The Monday Gate Drop Presented By Yamaha Motor Canada

Well, it’s hard to believe that we just experienced the final weekend of June and this coming weekend we are officially halfway through 2022. This Friday is Canada Day as well as the opening day of the exciting Walton One weekend. Beginning on Friday morning there will be XC racing, amateur racing, fireworks, parties, and then the grand finale on Sunday with Round 4 of the Triple Crown Series. It’s going to be an exciting Canada Day weekend at Walton Raceway and as of right now the weather looks really good. Even if you’re not planning on racing but you are looking for something to do this weekend this event will be perfect as you can camp, hang out, and also enjoy some entertaining race action. For all the info you need to know please visit www.waltonraceway.ca.

As I mentioned, this coming Sunday is Round 4 of the 2022 Triple Crown Series and like Round 2 in Drumheller, this weekend will feature three shorter sprint-type motos in each class. A year ago they used this format at one of the Walton Raceway rounds and it was quite entertaining for the riders and the fans. I think the only people that don’t enjoy this format are the mechanics as the time between motos is short and extremely stressful for them. However, it’s cool that the Triple Crown Series tries these different things and this weekend should be fun to watch.

So will this weekend’s format alter the results at all in the 250 and 450 classes? I guess it could as starts will be that much more important with the shorter motos and the sometimes hard-to-pass on Walton track. But so far in the opening three rounds, the riders who have been finishing on the podium have also been the riders at the front of the pack off the start. Over the years though we’ve witnessed some strange things happen at Walton Raceway as the track and its soft and rutted conditions can either make or break a rider’s performance. Riding the deep Walton ruts takes a special technique and if your body, mind, and bike are all on the same page then it can be a very satisfying day. However, if something is off with any of the above three items I mentioned then you could be riding the struggle bus all day long. I feel that Walton Raceway is a lot like the following weekend’s round at Gopher Dunes. Yes, I know the dirt is completely different but so much of how the race goes for every rider depends on their comfort level, how quickly they can adapt to changing track conditions, and of course the weather. All of the above are important on any track you race on throughout the season but at certain ones flow and speed can come easier than on others.

So who is going to be fast this weekend at Walton Raceway? Well, the red plate holders in both classes (Piccolo and Wright) we know are going to be good as they have been in the past at Walton. Piccolo hasn’t won an overall yet but his three-second overall place finishes in the west have given him the points lead and the red plate. Piccolo’s speed has been great so far but in recent weeks he’s been bested by American Mitchell Harrison. This kid has been very good and judging by his attitude and his ever-growing confidence, Harrison could be even better in the east. Another rider who has been good but not great so far in 2022 is GDR Honda’s Ryder McNabb. At the opening round in Kamloops McNabb was the fastest rider on the track and he proved it by taking the overall win. Unfortunately, right after Kamloops, he came down with the flu and his results have suffered since. You have to feel bad for him as I don’t care how fit you are at 16 you just don’t have to reserves to battle back from sickness that quickly. Hopefully, Ryder has gotten some rest and recovery done over the past week and he will come out strong at Round 4. If you also throw in Marco Cannella to the mix then we could see a four-rider battle for this 250 championship in the next month. Also, word is that the PRMX Kawasaki Team is bringing up New Zealand rider Josiah Natzke for the remaining rounds. The Kiwi has been doing quite well in the Lucas Oil Pro MX Championship and last weekend at Hi-Point he went 11-15 in the 250 class. That is pretty good so if he comes up to Canada he will no doubt be running near the front. Finally, don’t count out Sebastien Racine, Quinn Amyotte, and Tyler Gibbs. All three were strong out west and are quite familiar with the remaining tracks. 

In the 450 class, beating Dylan Wright is going to be difficult as so far he’s been in complete control of the motos during the first three rounds. After watching Dylan for the past number of years I didn’t think he had a comfort zone as he’s always appeared to just be riding wide open. However, from watching him and speaking with him this year he does feel like he’s riding smooth and patient. When he’s been forced to drop the hammer he has for sure, but for the most part, he has found a comfort zone and he’s sticking with it. Behind him Tyler Medaglia has been exceptional so far, Shawn Maffenbeier has been riding better than he has in a while, newcomer Chris Blackmer has been a breath of fresh air, and Tanner Ward’s best races are still to come in my opinion. So unless things change from the first three rounds Dylan Wright is going to be very hard to beat in the coming weeks, however, the battle for second in each moto could be the best we’ve seen in a while.

As I mentioned above, the Triple Crown Series resumes this Sunday at Walton Raceway. But the big Walton One Canada Day weekend begins on Friday with the Off-Road Ontario XC event. I will end this with some very positive news concerning our moto friend Brock Leitner. He has now been moved from a Calgary hospital to Kelowna where he’s spending a few days doing rehab before moving on to Vancouver. Brock is doing well but he still needs our help. Here is an update from Brock that he posted on Facebook on Saturday as well as the link to his GoFundMe Page. Keep smiling Brock and please know that we’re all thinking of you. Thank you for reading and I will see you all at Walton Raceway this weekend.

Fundraiser by Barb Armstrong : Brock Leitner’s Road to Recovery (gofundme.com)

Happy Saturday everyone!! I hope you are all enjoying your weekend I just wanted to give you a little recap from the last couple days. I am now in Kelowna at KGH hospital for a couple days doing as much PT as I can before I head to Vancouver hospital and GF Strong for rehab. I had a great flight from Calgary to Kelowna and the amount of support has been amazing! Each and everyone of you mean the world to me to have this amount of support?? all the family and friends and even people I’ve looked up to my whole life have reached out and it brings tears to my eyes to have all of you guys supporting me and my family through this journey! Please feel free to share this post to your stories and feel free if you wish to add the GoFundMe link to your story the link is in my bio?? Love Brock