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National Pride2010
Suzanne Howie
Well, another one is in the books; the 2010 edition of World Enduro Canada/Royal Distributing’s Canadian Enduro Championship, presented by Parts Canada is over. Boy was it an amazing ride! Bigger and better than last year, once again, I was lucky enough to be along for the ride again. It started at Machine Racing, in Sharon, Ontario, where the Captain, aka Yamaha/Machine Racing’s Brian “Wojo” Wojnarowski, and I set out on our 50 hour journey from Ontario to Blairmore, Alberta. Between Blairmore and Pentic-ton, BC, I accompanied another group of Ontarians, Lockhart’s Suzuki rider Chris Van Hove and Machine Honda rider Bryan “Swampy” Marshall. Parry Sound is the “local” round, a mere two and a half hours from home, it was an easy solo ride up Thursday evening. For Labelle, Quebec, I was re-united with travel buddy Swampy. We must be cursed. Last year, while travel-ling to Labelle, we got lost and almost ended up on the Oka Ferry (except it was midnight, and the ferry was closed). This time, on the way home, we were stuck in an extra three hours worth of traffic! These photos were gained from the eight rounds of the series, and there are pictures that span the Pro and Amateur classes. I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I do.
Blairmore
Lovely Ladies: Left to Right: Victoria Hett, Jillian Bolso, Karla Brandt, Almeda Rive and Suzanne Pelletier, with seven month old baby Jacob.
Roun
ds 1
& 2
Marty -The Party- Halmazna: Marty “the Party” Halmazna rode the big Husqvarna E3 bike in Alber-ta and BC. And whether he was busting a move in the pits (left) or busting out some smooth moves on the track (right) he rocked the TLD gear, unique to the Husqvarna Team.
Adam “-Cheeseburger- M
illson:
The 2009 CEC
Eastern Am
ateur A C
lass Cham
pion, Millson m
oved up to the big time, joining Ya-
maha/M
achine Racing’s B
rian Wojnarow
ski in the big rig. Blue 22 had a pretty good rookie season, fin-
ishing 11th overall.
SeeingRyan -Thunder- Graffunder The name “Graffunder” has been getting a lot of press lately, and while cousin Cory might be partially to credit, brothers Ryan and Nick are doing their bit on the home front. While Cory is out ex-ploring the Carpathian Moun-tains and battling in the bar to bar action of the AMA En-durocross series, these two brothers have been ripping it up at home.
DoubleNick Graffunder -the Lumberjack Older brother Nick puts the power to the ground in the E1 class, while Ryan represents the family name in the E2 class, tak-ing home the Inside Motorcycles Top Junior award in 2009. Com-ing into 2010 he had his eyes set on the prize for the second year in a row. After a phenominal run in Alberta, he was well posi-tioned to claim that prize.
Shane Watts - the Man from Oz: Last year, fast Aussie Jake Stapleton tore up the E2 class aboard a Ya-maha/Machine Racing ride, this year Shane Watts ripped it up in Alberta aboard his kangaroo KTM.
Factory Phil - Philippe Chaine Philippe Chaine came all the way from Quebec to compete in the E1 class, with his eyes set on the Championship. He wasn’t alone. Chris Van Hove, Ryan Durkee, Jared Thomas and Nick Graffunder were also chasing that dream.
Eric Demoulin
Chris Van Hove
Adam Millson
Jack Sawatzky
Ryan Graffunder
Brian Wojnarowski
Legends in the Making... Ryan Durkee (left) and Ryan Graffunder (right) both came into the series with the intention of putting their names on the podium, as well as earning the title of Top Pro Junior, and the $500 prize put up by Inside Motorcycle magazine.
Jack Sawatzky - Little Bike; Big Fight
A
lberta is known for being hom
e to big bikes. The E3 riders are the big boys on campus, w
ith the E1 class populated m
ostly by eastern riders who m
ade the trek. Jack Sawatzky is one of few
E1 riders to ride out of the Prairie R
ose province.
Geof
f Nel
son
- Kin
g of
E3
G
eoff
Nel
son,
form
er IS
DE
com
petit
or, i
s no
str
ange
r to
the
big
bike
s. In
200
9 th
e Br
itish
Col
umbi
a na
tive
race
d E3
and
cam
e se
cond
to th
en te
amm
ate
Jaso
n Sc
hrag
e. In
20
10, S
chra
ge s
igne
d w
ith H
onda
and
mov
ed to
the
E2 c
lass
. Nel
son
swep
t the
wes
t-er
n E3
pod
ium
s, bu
t was
una
ble
to p
ush
Schr
age
off th
e to
p sp
ot a
t hom
e.
