The Monday Gate Drop Presented By Yamaha Motor Canada

Good day, and welcome to another Monday column by yours truly. It was another solid weekend at Sand Del Lee, and although I’m suffering a little today after a long drive home last night from Ottawa, I’m looking forward to the week ahead. My son is still on the mend from the injuries he sustained at the WCAN on June 9^th, but he’s healing up fast and soon he’ll be able to get on his bicycle and do some long easy rides on our country roads. Unfortunately, barring any miracles there will be no Walton TransCan for him this summer, even if he was healed up there just wouldn’t be any time to properly prepare. However, there will be at least one Pomeroy on the track at the ECAN as well as the TransCan, I will be racing my 2023 Sturgess Cycle Honda 50^th Anniversary Edition CRF450R in both events. The race prep began a month ago, and so far I’m right on schedule. It should be a fun adventure as I don’t know, as a 50 year old, what’s on the other side of that starting gate!

As I mentioned, this past weekend we were all at Sand Del Lee for Round 5 of the 2023 Triple Crown Series. Things were not looking good when we woke up yesterday morning as the rain was pouring down and the track was left under water. Although the Sand Del Lee track is sand and loam on the surface, not far underneath is a hard clay shelf that doesn’t allow water to soak in with any speed. Well, thankfully Kevin Tyler and his MX101 track crew know their track and they went to work immediately to get things rideable. The race day schedule was wisely delayed for a few hours while the crew drained the lakes and moved the soil around. For the opening Pre-Mix and WMX motos, the track was sloppy and one lined. However, by the time the gate dropped on their second motos, the track was coming around. In the end, the track was the best we’ve ever seen it for a pro national, so hats off to KT and his crew of track magicians for turning things around in a short amount of time.

Like every round of the series thus far, there was a lot of story lines yesterday at SDL. On the positive side of things, Daniel Elmore’s podium finish in the 450 class was well received throughout the entire paddock. Daniel is hard working and a likeable rider, so it was great to see him find success yesterday. Ryder McNabb had a solid day, as did Mitchell Harrison. Dylan Wright and Jess Pettis put on a great show in the 450 class as they battled in both motos. Young Crayden Dillon scored his first ever top ten finish in a pro national, so that was great to see. On the other side of the coin, it was tough to watch so many riders have bike issues yesterday. Even the top teams had their issues as both the MX101 Yamaha and Walton Kawasaki Team didn’t finish a few of the motos. Finally, it was sad to see Kaven Benoit have some hard crashes yesterday, so far his comeback to racing has been without incident. There is talk of Benoit coming back again next year so his 34 year old body certainly doesn’t need any more days like that one. I don’t think Benoit has any serious injuries after yesterday, but I can only imagine how sore he will be this week. He also lost a lot of points to his teammate as he enter Round 5 just ten points back of McNabb. Now Benoit is 25 points down, with six motos to go in the 2023 Triple Crown Series. But it ain’t over yet as anything can happen in the coming weeks. Also missing from Round 5 was Shawn Maffenbeier. Maff is still suffering the effects of his hard crash last weekend at Gopher Dunes and right now there’s no timetable for his return. Well, let’s get into the top ten from yesterday see how they got there.

250 Class

1.Ryder McNabb- 1-2

There isn’t too much to say about Ryder McNabb and his riding so far in 2023. Yes, he’s been beaten a few times straight up this summer, but overall, he’s been the best rider in the 250 class. His race craft is so mature that sometimes we have to remind ourselves that he’s only 17 years old. Off the track, this kid is also a delight to deal with. We should enjoy every moment that he’s at the races in Canada, because something tells me, he won’t be in Canada for too much longer!

2. Mitchell Harrison- 4-1

Let’s face it, Harrison has had a tough season so far by his high standards. Coming into 2023 he was a title favourite but after five rounds he’s currently 89 points behind McNabb. However, this kid never gives up and during moto two with McNabb all over his back tire for 30 minutes, Harrison didn’t budge and took a well-deserved moto win.

3. Josiah Natzke- 2-3

Natzke is so smooth and quiet on the track that it’s hard to sometimes notice him. In the opening moto yesterday he capitalized on Benoit’s last lap mistake to take second place, and in moto two he just rode smooth and most likely waited for Harrison/McNabb to make a mistake. Other than McNabb, Natzke has been the most consistent rider in the 250 class and honestly, I enjoy watching him ride a dirt bike.

