Monday Gate Drop

Well, as the say in show business…That’s a wrap! A wrap to the 2013 Parts Canada TransCan and a wrap to the 2013 Monster Energy Motocross Nationals, both were excellent events and the racing was incredible. The weather all week was absolutely perfect and the Walton crew had the track in prime shape from Wednesday to Sunday. With the hot sun out every day, it couldn’t have been easy to keep the track moist, but they did and every rider I spoke to (pros and amateurs) were extremely impressed with the conditions.  Let’s start with the TransCan.

I think that the measure of any event is how you feel when it’s time to go home. You’re either sad to leave or you can’t wait to get the heck out of there. For the Pomeroy Family there was certainly a feeling of sadness as we drove out of the gate B for the final time this week. Since our arrival on Tuesday afternoon we had nothing but good times on the Walton Raceway property. The racing was awesome and the time in between and after races were just as much fun. Whether it were events like the Strider races, the track building contest, or simply just hanging out in the pits laughing with fellow racing families, the entire week was just awesome.

As parents you work hard to save the money to go to events like the TransCan. For some it can be their yearly getaway. While there is a competition going on and you want your kids to do well, at the end of the day it’s about fun and you want to see a smile on their face. I like to think of myself as a pretty observant person so one of the coolest parts of this year’s TransCan was walking around all week and seeing so many kids smiling and having fun. I know there are stressful moments at an event like this but generally speaking, from the time Dave Bell wakes everyone up in the morning until the sun goes down at night, Walton Raceway was a pretty happy place this past week, which I think is pretty rare. Imagine being at Disney World from sun up until sundown? Anyway, congratulations to everyone this past week, not just the class champions and the award winners, but every rider who rode the tough Walton track under the immense pressure that comes with a National Championship race. Well done!

For everyone that stayed yesterday to watch the final round of the Monster Energy MX Nationals, how good was the racing? It was cool to sit back and watch the pros ride the same track that we all got to ride during the week. Those guys were going so fast yesterday, even when the ruts got really deep they didn’t seem to slow down. Although Austin Politelli and Brett Metcalfe were crowned champions yesterday in the MX2 and MX1 classes, it was great to see Shawn Maffenbeier, Bobby Kiniry and Cole Thompson win motos. All the riders rode great all season and Politelli and Metcalfe are two very deserving champions. I had the privilege of going to almost every round of the series this summer, and I can tell you that the racing was incredible all season. There was a lot of pit talk over the weekend about who might be up here next year. If it all pans out then 2014 is going to be amazing.

In closing, I just want to express the pride I’m feeling this morning as a father. My son Ayrton rode the 50cc 4-6 class this past week and not only did he have a great time, he finished pretty well. He even managed a tenth in the final moto. He had such a good time on and off the track all week, and for those of you who caught his podium speech, I think you could hear the joy in his words.

So that’s it for another year of the Nationals. Let’s all give a big thanks to Brett Lee, Mark Perrin, Mark Stallybrass and all the sponsors and the people who work behind the scenes that helped make the 2013 Monster Energy MX Nationals and the 2013 Parts Canada TransCan possible. It was a great summer and it certainly makes us all look forward to next year. Finally, here’s a big shout out to Bill Van Vugt who broke his ankle this week at Walton. All the best Bill and let’s hope you make a quick recovery.