Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
Well, that was an exciting weekend of racing here at home as well as in the USA. High Point Raceway provided some incredible race action at Round 4 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championships, and out in hot and windy Manitoba, Round 3 of the Triple Crown was all about survival. With a humidex of over 40c, it was a challenging day for our riders and thankfully everyone made it through the weekend. Once again I did not travel west to Pilot Mound as my family and I were back racing at Gopher Dunes yesterday. Due to back ordered parts my son has not been able to race since the opening AMO Racing round ironically at Gopher Dunes back in April. It’s been a long wait for sure but it was great to be back with our extended moto family and the Gopher Dunes crew did a great job in keeping the track in good shape all day long. In case you haven’t heard, GD has a new harder packed front track which is what AMO used for the race this weekend. Anyway, it was a fun day and we were excited to be back at the races.
One other thing I want to mention before going into more details about Round 3 in Manitoba is how about Trystan Hart finishing third overall at the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo yesterday in Austria. This is an amazing accomplishment for our off-road legend and one that he’s been working towards now for many years. I had a chance to watch Trystan ride in person last August at the Red Bull Outliers event and man he was impressive. I got to interview him after that win and I was impressed with how nice and down-to-earth he seemed. Congratulations to Trystan Hart on his amazing finish yesterday at the toughest race on the planet!
Now onto what happened yesterday in Manitoba. To briefly summarize it was a hot, hot, hot day in Pilot Mound. The 250 class once was again a dog fight between Piccolo and Harrison for the win. Harrison came out on top with a solid 2-1 moto score. I thought his first moto come from behind ride was special but then after talking to Ryan Lockhart this morning, he said Harrison’s charge to the front in Moto 2 was even more impressive. What an addition he’s been on the Cobequid GASGAS Team and you have to wonder if he’s only going to get better in the east? In the 450 class, Dylan Wright once again dominated and Newf felt like his second 450 moto was his best races of the season thus far. With the conditions the way they were and with Dylan winning by over 40 seconds Newf was impressed. Tyler Medaglia was also strong yesterday (I think we’ve been saying that for a few years now) and he could also be better in the east. Maybe not beat Dylan Wright better, but maybe lead more laps better. I also feel like Maff and Tanner Ward will continue to improve, as will Blackmer, so the battle for second in the 450 series could be heating up. Sadly, Jess Pettis will most likely not be returning to the series after having surgery last Monday to repair his broken elbow. I spoke to Pettis on Thursday and he told me unless something drastic happens as far as his healing goes he wants to take some time off and get completely healthy. He’s also very interested in competing in the upcoming World SX Championships so I passed along some email addresses to him. To have Pettis and maybe even Cole Thompson to follow in this new SX series would be very cool for sure.
Below I have listed the top five riders in both the 250 and 450 classes after three rounds and gave my thoughts on their performances thus far in the series. Also, I want to send my congratulations to Eve Brodeur and Jayden Riley on winning the West WMX Series and the West FXR Pre-Mix Series. Good job to both and now it’s time to head east!
250 Class
1. Jacob Piccolo- 136 points
As the three-race western swing wrapped up yesterday in Manitoba Piccolo has a scant 3-point lead over Mitchell Harrison. Although he hasn’t won an overall yet (he has three second-place finishes) he’s been the rider with the most explosive speed. There’s no doubt that the racing in the east is going to be epic at the front of the pack in the 250 class.
2. Mitchell Harrison- 134 points
Coming into the 2022 Triple Crown Series Harrison was a bit of a mystery as we didn’t know his true outdoor speed. But in three races he now has two overall wins and a lot of momentum heading into the east. This kid is fit, fast, and happy to be spending his summer in Canada so look out for him in the final six rounds.
3. Ryder McNabb- 118 points
Other than his win at the opening round in Kamloops I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Ryder McNabb yet. In the days leading up to Drumheller he came down with the flu and even heading into yesterday he hadn’t fully recovered. Ryder is going to have his hands full with Piccolo, Harrison, and most likely Marco Cannella, but he’s most certainly one of the riders capable of winning this title.
