The List: Best Canadians to Ever Race in the U.S.
Thursday, July 14, 2011 | 12:30 PM
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DC and Weege asked me to come up with a list for this column and I’m sure, right about now, they’re wishing they never would have asked me to do anything. Because the list I really wanted to do is right here, the one that breaks it all down. This is the end-all and be-all of lists.
It is the top ten Canadians who have raced in the United States.
That’s right. I’m Canadian. I like Canada. We’ve had quite a few fast guys over the years but most have stayed at home. Venturing down south and getting waxed is not always the most fun thing to do. However, these men below have taken that challenge and made the best of it, they’ve looked the mighty American riders in the eyes and dared to try their best. They’ve gone toe to toe, shoulders back with the best in the world and…oh forget it, I’m just going ‘Rev-up’ Bowyer on you now. Here’s The List.
10.) Doug Hoover
One of the few racers to ever beat the Rollerball straight up back in the motherland, this Ontario native traveled south in the mid-80’s for many years and earned some serious AMA finishes. Hoover, nicknamed “The Sweeper,” was a top ten guy outdoors down south and in supercross was a fixture in the main events. Hoover probably could have had some better number but his schedule included the Canadian nationals and Ontario provincial races.
Number of AMA National Numbers- 4
9.) Blair Morgan
Maybe Morgan is too low here, maybe not. I’d take any argument you have and accept that I ranked Blair too low. Morgan never had any real solid series results in the USA because he had to concentrate on the Canadian series. Morgan did top ten the 250 national at Steel City in 2002, which was a solid result. He’s well known to Americans because of his Sno-cross achievements that may overshadow his awesome motocross career up in Canada. A multi-time Canadian champion, Morgan raced some 125 SX races and placed well in those. He was also a member of the Canadian MXDN team that traveled down to Budds Creek, Maryland.
Number of AMA National Numbers- 4
Darcy Lange riding for the mighty Pro Circuit team.
8.) Marco Dube
Playing George Harrison to JSR’s John Lennon, Dube was a fast French Canadian who had a number of AMA national numbers but never, at least that I can remember, any real breakout rides. Dube did race extensively in the United States and raced all classes. A former Canadian National Champion, Dube’s English wasn’t as polished as Roy’s early on but he overcame that to have a very good career in Canada and the USA.
Number of AMA National Numbers- 5
7.) Darrell Martens
This might be a somewhat controversial choice (if Canadians can actually get mad about a list like this). I put Martens this high because of how he did in one series. The 1992 500 nationals saw this Abbottsford, British Columbia native end up 12th in points for one of the top overall finishes of any Canadian ever. Martens never won a title up north but he was a victim of racing in the Rollerball years where many great riders never got a sniff of the top of the box. Martens 1992 year earned him his one and only AMA number of 67. There were also a few top tens in the 125 SX class as well in his career but like so many other Canucks, Martens never devoted an entire season to the USA. A talented rider who’s lack of support and a program kept him from better things, Darrell did end up with Canadian national number 4 in 1989.
Number of AMA National Numbers- 1
6.) Jason Frenette
Politics kept the Red Deer, Alberta rider from racing the nationals in Canada so he concentrated on racing American SX and MX for about five years in the late 90’s. A few finishes outside the top ten in 250 nationals and a whole bunch of 250 SX main events get Frenette sixth on the list. In the summer of 1996, Jason sat 12th in the points in the 250 nationals until breaking his thumb about halfway through the series. In ’97, Frenette earned a fill-in spot on the Manchester Honda team alongside Damon Bradshaw but unfortunately for him it was on a slow CR125. Jason was a true character and someone that I traveled with extensively for a few years, I saw first-hand what he went through as a full privateer to travel the series and try to race with the world’s best. And he did a fine job of it.
Number of AMA National Numbers- 3
Carl Vaillancourt with his shiny new number on a CR125.
5. Doug Dehaan
Dougie D never quite accomplished in Canada what many thought he would have coming out of amateurs, but nevertheless had a solid career all over the world. Dehaan’s low AMA number was #74 but like Carl Vaillancourt he had many top tens in 125 SX which don’t count towardsa national number. Dehaan also joins a select few Canadians in having a legit ride in America as he rode for the Butler Brothers team for a few years. Dehaan also raced all over the world at a very high level and represented the maple leaf proudly.
Number of AMA National Numbers- 7
4.) Carl Vaillancourt
A great rider that never fully committed himself to racing full-time in America, Carl still had some great finishes over the years in the lower 48. A top ten rider in the 125 east sx class for a number of years, Vaillancourt made sure that he made it back to Canada for the complete series. A Canadian amateur phenom, he won many pro titles up home. Carl’s low AMA number was #57 but again, that wasn’t a true indicator of his speed down south. He ended up inside the top ten a couple of years in 125 SX. With many top tens inside the 250 and 500 nationals, Carl was a solid rider for years on both sides of the border.
