So it is that time of year again when all of the sweat, tears, hard work and preparation will be put to the test. All of the amateur racers will be counting down the days for the biggest Motocross race of the year….the Walton Trans Can, the biggest Amateur race in Canada which will all start next week. I thought this would be a great time to share a couple Walton stories that I had experienced over the years when I raced there. Some were great, some not so great, but all of them were learning lessons that have built me into the person I am today.
Let’s start off with the not so great story from 2009. I had just finished third in the Canadian National Series and was heading into Walton with high hopes of my first Championship there. The first two motos had been nothing less than perfect with two holeshots and two moto wins. All I had to do was finish in the top ten in the final moto to get the overall. I pulled off another holeshot and had a good lead over the rest of the pack when about half way through the race I got to the top of one of the hills and my bike died.
As I was coasting down the hill I was in a panic to get it going, but when I went to start my bike again the kickstarter was stuck solid and I knew from that moment I wasn’t going to finish the race. It was absolutely heartbreaking! All of the hard work that I put into this event was gone in an instant. I remember pushing my bike back to the trailer and the entire way back there were crowds of people lined up along the fence cheering for me. One of them said “It’s okay Denaye, we all know who the Queen of Walton would’ve been”. I choked up a bit but held myself together. I didn’t want anyone to see me cry!
Todd Kuli had been helping me that week down at the line so that my Dad could have a chance to watch me race instead of being stuck in the mechanics area. When they saw me pushing my bike, they ran over to push it the rest of the way back to the trailer. A few other people had come up to me in between the track and our pit area just to say how sorry they felt for me. By the time I reached our pits there was a steady stream of tears running down my face. I locked myself in our motorhome for a few hours to calm down a bit to try to pull myself back together.
By the time the awards ceremony was about to start, Jared and Lacy Stock came and got me out of our motorhome to be a part of the awards. I had cheered up a bit after talking to a few people and received my 5th place trophy in the Ladies class. After a few of the awards were given out there was one in particular that I remember talking to Jared about, it was the Wiseco Most Improved Rider Award. When they were talking about this award, Jared and I said how they had never given this award out to a lady rider before, and before I knew it my name was called. I was speechless. I looked at Jared and we were both like HOLY CRAP that’s awesome! Harvey gave me the award and I teared up just looking at him. Winning that award meant more to me than winning a championship! The fact that other people had noticed the improvement I had made over the year made me feel like I was on top of the world!
After sitting out for the 2010 Trans Can due to injury, my greatest moment at Walton was in 2011 after wrapping up my Women’s Western National Championship. We made the trip to Walton once again and this time I was not going to let anything get in my way of winning the Ladies Championship once and for all. The first moto was perfect, a holeshot and I pulled away from the pack. The second moto gave me another holeshot but this time a few of the girls had stuck with me, one in particular was Kassie Boone. We had been close the entire race and it came down to the wire at the last few corners. She got around me on the second last corner, but I made a move back on the last corner to take the win. That will be a race I will never forget. It was an intense battle the entire moto and by far one of the most fun races I have ever had! The third moto I got another holeshot and was really just worried about finishing the race and not screwing this up again.
By the last few laps I had been pressured for the lead by Kate McKerrol and ended up giving the lead away because I didn’t want to push too hard and make any stupid mistakes. I knew I had the Championship wrapped when I finished second in that moto. When I came off the track my Dad and Step Mom, Lorrie, were waiting at the podium. To have them there with me was the ultimate win because of the years we had spent working for that moment; I got to experience it all with them. I had finally won my first Ladies Walton Championship and it took me many years of ups and downs to get it, but in the end it was well worth the fight!
Looking forward to hearing about some great battles next week. Good luck to all the racers heading over there! Never give up and learn from your mistakes.
Denaye