4. Sebastien Racine- 101 points
First off, we are so fortunate in this country to have a plethora of young and fast riders who are ready to win races. So far in this series, Racine’s riding has been nothing short of amazing and I think he’ll be even stronger in the east. This kid is as tough as they come and he possesses a strong desire to win. He may need a little help but it wouldn’t surprise me if he wins a moto before the end of the summer.
5. Marco Cannella- 98 points
This was obviously not the start to the 250 Series that Cannella envisioned during his off-season in Georgia. After three rounds he’s already 38 points out of the lead and that is going to be difficult to make up in the east. After some bike changes this weekend Cannella did grab a third in the opening moto so that is something to build on. Cannella is fit, hungry, smart, and at times very fast, but something is missing as he should be a lot more consistent than he’s been. Perhaps a weekend off will do him some good as he needs to come out swinging at Round 4.
450 Class
1. Dylan Wright- 150 points
I mean, really what can you say about Dylan Wright’s riding that hasn’t already been said. Right now he’s in his own little world and with all due respect to every other 450 rider on the track, in the past few motos once the halfway board comes he looks like he’s riding at 75-80%. However, we all know that in this sport things can change quickly and Dylan must remain focused. I tried to suggest to Dylan’s boss this weekend that they should go and race Red Bud and then make the 6-hour drive to Walton after. This would still get them back to Ontario in lots of time for Dylan to get a good night’s sleep and then be ready for Round 4. Currently, the plan is for Dylan to race Budds Creek later this summer but raise your hand if you want to see him do more US Nationals in 2022! Anyway, Dylan once again won both motos yesterday and obviously takes a ton of momentum into Round 4.
2. Tyler Medaglia- 132 points
Canada’s fastest Vet rider just keeps finding ways to rack up some more solid finishes in the 450 class. Tyler admitted after the race that he rode and trained too much this past week and didn’t have enough energy in reserve for Sunday. I love that he’s still trying to find speed and improve his riding at his age. Right now Tyler is the second-best rider in the 450 class and he no doubt wants to stay there in the east.
3. Shawn Maffenbeier- 98 points
Considering Maff didn’t score any points in the second moto at Round 1 it’s impressive that he’s sitting third in points. I feel like this could be the summer of Maff if he’s able to keep the momentum going in the east. I don’t think he can find the speed to consistently run with Wright but I do feel like there are some entertaining Maff/Medaglia battles coming soon. Buckle up…Plus 30 battles are the best!
4. Chris Blackmer- 93 points
With Blackmer’s youth and inexperience in the pro class it’s no surprise that so far he’s had his best round racing on a surface that he’s most comfortable on. He and the Whispering Pines track appeared to really gel together and his confidence soared. However, since then he’s been off the pace of the top riders in the 450 class. I do feel like his best races are still to come as the series return to softer tracks like Gopher Dunes, SDL, and Deschambault. Since his boss Steve Simms lives five minutes from me I’m hoping to do some riding with this likable kid in the coming weeks.
5. Weston Wrozyna- 86 points
I would most certainly call Wrozyna’s start to the 2022 450 Series impressive as he’s pretty much done everything that has been expected of him. In three rounds he’s finished 6-6-7 and although I’m sure he wants and expects to be inside the Top 5, this is about where I had him prior to the series starting. I don’t know, this kid is a workhorse and he rides very well on tracks like Walton and SDL so a few Top 5 finishes could be in his future. So far though I’d say the opening three rounds to this series have been an absolute success.
So after three rounds that is your top five in both classes. In the 250 class, riders like Quinn Amyotte, Tyler Gibbs, Jeremy McKie, and young Dylan Rempel are all off to solid starts as well. In the 450 class, look for Tanner Ward to be much better in the east as his third overall yesterday was a stunning turnaround from his opening two rounds. Also, riders like Felix Lopez could be better as will Parker Eales who did well last year in the east. Finally, you cannot forget about fast east riders like Liam O’Farrell and Tim Tremblay who are always strong on their home tracks.
Well, that is it for me this week. I hope everyone had a great weekend and I hope all the moto dads had a great Father’s Day yesterday. This coming weekend the CCAN takes place in Manitoba as well as the final two rounds of the 2022 Motopark Cup. Summer will officially arrive tomorrow so happy summer of 2022. For the past two summers we’ve been told to stay home because of Covid-19 and now we all want to stay home because we can’t afford the price of gas. Sometimes we just cannot win!