Mark Cahill - Vet Pro Cham
p
Mark Cahill w
as the only defending Pro Class champion racing in the w
estern rounds. Jason Schrage, w
ho won E3 in 2009, had m
oved to E2, Patrick Beaule, the E1 cham
pion, could not make the trip out, and Bobby Prochnau, reigning #1 plate holder
and E2 champion w
as out with an injury. Cahill, a form
er trials champion, rode to his
first truly national championship last year. H
e was also know
n for saying “We’re Pros
too!” when the often over looked Vet Pro class w
as just that, over looked.
Ben Rego
Cody Bykerk
Bryan Marshall
Jason Schrage
Shane Watts
Kevin Pelletier
Stephen Foord
Adam Millson
Brian Wojnarowski
Nick Graffunder
Ryan Graffunder
Mark Cahill
Guy
-G-R
ox- G
irou
x
The
firy
Fren
chm
an fr
om Q
uebe
c di
dn’t
have
the
best
of fi
nish
es in
the
wes
t. H
is sh
ort l
egs d
idn’
t see
m to
be
cond
usiv
e to
the
rock
y te
rrai
n of
the
rugg
esd
Roc
ky M
ount
ains
. Tha
t sai
d, h
e st
ill h
ad fu
n.
Top Finishers Rnd #11 - Jason Schrage, HON
2 - Ryan Graffunder, HSQ3 - Ryan Durkee, KTM4 - Shane Watts, KTM5 - Geoff Nelson, KTM
Top Finishers Rnd #21 - Jason Schrage, HON2 - Shane Watts, KTM
3 - Ryan Graffunder, HSQ4 - Geoff Nelson, KTM5 - Ryan Durkee, KTM
Penticton
Roun
ds 3
&4
Whip It Out! The whip is the oldest trick in the book, and here we see three differ-ent variations on it from an enduro rider’s perspective.
Chris Van Hove
For 2010 Van Hove traded in his 450f for a 250 and took on the E1 class
aboard his Lockhart’s Suzuki.. The young rider from D
elhi, Ontario, enjoyed m
uch m
ore success in the E1 class than he did the previous year, earning himself a spot
on the podium in six of the eight rounds.
A Tale of Ask riders what they think of when they hear the word “Penticton,” and you’ll get one of two an-swers: Moto Test or Ex-treme Test.The moto test was mostly unchanged from the pre-vious year. There were a few rerouted parts, but the ski jumps and double were the same. “I don’t know, people say these Hondas like to fly, I’m inclined to disagree,” said series leader Jason Schrage. Apparently Yamahas have no issue jumping; Ya-maha/Machine Racing’s Adam Millson even did a heel clicker off the ski jump!
Two TestsFor 2010 the crew changed the location of the Extreme Test, putting it in the old dumping grounds. Rid-ers came down through the trees, over the infamous teeter totters and jersey bar-riers, through some more trees, over the concrete cul-verts that were such a hit last year, through a debris pile, into a mud filled tire pit, into a water section, before finally reaching the rock “garden.” After the rocks it was a quick shot to the finish of the test through some tight trees and sticky mud.
Tire Trouble Enduro riders are up for any challenge you put in front of them. A tire pit? No problem. Mud hole? Sure! Child’s play. Put them together? To make things interest-ing, and to keep their reputa-tion as having the toughest Ex-treme Test in the series, the men behind the Penticton round dreamt up a special kind of hor-ror for the riders. The mud filled tire pit was only one part of a very tough test.
Bria
n “-W
ojo-
” Woj
naro
wsk
i:
Als
o kn
own
as: C
apta
in S
tres
s, th
e Ca
ptai
n, W
rinks
, Got
taM
inut
e?
and
any
othe
r num
ber o
f alia
ses.
Woj
o is
the
fron
t man
for T
eam
Ya-
mah
a/M
achi
ne R
acin
g O
ff Ro
ad. A
n ex
perie
nced
ride
r, W
ojo
has
race
d m
oto,
end
uro,
har
e sc
ram
bles
, th
e IS
DE,
end
uro
cros
s, tr
ials
and
Xtin
c-
Brent Kroeker
Shane Cuthbertson
Eric Demoulin
ClintRiviere
RyanGraffunder
MarkCahill
MartyHalmazna
Bryan Marshall
Ryan
- W
onde
r Bo
y- D
urke
e
In 2
009
Ryan
Dur
kee
took
the
E2 c
lass
by
stor
m a
boar
d hi
s Su
zuki
RM
250.
