Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
When you look back at this past year in Canadian motocross there are many great stories and many great performances. In both the amateur and pro classes, we all witnessed riders push their limit on the racetrack while battling for moto wins and championships. Even though it was another challenging Pandemic-influenced season, it didn’t lack any of the great race action that we’ve been accustomed to seeing in Canada. As I’ve done for the past seven seasons, this is the time of year that I sit down to compose my annual Golden Elbow Awards that celebrate the memorable moments from the past year. Whether it was Dylan Wright winning his second Triple Crown Series 450MX Championship in a row, or Jacob Piccolo winning his first-ever Triple Crown Series 250MX Championships, there were multiple moments worth talking about. With just a few hours remaining in 2021, let’s finish up this year in style and give away a couple of my annual Golden Elbow Awards.
Rider of the Year: Dylan Wright
For the second year in a row, Dylan Wright is not only our Triple Crown Series 450MX Champion but also my Golden Elbow Award winner for Rider of the Year. Not only did Dylan battle through a couple of serious injuries this past summer to win his second 450MX title, but he also had to fight off a very tenacious rookie named Jess Pettis. As you may recall, Dylan and Jess went back and forth all summer long and if it wasn’t for Jess’s massive crash at Round 7 in Deschambault, the two riders would’ve headed into the final round at Walton Raceway practically tied in points. In the end, however, Dylan rode solid, made fewer mistakes, and deservingly won his second 450MX Championship.
But when I look back at 2021 what set Dylan Wright ahead of our other champions like Jacob Piccolo and Eve Brodeur was his riding in October and November in Europe. With everyone in Canada watching Dylan headed to the final five rounds of the MXGP Championships and boy did he put on a show. Battling in a strange land against some of the best riders on the planet, Dylan held his own and did both himself and all of his fans proud. If it wasn’t for the fact that there is very little money for the riders outside of the top five in MXGP’s, I’m quite sure Dylan would be heading back to this Global series full time in 2022. However, the good news is that after talking to Dylan a few weeks ago it appears like we will see him possibly at selected MXGP rounds in 2022, as well as a few rounds of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championships. We will also see him in Canada as he will once again be defending his Triple Crown Series 450MX title. It was a truly unforgettable 2021 season for Dylan Wright and that is why he’s my pick for the Golden Elbow Rider of the Year Award.
Amateur Rider of the Year: Dylan Rempel
Of all the awards this year this one was most certainly the toughest to decide. During the past year, we witnessed so many great performances from our talented group of amateur riders in Canada. There was Brennan Schofield who rode strong down in Tennessee and took home the 450C title at the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Championship. This was a great achievement by the talented east coast rider and one that I’m sure Brennan and his family won’t soon forget. Another great performance this year came from Tanner Scott at the Walton TransCan where he sweep all six of his motos while enroute to three TransCan titles as well as the prestigious Fox Racing Instinct Bronze Boot Award. However, despite Tanner’s incredible riding at the Walton TransCan, from the start of the 2021 season to the end of it Dylan Rempel was the most dominant amateur rider in Canada.
Dylan hails from just south of Aylmer, Ontario and when he’s not riding dirt bikes he’s most likely sitting around thinking about riding dirt bikes. If there is one word I can think of to best describes Dylan it’s “Driven” as he never stops trying to improve either his riding or his results. This year he faced some stiff competition in the 85cc 12-16 as well as in the Supermini class and sometimes he even got beat. However, he always came back in the next moto or the next race and set the record straight with a dominating win. With multiple Walton TransCan titles under his belt, Dylan will now attempt to do what Ryder McNabb successfully did two years ago and that is to make the move from the Supermini class to the Intermediate class in 2022. As we all know this is a big step and not everyone is capable of it, but with his talent and determination, Dylan Rempel is as well-prepared for this move as anyone we’ve seen attempt it in the past. Regardless of what happens next year, for 2021 Dylan is your Golden Elbow Amateur Rider of the Year!
Event of the Year: Canada Day Weekend at Walton Raceway
Like the Amateur Award above, this one was also difficult to pick as I was lucky enough to have witnessed many incredible events in 2021. There was the entire AMO Racing OPC Series which was well run and well attended by all, there was the return of the ECAN in Deschambault which is always one of my favourite events on the calendar. I mean, who doesn’t love racing in Quebec and especially at the beautiful Deschambault facility. It was great to see the ECAN back after having to cancel this event in 2020 and I cannot wait to head back there in 2022. There were also the Triple Crown Series races at Deschambault and honestly I will never forget walking around the paddock at Round 6 and seeing so many Quebec fans in attendance. Of all of the races this past year that one felt the most special because it just looked and felt normal.
However, for the event of the year, I have to go back to Canada Day weekend at Walton Raceway when Brett Lee and his crew pulled off one of the best weekends of racing we’ve seen in a long time. Not only were there multiple rounds of the Triple Crown Series on Friday and Sunday but on Thursday Walton Raceway hosted the opening round of the Off-Road Ontario XC Series. Finally, throw in Saturday’s AMO Racing OPC event, and over four days we saw some incredible race action. Also, if all had gone to plan then there would’ve been Flat Track racing on Saturday night as well. It was a great weekend and for a first-time event, everything ran pretty smooth. As I said, this was a tough category as there were many great events this year that once again had to be run under challenging circumstances. Hopefully, by the spring of 2022 races will be able to return to normal without any restrictions, and track owners and promoters will once again be able to welcome unlimited fans and the financial benefits that come along with it. However, until then, congratulations to the crew at Walton Raceway on their Canada Day weekend of racing and the Golden Elbow Event of the Year Award.
