FXR Racing Presents The Mid-Week Report With Andy White

We are now turning the final corner of the Rockstar Triple Crown series with just one round to go for the MX Tour portion. It’s hard to believe the summer is almost over because it feels like the outdoor series only started a few weeks ago. This past weekend the national was in the belle province of Quebec. This year’s schedule only offered up one round in Quebec. In years previous there were usually two rounds at Quebec tracks, but I don’t make the schedule or work for MRC. Deschambault is one of my favourite tracks with just about everything featured. The track has lots of jumps and plenty of elevation. The dirt is pretty sandy but there is some clay mixed in there too. The start straight is a little short but this is one track where you better get a good start or it’s going to be a long day. I forgot to mention there is also a 130ft double jump. Yes, you heard me right! I am happy I don’t have to hit that jump.

Just like last weekend in Moncton, Joey Crown was able to win the second 250 Pro/Am moto as well as the overall for the day. Photo by James Lissimore

The racing was great with tons of battles and some crashes. Cole Thompson was the winner of the 450 class; he really seems to be starting to find some speed. Facciotti had a good day by winning a moto and finishing second for the day. Colton still has a pretty healthy lead on Thompson by 22 points. The 250 class winner was Joey Crown. This guy has been on fire the past few rounds as well. Jess Pettis didn’t have a great weekend though. He is still leading the championship but Crown is coming on pretty fast. There is only a mere three points separating them now.

 The Quebec rounds are always fun to attend. The fans go crazy for their  local heroes. Kaven Benoit who lives only a few hours away is one of those home town guys that get the fans fired up. The fans run from one side of the track to the other watching his every move. The announcer was focused on Benoit as well. Every time Kaven made a pass, the announcer’s voice would go crazy. Just past the half way mark of the first moto Benoit made the move on his teamate Cole Thompson for the lead and the fans went wild. You could hear horns in the background just like at a race in Europe. Once the race was over the fans worked their way to the podium stage and it looked like a concert was going to happen. These moto fans are passionate to say the least.

It’s almost time for the gate to drop on the 2018 Walton TransCan. Photo by James Lissimore

 The next and final round of the series is back at Walton, Ontario. If you have never been to this track you should try and make it. The track is located just past Waterloo, Ontario. If you’re an amateur you should be signed up to race the TransCan event! If you’re a somebody in motocross you have raced at Walton at one time or another.

 The week prior to Deschambault was Loretta Lynn’s amateur championship, which is the biggest amateur championship in the world. I had the opportunity to attend it for the first time this year. I am not sure why I have never been before but I can tell you right now I am putting it on my list of events to attend for 2019. I really enjoyed talking and meeting tons of racers and their parents. I have never seen so many golf carts zipping around in my life. The amount of side-by-sides and pit bikes is staggering. The actual racing was really good and every class had lots of action. Mike Brown was present to defend his +25 and +40 championships, and that was super fun to watch the younger riders try to take on the champ. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend and I will see you next week at Walton Raceway. Photo by James Lissimore

Hats off to organizer Davey Coombs for an unbelievable event. The amount of planning that must go into putting this event together would be unreal. One of the toughest challenges is the heat in Tennessee in August. The temperature was close to 30°C most days but the humidity level was in the high 90s. I am sure glad I was sleeping in an air conditioned hotel each night. That heat wears you out fast. For riders and spectators you should make sure you drink lots of water or you will pass out. Fortunately there is a river next to the track and you can bet that it gets pretty full by mid-day.

 That’s it for this week. Enjoy the weekend off. Hope to see you at Walton!