For
201
0, th
e fa
st 1
7 ye
ar o
ld ri
der m
ount
ed a
n RT
R KT
M a
nd
char
ged
the
E1 c
lass
. Men
tor a
nd g
ood
frie
nd B
obby
t Pro
chna
u, e
xpec
t-ed
big
thin
gs fr
om h
te y
oung
BC
nativ
e, a
nd h
e di
dn`t
dis
appo
int.
Dur
-ke
e co
mpe
ted
in a
ll fo
ur w
este
rn ro
unds
, sw
eepi
ng th
e E1
pod
ium
, and
w
as th
e on
ly E
1 rid
er to
bre
ak in
to th
e to
p te
n ov
eral
l in
the
mou
ntai
ns.
Shan
e -M
oose
- Cut
hber
tson
O
ne o
f the
orig
inal
off
road
ride
rs w
ho p
ut C
anad
a on
the
map
, Sha
ne
Cut
hber
tson
has
had
a lo
ng a
nd d
istin
guis
hed
care
er, h
avin
g ra
ced
Ro-
man
iacs
, Erz
berg
, the
ISD
E on
seve
ral o
ccas
sion
s, R
ed B
ull’s
Las
t Man
St
andi
ng a
nd, o
f cou
rse,
the
pres
tigio
us C
anad
ian
hare
scra
mbl
e, C
orne
r G
rass
and
the
first
runn
ing
of th
e C
anad
ian
Extre
me
Endu
ro, X
tinct
ion.
Top Finishers Rnd #31 - Jason Schrage, HON2 - Geoff Nelson, KTM
3 - Shane Cuthbertson, HBG4 - Ryan Durkee, KTM
5 - Ryan Graffunder, HSQ
Top Finishers Rnd #41 - Jason Schrage, HON
2 - Shane Cuthbertson, HBG3 - Geoff Nelson, KTM
4 - Brian Wojnarowski, YAM5 - Julian Cerny, KTM
From Left to Right: Jared Thomas, Paul Andratis, Bruce Moffatt, Chris Don-ald, Rob Hewitt, Ben Rego, Paul Lachance, Dave Nelson, Kevin Cockayne, Geoff Nelson, Clark Peters, Jean Pellerin, Phillipe Chaine, Adam Millson, Chris Van Hove, Alexander Lagault, Ryan Gauld, Jason Schrage, Bryan Marshall, Guy Giroux, Clint Riviere, Ryan Graffunder, Nick Graffunder, Paul Petrin, Shane Cuthbertson, Lee Fryberger, Brian Wojnarowski and Julian Cerny.
Parry Sound
Roun
ds 5
& 6
Trevor Wideman:the Voice
Sean Wiesner:the Face
Stephen Able:the Brains
Lawrence Hacking:
The Name
World Enduro Canada: Behind the Scenes There is a lot of work involved in putting on a national enduro series. Not only do the clubs and organizers on a local level put in countless hours on their individual rounds, there is also an incredible amount of work at a national level required to put together the event. The WEC crew, Lawrence Hacking, Stephen Able, Sean Wiesner and Trevor Wideman, work tirelessly with national sponsors, working on logistics and timing equipment.
Fighting Fire with Fire Jason Schrage is a man of two personalities. By day he’s the hero of many, a fire fighter for the city of Lethbridge, in Alberta. On the weekends he’s Honda’s top ranked off road rider, looking to trade that #8 in for a #1.
Take
Julian Cerny comes off the log jump a little low in the nose. As always, though, Cerny scores points for style. Elbows out, head up, looking where he wants to go.
Two
Ben Rego lands heavy on his front wheel too, but Rego is able to power his way out of a crash.
Swelling in the Ranks Team Yamaha/Machine Racing might have lost Vet Pro rider Craig Kennedy for the eastern rounds, but it gained an E1 rider (for Parry Sound), an A rider and a B rider. Left to Right: Brain Wojnarowski (E2), Adam Millson (E2), Ryan Gauld (E1), Mark Koens (B) and Patrick Gesualdi (A).
Mechanical Wings The Honda motorcycle’s logo might be a wing, but Jason Schrage stood by the fact that his red rocket did not like to fly. “People say these Hondas, they like to fly,” the points leader said after the Western rounds. “But not mine!” In Parry Sound, it looks like his little red tractor found its wings and finally took flight, easily clearing the log double in the Extreme Test, to the shock and awe of the audience, including Schrage’s wife, Rochelle. “I can’t believe he did it!” We all knew you could, Jason!
