Greetings! Welcome to this late March edition of the Monday Gate Drop Column, which is once again presented by the incredible folks from Yamaha Motor Canada. Actually, just last week Yamaha renewed their sponsorship of this column, as well as their support for MXP Media. Thank you to the Blu Cru, now it’s time to bring on the 2026 riding season!
So, before I get into the news of the week let me first wish my Father a Happy Heavenly Birthday! My Dad would be 83 today, and if he was still alive, I’m sure he would’ve been down in Georgia with us watching his Grandson rip lap after lap at GPF. He obviously loved motorcycles and racing, and looking back now I’m happy that he was able to experience this sport as a laid back, but still involved Grandparent. As a “Grandpa” going to the races to not only help us out, but also to help out pretty much anyone who needed help was one of his favourite things to do as he got older. Even my Mom, who grew to dislike motocross during my last few years of racing in the pro class, fell back in love (perhaps love is a strong word) with the sport after experiencing it as a Grandmother. However, for my Dad it was extra special and hanging out at GPF in the sunny South would’ve definitely been his cup of tea. So, Happy Birthday Dad!
Now, onto the Detroit SX and what was one of the craziest nights of racing we’ve seen in awhile. By crazy, I mean when was the last time we’ve witnessed one section of a track cause so much havoc? I’m sure riders will be having nightmares about the Detroit whoops for a long time. I reached out to Cole Thompson (who once again qualified directly out of his 450SX heat race for the main event) and asked him about the whoops and he said they were treacherous. Cole said each whoop was really ‘cupped’ out on the top, and they also remained tacky all night long. It was just the ideal conditions to entice riders to skim them, but obviously left zero room for error. Once your rear tire got a little light and then started going side to side, there was just so much traction, eventually the tire would grab and caused your bike to go violently sideways. You can see in Hunter Lawrence’s main event crash that his rear end began hopping around in the early part of the section, and then progressively got worse until that final whoop caught his rear tire and it was game over. He hit the ground hard in a spot where the soil was like concrete. I couldn’t believe he got up and still finished the main event. The points Hunter salvaged on Saturday night, along with the points Eli gave away by allowing Justin Cooper to pass him late in the race, could come in handy as this series begins it stretch drive towards Salt Lake City. Speaking of Eli, I think it’s pretty clear something is up with him as he just hasn’t looked like himself during the past two weekends. I don’t know if it’s an injury, overall fatigue, or a deliberate plan to take it easy during these middle rounds before making a push in the last five races? I mean, as hard as it’s been to watch Eli ride the way he’s been riding post Daytona, he has the points lead back, so his plan is working. Also, I’d be very surprised if Hunter isn’t banged up to the point of not being himself for the next few races. So, Tomac might just be back in the drivers seat of this 450SX Series!
As far as Canadian riders, both Cole Thompson and Preston Masciangleo were competing in the 450SX class. Unfortunately, Preston wasn’t able to qualify for the main event after a bad start in the LCQ. However, Cole Thompson (as I mentioned) qualified directly out of his heat race into the main event. Sadly, Cole got caught up in the Friese/ McElrath incident, and although he would finish the race, he was well back. It seems like every weekend Vince Friese is either taking someone out or getting yelled at by a top rider for holding them up in either a race, or in qualifying. I know he’s out there doing his best, as is every rider on the track. But, Vince is and always has been an incident waiting to happen, and almost all of the time he just brings it on himself. On another note completely, how cool was it to not only see Chase Sexton back on the track in Detroit, but also finishing second in the 450SX main event. Chase also sent the SX media crew into a frenzy when he announced on press day that his KX450 feels lighter with a stock engine, so that is what they’re now running. I mean, perhaps he is running a stock engine? But, I highly doubt his engine is even close to stock, and honestly, I love Chase, but his interviews when he’s talking about his bike are getting harder and harder to listen to. It’s great that he gives us information about what he’s been testing, but he ends up talking in one big circle. Anyway, I for one hope he’s happy with his bike now, and I hope he can remain healthy for the remainder of the Monster Energy Supercross Series. Because, I think his KX450 is going to be great in the Pro Motocross Championships, and I believe Chase is a title threat outdoors.
Finally, while I’m still on the subject of the Detroit SX, I have to give a shout out to my USA Supercross photographer/videographer Matt Wellumson. Matt has been a loyal part of the MXP family for 19 years now, and we certainly wouldn’t have gotten this far without him. As the Monster Energy Supercross Series has evolved so has the way that the media covers each race. When Matt started his job at the races, he was just taking photos and then sending me his collection of the pictures he took each night. However, as Social Media and YouTube entered the picture, the coverage of each SX event has become as much about video now as it is, still-photos. Well, Matt has adapted incredibly well and as you can tell by his work this past weekend in Detroit, he does it all, and loves every minute of it. This summer I’m going to try and get Matt up to one of the Triple Crown Series rounds so he can see what our series is all about. Thank you Matt, and Happy 19th Anniversary!
Well, that is it for me this week. I hope everyone has a great opening week of April, and also, I hope everyone has a great Easter Weekend. This is our final week down at GPF in Georgia and hopefully the weather will be nice enough to attend a practice day this coming weekend at Gopher Dunes. It also sounds like Motopark will be open if the weather permits. Finally, the Motovan Canada Rider of the Week is young Jettsen Anderson who led the Detroit KJSC race until the final lap. Congratulations Jettsen for your effort, and don’t worry, we’re sure there are plenty of wins coming your way in the future. Thank you for reading and if you have any questions or comments, please email them to me at editor@mxpmag.com.
