Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
Now that the 2021 Triple Crown MXTour Series is over, let’s take a look at the Top 5 in each class. From the opening round at Walton Raceway to the final round back at Walton, the riders in the 250 and 450 classes put on quite a show. There were entertaining battles in almost every moto and in the end, it was young Jacob Piccolo winning the 250 Championship, while Dylan Wright held on to claim the 450 title. It was a great summer and I can’t believe that it’s over. Here are your Top 5 riders from this summer.
250 Class:
1. Jacob Piccolo- 312 Points
I don’t think I’m the only industry person out there who is somewhat surprised that Jacob Piccolo is your new 250 MXTour Triple Crown Series Champion. Piccolo showed a lot of speed last year in the 250 class-leading a few motos and taking a couple of podium finishes, but there were still a few gaps in his program. Well, thanks to a winter of training at ClubMX and the guidance of former Canadian Champion Al Dyck, here we are a year later and Piccolo is the Champ! Right from the opening weekend of the series it was clear that Jake was a different rider both mentally and physically. He won his first pro moto at Walton One and then destroyed the field in the final moto at Gopher Dunes. This 18-year-old kid has earned this title the hard way and I feel like he’s just getting started. I had heard that he had a deal to race full-time in the USA next year but he told me last week that he’s staying in Canada for at least the 2022 season. Congratulations to Jacob, his family, as well as Al Dyck, and the entire Sky Racing Team.
2. Darian Sanayei- 308
Even though Darian Sanayei’s 250 series began a little slow once Round 5 in Sand Del Lee came around he was a different rider. I’m not sure if he just needed to get comfortable with his new surroundings or what, but halfway through this series Sanayei really came to life. I like this kid and I like his riding and racecraft. Hopefully, he’s back in 2022 as I think he’s a great addition to the Triple Crown Series. It was great to see him end the series on a high note by winning the overall on Sunday. In the end, Sanayei came up fourth points shy of winning this title which I’m sure is a little hard to take.
3. Ryder McNabb- 307
Coming into the final round on Sunday Ryder McNabb sat just three points back of Piccolo in this 250 title chase. Unfortunately, McNabb would dig himself a hole in the opening moto when he got off to a bad start while Piccolo and Darian Sanayei were upfront. McNabb would charge up to fourth in Moto 1 but that meant that even if he won Moto 2, he still needed some help from his competition to win this title. As it turned out McNabb would go on to finish second in Moto 2 but would drop to third overall in the series. I know it wasn’t the day that Ryder was looking for but considering he doesn’t turn 16 until September 28, he had one hell of a summer. Like Piccolo, Ryder made some big improvements in 2021 and I don’t see any reason why he won’t keep getting better and better in the near future. Also, it was good to see that even with the success he enjoyed this summer he remained the friendly and humble kid we’ve all love.
4. Tanner Ward- 275
Tanner Ward was another rider who came into the final round with a shot at winning this 250 series title. Ward entered Sunday 11 points back of Piccolo and considering the success he’s had over the years at Walton Raceway, many gave him a chance of pulling this thing out. Sadly though Ward’s chances were over quickly as a crash on the opening lap of Moto 1 put him out of title contention. After winning the opening two rounds I’m not sure what happened to Ward as he was unable to repeat his early series success. Fourth overall and 37 points back of Piccolo is not where Ward wanted to be or where he should be considering his experience as well as the equipment he’s on. However, in this highly competitive class, it’s a fine line between winning motos and finishing off the podium. The good news for Tanner is that he still has four rounds of SX coming up and those will present a great opportunity to make up for a disappointing summer. As we all know, people always remember your final race or races of the season.
5. Marco Cannella- 224
Coming into this summer many picked Marco Cannella as the favourite to win this title. Well, hopefully, no one put any money down as other than a few moments of brilliance (including three moto wins) this summer was no doubt a disappointing one for the MX101 Yamaha rider. After crashing himself out of contention at Round 2, Marco suffered a mechanical failure at Round 3 that cost him some big points. The next day at Round 4 he would win his first-ever pro-national moto, only to crash on the opening lap of Moto 2 and lose the overall. At Round 5 at SDL, Marco won the opening moto but crashed while challenging for the lead in Moto 2. Do you see the pattern here? One step forward and then two steps back was the reality for Marcon this summer. Over the past few years, consistency has been one of his strengths, but for some reason, that wasn’t there this summer. Marco works hard off of the bike so you know that he was fit and ready to go this summer. Perhaps not being able to go to the USA to ride during the off-season hurt his overall preparation a little? Whatever the reason was behind his overall results this summer I’m sure Marco is pretty upset right now. But like Tanner, Cannella still has four rounds of SX to finish off his season on a high note.
