IRC Tires Endurocross Series Presented by Progressive | RD 2 Recap
The second round of the 2023 IRC Endurocross Series, presented by Progressive, went off on Saturday night in Prescott, Arizona. Coming into this round the obvious question was if Jonny Walker (Beta USA/Leatt) could have another dominating night to extend his series lead. From the Canadian perspective, the story was about if 2022 Endurocross series champ Trystan Hart (FMF KTM Factory Racing) could bounce back from a tough first round, where he placed P5. Other Canadian stories were if Spenser Wilton (HTR GasGas) and Branden Petrie (Sherco Enduro Racing) could push their way into the top 10 overall in the series, and if Melissa Harten (Beta Canada/Leatt) could beat Rachel Gutish to move into a tie for first overall in Pro Women.
Behind the Shot #1 | Jayden Riley (BFD Moto / Husqvarna Canada / TLD Canada)
Welcome to my ‘Behind the Shot Series’, where I look back at motocross and enduro photographs that I’ve taken (good and bad) to tell the story of the image. For this inaugural post I’m looking back to the start of the 2023 motocross season here in Calgary, Alberta, and this image of of Jayden Riley. Jayden is a young up-and-coming racer for BFD Moto, Husqvarna Canada, and Troy Lee Designs Canada.
To set the scene, this was at Round 1 of the BFD Moto Spring Super Series at the Wild Rose MX Association here in Calgary. The Spring series is a pretty big event here in Western Canada normally attracting 400+ riders to this iconic Canadian track. It’s a great opportunity to see professional and high-end amateur racers strut their stuff after spending time down in the US training during the winter, and to get the first indicators for performance expectations. The series runs 5 rounds over 3 weekends from late April to late May, and this year it would finish the week before Round 1 of the national Canadian Triple Crown Series.
Why I Love the Fujinon XF 10-24mm F4 R OIS WR for Pro Motocross Photography
If you’re like most people, when you think of sports photography equipment and gear the first thing that comes to mind is a huge telephoto lens. You generally aren’t thinking about a sports photographer working with a short wide-angle lens. It just doesn’t look… right? Absolutely there is a big place for big badass lenses in the pro sports photography workspace - they’re a critical tool for getting close to the action from a distance, and the lens compression effects can make shots look (insert chef’s kiss action here!) insane. But for how I work as pro motocross and enduro photographer/photojournalist, the small but incredibly mighty Fujinon XF 10-24mm F4 R OIS WR from Fujifilm is more often than not my go-to lens. The bottom line is that it’s tack sharp, it’s durable, and the wide angles it affords allow me to work extremely close to the action while still capturing the context of the scene beyond the bike and rider.
IRC Endurocross Series Presented by Progressive | RD 1 Recap
The 2023 IRC Endurocross Series, presented by Progressive, opened tonight in Everett, WA, at the Angel of the Winds Arena. Coming into the series, Canadian eyes were on #84 Trystan Hart (FMF KTM Factory Racing) after his second-place overall finish to Jonny Walker in the 2022 series, and with his strong first half of the 2023 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship.
BFD Moto Fall Super Series Recap
The 2023 BFD Moto Fall Super Series wrapped up yesterday at the Wild Rose Motocross Association track in Calgary, AB. With five rounds over three weekends and making use of all three tracks at Wild Rose, the series was highlighted by great racing and it reinforced that the young talent in Alberta MX is continuing to progress.
Tragically, the series was marred by the first-round accident that resulted, days later, in the death of Jason Slingerland. Jason was a talented young motocross and enduro rider here in Alberta. The outpouring of support from the Alberta, Canadian, and international moto community was incredible, and greatly appreciated by the Slingerland family. He will be missed.