Hail to the King! Clint Riviere was dubbed “King of the Rednecks” in BC, when he led the “Redneck Minute.” In Alberta the term “redneck” is used as a compli-ment. A redneck is a hard working man/woman, who works hard for their money, plays harder and would give you their very last dollar if you needed it. Clint certainly embodies these traits. The King finished first on Saturday and second on Sunday in Parry Sound.
Fueling Dreams: Feeding Performance Marc Coffin and his FP Husqvarna team, comprised of Ryan and Nick Graffunder, Guy Giroux and Marty Halmazna upped the ante at the nation-als this year. FP/Husqvarna, along with the Yamaha/Machine operation, had a professional set up and a large presence at all four venues. Coffin hopes to set an example for the rest of the manufacturers.
Kevin Cockayne
Last year there were three #7 bikes racing at Parry Sound, and they w
ere all KTMs. Bobby
Prochnau, Scott Bowes and Kevin Cockayne all w
ore the white #7 on their red plates. This year, Coc-
kayne was the only one w
ho of the three who m
ade it back to Parry Sound, and he was no longer
wearing the #7. Instead he w
ore the #11.
Lee
Fryb
erge
r
Lee
Fryb
erge
r is a
mem
ber o
f the
Cor
ner G
rass
Rac
e Te
am, m
ultip
le IS
DE
com
petit
or, a
nd fo
r the
la
st fe
w y
ears
has
bee
n te
am m
anag
er fo
r the
Can
adia
n Tr
ophy
team
. To
say
he’s
an
expe
rinec
ed ri
der
is a
bit
of a
n un
ders
tate
men
t. Fr
y no
rmal
ly fi
nds h
imse
lf on
the
oppo
site
side
of r
acin
g, o
rgan
zing
the
fam
ous C
orne
r Gra
ss ra
ce in
Com
peer
, Alb
erta
, as w
ell a
s the
201
0 B
lairm
ore
CEC
roun
d an
d th
e ve
ry
first
Can
adia
n ex
trem
e ha
rd e
ndur
o, X
tinct
ion,
nea
r Pat
ricia
, Alb
erta
.
History in the Making? Jason Schrage (left) and John Nelson (right) shake hands. Nelson helped set up support for the Honda rider when he came east, including bringing a spare bike for the racer should he need parts. Nelson is known for offering tremendous support for the off road riding community. His gen-erosity didn’t stop at Schrage, he also brought an extra YZ450f for BC brute Ben Rego. Will Schrage be running Machine Racing and LGS stickers for 2011? Only time will tell.
Moto Media Madness! For Parry Sound the editors of Canada’s two motocross publications, Jeff Morgan of Inside Mo-toX and Off Road magazing, and Ryan Gauld of MXP magazine, put their money where their mouths are and saddled up. Morgan (left) competed in the B class, finishing 8th on day one and 6th on day two. Gauld (bottom right) competed in the E1 class, part of the expand-ed Yamaha/Machine team, but was unable to finish due to mechanical problems (top right). Gauld smashed the chain guide clean off the swing arm and sent it into the case during lap one, day one, and was out for the count.
The Best Laid Plans
Jason Schrage hoped to repeat Bobby Prochnau’s perfect season, but Guy G
iroux put an end to that pursuit in Parry Sound. A
fter a less than stellar performance out w
est, Giroux cam
e home, trained
hard and upped his game, jum
ping on hte Husqvarna 300 for the final four rounds. It appeared to be
the ticket, as G-Rox rocked the Pro class day one in Parry Sound, taking hom
e the top spot in E3 and finishing first over all, effectively ending Schrage’s run at a perfect season.
Julia
n Ce
rny
Th
e O
rigin
al H
urtin
’ Alb
erta
n, Ju
lian
Cer
ny is
a o
ne o
f the
few
who
can
mak
e th
e tra
nsiti
on fr
om
off r
oad
to m
oto
and
back
. Cer
ny c
ompe
ted
in th
e W
ild R
ose
MX
roun
d of
the
CM
RC
nat
iona
ls a
nd fi
n-is
hed
12th
ove
rall
in M
X1;
he
finis
hed
5th
in E
2, a
nd 8
th o
vera
ll, in
the
CEC
s.
