When you look back at this past year in Canadian motocross there are many great stories and many great performances. In both the amateur and pro classes, we all witnessed riders push their limit on the racetrack while battling for moto wins and championships. Even though it was a shorter season than we’re used to seeing, it didn’t lack any of the great race action that we’ve been accustom to seeing in Canada. As I’ve done for the past six seasons, this is the time of year that I sit down to compose my annual Golden Elbow Awards that celebrate the memorable moments from the past year. Whether it was Dylan Wright’s Championship-winning rookie season in the 450 class, or Jess Pettis returning from injury to captured his second 250MX Title, there were multiple moments worth talking about. With just over a month remaining in 2020, I’m going to take the next few weeks to celebrate this year’s Award winners.
Rookie of the Year- Jeremy McKie
As I looked over the list of possible winners for this category and their results from this past season, it made me realize what a talented group of young riders we have in this country. Names like Ryder McNabb, Jacob Piccolo, and Jeremy McKie. These three standouts demonstrated moments of absolute brilliance in 2020 and all of them deserve some recognition. For McNabb, he charged hard all summer long and if it wasn’t for numerous bad starts, he surely would’ve had more finishes near or inside the Top 5. Also, let’s not forget that McNabb is still only 15 years old so his best days are still potentially years away. Right now, he has all of the tools needed to be a future champion at the pro level and I love watching him ride.
As for Jacob Piccolo, what we saw from him in 2020 was pure speed and talent! During the MXTour Piccolo regularly showed incredible pace and by the final two rounds at Sand Del Lee, he also showed us a little determination as he held off Tanner Ward for second in a moto. This kid is good and out of these three young riders I would have to label him as the one with the purest talent. Whenever I watched Piccolo this past summer I noticed that he does stuff on the bike that no one else in the 250 class does. His technique is very good and as he gets older and more mature, he should be able to lessen his mistakes and begin to win races. He should be very proud of the strides he made in 2020 with regards to his fitness and his racecraft. Like McNabb and McKie, Jacob Piccolo has a bright future ahead of him.
That brings us to the winner of the Golden Elbow Award for the 2020 Rookie of the Year, Jeremy McKie. A few months back the Triple Crown Series also gave McKie the Rookie of the Year honours and at first, I was a little surprised. Not because I didn’t think that Jeremy was worthy, but because he did it so quietly and under the radar that I had to look back at his results to realize just how good a season he had. In the 250 Triple Crown Series, McKie finished 5th overall, at Round 3 of the MXTour at Walton, he went 3-8 for 5th overall, and in perhaps his best ride of the year, at the opening round, he finished 10-9-6 for 8th overall. I say that was his best ride of the year because he came into the opening round at Gopher Dunes with a badly injured shoulder. Jeremy McKie may not have the pure speed of Piccolo, or the hard-charging flash of Ryder McNabb, but this kid from Quebec is fast, strong, and determined. He also shows a ton of maturity already in his riding and I think of these three young riders, McKie is the closest to being ready to move up to the 450 class. In fact, I believe McKie’s best results will come when he moves up to the 450 class.
We are most certainly blessed to have a solid group of young pro riders in this country, and even more blessed when you look at some of our top amateur riders. The future is bright and let’s hope the Triple Crown Series can remain strong and can give these young riders a big stage to showcase their talents. Finally, when talking about incredible rookie performances this year, I have to also mention Dylan Wright and his 2020 season. Not only did he win the 450MX title in his first year in the class, but he also took home the Triple Crown Series title as the top 450 rider of the year. Every time Dylan hit the track this past season he was a threat to win, regardless of the conditions. At Gopher Dunes, he won in the sand and the heat, at Walton, he won in the mud, at Sand Del Lee he dominated in front of his friends and family, and in the SXTour he won a main event in stunning fashion. Congratulations to Dylan and to all of these incredible riders. I can’t wait to see how they all do in 2021!