450 Class:
1. Dylan Wright- 342
After dominating the 450 series last year Dylan came into this summer not quite as healthy as he wanted to be. A few weeks before the opening round Dylan suffered a pretty serious knee injury that definitely slowed him down in the early rounds. Also, a broken baby finger suffered at the opening round I’m sure didn’t help his confidence or training during the week. However, Dylan did what champions do and that is persevere through adversity when it comes. Throughout the summer he fought off his early series injuries, a very fast and confident Jess Pettis, as well as a massive crash at Deschambault to win his second 450 title in a row. It wasn’t the easiest summer for Wright, but he got the job done and that’s all that matters.
2. Jess Pettis- 303
After going through his second knee reconstruction surgery in the past 18 months, very few thought that Jess Pettis would come into the 2021 450 series as strong as he did. In the early rounds, Pettis was able to not only match Dylan Wright’s speed but also match Wright’s determination. Jess’s riding this summer was nothing short of amazing as he navigated his way through his rookie 450 season. Pettis not only won motos and overalls, but he also carried the red plates into multiple rounds and if it wasn’t for his painful crash in Quebec at Round 7, he and Wright would’ve taken this series championship fight into the final round at Walton Raceway. At the final round on Sunday Pettis showed up and soldiered through both motos to secure second overall in the series, as well as the bonus money that went with it. I still cannot believe that Pettis was able to race this weekend with the injuries he suffered in Deschambault. It was most certainly a risk as another big crash could’ve been life-altering for him. However, Jess made it through safe and now we can all breathe a big sigh of relief. Give this kid a full off-season of healthy training down south and he should be even better in 2022.
3. Marshal Weltin- 303
I’m not sure what happened to Marshal Weltin on Sunday as he didn’t look as comfortable as we’ve seen him in other rounds this summer. In the opening moto, he was off the pace of the Top 3 and had to settle for fourth. In Moto 2, he rode around in third and was unable to catch Cole Thompson who was running in second. Whatever the issue was Weltin cost himself second overall in the series as Pettis’s 5-5 moto score was enough to hold on to the runner-up spot. I’m not sure what Weltin’s series bonus money was but I’m sure the difference between second and third was a lot. Anyway, considering this was Weltin’s rookie season on the 450 I think he had a solid season and he should come back next year and be even better.
4. Cole Thompson- 282
Cole Thompson’s summer was a bit of a mystery to me as I thought he would be much better than he was. I even picked him as a possible championship contender. But other than a few second-place finishes this summer Thompson was unable to find the speed to consistently to run up front. When I watched him last week race and win the Pro/Am class at the Walton TransCan I couldn’t help but think that Cole has made his mind up to retire at the end of this season. Cole won TransCan titles as a kid so last week was kind of like a full-circle moment for him and his family. I hope Cole doesn’t retire as he’s still young and still has a lot to give in the sport. However, having said that, I think he needs to find a way to both enjoy the process of racing more, as well as be content with the knowledge that his bike and the track are not always going to feel in sync. Trust me, I know what it’s like to be a smooth rider who used to struggle when things didn’t feel perfect. But if you want to compete and beat riders like Wright and Pettis who can still win motos on a bike that doesn’t always feel perfect, then you have to find a way to change your approach. Let’s hope Cole comes back for at least one more season in 2022.
5. Tyler Medaglia- 236
Considering 2021 was supposed to be a part-time season for Tyler Medaglia he sure made the most out of it. If it wasn’t for an uncharacteristic 7th at the opening round and a DNF at his old home track in SDL, Medaglia would’ve been battling Thompson for fourth overall. Tyler is a true warrior and in a few weeks, he will be representing Canada at the International Six Days in Italy. It was great to see Tyler race all of the rounds this summer and it was also great to see him compete in the 25 Plus class last week at the Walton TransCan. Tyler still loves to ride and race and I don’t see any reason why we won’t see him again next year.
