SEPTEMBER 17, 2007
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With Budds Creek just five days away, most of the members of Team Canada are catching flights to the U.S. today. Blackfoot's Joe Skidd checked in to give us a look at Team Canada's agenda.
On Monday night, all of Team Canada, except Blackfoot's Dean Thompson and Jean-Sebastien Roy, are catching flights to Maryland. Since JSR is busy at the Yamaha Dealer Meeting at Deehurst Resort Sunday and Monday, he's opted to ride at home for the rest of the week and fly to Maryland on Thursday or Friday.
Even though the Blackfoot squad has been working since right
after Walton to be ready for the event, there's still some
testing that needs to be done. Tuesday the team will head to the PR2
headquarters and the day will be spent on the dyno, testing the new FIM
regulation fuel and the new exhaust systems. "FIM rules mean running unleaded fuel and
certain limitations to oxgen levels, it’s a completely spec fuel," says
Skidd, "and sound is down to 96 decibels by FIM rules, which we haven’t
been at all year. So we have all new exhaust systems from front to back
from Dr D."
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Will Blair Morgan again be the Team Canada's top rider? |
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Dawn McClintock photo |
With dyno complete, Team Canada will be putting the new setup to the test on the track on Wednesday. Blair Morgan and Colton Facciotti will be putting in 30-minute motos on a track near Budds Creek to make sure the bikes are perfect and to work on jetting changes.
On Thursday, the team will pack up and make any changes from Wednesday's track testing. They'll make the move to Budds Creek and work on getting the Team Canada pits set up.
By Friday, all the members of Team Canada will be at Budds Creek and the bikes will go through tech. The media will start to roll in and so will the busloads of Canadian fans.
Colton Facciotti will make his second appearance as a member of Team Canada. Dawn McClintock photo
Saturday morning, it's game time and the team will hit the track, race ready, and looking to match our Lierop record from 2004. "There's some pretty serious competition," says Skidd, "I'd say we'd be very fortunate to approach our results in Lierop. Colton has been pounding laps on his practice 250F and his race 250F will feel a lot more like a light 450. The power we are getting out of those things is pretty close to a stock 450. Blair has been working hard at home in Saskatchewan. He's been riding like a madman with both his outdoor and supercross bikes. He's a hard worker and he'll be ready."
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Coming to Budds Creek? Don't forget your airhorn. This is a huge opportunity to see the MXDN on North American soil. General admission tickets don't sell out so you can just roll up to the gate Saturday or Sunday and cheer on the team. |
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Dawn McClintock photo |
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RXC art director Dawn McClintock made her first trip to the MXDN last fall. She met a ton of great
folks from the international teams and she says those with pit passes,
should make the rounds and introduce themselves to the riders who made the
trip across the pond. You'll be amazed at the welcome you receive. |
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McClintock photo
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Finally, don't forget about our Team Canada Fundraising auction. There's still a Colton Facciotti jersey and helmet up for grabs, as well as a Blair Morgan jersey. All items end on Friday just in time for the race. See you at the races...