Top Finishers Rnd #51 - Guy Giroux, HSQ
2 - Brian Wojnarowski, YAM3 - Jason Schrage, HON4 - Geoff Nelson, KTM
5 - Chris Van Hove, SUZ
Top Finishers Rnd #61 - Jason Schrage, HON2 - Guy Giroux, HSQ3 - Geoff Nelson, KTM
4 - Brian Wojnarowski, YAM5 - Shane Cuthbertson, HBG
Labelle
Roun
ds 7
& 8
L’Extreme There might not have been tires, or water pits, but there were rocks and bottomless beach sand, the likes of which is normally only seen at the CMRC’s infamous Gopher Dunes moto track in Courtland, Ontario. The LaBelle Extreme Test was much the same as the previous year, with the addition of a longer woods track cut into the start and some extra logs thrown into at the end. Riders agreed: it was one of the best tests of the year.
It’s not about how many times you fall...It’s about how fast you get up!
Double Take! Yamaha/Machine Racing riders Brian Wojnarowski (above) and Adam Millson (below) share a lot of similarities on the outside, but that’s where the likeness ends. Yes, both ride YZ 250s, Wojo’s number is 2, and Millson’s is 22. They both wear the same Fox helmet and have the same sets of Shift gear, but while Wojo is a more fines rider, Millson’s style is more laid back and laid out.
Ben
Rego
:Th
e To
ughe
st M
an y
ou H
AVE
Hear
d Of
A
t the
beg
inni
ng o
f the
ser
ies,
Ben
Rego
was
dee
med
the
“tou
ghes
t man
you
’ve
neve
r hea
rd o
f”
by s
ever
al m
edia
out
lets
, but
now
, tha
t titl
e se
ems
to n
eed
som
e ed
iting
. Reg
o ha
s m
ade
a na
me
for
him
self.
Fro
m K
itam
at, B
ritis
h Co
lum
bia,
the
toug
h rid
er d
rove
56
hour
s to
race
the
east
ern
roun
ds.
Rego
fini
shed
6th
in E
2, 7
th o
vera
ll.
Top Finishers Rnd #71 - Geoff Nelson, KTM
2 - Brian Wojnarowski, YAM3 - Jason Schrage, HON
4 - Guy Giroux, HSQ5 - Ben Rego, YAM
Top Finishers Rnd #81 - Jason Schrage, HON2 - Geoff Nelson, KTM
3 - Brian Wojnarowski, YAM4 - Guy Giroux, HSQ
5 - Shane Cuthbertson, HBG
Tying up Loose Ends At the end of the year I’m always left with dozens of pictures that aren’t action shots, and don’t really fit anywhere else, but for whatever rea-son I still really like them. Sometimes they’re funny, sometimes they’re se-rious, but usually there is just something about the shot that makes me love it. So, without further ado, I give you the loose ends!
1st Place:Jason Schrage
2nd Place:Geoff Nelson
Vital Stats:Name: Geoff NelsonDate of Birth: June 25, 1984Height: 6’2”Hometown: Abbortsford, British ColumbiaBike/Brand/year: 2011 KTM XC 300 Sponsors: KTM Canada, Royal Distrubuting, Thor, Alpinestar, Maxima Oils, Mitas Tires, Holeshot Motorsports, Scorpion Racing, CTS Suspension, RTC CompositeRacing since: 1997Pro Since: 2005Favourite CEC stop: All of them have been fun, however I am partial to my home stomping grounds in BCFavourite Test: This would have to be a tie between the MX test in Que-bec, and the Enduro test in BC.Most memorable racing event: This would be the 2007 ISDE in LaSerena Chile as I was the Top Canadian. This meant that my name would be add-ed to the Jim Kelly Perpetual Memorial Trophie, along with all of the past Canadians that have won the Top Canadian Award at the ISDE. I also re-ceived the Bert Irwin Memorial Cup for being the Fastest Canadian. This was a true honour.
3rd Place:Brian Wojnarowski
Vital Stats:Name: Brian WojnarowskiDate of Birth: April 5, 1979Height: 6’2”Bike/Brand/year: Yamaha YZ 250Sponsors: Yamaha Canada, Machine Racing, LGS Suspension Develop-ment, Podium Grafix, Orthoflex, Electrosport, PerformX Motocross Train-ing, Bondi Engines, Trail Tours and Rekluse.Racing since: 1995Pro Since: 2006Favorite CEC stop: LabelleFavorite Test: Parry Sound MX testMost memorable racing event: ISDE 2008 in Greece. There was a great deal of logistics and expense involved with this race. I met some really nice people. Rode with some really fast guys. It was the first time I had ever ridden in the mountains which was a great experience. I also got smoked which is hard to forget.
E3:1st: Nelson
2nd: Giroux
3rd: Kroeker
E2:1st: Schrage
2nd: Wojnarowski
3rd: Cuthbertson
E1:1st: Thomas
2nd: Van Hove
3rd: Chaine
5th Gear MediaSuzanne Howie
2010