Motovan Canada Presents MXP Chatter With Tyler Gibbs

This past weekend, the gate dropped on the opening round of the 2024 Orion AMO AX Championships in Chilliwack, BC. This four-race series has been around in some way, shape, or form for three decades and has attracted riders from across Canada and the Northwestern USA. However, despite its diverse field of participants, this series has really benefited local BC riders, and we’ve witnessed many of them go on and find success right across North America. One of these BC riders is Tyler Gibbs, who, at this time last year, was competing in the General Tire AX Series in the USA for the Creo KTM Team. Unfortunately, a broken collarbone cut short Tyler’s indoor season, and he was forced to go to Plan B for this summer’s Triple Crown Series. Tyler is a talented rider, and this weekend in Chilliwack, he proved that by taking the overall Pro-AM class win on Saturday evening and the points lead heading into the final two rounds this coming weekend. We caught up with Tyler as he was doing some bike maintenance and reflecting on his successful weekend.

MXP: Hey Tyler! What is going on today?

TG: Not too much. I’m just about to wash my bike from the weekend and start getting it ready for practice on Wednesday.

Is there an open practice in Chilliwack on Wednesday?

Yes, I think they’re doing some track changes today and tomorrow. Then we get to ride the track on Wednesday. Then we’re back racing on Friday, so it’s a short week here.

Well, congratulations on your results this past weekend. You were second to Colin Jurin on Friday night but came back to win the following evening, taking the points lead.

Yes, it was a good weekend for me. I couldn’t match Jurin’s speed on Friday, as I was a little rusty, and he was riding pretty well. He didn’t show up on Saturday, which is too bad because I thought I rode a lot better on the second day, and I looked forward to battling him. I think he’s coming back this weekend, so hopefully, we can have a few good races together. I suffered from a little arm pump on both nights, but with the track having a lot of flow, I was able to stay smooth.

Most of the top riders are riding 450s in Chilliwack, with the exception of Blake Davies. Do you think a 450 is the way to go for this type of track?

I think so! There are a couple of bigger jumps that would be hard on a 250, so the 450 is the way to go when it comes to that. The start is easier on a 450, and I find it easier to flow on the bigger bike. You’re not shifting as much; they’re just easier to ride.

So, you finished second on Friday evening and then came back to win on Saturday night. This is your first big win in some time. It must feel good?

Yes, it’s been a while for sure, and it feels pretty good. I’ve been sick for a bit, so I wasn’t sure how my endurance would be once we got racing. But, overall, I felt good. I’ve always been a good indoor rider, as I’ve done it since I was a kid, but in the past few seasons, I just haven’t been able to finish well when it really counted. It felt good to finally put it all together and finish where I feel like I should.

You mentioned the track having good flow. It’s been a few years since you raced this series. Do you like the bigger track and the amount of room in this arena?

For sure! Other than it being a little cold inside when we’re racing, the bigger track layout and indoor pits are great. This building is perfect for Canadian AX, which is probably one big reason why this series has existed for so long.

Yes, it really has been an incredible series for such a long time. Obviously, when it comes to racing AX, riders sometimes have to be extra aggressive when trying to make a pass. Was there any rubbing this past weekend?

There were a few times when a few of us got close and even made contact. I broke my front brake lever off once while colliding with another rider, but there wasn’t anything too bad. Our sport is different now than it used to be. I’ve heard some of your stories from years ago when you guys never really spoke off the track. So, when you ran into each other on the track, it wasn’t a big deal because there weren’t many friendships. Now, we’re kind of all buddies off the track, so when we get aggressive on the track, feelings get hurt. I like all of the riders I’m racing against, as they’re all great guys, but in this type of racing, you have to be aggressive if you want to get to the front.

I mean, as long as it’s respectful and you’re not trying to clean someone out, racing is racing, and you’re all out trying to win and make money. As John Nelson used to say, “rubbin is racing.” So, you have the points lead heading into this weekend. What do you feel you have to do to maintain it and bring home this title?

I feel like I just need to do the same as I did last weekend. I need to get good starts, not make too many mistakes, and ride smart. My speed is good, and I’m really enjoying my GA Checkpoint Yamaha. So, I just need to pretty much try and repeat what I did this past weekend.

Well, good luck, and it should be an entertaining weekend of racing once again in Chilliwack. Not to look too far ahead, but after this series is over, do you have any future race plans?

Not really! Unless something comes up and I’m able to head back to Germany for a SX in January, I think I’m just going to take a break from riding. I know that may sound strange because I haven’t done a lot of racing since Walton. But I need a break from even thinking about riding. I haven’t been home for any extended time for a few years, so I just want to work and try to enjoy winter here. But, you know how it is. I feel like that now, but once Christmas is over and I’ve been doing the same thing for a bit, I’ll want to go somewhere warm to ride. As far as next year goes, I think I’ll be racing the 250 class on a Yamaha, and it will just be my brother and I (and my dad) hitting as many races as possible.

Well, that sounds like some Gibbs Family fun in 2025. But first things first, you have to try and defend those red plates you have currently. Good luck this weekend, Tyler, and we’ll catch up again soon.

Thanks Palms! Hopefully, it’s another fun and successful weekend in Chilliwack.