Good day, and Happy Monday to everyone! I knew that July would go by fast as it does every other year, this summer month always flies by. Well, here we are entering the final week of July, and as I have since 2014, I’m getting ready to head to Quebec for the ECAN at the beautiful Deschambault MX facility. The first time I went to this famous track was in 1993 when I raced a fall Provincial event there (as a PRO). The track and paddock area was drastically different than they are today. However, the vibe and hospitality of the Quebec people hasn’t changed since the early 1990s. Racing in Quebec has always been one of my favourite things to do in this sport, and I have many great memories there. Now, it’s time to go and make some more great memories this week at the ECAN, and then at Round 7 of the 2023 Triple Crown Series.
Speaking of the 2023 Triple Crown Series, let’s get right into what happened yesterday at Riverglade Raceway. First, did the Moncton area ever get fortunate with regards to the weather this past weekend, as about 150kms to the east, Nova Scotia was getting hammered with rain. Roads got flooded, bridges got washed away, and the round of the Canadian Superbike Series got cancelled. It was a mess, and as we speak they’re still cleaning up. The Weather Channel said that Nova Scotia received three months’ worth of rain, over a 24-hour period this weekend. I hope everyone there is safe and able to recover quickly. Thankfully, Riverglade Raceway received only a fraction of that, and the track yesterday turned out great for racing. Also, as it has for years, the Riverglade National brought the fans and spectators lined the fences around the entire track. This race is really one of the best of the Triple Crown Series, and everyone there does an incredible job. The Riverglade crew also made some track changes which were well-received by the riders. My favourite change was to the first turn area, which made the start much safer. This used to be the fastest start of the series, and like always, whenever you have excess speed, you ultimately have safety concerns. So, while the new first turn wasn’t as exciting to watch from a fans perspective, the riders as a group loved it!
One rider who hasn’t enjoyed the past two weekends is KTM Canada Red Bull Racing’s Kaven Benoit. If we rewind two weeks to the Gopher Dunes National, I think Benoit had his best race of the season. His second moto battle with Mitchell Harrison was one for the ages, and I’m sure he took a lot of confidence into Sand Del Lee. In moto one at SDL, Benoit continued his excellent riding by leading early and setting the fastest lap time of the race. Then with one lap to go, while sitting comfortably in third, things went sideways when he suffered a crash, and his hips and pelvis hit the bars hard. From that moment, Benoit’s dream comeback season took a dramatic turn, as an even harder second moto crash in SDL left him in a lot of pain, and changed his focus this past week from training, to recovery. Then yesterday, while running a safe fourth in the opening 250 moto, Benoit crashed again and ended up finishing 9th. Sadly, he didn’t return for moto two, and when I reached out to him this morning, he said that his shoulder and ankle are very sore (he currently has a separated shoulder and broken bone in his ankle). He also said that he will do everything he can to get to the starting line this weekend for his home Province race in Deschambault, but that it will be tough.
As I mentioned last week, we knew that Benoit’s comeback season wasn’t going to be all roses, and that there would be some setbacks. It’s the same for every rider, and no one, regardless of talent or age, is immune to adversity at this level of racing. Benoit has been going fast since the opening gate drop in Edmonton, and he’s been a pleasure to watch. Knowing how tough the 34-year-old Quebec rider is, he will no doubt try and line up this weekend in front of his legion of French fans. They love Kaven Benoit, and I estimate that many will attend the race this weekend just to see him. So, rest and heal up this week Kaven, and hopefully we’ll see you this weekend in Deschambault, where adrenaline will no doubt be your best friend.
Our other fast Vet rider, Shawn Maffenbeier, was back this weekend for Round 6 after sitting out last weekend with a concussion. Remember, Maff took a hard fall while battling for the lead in the opening 450 moto. Until then, Maff’s farewell tour had been going great, and he was riding as good or better than we’d ever seen him ride. However, as we saw with Benoit in SDL, things can change quickly in this sport, and age is not an asset during those unfortunate moments. I remember a Kevin Windham quote from back in the late 2000s when he wisely said, “There’s a good reason why there isn’t a lot of 30-year-old pro motocross riders.” This is obviously a challenging sport at any age; however, as we all age, our body’s ability to recover from injuries and exercise decreases. We’re seeing that with Benoit, but thankfully for Maff, he was able to recover quickly and make it to the starting line for Round 6. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t 100%, but he was able to race and rode pretty solid for 4th overall yesterday. If Maff can get through this weekend in Quebec, he should be able to set himself up well for a run at a moto win to finish off his incredible career at Walton Raceway. Historically, Maff rides well in the deep ruts at Walton, and if he’s at all healthy, then I can envision him letting it all hang out and going for a moto win! I mean, how cool would it be for Maff to win a moto or even the overall at Walton and take home the coveted Walton Sword? Now, that would be a Hollywood ending for the kid from Saskatchewan.
