Greetings! Welcome to this Labour Day edition of the Monday Gate Drop Column, which is once again brought to you by the awesome people at Yamaha Motor Canada. The all-new 2027 YZ250F has hit the dealer room floors in Canada, and from testing this bike several weeks ago, I can tell you that it is a blast to ride. From the power, to the handling, to the new hydraulic clutch, all of the changes made for 2027 will serve the Blu Cru riders very well in the coming season.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Sebastien Racine went to see his doctor and it was unfortunately determined that the collarbone he injured in late July isn’t quite ready for him to begin riding and preparing for the MXON. I had spoken to him the morning of his visit to his doctor and he sounded hopeful that he would get the green light to begin riding and really ramp up his training for France. This news obviously hit Sebastien and Team Canada quite hard and sadly he had to pull out for this year. So, with Sebbby out, the speculation began about who was going to replace him on Team Canada? Considering the spot now open on the team demanded that you have to ride a 450, the possibilities were limited. Quinn Amyotte was available to race, and choosing him made sense since he was already going to France to help out with whatever needed done over there. Tanner Ward was also available and since he was on Team Canada last year, he has some experience. I thought Cole Thompson might be an option as currently he’s the best International rider we have. I know he’s pretty much SX only now, but I felt like he could have been talked into racing for Team Canada again. However, in the end it was decided (and officially announced yesterday) that Tanner Ward would be joining Team Canada and would be Husqvarna mounted in France. As I mentioned above, Tanner was on the team last year at Ironman Raceway, so he does bring some experience to the table. Also, compared to a year ago, if Tanner can remain healthy in these next few weeks leading up to France, he’ll arrive at the MXON much more healthy than he was a year ago. Last year, Tanner had that big crash at the final round at Walton Raceway, and I think that affected him for a long time. Hopefully, all three of our riders can find a way to keep racing in these next few weeks so they can head to France as sharp as possible. I know Rempel will be lining up in the SMX Next playoff events this coming weekend in Columbus, and I also believe he’s heading to California the following weekend. Dylan Wright raced the final Quebec Provincial this past weekend, and hopefully he can find a way to line up a few more times in the next month. With two more AMO Racing events in Ontario (Walton and Auburn Hills) coming up before Team Canada has to head to France, I would expect Tanner to be at both of these races. My overall feeling is that Tanner is a solid pick to replace Racine on Team Canada, but he has to not only maintain his race intensity from this summer, but he also has to find a way to increase his overall pace before France. Not by a lot, just a second or two, especially in those crucial opening laps. So, the stage is now set for Team Canada and the 2026 MXON. Ward is now on the team, Rempel has to get through these SMX Next Playoff rounds unscathed, and Wright I believe has set himself up nicely to have his best MXON result of his career in France.
As I mentioned above, with regard to Dylan Rempel and the SMX Playoff events coming up in the next three weeks, the SMX Next class will act as a support class at both the Columbus and LA rounds. The WMX class will be featured at the final round in Missouri. The Lawrence Brothers were obviously in the news this week, and it was both on the good side as well as on the bad side. The good news was that Hunter Lawrence did some interviews while he celebrated his first-ever 450 Pro Motocross Championship. Overall, Hunter has been the best 450 rider all season long indoors and outdoors. Unfortunately, he gave away the SX title with some mistakes in the final rounds, but he certainly redeemed himself in the MX series this summer. Still, he only led his brother by one point heading into the final round, and that I think goes to show just how good Jett is. Now, that the dust has settled from Ironman Raceway I think two things, okay perhaps three things are true all at once. First, Hunter was a deserving champion and he should be applauded for just how well he rode all summer long. Given his performance in SX and how he was able to move on from the disappointment of losing the title in the final main event of the series, and then come out swinging in the outdoor was remarkable. Second, I don’t doubt for a second that Jett was hurting in the final round last weekend, and was certainly not at his best. Physically he wasn’t 100% and as I mentioned last week in this column, he definitely wasn’t mentally at his best. Coming into the series, I think Jett had two goals, one was to just make it through the series with his injured ankle, and two was to beat and shut up Deegs! Heading into Ironman last weekend, both goals had certainly been accomplished so the title would’ve been icing on the cake. This segways into my third point and that is, in moto one at Ironman Jett, after seeing his brother down on lap one definitely waited for Hunter to catch up to him. I don’t think there is any doubt in that, and honestly, I don’t think there was anything wrong with that. Also, I think that in moto two when Jett got passed Hunter and moved into third, if he really wanted to he could’ve put the hammer down and chased down Deegs for second. That would’ve given him enough points to win the title! Once he got passed Hunter, he appeared to be quite content to sit in third, nurse his ankle home, and watch his older brother realize his childhood dream. If there was more to it as some media outlets have speculated this past week, then so be it. However, the final conclusion is that they were brothers before they started riding and they’ll be brothers when they’re done riding. Family is always the most important thing we have in our lives and last weekend Jett proved that. It was Hunter’s time to shine and while I don’t think Jett waved the white flag and completely gave it to him, I do think Jett realized that the moment belonged to his older brother.
Sadly, a few days after Ironman Jett announced that he was having another surgery on his ankle this coming week and would not be competing in the upcoming SMX Playoff rounds. As unfortunate as this is for Jett, his team, and his fans, I think it’s the best thing moving forward. He needs to get fully healthy if he wants to be at his best in SX in 2027. This past summer, I think he learned quickly how to ride a certain way and protect his ankle, but I don’t think he can do that on a SX track. There are just too many quick and unpredictable movements in SX that demand every part of your body to be at its best, especially when it comes to your feet and ankles. Anyway, with Jett out of the SMX Playoffs, now we get to focus on watching Hunter, Webb, Deegan, and Eli Tomac, who will be racing in his final three events of his career. It’s crazy to think that just six months ago Tomac was in contention for the SX title having just won the Daytona SX for the 8th time. Now, after a few crashes and injuries, Tomac has decided to retire. I thought for sure he’d some back to one more SX Series in 2027. But, this leads me to believe that the neck injury he suffered at Fox Raceway was more serious that we thought. As in, one of those neck injuries where doctors determined that he got very lucky if you know what I mean. At that point, Tomac decided he’d had enough and that this was his final season. Also, with the Coehen Brothers set to race in the USA next year, KTM’s offer to Tomac could’ve been on the very low side of what he thought he needed to justify the risk of racing one more series. Either way, ET3 is going to be missed!
Well, that is it for me this week. I hope everyone is having a great long weekend. Please travel safe and good luck to the kids who return to school tomorrow. I know in certain parts of the country our kids are already back at school, so hopefully things are going well. Thank you for reading and if you have any questions or comments, please email me ateditor@mxpmag.com.
