Greetings from a very tired Pomeroy household. After getting home late last night from Walton Raceway, today feels like one of those days where you don’t know which way is up and which way is down. Of course, it could be much, much worse. At least we didn’t have a long drive home like a lot families do. I can’t even imagine waking up at Walton Raceway this morning and have to face a 30, 40, or even 50 hour drive home. For those that do have a long journey back home, please drive safe.
So, another Walton TransCan is officially in the books. Overall, it was a great week at Walton Raceway, and other than a little rain on Friday afternoon, and again yesterday, the weather was beautiful all week long. On the track, the battles we witnessed and were a part of all week, were incredible. I don’t think the level of talent throughout all of the classes has ever been higher in this country, and it was an honour to watch everyone race this past week at Walton Raceway. Finally, before I get into a more detailed account of the week, I would like to say a big thank you to Brett and Melody Lee, their amazing staff, and the entire Walton TransCan for working so very hard to make this year’s event so memorable for everyone. I live on a farm and I can’t imagine opening it up to thousands of people to come and stay for a week. But, for 32 years the Lee Family has done exactly that so thank you to them.
As I mentioned above, the Amateur racing all week was simply amazing. Each race was full of excitement and regardless of where you finished, every rider who lined up and braved the deep Walton Raceway ruts, should be extremely proud of themselves. The track was tough all week long and each day brought slightly different conditions. Wednesday was a little dry and fast, Thursday was the complete opposite as the track was sticky, slower, and full of deep ruts. Friday was better, but still rutted and soft, and then Saturday was absolutely perfect. That is what makes a track like Walton Raceway so special, you can have completely different conditions depending on the day, and the time of day you race at. The track crew did a great job so thank you to them, and also to Josh Woods who flew up from GPF to help out.
Once the Amateur racing wrapped up on Saturday afternoon, it was time to get excited for Round 8 of the 2024 Triple Crown Series. With only a few points separating the top two riders in both classes, the anticipation was at an all-time high leading up to the opening motos. However, before we got to the 250 Pro/AM and 450 classes, the fans were able to watch World Champion Marvin Musquin dominate the FXR Pre-Mix class on his brand new, bone stock KTM 150. Series Champion Sam Gaynor kept Marvin honest in both motos, but the Frenchman’s raw speed and smoothness was evident on the technical Walton Raceway track. It was great having Musquin and his family up in Canada all week, and he really seemed to enjoy himself. I was able to catch up with him last night so look for that interview tomorrow. In the Thor WMX E/W Shootout, visiting American, Jordan Jarvis won both motos really without a challenge. Eve Brodeur, who was racing in her final WMX race, unfortunately crashed in practice and was unable to line up. Eve would later get an honourary lap all to herself before the second 250 Pro/AM moto. What an incredible career it’s been for Eve and her family. On the track, her success really speaks for itself, but off the track, her charisma, her kindness, as well as her professionalism has made Eve a pleasure to get to know over the years. She is an inspiration to every rider in the paddock. Congratulations Eve on an incredible career, and it’s been amazing to watch you grow as a person and as a rider. Bonne chance pour tout ce qui se passe à l’avenir!