Moving on from our fast Vet riders to the team that has had nothing but bad luck in the past two weeks. The WLTN/Kawasaki/Seven Race Team had an awful weekend in SDL with three moto-ending mechanical issues. Then, after a busy week and getting everything ready to go for Round 6 in Riverglade, Tanner Ward suffered another mechanical issue in moto one yesterday, while running third. To top that off, after a tough opening 450 moto for Jeremy Mckie, there was a massive blow-up under the tent involving Jeremy’s father and team officials. This led to Jeremy not lining up for not only moto two but also parting ways with the team for the remainder of the season. Now, out of respect for everyone involved, including the WLTN/Kawasaki/Seven Team, their sponsors, and the Mckie family, I’m not going into details right now. I haven’t heard from Jeremy personally yet. However, he did make a brave post on Social Media this morning. But here is the official statement from the WLTN/Kawasaki/Seven Team:
“Jeremy is a talented rider who, with some hard work, will be a good professional. He and his family are best suited to create a racing program under their own direction.
The changes we have made so far this season have brought our team closer to the nucleus of people we want under our tent. We are excited to close out the 2023 season with strong finishes. Championships are where we are setting our sights in 2024, and we are confidently moving in the direction we need to be if we want to achieve those goals.”
So, there you have it. Sadly, Mckie is no longer part of the WLTN/Kawasaki/Seven Team, which opens the door for Tyler Gibbs to move under the tent for the final two rounds of the Triple Crown Series. Gibbs has had a solid rookie 450 season and currently sits 6th overall in the 450 points standings. In these final two rounds, Gibbs is going to have his hands full holding on to that position as riders like Andy Truyts, Parker Eales, Julien Benek, as well as the aforementioned Jeremy Mckie (who could and should buy or borrow a bike this week and show up at Round 7 with something to prove) are all right there battling for the top six. But this has been a good summer for Team Gibbs, and he’s earned the opportunity to go under the Factory Kawasaki tent and see if some added support will translate into some top-five results. Obviously, Tanner Ward isn’t going anywhere, as he’s been an absolute professional during this challenging season in the 250 class.
So yeah, as you can see, Round 6 in Riverglade had a little bit of everything both on the track, as well as off of the track. In the end, Mitchell Harrison finally got his first overall win of the season with some solid riding. He’s been getting better each week and seems to have ditched the bad luck that plagued him early in the series. In the 450 class, Dylan Wright rode smart to take both moto wins. In a post-race interview, Dylan said that he’s just now starting to feel like his old self on the bike. That is good news for fans, and Dylan, as he prepares to close out this 450 series and then head south, for the final two rounds of the US Pro Motocross Championships. It’s tough to predict where Dylan will fit into the US Series right now. I watched Washougal on Saturday, and the speed looks to be very high throughout the top ten. It will be fun to see him race in the USA and battle with those guys. Here are the top ten results from Washougal. Where do you think Dylan Wright fits in? I feel that with Dylan’s speed, fitness, and determination, there is no reason he can’t battle inside the top six.
450 Class
1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 1-1
2. Chase Sexton (Honda) 2-2
3. Jason Anderson (Kawasaki) 4-4
4. Dylan Ferrandis (Yamaha) 3-5
5. Aaron Plessinger (KTM) 7-3
6. Adam Cianciarulo (Kawasaki) 5-7
7. Garrett Marchbanks (Yamaha) 8-6
8. Ty Masterpool (Kawasaki) 6-8
9. Phillip Nicoletti (Yamaha) 11-9
10. Colt Nichols (Kawasaki) 10-10
Finally, over the weekend, Yamaha Racing celebrated the 50th Anniversary of their YZ lineup. Across the Globe, the Yamaha race team honoured the moment by running throwback 1993 white plastics and race graphics. It was incredible to see photos from around the world, and our own MX101 Yamaha Team knocked it out of the park with their version. Decal Works came through with some amazing graphics, and Kevin Tyler and his team finished it off with matching pit shirts and custom FXR Racing gear. Congratulations to the Blu Cru on 50 years of incredible racing with their YZ lineup. Thank you for reading, and I’ll see everyone in Deschambault tomorrow.