Greetings! Welcome to this post-Halloween edition of the Monday Gate Drop Column, which, as always, is brought to you by the fine people at Yamaha Motor Canada. After a very successful season, the Blu Cru is now looking ahead to 2027 and hoping to continue its winning ways. With a host of top amateur riders, as well as a plethora of fast pro riders, the future is bright for those who choose to ride a Yamaha.
Well, let’s begin this week down in the Land of the Long White Cloud, or as the rest of the world knows it, New Zealand. As you all know, NZ has a rich history of producing world-class riders like the King brothers, Ben Townley, Josiah Natzke (who we know very well here in Canada), and most recently, Cole Davies. And this is just the A-list of famous Kiwis who have performed well on the world stage. The list of fast NZ riders is actually pretty long, which is amazing considering how small the overall population of New Zealand is. This is why it was great to see the 2026 Australian SX Series head back to Auckland for Round 2 this past weekend.
It was also great to see top riders like Ken Roczen, Christian Craig, and, of course, the return of the country’s newest MX/SX hero, Cole Davies. The event was a sellout as NZ fans flocked into North Harbour Stadium, a venue that is normally used for other sports like rugby and cricket, to watch some of the best SX riders on the planet compete.
Our own Preston Masciangelo was racing in the SX2 class, and he rode well to finish 16th overall. Preston had a really solid opening main event but unfortunately suffered a few crashes in the second main event. Still, it was a solid night of learning for Preston, and now he will look forward to Round 3 in Geelong, Australia, this weekend.
As you can probably guess, the main events in the SX2 and SX1 classes were won by Cole Davies and Ken Roczen, respectively. Another Canadian connection this past weekend in NZ was Caden Lee, who was spinning the wrenches for Austin Politelli. Over the past several seasons, Caden has really done well for himself, and for his air miles account, as he’s travelled the globe with the Smart Top Honda Team in the WSX Championships. Caden has done such a great job in the past that Politelli requested he jump on a plane last week and fly Down Under to be his mechanic for the remainder of the Australian SX Series.
In other SX news, this coming weekend Tyler Gibbs is heading over to Germany to compete in the Stuttgart Supercross. Gibbs is no stranger to racing in Germany, as he’s competed in the ADAC Supercross Series in the past. Gibbs will be riding for the KL Motors Racing Honda Team, so good luck to him this weekend. Also, this week Dylan Rempel is heading down to MTF in Georgia to begin riding SX as he prepares for both the West Coast AX Championships and the 2027 SMX Next events. Heading into the opening round of the 2026 West Coast AX Series in Chilliwack, Rempel looks like the odds-on favourite to take the win.
This past Friday, Ryan Lockhart gave us a list of the potential pro riders who will be in attendance on opening night in Chilliwack. With names like Quinn Amyotte, Dylan Rempel, Logan Letizel, Blake Davies, Tyler Gibbs, Travis Gibbs, Parker Eales, Guillaume St-Cyr, Nate Freehill, Liam Dodds, Jake Tricco, Zach Ufimzeff, and Colin Jurin, it should be an action-packed weekend of racing at the end of this month in Chilliwack.
Now that the official off-season has begun, we have some more team announcements for the 2027 Triple Crown Series. Last week, the Guaranteed Comfort Honda Team announced that Wyatt Kerr, Tyler Shewchyk, and Carson Fields will be returning to the team next season. Also, the team has added Zachery Phifer (250 class) and Kiana Kurtz (WMX class) to the fold for 2027.
Other than the additions to the team, the biggest news here is that Kerr will be moving up to the 450 class next year. I think this is a good move for Wyatt, as he needs some sort of change for the new year. He’s also proven to be one of the fittest riders in the paddock, so racing in the 450 class should suit him well. Hopefully, he can remain healthy and come into the 2027 Triple Crown Series 100% prepared to battle the more experienced riders in the class. Look for more team announcements in the coming weeks, including which tent Jess Pettis will be under next summer.
Well, that is it for me this week. It’s certainly a quiet time right now in the Canadian moto industry as everyone is in reset-and-regroup mode. Obviously, the temperatures are cooling down, and the days are getting shorter as we begin what always seems to be a somewhat depressing month. Hopefully, November goes by quickly and soon we can move into December and then, of course, a new year!
I hope everyone has a great week! Thank you for reading this week, and if you have any questions or comments, please email me at editor@mxpmag.com.