As I mentioned, there wasn’t many points separating the top two riders in both pro classes. In the 250 Pro/AM class, Kaven Benoit was just 8 points ahead of his much younger rival Drew Adams. If Adams won then Benoit had to finish in second to clinch his third Canadian National Championship. In the opening moto, Adams grabbed the holeshot and never looked back. By the end of the moto he had a 20 second lead and had closed to within 5 points of Benoit, who got off to his worst start of the series and had to claw his way back from 10th to eventually finish in second. It was a gutsy performance by both riders and it set the stage for an entertaining moto two. When the gate finally dropped on the second 250 moto it was Benoit’s turn to holeshot, and Adams turn to play catch up. For the opening half of the moto it looked as though Benoit (who was forced to push as hard as he could in order to hold off Krystian Janik) was going to have no problem clinching this title as Adams wasn’t really moving forward. It wasn’t that Adams was riding slow, it was just that the top six riders were all going fast and turning the same lap times. However, just after halfway Adams was able to find a little extra speed and with four laps to go he was on the rear tires of Janik and Benoit. These final laps had everyone at the fences watching and cheering. For Benoit, his race quickly went from simple to extremely complicated as all of a sudden he had two fast Kawasaki riders (and Team Green teammates) right on him for the final few laps. One mistake and his title chances could’ve been ruined as Benoit had to finish at least in second if Adams won. Then, with three laps to go, Janik made a mistake and crashed, leaving Benoit and Adams two laps to sort out who was going to win this title. As the two laps to go board came out Adams made his move and grabbed the lead from Benoit. Adams would go on to make a few tactical errors in those final two laps, but I think the biggest one he made was passing Benoit too early. In my opinion, Drew should’ve sat on Benoit’s rear tire until the last moment possible, hoping that a distracted Benoit would make a costly mistake. But he didn’t, and when the white flag came out Adams had no other option then to try and jack with Benoit from in front instead of behind. It wasn’t a good look for Adams as he came to a stop several times in corners on the final lap, trying to make Benoit go down, and allow Janik to catch up from ten seconds back. In the end, Adams won the battle but Benoit deservedly won the war! After the race, Benoit was rightly upset, Adams was very apologetic, and the fans were absolutely loving the drama and the action. It was a great series, and congratulations to Kaven Benoit who became our oldest National Champion to date! Also, I want to give credit to Drew Adams on his amazing summer in Canada. Originally, he was only going to do a few rounds, but once he started winning and enjoying himself, Drew was able to get the full backing of Team Green Kawasaki in the USA to finish the Triple Crown Series.
The 450 class was a little less dramatic as Jess Pettis came into the final round with a solid ten point lead over his teammate Josiah Natzke. If Natzke won both motos, all Pettis had to do was go 3-3 and he would be your 450 Champion. The only thing that complicated that task was the return of Dylan Wright who decided to line up for the final round to show that he was healthy enough to hopefully be chosen for Team Canada at the 2024 MXON in England. I’m not sure why Dylan wouldn’t be a lock for Team Canada for this event, even if he was riding at 75%. But anyway, it was great to see Dylan back on the gate and man did he ever ride well yesterday. In the opening moto, he was unable to catch a desperate Natzke, who was in a must win situation. However, in moto two, Wright sat behind Kilroy and Pettis for half the race until he found his flow. At that point, he made his way past Kilroy and right to the rear tire of Pettis. For the final 8 laps the fans were treated to another incredible Pettis/Wright battle as both riders wanted to win not only the moto, but also the coveted Walton Sword, given to the overall 450 class winner at Walton Raceway. Pettis, with the championship in his sights gave it everything he had, but with three laps to go Wright would find an opening and make the pass for the lead. It was a great moto, and really an unforgettable moment in Canadian moto history. To watch Pettis win his first-ever 450 Championship was truly special, and also to see Dylan Wright come back from his scary crash at Round 2 and win the OA at the final round was also special. Finally, you have to give credit to Josiah Natzke who gave it everything he had to try and win this title. Hopefully, the New Zealander is back here in 2025 as he really is a great asset to our series in Canada. Congratulations to Jess Pettis and the entire KTM Canada Red Bull Racing Team! What a summer it was for them as they were dominant from start to finish. Also, thank you to everyone involved in the Triple Crown Series for a great season. This summer was truly memorable and now I look forward to 2025.
That it is for me this week as currently I cannot even see straight. As I mentioned, tomorrow I will have an interview with Musquin, and also with Kaven Benoit. It’s going to be a jam packed week of content on mxpmag.com so please stay tuned. Thank you for reading and congratulations to all of the 2024 Walton TransCan Champions and Award winners. We are blessed here in Canada with so many talented young racers. It was an honour to watch everyone race last week, and it was also an honour to have competed myself at such a special event. See you next year Walton Raceway!
