Round 1 of the 2022 Triple Crown Series in Kamloops, BC, did not disappoint, with all four classes supplying amazing racing throughout the race day!
The THOR WMX series dropped the first gate of the year to dark skies and rainy conditions at Whispering Pines Raceway. Full gates and a strong field of competitors provided a battle right from the gate drop between defending champion GasGas/CMS/Callus Racing’s Eve Brodeur, Lexi Pechout, Malia Garant and newcomer Kaylie Kayer. An early moto crash took out Pechout, and Brodeur was able to pull a nice lead and take the moto win over Kayer and Garant.
Moto two was much the same, as Brodeur quickly jumped into the lead, and it was clear sailing for a 1-1 day and our first overall of the season. The battle for the last two podium spots got very interesting as Garant pressured Kayer throughout the race. Unfortunately for Garant, a bent shifter forced her out of the battle mid-moto. Kayer and Pechout carried out a close race, with Kayer holding down for a 2-2 on the day, and Pechout landed the third overall with 4-3 moto scores.
THOR WMX
- Eve Brodeur
- Kaylie Kayer
- Lexi Pechout
- Bailey Orbanski
- Annalyse Lopushinsky
FXR Premix Round 1 of the West was all about Blake Davies and his CTS Racing built Husqvarna TC125. Blake dominated the day with two holeshots and two massive leads capping off an incredibly successful week of amateur racing at the Western Canada Amateur National (WCAN). Second place was awarded to Jayden Riley, a young rider on a Husqvarna Supermini. Jayden and his bike also made Triple Crown history: a small wheel machine finished on the podium for the first time. Rounding
out the podium was Suzuki pilot Tylar Craig after a wild battle with Quesnel’s Adam Smith.
FXR Premix
- Blake Davies
- Jayden Riley
- Tylar Craig
- Adam Smith
- Liam Dodds
250 Pro blasted off the line for the first moto, with defending champion Jacob Piccolo grabbing the Royal Distributing Holeshot. The KTM Canada/Red Bull/THOR rider led wire to wire as his main rival, Honda Canada/GDR/Fox Racing’s Ryder McNabb, was stuck in the pack well outside the top 10. At the checkered flag, McNabb was nipping at Piccolo’s heels after working his way through the field and dodging lappers to secure second place and give himself a great shot at the overall. Third went to the
young rookie, KTM Canada/Red Bull/Thor team rider Sebastian Racine, holding off MX101/FXR/Yamaha’s Marco Cannella who was hungry for more but had to settle for 4th.
Moto two was much the same as Piccolo grabbed the Royal Distributing Holeshot only to be taken to the ground by TLD/GasGas/SSR’s Tyler Gibbs, dropping Piccolo to 40th position. Gibbs led the way for the first few laps before being overtaken by Ryder McNabb, who cruised to the moto win and
overall as the rest of the field battled for the last two podium positions. It was a four-way battle for second and third overall, with Gibbs, Cannella, and GasGas/CMS/Callus Racing’s Mitchell Harrison swapping positions multiple times throughout the moto as Piccolo charged his way through the pack.
While trying to track down Harrison in 2nd, Cannella lost a few positions and unfortunately dropped out of the podium running. Michigan’s Harrison rode a very solid and smooth race earning a second in the moto and third overall – a great first day racing on Canadian soil. At the same time, Piccolo came back from the early moto crash to finish third and earn second overall for the day.
Moving to Drumheller for Round 2 on June 12th, McNabb will run the red plates as the series leader by a mere two points.
250 Pro
- Ryder Mcnabb
- Jacob Piccolo
- Mitchell Harrison
- Tyler Gibbs
- Marco Cannella
The big boys’ division of 450 Pro was the same song and dance as 2021, with Dylan Wright stealing the show with an impressive 1-1 domination, giving himself and his Honda Canada/GDR/Fox Racing team an early lead in the series. However, GasGas/CMS/Callus Racing’s Tyler Medaglia didn’t make it
easy on him, as Captain Canada himself led both motos for around 15 minutes each. Medaglia kept Dylan honest and, in moto one, had to fend off MX101/FXR/Yamaha’s Shawn Maffenbeier who landed on the podium with a solid third in the first moto. Medaglia was able to secure a 2-2 for round one, but for Maffenbeier, a bad crash in the second moto ended his day early and opened the door for KTM Canada/Red Bull/Thor’s Jess Pettis to go 4-3 for third overall on the day. Look for Jess to improve his moto finishes as the series goes on as he completes his recovery from wrist surgery five weeks ago.
An honorable mention goes to another new rider to the series, TLD/GasGas/SSR’s Chris Blackmer. The Michigan native finished off the day with a fourth overall and earned the second moto’s Royal Distributing Holeshot award!
450 Pro
- Dylan Wright
- Tyler Medaglia
- Jess Pettis
- Chris Blackmer
- Daniel Elmore
Without question, the first round delivered the goods and the series will be packed full of action as we head east to DorvaMX in Drumheller, Alberta, on June 12th. Be sure to rewatch all the race day coverage on RYDETV.com, the home for all Triple Crown Series Racing.