MattFracy.com

This past weekend saw a continuation of some fine riding by Matt in his first appearance this year in the PNTA championship which hold events in Wa, Or, and BC. It would also be  another benchmark of where Matt is with his continuing improvement, which seems to be happening on a monthly basis.

Although the event took place in one of our local riding areas, it was apparent right from the get go on Day 1 that the sections were not really going to be as difficult as Matt is used to riding, especially on Vancouver Island!! In an event where one mistake puts you out of contention, it is difficult to make up points. That was indeed the case for Matt after one small mistake on the double section of 3&4 the first loop pretty much determined the finishing order for the day. Matt did not give up though and fought hard the rest of the day to try and ensure a good finish. In the end, he was only 1 point short of the win!

On Day 2, our hopes of a more difficult event were dashed again, but Matt was not happy about his 2nd place on Day 1 and was determined to get the win. Right from the start Matt posted the lowest first lap score in the Intermediate class. From there he proved to have nerves of steel and rode a consistent and inspired trial! It was a great way to end the weekend, with a win and a margin of 7pts over 2nd place was a nice cushion for such an easy event. It was also another good lesson learned that despite being frustrated with the lack of severity of the  trial, it is what it is, and on the day, you still have to ride the best to get the win!!! It was reminisant of riding the Youth Nationals last year in Tennessee!

Next up for Matt is 3 weeks of good training and practise before the next event on the PNTA calendar which will be held in Ioco BC over on the mainland. This is usually the best event of the year in the PNTA and the sections and loop are Matts favorite! We will also keep our fingers crossed that his new bike will arrive in time to ride there too! Matt cant wait to ride the new 09 125 Raga replica GasGas!!!

Keep your eyes on the website for some pictures from the past two events that will be posted as we get them!

We are back now from a very good weekend of riding in the Okanagan of BC. Outlaw Dave and his crew did an outstanding job of putting together some very rideable and challenging sections for all classes. The week leading up to the event was a tough one for Matt as he came down with a horrendous stomach virus. It left him violently ill most of the week, and in fact, we were not sure if he was going to be able to compete. After only being able to eat any food at all, the night before, we were uncertain how it would affect him.

A uncharacteristically slow start for Matt was the lingering side affects of it all. A 35 point first loop put Matt quite a ways down in the standings, when a win was the hope. The second loop saw Matt rejuvinated, and he rode like a man posessed! He easily halfed his first loop score with a 17 and in doing so, posted the lowest loop score of the trial in his class, Intermediate. This was to serve notice to the competition that day 2 would  not be a repeat of day 1.

Day 2 saw warmer conditions and sunny skies with a temp of about 25C. Matt got off to a very determined start and posted a 19pt first loop which was good enough to put him in the mix for 1st place. The second loop was another inspired ride by Matt as he again posted the low single loop score for the trial with a 15. If it was not for one slight mis-cue on section 8, a section he had cleaned all weekend, the win would have been his! A tremendous effort for the whole day gave Matt a great 2nd place and puts him in great shape for the series heading into the final two rounds that will be held in Ontario in late August.

A big thank you to Dave Fair at GasGas Pacific for lending us another 125 GG for me to ride the loop and have as a minder/parts bike just in case!!! All in all a great weekend!

Matts next ride is now only 3 days away with the next two rounds of the PNTA championship in our backyard down at the VMC. We got out for some great practise tonight and are feeling confident going into this weekend. Keep your eyes here for results and pictures when we get them!

Today will be a practise day at the club grounds as we countdown to the Summerland nationals. Looking forward to making the trip and seeing everyone again!

Well, if any of you who keep an eye on this site, you will notice that there is a new sponsor on board as of this week!! We welcome an old friend and competitor of mine, Mike Komer, who owns and operates the Tryals Shop in Locke, NY. Mike is a great guy and has a long history of supporting riders in the last 20yrs. He is also the distributor for Fly Racing trials gear, and he has graciously offered his support to Matt in the way of supplying a full set of Fly racing gear, including gloves. We hope to take delivery of the new gear shortly, so be sure to check it out!!! As always, Matt and I appreciate the support of ALL of our sponsors, and we look forward to another great year, and representing YOU! Thanks so much!!

April 12/09 is not only Easter Sunday, it is also the day that our son Matt turns 13 years old! We are so proud of him and who he is. If you like, please send along your birthday wishes to Matt also!

With alot of anticipation leading up to Rnd. 1 of the Outlaw Series, Matt was mostly busy helping with the setup of the trial, not getting much practise in at all. That just made his result that much more satisfying! I had stated at the beginning of the year that, before the season was over, I believed Matt would beat his sponsor, and our friend, Dave Fair. Dave rides Sen. Int. class, but the same lines as Matt, so we usually compare scores at the end of the event. Matt got off to a terrific start and tied Doug Moore for the low loop of the day! Dave got off to a slow start, one that he could never recover from! So, it was to be the day, very early in the season, that Matt fullfilled my predictions, and in convincing fashion I might add. Not only that, but some of our other friends who travelled from as far as Alberta and the Okanagan were witnessing first hand Matts dramatic improvement over the last year! He not only beat all of them for the first time, but nearly posted the lowest score period for any of the Int. line riders.

