, but the actual track was mint. There were a small amount of puddles in between the rhythm  lanes, but for the most part, it was pretty amazing considering.

Anaheim 2 Supercross

Now onto the bigger news. Ken Roczen crashed. No, Kenny wasn’t riding over his head, it was a pure racing incident. Everybody was getting sketchy through that section, and Ken got bit. I don’t blame him for over-riding, he was just racing. Marvin Musquin mentioned that he almost died there a few times as well. It’s very sad to see anybody go down like that, but I’m really bummed because it was Roczen. No, I’m not some super-fan, nor do I have a lot of money bet on a championship, I just respect how hard this guy has worked, and I was excited to see someone really challenge Ryan Dungey in what could be his last season.

With Ken Roczen out, can anyone challenge Ryan Dungey? | Bigwave photo

With technology nowadays, Ken will be back up in no time, but the next big question is…Who will challenge Ken, if Ryan retires? I don’t want to think about that right yet, so I will move on. How about Cooper Webb? The rookie finally looked good on his bike and was able to commit to the whoops and charge. This is the Cooper I have been waiting for. He’s not ready for a podium yet, but with a few more solid rides to build himself up, well, he’s going to be right there for a podium.

Jason Anderson/Vince Friese

Jason Anderson’s off-track contact with Vince Friese cost him the night | Bigwave photo

Now on to the drama. I guess this is where I say, “Insert McConkey hate mail” now. Like before (Weston Peick vs Vince Friese) I will start off by stating that I am not a Vince Friese super-fan, nor am I a relative in any way. Oh, and no, I do not work for MotoConcepts. For some reason, the majority of people love to hate this guy. Yes, he has ridden over-aggressive, yes, he has crossed the line, and yes, he has pissed off a lot of people over the years.

In the early years, Vince would have to ride over his head, and sometimes dirty to keep positions. Things have changed. Vince has gotten quite a bit faster, and he seriously does belong in the top level of the sport. He’s got fitness, he’s very skilled, and he is a competitor. For someone who is a hockey fan, I’d call Vince the Darcy Tucker, Matthew Barnaby, or Steve Ott of the AMA. You love to hate him, you hate to play against him, but you’d seriously be a diehard fan if he was on your team.

The incident at A2 was a racing incident, straight up. Don’t think so? Watch it over and over again. He came in hot, squared it up and moved on. That’s how you race SX. Guys get cleaned out left and right… that’s SX. It’s life. Last year Nick Wey cleaned out my good friend, Cade Clason, for a transfer spo