Greetings! Welcome to this late February edition of the Monday Gate Drop Column, which as always is presented by the awesome folks at Yamaha Motor Canada. This past weekend I attended the Toronto Motorcycle Show and the Blu Cru was there in full effect. Not only did they have all of their 2026 YZ models on display, but they also had Jess Pettis and Preston Kilroy in attendance. Both riders were in great moods and it was good to catch up with them. The MX101 Yamaha Team and Yamaha have some exciting things planned for 2026, including the release of an all-new YZ250F, the Super Finale event in France, and also a behind the scenes documentary series filmed by Kyle Thompson. With Spring right around the corner, it’s a great time to be riding a Yamaha.
This past weekend in Rimbey, Alberta, the final two rounds of the Iron Horse AX Series took place and in the end, it was AVL Husqvarna rider Blake Davies repeating as the Pro Class Series Champion. With Blake racing the opening five rounds of the 2026 Monster Energy Supercross Series, it came as no surprise that he was the rider to beat in Rimbey. Even at his young age, Blake has gained a ton of experience and it’s great to see him finding success. Another young rider who found some success at the final round on Saturday evening was Dusty Rocks MX Yamaha rider Noah Porter. In dominating fashion, Noah went 1-1 at Round 4 and served notice that he is ready for 2026. As you may recall, Noah had a solid summer last year in the Triple Crown Series, especially in the second half of the series. I’m sure this win on Saturday evening gave Noah a ton of confidence and this will no doubt help him moving forward. The Canadian racing season is now officially underway and we will be asking Ryan Lockhart how the Rimbey AX went in his Matrix Concepts Canada 3 Q’s feature story on Friday.
Moving onto Round 7 of the Monster Energy Supercross Series in Arlington, Texas. This was also the opening round of the 250SX East Series, which on paper is a lot more stacked than the 250SX West Series. With riders like Cole Davies, Seth Hammaker, Jo Shimoda, Daxton Bennick, Drew Adams, Nate Thrasher, and Pierce Brown, this series is going to be very entertaining. It also seems like every one of these riders is coming back from serious injuries, so it was great to see these talented riders back on the gate. In the end, it was Pierce Brown who managed to get by Shimoda in the early laps of the main event and never looked back. As we witnessed on tv, Shimoda appeared to have the race in complete control until a strange situation arose with the red lights on the jump before the finish line. The same type of situation also happened in the 450SX main event and here is the official AMA press release stating what happened and why there weren’t any penalties handed out.
“PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Following the 250 & 450 Main Events at Round 7 of the AMA Supercross Championship in Arlington, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is issuing a Race Direction communication regarding on-track red cross flag and red light signals during the event.
250 Class Race Direction Review
During the race, a warning light, also referred to as the single red lead in light, was displayed in accordance with standard race procedures. When the warning light is shown, riders are alerted of a future obstacle being shut down. However, the presence of the warning light alone does not prohibit riders from executing jumps unless accompanied by additional flag signals or directives indicating otherwise.
After a thorough review by Race Direction, it has been confirmed that all 250 riders remained in compliance with the rules. Since the warning light was displayed and no supplementary signals were issued to restrict jumping, riders were permitted to maintain race pace and execute jumps through the section.
As a result, no penalties have been assessed to any riders in the 250 class regarding this situation.
450 Class Race Direction Review
A separate situation occurred during the 450 Main Event involving a red cross flag being displayed at the finish line stand. At the time of the incident, no corresponding red lights or red cross flags were illuminated in the section leading into the jump.
Following a comprehensive review, Race Direction determined there was no blatant violation of the red cross rule. (1.6.14, e.,6) Riders were already committed to the jump without a visible warning light to reasonably signal the restricted condition prior to takeoff.
Given the absence of illuminated red lights and the lack of advanced visual indication before rider commitment, officials concluded that the circumstances did not warrant penalties.
As a result, no penalties have been assessed to any riders in the 450 class regarding this situation.
