By Danny Brault
Photos by James Lissimore
Our second day of national amateur racing took off at the Parts Canada Walton TransCan, in the motocross loving town of Walton, Ontario (well, first full day of racing, as Wednesday was a split of practice and motos). Today we saw many familiar faces on the podium (Casey Keast, Josh Cartwright, Ryan Lockhart, Kyle Thompson, RJ Marnoch, etc) but also some new ones, like Jake Sterichert from South Slocan, BC taking his first ever Walton win in the MX1 Intermediate class, or Marco Cannella from Waterdown, ON who is absolutely flying on his YZ125/150, sweeping the Schoolboy classes and MX2 Junior A.
I’ll admit, I was a little worried that things would get ugly when rain started falling in the early morning but fortunately we never really endured much of the wet stuff, other than what was put down by the track crew as things dried out in the afternoon. Walton Raceway is a funny track, a challenging one that changes from morning to noon to evening. The ruts get longer an deeper as the motos tick by. Technical and tricky, it takes a certain niche of rider to master this infamous track and event.
Racing aside, the #transcanlife is always one we all look forward to. On Wednesday, we had a very talented and cute group of kids displaying all kinds of skills in the annual ‘Walton Talent Show’; last night was Bingo in the Barn at the Parts Canada building (and it was packed! I didn’t know bingo was such a hit to those below the age of 82?) and then there’s track building contests, Strider bike races and plenty of fun stuff to keep those kids burning off energy (unless of course they sneak into a Rockstar and then they’re wide open for a few more hours). I haven’t tested out the BMX or pump bike tracks, mainly because I’m useless and would probably dust myself up but it looks interesting and pretty well designed.
Let’s flip through Thursday’s action at the TransCan, from the lens of James Lissimore:
FULL WALTON TRANSCAN RESULTS HERE
Don’t forget, there’s a Jason Blaine country concert Friday night at Walton! Starts at 7pm. Details here.
With how smooth and fast Ryan Lockhart is looking this week, part of him wishes he had of chosen to race pro instead on Sunday … but, he ain’t upset with clicking off wins and hopefully more championships in the Plus 25 and Vet Master classes. Kyle Thompson and Josh Snider followed Lockhart onto the Plus 25 podium, and in Vet Master it was Moto Park’s Iain Hayden and Thompson.
Kyle Thompson receives some approval for his ride from his biggest (but smallest) fan. No shortage of heartwarming memories on the track, podium or pits during this week of racing.
Beloeil, Quebec’s Jeremy McKie finding a good line on the tricky Walton track in an early morning moto. He finished third in 65cc 10-11 behind Cameron Jeffers and Damon Burbine.
Nova Scotia’s Damon Burbine is now known as the “Leaper” after making an incredible pass in a 65cc moto where he jumped OVER Jeffers on the step-down to take the win on the last lap of the first 65cc 10-11 moto.
RJ Marnoch (630) and Kyle Biro (56) lead the Intermediate pack through the second turn of Walton Raceway. Marnoch leads the MX2 and MX3 Intermediate classes with BC’s Jake Sterichert taking the MX1 win on his KTM 450 SX-F.
The big and unique layout of the Walton track makes for some interesting views for fans, and fun sections for racers. Here we see Saskatchewan’s Kyle Biro, who had a great ride in the first MX3 Intermediate moto where he kept Marnoch honest right to the finish.
MXP Magazine’s editor Chris “Palms” Pomeroy continues to keep his elbows up and the #1 Sturgess Cycle Kawasaki moving forward. He’s dominating the Plus 40 class and riding quite well in the Vet Master class too where he had some good battles going with Redemption Racing’s Josh Snider.
Let’s hear what MXP’s editor and current Plus 40 (and defending champ) points leader Chris Pomeroy has to say about the current state of the Walton track after two days:
“After a day and half of mud and deep ruts it’s now coming around. The difference in track conditions from this morning to the afternoon was like night and day. Gone was the sloppy mud and it was replaced by the tacky conditions that we’re all used to seeing.
“With good weather inn the forecast waiting for racers on Friday, it should make for another great day of racing. Sometimes at these pressure packed events it takes riders a few races to feel comfortable and show their A-game. If this philosophy holds true then we’re in for a real treat tomorrow. It all kicks off with the crazy, Rockstar Energy Drink fueled rooster first thing in the morning!”
Kassi Boone is a local to the Walton TransCan having grown up within an hour’s drive. She’s always a contender in the Women’s class and put her Suzuki on the podium today, finishing second behind Yorkton, SK’s Kennedy Lutz. (She’s also a skilled photographer and can be found snapping pics all over the track when she isn’t racing … if you’re reading this Kassi, send us some of your stuff!
At the end of the day, motocross is all about family, friends and enjoying some good respectable competition. That’s why we come to TransCan. Rachel Springman and her family share a moment on the podium after Rachel finished third in the first Ladies moto.
Pomeroy forwarded over this great and heartfelt note regarding some additional track prep for the 50cc racers:
In a sport where it’s impossible to make everyone happy, today at the 2014 Parts Canada TransCan they went a long way in to try. With the 50cc classes waiting on the line with an impassable track in front of them, the TransCan crew led by Mark Perrrin sprang into action. In an instant, the dozers were brought out and in 15 minutes the dying track was brought back to life.
While it was still soft and rutted in some places, the track was in much better shape and two great 50cc races left the starting line. Mason Tucker and Ryder Mcnabb were victorious.
As I mentioned before, this is a tough sport and this event is made up of a crock pot of opinions and personalities. However, sometimes the TransCan crew gets it right, and when they do they need to be congratulated.
Whether you’re in Plus 40 or Junior, it’s always a great feeling to land on the podium – now imagine what it’s like for these youngsters chatting it up with Ryan Gauld on the big stage?! TransCan Giants in the making! Left to right: Thomas Munro, Mason Tucker and Jamieson MacDonald.
Eric Jeffrey (35) and Michael DaSilva (29) battling in the second Youth moto. DaSilva’s been looking pretty sharp on the KTM 450 SX-F; I teased him to race MX1 instead of MX2 at the Pro National on Sunday. He’s thinking about it … but for now he’s got to find a way to score a win or hit the podium in the highly competitive Youth class.