Honda Canada Racing Presents the Monday Gate Drop

Good day and welcome to the third Honda Canada Racing Monday Gate Drop of the month of May. We are now four months into 2018 and the race season is in full swing. In less than a week the GDR Fox Honda Team of Colton Facciotti and Dylan Wright will be lining up at the opening round of the Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MXTour in Calgary, AB. Both riders will be looking to get off to a quick start in the 450 and 250 Pro/Am classes.

Moto Park was in fine form this past weekend for the opening two rounds of the 2018 New Era MPCup.

I hope everyone is enjoying their Victoria Day long weekend. This always feels like the weekend that launches us into summer, and this year is no different. This has also been the weekend for the past number of years that Rounds 1 and 2 of the New Era MP Cup takes place at perhaps the most famous track in Canada, Moto Park. These events have grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years, and with good reason. Basically, the MP Cups are like a large glorified weekend of camping, mixed in with two days of dirt bike racing. Sounds pretty cool, right? Well, thankfully a lot of families and racers think these MP Cup events are pretty cool and that is why they’ve grown so much.

Heading into this weekend the weather forecast was absolutely dreadful for the first day of racing on Saturday. However, like so many times in the past, and for whatever reason, the rain just seems to pass over Moto Park. This was the case on Saturday as it pretty much rained in every part of Ontario except at Moto Park. I mean, there were a few sprinkles in the morning but nothing that affected the track or the pits. The racing on Saturday was great, and Sunday was even better; fast Ontario kids like Jake Tricco, Sam Gaynor, Evan Stewart, Crayden Dillion and Jamie Powell, just to name a few. Like each and every Province in Canada, we in Ontario are lucky to have an abundance of fast kids that seem to raise the speed bar higher and higher each year. It appears 2018 is going to be much of the same right across Canada as each weekend I’m blown away by the things our kids are doing on their bikes. Anyway, it was a great weekend for us at Moto Park and I cannot wait for Rounds 3 and 4 at the end of June. Before I move on from the topic of the MP Cup, I do want to thank all of the staff at Moto Park, including Head Ref Robbie Quantrill, Donna and Chelsea in the scoring trailer, and of course Mikey Walker. Finally, I know there were a few injuries this week and I hope everyone is okay. As many of you know, Liam Parsons was competing in his first race in a number of years and unfortunately he crashed during practice on Saturday and broke his femur. He underwent surgery yesterday morning and will make a full recovery. This kid has been through so much in the past few years so there’s no doubting how tough he is. Heal up Liam and we look forward to seeing you back on the track soon.

Heal up quick Shelby!

In other injury news, with the opening round of the 2018 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MXTour Series all set to begin this coming weekend in Calgary, the Women’s West class will now be without Shelby Turner as she suffered a broken lower leg this past weekend at a local race in Alberta. Shelby will obviously miss not only the opening round but sadly the entire four round west series. Get well soon Shelby!

I think it’s safe to say that Jess Pettis looks ready to compete for the 2018 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MXTour 250 Pro/Am Series title. Photo by James Lissimore

I cannot believe that we’re now only a few days away from the gate dropping on this new series. All of the riders are ready to go and you can bet that each and every one will be very anxious this week. Rookie 250 rider Marco Cannella was a spectator this past weekend up at Moto Park, so I had the chance to talk to him about how he is feeling heading into his first ever outdoor pro series. If there is a young kid more relaxed than Cannella in this sport, I’d love to meet him first of all. In listening to Cannella speak I got the feeling that he’s very ready for success this summer. We also spoke about his MX101 Yamaha Team, how well his race bike is working, and also since he is new to this series, I told him that his team has the best race day breakfasts in the paddock. It’s safe to say that Cannella is very much looking forward to the gate dropping on this series. Also, as of right now, the weather looks good in Calgary for this weekend so keep your fingers crossed.

Is Broc Tickle coming to Canada or not this summer? Photo by James Lissimore

In other news from this past week, Broc Tickle’s name came up as another late entry into the 450 class in Canada this summer. With his issues in the USA and recently getting let go from the Red Bull KTM Team, Tickle needs a series that will allow him to race. Obviously, Canada is a great fit and thankfully Jetwerx ditched the CMA/FIM deal a few months ago, so our Canadian series is not under any WADA rules. I spoke to Tickle on the phone late last week and he told me that he expects to be on the starting line in Calgary and for the entire Triple Crown Series. He also told me that he’s race ready as he was training for Hangtown and the outdoor series in the USA. Tickle would be a great addition to this series as it’s never a bad thing to add another fast rider. As for who he might ride for? He told me that he wanted to keep his Alpinestar gear deal as well as his Oakley deal, so that would exclude him from any large team up here. After talking to a few other people, I think you will see Tickle on a Husqvarna when the gate drops on Saturday.

So how does everyone think that Broc Tickle will do this summer in Canada? There is no doubting the speed and experience that he will bring to the 450 class. Before suffering an injury last summer in the AMA series, he did go 4-4 for third overall at Mt. Morris! That is a very impressive finish, for sure, against riders like Tomac, Musquin and Barcia. Prior to Mt. Morris, Tickle was a regular Top 8 rider in the series. I don’t think Tickle has the raw speed and aggression that we saw two years ago from Davi Millsaps, and he definitely won’t be racing the same factory equipment that Millsaps was. However, I see Tickle to be much like Pourcel was last year, where he will be a threat to win on any given weekend, but that his speed will not be much different than the current stars of the series. For fans, this is great news as it just means more battles and more great racing in the 450 class. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens this weekend in Calgary!

This is how I will always remember Brian Swink!!

Well, that is it for me this week. Since I didn’t race this past weekend, I have a lot of energy this morning. Now I’m going to go and work on my track and then go for a ride on my new KTM450FE. Before I go, I just want to make mention of the passing last week of Brian Swink. Prior to Swink becoming a top pro rider in the USA during the early to mid 1990s, he was one of the best to throw his leg over a mini bike. Swink was also one of the early members of the Michigan Mafia, so for anyone who raced in District 14 in the second half of 1980, you knew who Brian Swink was. I had the honour of lining up beside him on numerous occasions in 1987 and 1988 in the 85cc and Schoolboy 12-15 class, and I can tell you that he was just an amazing rider. My highlight racing against him, John Kitsch and Eric McLear was holeshot them at the rough Bulldog track in 1987 and leading for a lap. I would go on to finish fourth as they all eventually passed me, but for that one lap I probably rode an 85cc bike faster than ever before, and most likely after. Brian Swink was the rider that every mini-bike rider wanted to be like in those days, and he made so many riders (including me) better by trying to chase him down. Regardless of his pro titles in the 125 Supercross class, or his life since then, I will always remember Brian Swink from those days in Michigan. RIP Swinkster! I hope that wherever you are now that you’re launching down the old downhill double at Baja Acres with a big smile of your face. I hope everyone has a great week and I will see you in Calgary.