11 8 http://www.racerxonline.com
tracted year-round, along with
his MX2 teammate Dylan Wright,
who’s also a native Canuck. In
fact, the Honda and Thor KTM
teams are the only ones with
all-Canadian lineups. That’s not
a coincidence, says GDR Honda
owner Derek Schuster.
“I would say it’s a group
decision for our team, not just
me or Honda,” Schuster says
of the “Canada First” mindset.
“Our goal is to hire Canadians,
fi rst and foremost. But we want
to make sure that they’re elite
guys that are capable of getting
podiums and winning races.
We’re not just going to hire
somebody just for the sake of
them being Canadian.
“Our riders are contracted
year-round, and we use them
at different events during the
year and whatnot,” Schuster
adds. “Having an Americanrider for just ten weeks makes
it diffi cult for our sponsors to
market them if they’re on a
different team for supercross or
arenacross or whatever.”
Canada hasn’t always been a
place for Americans or Ameri-
can-based riders seeking shelter
from the AMA circuit. The OG
moto visitor was Buffalo’s Dick
Garlepy, who won the 250cc Ca-
nadian title way back in 1962—a
full decade before there even
was an AMA Pro Motocross
Championship. Californians Mike
Runyard and Jim Turner won ti-
tles up north in the seventies. But
from 1980 to 1999, there wasn’t
a single American champion.
Then former Yamaha factory
rider and AMA Supercross win-
ner Doug Dubach took the 2000
title, and the fl oodgates opened.
All told, six American riders (or
America-based riders when youinclude Australia’s Brett Metcalfe)
have won the MX1 title in the
ensuing 17 years, and four out
of the last fi ve.
Last year, KTM Canada made
a big push to get the MX1 title
and convinced Davi Millsaps to
come up and spend the summer.
Millsaps has said how much fun
he had running up front again,
and in the end, he won the title.
This year, Rockstar
Husqvarna had Pourcel under
contract but wanted to make
a change for supercross once
they brought Dean Wilson
in. Pourcel, admittedly edg-
ing toward retirement, was
dispatched to Canada and, like
Millsaps last year, is using his
summer to rep some sponsors
and hopefully win the title.
No matter where they are in
their careers, world-class riders
like Millsaps and Pourcel areCalifornia’s Ryan Surratt
(338 and top inset) is com-
peting in the MX2 class
this summer in Canada,
as is North Carolina’s
Jacob Hayes (above).It’s defi nitely
worth it
to go to
Canada.
I wouldn’t
be there if
it wasn’t.”KYLE CHISHOLM