Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
When you look back at the past year in Canadian motocross, there are many great stories and many great performances. In both the amateur and pro classes, we witnessed riders push their limits on the race track while battling for moto wins and championships. As I’ve done for the past five years, this is the time of year that I sit down and compose my annual Golden Elbow Awards that celebrate the memorable moments from the past year. Whether it was Jess Pettis and his incredible MX2 title run or Cole Thompson’s historic Rockstar Energy Triple Crown Series Championship, there were multiple moments that will no doubt leave people talking for years to come. This week I will be choosing the Golden Elbow Award winners for 2018 presented by KTM Canada.
Congratulations to Cole Thompson for being the 2018 Rider of the Year. Photo by James Lissimore
Rider of the Year: Cole Thompson
This was definitely one of the hardest categories to choose a winner as there were so many great performances in 2018. There was Colton Facciotti who dominated the 450 class all summer long in the Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MXTour Series, eventually winning his fifth championship. Jess Pettis who did the exact same thing in the 250 Pro/Am class and then backed it up with the year end SXTour title. and Kawasaki rider Shawn Maffenbeier who solidified himself as the most consistent 250 rider in 2018 as he captured the overall Triple Crown championship in that highly competitive class.
However, my choice for the 2018 Rider of the Year is Red Bull Thor KTM rider Cole Thompson. Coming into this year I think everyone knew how good he would be in both the AXTour and SXTour events. Over the years, a lot of his racing success has come in the tight confines of arenas and stadiums all over North America. However, Cole Thompson has also proven himself to be a good outdoor rider as well and this summer he more than held his own against riders like Matt Goerke, Tyler Medaglia, Kaven Benoit, and of course Facciotti. After three very different and difficult series right across Canada in 2018, Cole Thompson proved to be the overall best rider and because of that he is my choice for the Rider of the Year.
Derek Schuster and his Honda Racing GDR Fox Team are my pick for the 2018 Team of the Year. Photo by James Lissimore
Team of the Year: Honda Canada GDR Fox Racing Team
This was another difficult choice as I believe all of the teams in Canada deserve a ton of credit for how they performed both on and off the track in 2018. With limited budgets but unlimited professionalism, we in this country should be extremely proud of all of the teams in the paddock. However, with that said, my choice for the Team of the Year is the Derek Schuster owned team from Gopher Dunes. Throughout 2018, the GDR Honda Team, with riders Dylan Wright and Colton Facciotti, found themselves on top of the podium in both classes. In the 250 Pro/Am class, Wright was very good in the MXTour series, winning motos and overalls on his way to fourth overall. In the 450 class, Colton Facciotti took the MXTour points lead at the opening round in Calgary and never gave it back. At times, a few riders came close to overtaking him but in the end Colton found yet another gear and took home his fifth 450 outdoor Canadian Championship. From their success on the track to their innovative ideas off of the track, this team is my choice for the 2018 Team of the Year.
Marco Cannella rode great all season long in every condition imaginable to win my Golden Elbow Award for the 2018 Rookie of the Year. Photo by James Lissimore
Rookie of the Year: Marco Cannella
As much as some of these categories were difficult, the choice for the 2018 Rookie of the Year was an easy one. From the moment the gate dropped at the opening round in Abbotsford back in February, Marco Cannella was the picture of poise and consistency. And while he may not be a rider who is going to blow you away with speed and flash, the maturity and patience at which he rides with is very impressive. Cannella’s style and racecraft is going to take him a long way in this sport, as even for a rookie, he appears to have things figured out. With more experience and a little more urgency at certain times, he will be a champion in the near future. Cannella’s third overall in the Rockstar Energy Triple Crown left no question that he is the ultimate choice for the 2018 Rookie of the Year.
Throughout the entire 2018 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MXTour Series Dylan Wright was a charging machine with numerous come from behind rides. Not only is Dylan my pick for the Hardest Charger of Year, but I think he probably used more tear-offs than other rider on the circuit. Photo by James Lissimore
Hardest Charger of the Year: Dylan Wright
While at the pro level I would like to think that each and every rider is charging hard whenever they’re on the race track. Riders like Matt Goerke and Tyler Medaglia stand out to me as riders who just always appear to be going for it. However, one rider that really stood out to me this year was Dylan Wright. Regardless of what type of start Dylan got in each moto, his relentless charging to the winner’s circle was something to marvel. I think it’s safe to say that he rode the wheels off’ of his Honda CRF250 during most of the MXTour series. His near last to fifth charge as well as his dead last to second charge in the opening moto at Walton stand out as two of Dylan’s best performances this year. Although he still makes a few mistakes from time to time, no one can criticize his aggression and his pursuit of trying to be the best. For 2018, Dylan Wright is my choice for the Hardest Charger of the Year.