4. Quinn Amyotte- 5-5

After chopping part of his finger off in Calgary, Amyotte was forced to sit out Round 4 last week. However, he was back this weekend and everyone in the paddock was happy to see him back on the line. On Sunday, Quinn got good starts in both motos, kept himself out of trouble, and rode to a very smooth 4^th overall. Hopefully the rest of the series goes as well for the likeable kid from Ontario. I did hear a rumour this weekend that Quinn might be headed to the 450 class in 2024 with some really good support! This makes me happy as he really deserves it!

5. Kaven Benoit- 3-9

Unfortunately, Kaven had a day yesterday that although we knew was coming, we all hoped it wouldn’t. At this level when you’re pushing the envelope as much as these riders are, especially at the front of the pack, you’re going to crash at some point. So far, Benoit’s comeback has been smooth and without too much adversity, but yesterday he certainly had a day that his 34-year-old body didn’t enjoy. In moto one, he was leading and looking smooth, but then had a tip over. On the final lap, he had a hard crash and hurt his hip, he also lost second place to Natzke. In moto two, he was running 4^th when he jammed his shifter through his boot and wasn’t able to shift. He then had to pull into the mechanics area to get it straighten. He returned to the track in 5^th and was trying to reel in Racine when he had another big crash in the high speed section in front of the mechanics area. After lying in the sand for a lap trying to catch his breath, Benoit found the strength to remount and finish the moto in 9^th. After the races he was extremely sore and I’m sure the next few days will be miserable. I hope it’s nothing too serious as I still have him winning the Deschamabault National in front of his hometown fans!

6. Dylan Rempel- 6-10

Just like last weekend in Gopher Dunes, Dylan Rempel had a pretty solid day. His first moto was excellent and in moto two he battled back from a poor start to finish 10^th. This kid is a fighter, so you know he’s not going to give up. With how fast and experienced the riders in front of him are, Rempel should aim for top six finishes the rest of the series. If he does this and keeps putting himself in good positions, then good things will happen and perhaps, he can break into the top five.

7. Sam Gaynor- 10-7

How about the riding of Sam Gaynor since the Triple Crown Series has headed East? Last weekend he plowed his way through four tough motos (remember he also races the Pre-Mix class on Sunday morning) and rode great. This weekend he did the same and actually looked the best in the final moto yesterday. Oh yeah, and Sam also works a ‘real’ job all week as well, so his training time is limited in between races. However, this schedule is working for him as I think it takes a little of the pressure off. Sam is riding with some confidence right now and I hope he can keep it going and finish the series off strong. He’s been to hell and back with injuries in recent years, so he deserves a solid healthy season to get things back on track.

8. Preston Masciangelo- 13-6

According to Preston’s Dad, they almost didn’t make it to SDL as they were busy trying to rebuild Preston’s bike after a mid-week DNF at the practice track. However, they made it and Preston once again rode strong in both motos. In moto one, he came from dead last to 13^th, and in moto two he started in 9^th and moved up from there. I believe he had some more bike issues on the final lap but, he was still able to hold on to 6^th. This kid has some speed and he works hard during the week. He is also still a teenager so if he wants it, I believe he has a strong future in Canadian moto.

9. Austin Jones- 12-8

I felt bad for Austin Jones in moto one, he had a great race going before his bike decided it was too hot and didn’t want to run anymore. In moto two, Austin started around 20^th and from there went to work in front of his MX101 Team’s hometown fans. Austin is riding great right now, and his recent results prove it. He just has to keep building and finish this series off strong. He’s also easy to cheer for, as he’s a great kid off of the track as well.

10. Crayden Dillon- 8-13

How about this young Ontario Intermediate rider finishing 10^th overall yesterday? In moto one, he got a great start and basically stayed where he was for 30 minutes. Crayden got another good start in moto two but I think he went down on lap three or four. From there, he remounted and charged his way back up to 13^th. It was a great ride and it’s good to see these young kids finding some success in the pro-class.

450 Class:

1.Dylan Wright- 1-1

Over the years, there are three things that you can count on with Dylan whenever the Triple Crown Series arrives at Sand Del Lee. First, he’s going to have a ton of family, friends, and fans come out to cheer him on; yesterday, the Dylan Wright fans had their chain saws fired up during qualifying. Two, Dylan is probably going to win and give everyone what they came to see. Finally, even with winning, Dylan always seems to make things interesting and that was once again the case yesterday. Dylan and Jess Pettis had some good battles in both 450 motos at Round 5 and everyone in attendance was excited to watch.

