Greetings and Happy New Year! I hope everyone has had a great start to 2024, and I wish you all the best in the coming year. Welcoming in a new year is always exciting as it gives us a great opportunity to turn the page, and in some cases hit the reset button. My 2023 was certainly an up and down year with turning 50, having my son get injured at the WCAN, and also having my Father sadly pass away on December 10th. However, there were some bright moments, and that is what I’m going to try and build on in 2024. This year starts off with an exciting week with the Motorcycle Show on Friday in Toronto, and then on Saturday with the opening round of the Monster Energy Supercross Series. I will have more on both events later this week, but for now I want to take one more look back at 2023 with several of my Golden Elbow Award winners.
For the past number of years, I’ve been writing a feature that I like to call the “Golden Elbow Awards” where I come up with my picks in a few different categories. From individual awards like “Rider of the Year”, to other awards such as “Track of the Year”, “Team of the Year”, “National of the Year”, “Event of the Year” as well as “Moto of the Year”. It’s always a lot of fun, and since I consult a few people to assist me with my picks, I always enjoy the process.
Rider of the Year: Kaven Benoit
There were several finalists for this prestigious award, including Ryder McNabb, Dylan Wright, and Eve Brodeur. All three riders had tremendous seasons in 2023, repeating as champions in their respective classes. I even had Daniel Elmore on my mind as he had a solid year in the 450 class and even scored his first-ever podium finish at the Sand Del Lee National. However, my 2023 Rider of the Year pick is Kaven Benoit!
Coming into this past season, we all knew that Kaven was going to be solid in the 250 class and also an excellent backup to his new teammate McNabb. But everyone was surprised when he came out at the opening round in Edmonton, won two of the three motos, and took the overall win. I believe that Benoit was just as surprised at the time. I don’t think Kaven thought he would have that type of success that early in the Triple Crown Series. Throughout the next few rounds, Benoit was near the front of the pack but couldn’t find his way back to the podium’s top step. Finally, in Round 4 at Gopher Dunes, Benoit won the second moto in what I consider to be his best ride of the season. Unfortunately, a hard crash in the final moto at SDL put a damper on the rest of the season, and Benoit was forced to ride injured. His 4-3 moto finish at his home race in Quebec was without a doubt the gutsiest ride of the summer, up until a few days before the race, Benoit wasn’t sure if he was even going to race.
Despite his struggles in the final few rounds of the series, Benoit’s comeback was a huge success, in my opinion. To be able to return to the level of competition that he did at his age and after not racing in our national series since 2018 was very impressive. However, it didn’t happen by accident, as Benoit worked hard during the off-season, quietly putting in the work at the ClubMX training facility in South Carolina. It was clear early in his pre-season preparation that Benoit wasn’t just coming back to be another rider on the gate; he was coming back to try and win. Thankfully, Kaven and KTM Canada were happy with how year-one of his comeback went, and together, they’ve teamed up again for 2024. Even with his age and the stiff competition he will face in 2024, I believe that as we sit here today, Benoit is the championship favourite in the 250 class. Perhaps this prediction will change as we roll through the early part of next year but, I’m quite sure that Benoit took a lot of confidence out of his success in 2023, and I think he learned a lot. Those two things will make him even better moving forward. Congratulations to Kaven Benoit on winning the Golden Elbow Award for the 2023 Rider of the Year!
Amateur Rider of the Year- Bobby Gravel
What a summer it was for Ontario Yamaha rider Bobby Gravel. After injuring himself in the spring, Bobby staged one heck of a comeback, dominating the Junior class at both the ECAN, as well as at the Walton TransCan. For years, Bobby has been a solid rider in Ontario, but it wasn’t until his recent training with Steve Shore at the Compound 138 Training Facility that his riding reached new levels. On the track, Bobby is a hard charger who never appears to give up. Off the track, he works hard and seems very determined. With his clean sweep of both Junior classes at the ECAN, Bobby also won the prestigious Yamaha Motor Canada Factory Rider Award. After his successful summer, Bobby moved up to the Intermediate class and this is where he will race in 2024. He also plans to race in the USA quite a bit in 2024, and hopes to find success at the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National next summer. Congratulations to Bobby Gravel on being the Golden Elbow Amateur Rider of the Year, and good luck in 2024.
Team of the Year- KTM Canada Red Bull Racing Team
This was a difficult category as every team in the Triple Crown Series paddock found success in 2023. For instance, the GDR Honda Team won the most races with Dylan Wright dominating the 450 class for the fourth year in a row. However, with their top 250 rider Jacob Piccolo on the sidelines all summer, the KTM Canada Team earned the most overall points with Jess Pettis, Kaven Benoit, and 250 Pro/AM class Champion Ryder McNabb finishing every moto in the series. Because of those numbers, my pick for the Team of the Year is the KTM Canada Red Bull Racing Team. With the KTM Canada Team being the only race team in Canada that is run directly out of the factory, their riders have access to equipment that no other team has. Their race bikes are as close to the factory bikes in the USA as you get in Canada, so it’s of no surprise that the riders there are consistently able to find success. All three riders won races in 2023, and as I mentioned above, Ryder McNabb took home his second 250 Pro/AM Championship in a row. It was a successful season for this Matt Deroy managed team, and they all should be very proud of what they were able to accomplish. For 2024, they will be back with Benoit in the 250 Pro/AM class, Jess Pettis in the 450 class, and they’ve added Kiwi rider Josiah Natzke to race alongside Pettis in the 450 class. Great job to the entire KTM Group on their success in 2023, and good luck next year.