The AMA and its race officials remain committed to consistent rule enforcement, rider safety, and clear communication under all race conditions, and will carefully review our current lights procedure to ensure it continues to provide the highest level of safety and clarity for all participants. As a result of these scenarios, we’ve identified opportunities for improvement and have adjusted lighting operations and flagging procedures.”
As you can imagine, the AMA had their hands full with these main event incidents, especially with the HRC Honda Team as it did appear to cost Shimoda the win. The 450SX main event was also an exciting race as the top riders in the series battled hard for almost the entire 20 minutes. Ken Roczen led for over half of the race before Hunter Lawrence forced his way past. Cooper Webb also put himself in a great spot to win, as did Eli Tomac, but no one was able to match the pace of Lawrence in the final laps. This gave Hunter his first win of 2026, as well as a four-point lead heading into Daytona this coming weekend. However, with the way that Eli Tomac is riding, as well as how good he always is in Daytona, ET3 is going to be hard to beat this weekend. Other than perhaps Anaheim 1, the Daytona SX is the biggest race of the series. Not only because it takes place at the World’s most famous Speedway, but also because it signifies the mid-point of the Monster Energy Supercross Series, and this is when the 450SX Championship begins to separate the real title contenders. Right now, it looks as though it’s between four riders as they head into Round 8, Lawrence, Tomac, Webb, and Roczen. Also, I think it’s too early to count out Chase Sexton, who could win this weekend, and if things go well, he could keep winning and get himself back into the title fight. Currently, Sexton is 27 points behind points leader Hunter Lawrence. Finally, Cole Thompson was also racing in Arlington, but after a bad start in the 450SX LCQ he failed to advance to the main event. Cole made the trek from racing the final round of the 2026 AMA Arenacross Series in Guthrie, OK the evening before, so he could’ve been a little tired once the night show began in Arlington. Look for Cole to continue racing the 450SX class in the coming weeks.
Speaking of the 2026 AMA Arenacross Series, not only did Ryan Breece win the AX Pro Class championship on Friday night in Guthrie, but his mechanic Caden Lee, also took home his first-ever pro championship. Caden has been on the fast track to success in the past few seasons, working with riders like Dylan Walsh, Vince Friese, and most recently Ryan Breece. Along the way, Caden has not only been gaining the valuable experience of being a factory mechanic, but he’s also been able to travel the Globe, and see places I’m sure he never thought he’d see a few years ago. However, even with his travels and success, Caden has still remained the friendly and down to earth kid that we used to see hanging around his home in Walton, Ontario. Like so many of us in the Ontario MX fraternity, I’ve known Caden since he was a young kid, and I’m super proud of him for taking the chances that he has in recent years. We sometimes focus too much on the riders and where their journey’s take them, but we’ve also had a lot of mechanics find success outside of Canada. And while our Canadian mechanics have found success on the world stage, not all can say that they won a championship like Caden Lee can add to his resume now. Congratulations to Caden, Ryan Breece, and the entire Smartop MotoConcepts Honda Team on their 2026 AMA Arenacross Championship. On another note, Cole Thompson finished second in this series and I’m pretty sure him and Breece will not be exchanging Christmas cards later on this year!
Well, that is it for me this week. I hope everyone enjoys this final week of February, next up is March, daylight savings (March 8th), the early stages of Spring, and the beginning of the 2026 riding season. My son and I are leaving this weekend for the Georgia Practice Facility (GPF) for a month of riding and training. With 2026 being Ayrton’s rookie season in the Triple Crown Series, it’s time to head south so he can train and ride without distraction for five weeks. This will also give him ample time to adapt to his new AVL Husqvarna Team bike and get ready for the exciting season ahead. Finally, my Motovan Canada Rider of the Week is Noah Porter, who as I mentioned above had a great final night in Rimbey, winning both Pro Class main events. Thank you for reading and if you have any questions or comments, please email me at editor@mxpmag.com.