Number of AMA National Numbers- 8
3.) Darcy Lange
The rider from Vancouver Island, British Columbia never really committed himself full-time to the big series, but Lange did get a spot on the powerful Pro Circuit team for the 2007 Lites East SX series and lost the title to his teammate Ben Townley by the slimmest of margins. Lange’s real claim to fame other than that was being a multi-time Arenacross champion for Kawasaki. Besides that though, there was some good finishes here at there at a national or a supercross but as I was saying, Lange always concentrated on doing well at the smaller indoor races. Darcy attempted a few shots at Canadian moto but he always seemed to get hurt and couldn’t put it together to win a title in his homeland. Some would say he should be right at the top of this list for his second in Lites SX East and multiple Arenacross titles but to me, he didn’t do enough in the big class for as long as the top two guys.
Number of AMA National Numbers- 1
Rollerball chases after Rick Johnson in '87.
2.) Jean Sebastian Roy
The multi-time Canadian champion from Acton Vale, Quebec chose to race full-time down in America when Canada’s sanctioning bodies were trying to figure things out. The man known as JSR was a fixture inside the top ten many years both in supercross and outdoors in the U.S. A couple of top fives at Unadilla were the best for him and his low number in America was #21. Riding for Blackfoot Honda and Planet Honda as well as Jolly Rancher Suzuki, Roy was as friendly as they come and represented Canada well both down south and his numerous races all over Europe. In what might have been his best ride in American, Roy is remembered for chasing down and passing then SX and MX champion Jeff Emig at Englishtown only to fall with a few turns left and separate his shoulder.
Number of AMA National Numbers- 13
1.) Ross Pederson
Of the number one rider, there should be no doubt. The man nicknamed ‘Rollerball’ from Medicine Hat, Alberta dominated the moto scene up north for many years to the tune of twenty-six championships! The only thing left to do for Pederson was travel down south and try his hand. Earning national number 17 in ’87, Pederson scored a couple of podiums in AMA nationals, many top fives and tons of top tens. Pederson was feared by many because he was built like a linebacker and engaged in some rough riding as he fought for every inch on the track. A third at Hangtown and Binghamton in 1987 as well as a great ride at the ’84 250 USGP at Unadilla makes him an easy winner for Canucks racing down south.
Number of AMA National Numbers- 11
If you have a suggestion about someone I missed or want to chat about this list, email me at [email protected]
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You left Steve Mathes "4 Manatoba Titles"
keep dean wilson off the list... he doesnt even know where hes from
Wasn't this list already done earlier over at Pulpmx.com ?
Who Cares?..................Just kiddin Steve, always a big fan of Lange.
How bout the top ten rieders from Mexico?
you left out the 2 winniiest Canadian's of AMA and U.S. Amateur titles and points of all time. Kade Walker and Cole Thompson have as many titles as most of the very top U.S. amateur riders. This includes Walker being the only naturalized Canadian to ever win the U.S. Amateur, Loretta Lynns title. Watch for Thompson to win a B class LL title in a couple of weeks. And for Walker to win the FIM World Junior title in Italy next month. These are the Canadians who have proven to be the top riders in the U.S. period. No disrespect to Steve at all. But respect is a 2 way street! lol
AMAChampion, this list is for professionals only. I'm sure those two will be great riders but there's no way they could make a list like this right now.
Redux, the list on Pulp was only every Canadian to earn a national number and what happened to them when they got that number. Much different but thanks for reading anyways!
Steve, does Lange ride anymore and has he beaten his illness and cancer free?
Didn't Darcy get cancer or something major shortly after his stellar run with Mitch in SX Lites? Whatever happened with that? How's he doing?
Yeah, I think Morgan should be a little higher on the list. I think he had more potential to do better than some of the guys in front of him anyway. How are Blair and Darcy Lange these days? You should track down and interview these guys. I used to race Carl when he was down here.
Al Dyck?? I believe he scored a few top 10 finishes in the 500 class?
I would of like to of seen some of our top riders go up to race some of the Canadian Nationals when JSR was in his prime.I think he would of hurt some of our riders feelings at those tracks.
Matthes I'm pretty sure I remember The Rollerball get like a top3 at one of the Canadain GPs back in the day.
No Dusty Klatt? He didn't light the world on fire like some expected but did have some good rides. Hopefully Facciotti makes his way down soon and can put his name in the list. I wish Vancouver Island had racing like the past, the island used to produce lots of fast guys. Brian Stone, Mark Grant, Lee Coutts, Jimmy Spencer, Nick Dunn and more
I am in MN and there a lot of Canada guys who regularly come down and race our local races, district races and big amateur races at Millville. The Canada riders are very fast and always fearless. In the Vet A division Kim Houde has been a regular in years past. He won a Canadian Motocross Title in 1979 and was the World Vet A +45 and +50 champ in 2006, beating the likes of Ricky Johnson and others at Glen Helen.