Team Manager of the Year: Steve Simms
We are extremely blessed in Canada to have a great group of Team Managers. These individuals work hard to stretch their budgets and ensure that their team is represented at the track in the best way possible. Of course, being a Team Manager takes patience as it’s not always smooth sailing. For 2023, I’ve chosen Steve Simms as the Team Manager of the year! Steve was the man in charge of the TLD/GASGAS/SSR Team in 2023 and although his summer at the track was one of the most enjoyable ones he’s had in sometime, it wasn’t without its challenges. The first major hurdle that Steve had to overcome was healing up from the life threatening injuries he suffered last fall in a freak riding crash. For a few months, Steve was in pretty rough shape, and even after he was released from the hospital, there were many hours spent rehabbing while getting back into his normal routine. However, through it all Steve kept building his 2023 program and trying to secure a duo of riders to compete in the Triple Crown Series.
In the end, Steve would go racing with Sam Gaynor and Daniel Elmore and together they would all have a successful summer. Gaynor, was able to remain healthy and got stronger and more confident as the series went on. Throughout the eight rounds of the Triple Crown Series Gaynor was a consistent top ten rider in the 250 Pro/Am class, and would go on to finish up with a very impressive 7th overall. Elmore, also had a consistent summer and would end up finishing 5th overall in the 450 class. Along the way, Elmore would grab his first-ever 450 class podium finish with a 3rd overall at the Sand Del Lee National. It was a solid effort in 2023 by the entire TLD/GASGAS/SSR Team, but with Steve Simms steering the ship it really came as no surprise. It wasn’t an easy year for Steve, or any of our Team Managers, but due the adversity that he had to face my pick for Team Manager of the Year is Steve Simms.
Event of the Year- The Legends of Canadian MX Dinner at Gopher Dunes
I was fortunate enough to attend several great events in 2023. From the Red Bull Imagination event in Kansas, to the Yamaha and Kawasaki bike launches at SDL and Glen Helen. However, my best non-racing event that I attended last year was the Legends of Canadian MX dinner and get together at Gopher Dunes in September. This cool first time event was part of Frank Schuster’s annual Vet/Vintage Race that has been a popular event for several years. Between, Frank, Derek Schuster, and Lawrence Hacking, they decided to have a dinner on the Friday evening and open it up to any and every Canadian MX Legend who wanted to attended. In the end, it was an unforgettable evening as iconic legends like Ross Pederson, Doug Hoover, Glen Nicholson, and Al Logue (just to name a few) were all in attendance. As I said, it was a special evening of great food, cold cocktails, and endless bench racing. As I drove home after the event and reflected on everyone there, my smiles turned to tears of joy as I knew I had just been a part of something truly remarkable. Thank you to everyone who made the first-ever Legends of Canadian MX dinner possible. It was an amazing evening and my pick for Golden Elbow Event of the Year!
National of the Year: Round 3 at Wild Rose MX Park
First off, let me begin by stating that all eight rounds of the 2023 Triple Crown Series were unique in their own way. Even the opening round in Edmonton, which took a lot heat for the condition of the track, was pretty cool with the surrounding facility. Kamloops was hot and rough, and a true test for our riders. Gopher Dunes was typical Gopher Dunes, and the riders were forced to dig deep. Sand Del Lee started off wet and sloppy but, by the second motos the track was as challenging as I’ve ever seen it. Riverglade was well attended, and I think the track was as good as we’ve seen it in a long time. Deschambault was amazing as usual; the Quebec fans came out in droves to cheer on their favourite riders. In fact, the entire ECAN event was a lot of fun. The final round at Walton Raceway was incredible, and I think pretty much every rider enjoyed the track running in the opposite direction. However, to have the Calgary National back on the Triple Crown Series in 2023 was special. There is just something cool about having a big race at Wild Rose MX Park. Whether it’s the track, the proximity to downtown Calgary, or even the socializing at the nearby Blackfoot Hotel, I love the Calgary National and it was great to see it back in 2023. I’m also hearing that Wild Rose MX Park will host the opening round of the Triple Crown Series this year, so that will be exciting.
Well, that is it for me this week. Like last week, I apologize that my Monday Gate Drop is a day late. I hope everyone has a solid start to 2024, and I hope this is a safe and successful year for all. We are now just four short days away from the opening gate drop of the year, at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. It’s going to be an exciting race, and we even have some Canadians to cheer for as Cole Thompson, Julien Benek, and Guillaume St-Cyr are all racing in the 250SX West class. Good luck to all three riders and thank you for reading my Yamaha Motor Canada Monday Gate Drop column this week. Happy New Year!