2.Jess Pettis- 2-2

Last weekend Jess Pettis was a little discouraged that he didn’t have the raw speed to run with Dylan in the sand at Gopher Dunes. However, this is a rebuilding year for Pettis. His most important goal should be making it through the eight rounds of the Triple Crown Series, healthy and with some confidence heading into 2024. Well, after the team did a little testing last week, Pettis came out swinging at SDL and for the better part of both 450 motos, he ran the same pace as Wright. In fact, if it wasn’t for a small tip over late in moto one, Pettis could’ve had his second race win of the series. Overall though, Pettis looked smooth, and in control while running at the elite speed that Wright has been at all season long. This definitely bodes well for Pettis in the remaining six motos as he appears to be getting better and better each weekend. He’s also a holeshot machine right now, so if Wright is going to win the remaining races, he most likely will have to pass the #15 to do so.

3. Daniel Elmore- 4-3

Well, well, well, the moment all of us knew was coming, finally happened at Round 5. After years of trying and coming close with a couple of top five finishes, Daniel Elmore finally stood on the podium yesterday at SDL. It was an exciting day for Elmore and his Steve Simms run TLD/GASGAS/SSR Team as they’ve all faced a lot of adversity in the past year. With Daniel living five minutes from me, in the past few months I’ve witnessed first-hand the effort that this kid puts into his racing and training. He doesn’t leave anything to chance, and when it comes to preparation, he treats the opportunity he’s been given by this team, as a 9-5 job. I know from talking to him last night, that he was a little surprised with his podium finish, but no one else was. Even Tyler Medaglia stopped to give Danny a fist pump at the end of the second moto. Hopefully, there are more solid results to come for Elmore as this is just a good story all around.

4. Lars Van Berkel- 3-5

The sand loving Dutchman was back again this weekend with some more assistance from the GDR Honda Team. In moto one, Lars rode smooth and fast and took home another podium finish in the 450 class. In moto two, I believe he got taken out on the opening lap and had to charge from way back. His finish was pretty solid and off the track he’s a pretty likeable guy. He also does some pretty entertaining Vlog’s, so search him up on YouTube.

5. Tyler Medaglia- 5-4

Last weekend, Tyler admitted that he over trained coming into Gopher Dunes and that led to him feeling flat in the motos. He had a better week leading up to SDL but sometimes it can take an athlete a few weeks to recover from pushing their bodies too hard. Tyler looked better this weekend, but he was still not 100%. Look for Tyler to be a little better this weekend in Riverglade as the series heads to his back yard.

6. Julien Benek- 7-7

Talk about a quiet day for Julien Benek at Round 5. I didn’t even know he finished so well until I looked at the final results. But, with his recent string of injuries and bad luck, quiet days are exactly what Julien needs right now. This kid has a ton of talent and he rides the 450 very well. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come for Julien in the final three rounds.

7. Tyler Gibbs- 6-8

Tyler Gibbs once again rode well in the 450 class after getting incredible starts in both motos yesterday. There is certainly a lot of optimism surrounding Tyler’s riding of late as he appears to have adapted well to his KX450. The downside is that his lap times are drastically slower in the last ten minutes of each moto compared to the first ten minutes. Tyler did have a weird crash just before the halfway mark while running 5^th in moto two, and I’m sure that used up whatever energy he had left. I always say that in a series like this one, everyone remembers your final few motos. Hopefully, Tyler can get some solid preparation in this week and find his way into the top five, in a few of these remaining motos.

8. Andy Truyts- 8-11

Andy had a quiet but solid day at SDL in the 450 class. In the opening moto he did his best to hang inside the top ten, and in moto two he once again battled hard. It’s great having Andy in this series and I hope he’s having fun.

9. Josh Clark- 14-9

I haven’t seen Josh Clark for some time but, I watched him for a few laps yesterday and he looked as smooth as always. In moto two, he started 5^th and then slowly made his way back to 9^th by the end of the race. All things considered it wasn’t a bad day for Josh.

10. Ryan Derry- 13-13

It’s not very often that a 13-13 gets you a top ten overall finish, but it did for Ryan and he earned every bit of his success yesterday. The track was challenging for sure and the temperatures were hot and humid. Ryan rode solid and it was good to see his effort rewarded with a finish inside the exclusive top ten.

Well, that is it for me this week. Next weekend it’s on to Moncton and then to Quebec for the 2023 ECAN. July is flying by as it always seems to, and soon we’ll all be sitting in a field at Walton Raceway wondering where the summer went. I hope everyone has a safe week and thank you for reading this week’s Yamaha Motor Canada Monday Gate Drop. If you have any questions or comments please email them to me at editor@mxpmag.com.