A really nice bunch of guys from North of the border. Plus, they always have great stories about waiting in emergency rooms for days with motocross injuries courtesy of national healthcare.
best list ever. keep the red leaf propaganda machine at the redline
Blair Morgan was always our top finisher at the MXDN and seemed to excel under pressure. Ross was relentless on a bike - wore the comp down. Would have been nice to see JSR on a top US based team but the only French riders garnering support come from France. Lange always did us proud.
Multi time national champ Blair Morgan's ride at Lierop MX of Nations plus Los Vegas four stroke class win bumps Doug out of #5
Glad you resisted putting Wilson on there. I bet you canucks are pretty upset that Dean-O wont ride for the Canadian MXON team.... lol.
good article though, there has been some real talent out of the Canada.
ps. @jairtime, you can keep the mexican list, who gives a F*%k!! the only mexican desented rider to grace the track thats actually worth mentioning is Ernesto Fonseco. We miss ya Big Ern!! As for the rest......., well they can just crawl back where ever that POS pick up truck brought them from
Ernesto wasn't from Mexico. Pedro Gonzolez was and I believe he had a 125 SX win somewhere along the way while riding for Mitch. Or at least few podiums.
Ron Keys!!!
While he wasn't on the mx side of things, Malcom Smith is from Canada and I would say he trumps all the guys on this list and then some.
@mty, i didnt think he was, thats why i said "of mexican decent". But your right, Fonseca origins for Spain which is spanish, which later on is Mexican.....
that list is complete crap.
al dyck won a golden state against everybody plus was top 10 a number of 500 nats, steve friesen smoked larry ward ect on a regular basis and was a contender in 125 sx...and darryl martens...well, he wasn't even as fast as me!!
that list is complete crap.
al dyck won a golden state against everybody plus was top 10 a number of 500 nats, steve friesen smoked larry ward ect on a regular basis and was a contender in 125 sx...and darryl martens...well, he wasn't even as fast as me!!
What about Joe Bolger????????
Nice write up! And the comments are priceless!
Ring, ring.... Harnden called and wants to show you a Cycle News from Millville 1985. Agree with your podium at least. ;)
Oh and did you not read today's Between the Motos? Jake Canada should definitely make the list.
canada has no desire to claim wilson as ours.
klatt? got burned and quit. soft.
lange? tough break with the cancer thing, had mad potential, seemed to get star struck when it counted most.
roy? quality.
rollerball? quality.
Ernesto is from Costa Rico. Central America, not Spain or Mexico.
AMA: 0 win
GP: 0 win
?????????? :(
Ernesto was born in and grew up racing in Costa Rica, Central America. Central America produced several great racers that never had a chance in the U.S.A. because of financial issues. Every year Valencia, Guetamala (best track I have ever seen) would have a huge race where they invited several fast American racers and believe it or not the Latin American riders could put up a good fight.
I agree with What?? Ernesto was a really good rider he won a 125 supercross title over travis pastrana and was a factory honda rider for many years until he had his career ending crash. I live in guatemala and used to race for the yamaha team from here and actually always did better than most of the countries except for costa rica (central america) and the race back here was called florencia and as the guy said really good riders came to race here including stefan everts at one time it was an international known race we also where one step close to having a factory huskvarna racer ( i know it didnt lasted long) but either way it was a good dream thrown to the ground =(
Toot, toot ... all aboard the hammertime train. Next stop, boastville.
Just kidding HT!
DeHaan should be #4. He lined up 10x more than anyone on that list.
Yes, I should have said Florencia. It was around 1989 and 1999 when I raced there on 60s and 80s.
Dereck Fisher, was decent.
Well, Matthes got his fix......a list we've ALL been waiting for........j/k.
O.K. how 'bout doing the rest of the countries now. Belgium, G.B., Italy, France and of course, Ireland.
I think the peeps might appreciate seeing some of the greats and some of the emerging talent from the olde country.
@1 bad dude, You're on thin ice my friend, pissing off the border brothers. If you ever want to see your lawn looking half-way decent again, you'd better get their ethnicity straight. Ernie was Costa Rican. The only Mexican nationals I can think of ever being newswotrhy are Pedro "speedy" Gonzalez and the guy that was murdered recently in some shady drug cartel shennanigans.
I love how RacerX always includes some Canadian content, and they have for years, not just the Mathes "Red Leaf Propaganda Machine". Love it, keep it coming!!
This list is longer than I expected...
@ Carlsbad, lol, too funny man! I do love my lawn but i would sooner have a lawn compossed of smelly dog and horse crap all over it, no green in sight, so long as we have California back!!