A couple of unfortunate fives on the last loop, in sections that Matt had easily cleaned first time through, prevented Matt from posting a 2point last loop!!! One of the fives saw Matt take a nasty spill and falling backwards off a slippery double step and landing awkwardly on his back with the bike falling on top of him. (Bad read by his minder!!) He was in a lot of pain and had to take some time to collect himself. Although I offered to take him back to the car park, and we call it a day to avoid risking any further injury, this was never an option for Matt! He managed to re-focus and go on to some very impressive cleans to preserve his placing in a tight race! Once again showing me and everyone his great determination. All this acheived at the age of only 12!

Now, more excited than ever and looking forward to the first WEC Nationals in Summerland. Lots of good training and practise in store now before the May long weekend!

Well, the 2nd event of the year for the VMC was another great event in many ways. Beautiful warm weather for this time of year, and a well thought out and enjoyable trial. The results showed that Matts win in round 1 was no fluke. His margin of victory was increased over the last event in the intermediate class. Checking the scores, Matt even knocked off a couple of guys in the Sen. Intermediate class that he had previously never beaten. He continues to improve in leaps and bounds in several areas. The most notibly is his aggression with the throttle and riding bigger obstacles, and being comfortable riding on the back wheel. That now added with his unbelievable balance and concentration in the sections, is becoming a potent combination!

The next weekend ahead will be filled with final set-up for the Joe Brown Memorial Trial, the first ISTC event of the year. A good result there too will help build some big confidence and motivation to train hard from now until the first WEC National in Summerland in May!

For those of you keeping track, this weekend is our club awards banquet. It should be a fun evening for sure! Matt is up for the Junior and Int class wins. Unfortunately this year we will not have an event scheduled for the day after the banquet. Hopefully, we will see a return of volunteers to lay out events this year!

There is also some new pics posted on the gallery from the Les Blow Trial  in Victoria. These shots were taken by Matts grandad Fracy who always makes a point of coming out to watch Matt compete! We will be out at the ISTC club grounds this Sunday marking out the loops for the 9th Annual Joe Brown Memorial Trial. This is the first round of the Outlaw Series for 2009. It will also be the first club event of the year for the ISTC. As always Matt will squeak in a little practise this Sun too! The next scheduled event for us is back down at the VMC near the end of March.

If you are reading Matts blog, please feel free to make any comments and ask any questions you have regarding Matts riding or trials in general!

What a great day out last Sunday down in Victoria. Perfect riding weather. The rain held off the entire time and it was comfortably warm. Devon and Ian Dargis along with Hank Lovett put on a great event. It was very slippy, lots of roots, turns, off cambers etc.

Even though Matt did not ride his best by his standards, it was enough to make a statement first time out this year that he means business. It was also apparent how much he has improved in a year, when the results were added up, a big win, 26pts ahead of the next rider. Some practise is ahead now as the next event up is back at the VMC at the end of March!! Some pics will be posted from the event last weekend when we get them!

Well, as usual at this time of year, the results from the 2008 club trials season have been tallied. The year end banquets are coming. Awards, and a reflection on the past years accomplishments. For Matt, it has been one incredible year! A move up from an 80cc bike to a full size 125 GasGas Racing model. With the help of Dave Fair, and a loaner bike until the new one came in, proved to be a huge advantage in the transition. Matt started the year out riding the Junior class in our local club the ISTC. He rode the first two events of the year and won them easily. It was in the first PNTA event in Connell Wa, that Matt made the jump up into the Intermediate class. There he realized that he was capable of stepping up to the challenge of more difficult sections and bigger obstacles. After that, Matt continued the rest of the year riding Intermediate in both the ISTC club events and the VMC.  On top of that was the huge event of travelling all the way to Sequatchie Tennessee  to compete in the US Youth National championships in which Matt finished an incredible 3rd overall in his age class with a 3rd and two incredibly close 2nds.

After the summer, it was back to familiar grounds and conditions. The remaining club events finished up in late November, and looking back now, it is amazing how far Matt has improved. In our club series because of a shortened schedule, Matt managed to finish 1st in the Junior class as well as 1st in the Intermediate class. Adding to that, he won the Intermediate class in the VMC too. Quite a stellar year for a young kid of only 12yrs old. A sign of many good things to come!

So, this Sunday marks the beginning of the 2009 Trials season which kicks off for us at the VMC club property. This years goal for Matt will be to beat his friend and sponsor Dave Fair, so look out Davey! As well, it should be attainable to win the PNTA Intermediate class too. Lots of exciting times ahead, so please make a point of commenting on the blog to Matt and we will try and keep you all informed on what he is doing!