Behind The Lens From Round 9 At Walton Raceway Presented By Fox Racing Canada
Heading into Round 9 of the 2022 Triple Crown Series MXTour, all eyes were focused on the GDR Honda Team to see if they could not only pull off the perfect season in the 450 class but also secure the 250 championship as well. From the opening round in Kamloops Dylan Wright has been as determined as we’ve ever seen him and it was only fitting that he came into Walton just two motos shy of being perfect for 2022. His younger teammate Ryder McNabb has been far from perfect this summer, however, since the 250 series headed east in early July he’s been on fire. Both of these talented Honda riders were incredible to watch all series long and on Sunday it was only fitting that they were able to secure the 450 and 250 Series titles for 2022. For Wright, it was his third 450 title in a row, but of his three this was without a doubt the most dominant. As for McNabb, this was his first-ever pro title and at 16 years old it most likely won’t be his last. Congratulations to these riders as well as all of the riders who competed this summer in the Triple Crown Series. To look back at Sunday at Walton Raceway here are a collection of James Lissimore photos from Round 9.
After a solid ride on Sunday Quinn Amyotte ended up 4th OA in the 250 Series. Well done Quinn! Chris Blackmer was probably one of the most talented riders in the Triple Crown Series in 2022. However, a few mistakes here and there cost him a top 5 OA finish in the 450 class. Hopefully he’s back next year!Josh Bryan was one of a few Intermediate riders that made their pro class debut on Sunday. JB17 rode solid in the 250 class and ended up 15th OA. After coming back from injury for the east half of the series Sam Gaynor won the Pre Mix Series and had a decent showing in the 250 class aboard his 125. What a summer for these two red riders!Mitchell Harrison did everything he could on Sunday to close the points gap but in the end he came up just short of the 250 title. Felix Lopez was a great addition to the 450 class and it was good to see him finish up in 5th OA. Hopefully this isn’t the last we’ve seen of these two working together. Preston Masciangelo had a solid day at Round 9 going 12-8 for 10th OA in the 250 class. The KTM Team has to be happy with Jeremy McKie’s results since they brought him under the tent. Congratulations to the McNabb family!This kid has been under a lot of pressure to win since he was 10 years old and on Sunday he finally realized his dream of becoming a pro champion. Tyler Medaglia looked great for a few laps as he led the early part of moto 1 in the 250 class. Unfortunately he hit false neutral on the finish line jump and crashed hard and was done for the day. Hopefully he can heal up quick as he has the Six Day’s as well as the MXON to prepare for. Never mess with a girl holding a sword!It was great to see Keylan Meston racing at Walton Raceway all week. In order to prepare for the MXON as a member of Team New Zealand Josiah Natzke rode a 450 at Round 9 and we think he looked very good on the big bike. Let’s hope he’s back in 2023. After one of the most spectacular crashes of the summer Natzke had to race the final half of moto 2 like this. Racing in the final pro national of his career Liam O’Farrell rode solid and finished 5th in moto 2. Although Zach Osborne’s day didn’t go as planned it was still great having the legend at Walton Raceway. Zacho’s speed was great on Sunday but a moto 1 crash jammed his thumb and he was unable to finish moto 2. If this was Justin Petker’s final race as a pro mechanic he definitely went out on a high note. Sebastien Racine had a solid summer as a rookie in the 250 class finishing third OA in the series. Another visiting rider on Sunday was young Noah Viney who grabbed both holeshots in the 250 class and finished 8th OA. In the past few races Tanner Ward has been riding great and on Sunday he finished 2nd OA. If Medaglia isn’t able to go to Red Bud for the MXON this is the rider I’d call. After a perfect summer and a long day at Walton Raceway Dylan Wright still had some time for his fans. Just perfect!