Honda Canada Racing Presents The Monday Gate Drop

Good day and welcome to another edition of the Honda Canada Racing Monday Gate Drop. Once again this week we celebrate the accomplishments of GDR Fox Honda rider Dylan Wright. This past Saturday evening at Round 3 of the 2019 Triple Crown AXTour, Dylan rode to his second 250 Pro class victory in a row. With just one race remaining now in the AXTour Series, Wright leads the 250 class Championship.

After missing the opening two rounds of the Triple Crown AXTour Series, it was great to travel to Sarnia and be back at the races. With the proverbial off-season being much shorter now, it felt like I had seen most of our series regulars not too long ago. Of course, there are always a few that I haven’t seen in sometime, also with this race taking place in my home province of Ontario, there are always a few old motocross friends that come out of the wood work. Anyway, as always it was good to catch up with everyone and share in the excitement of yet another season of Canadian motocross.

One of biggest ‘Are we really that old” conversations I had on Saturday was with Adam Robinson, the Team Manager for the Huber Racing Kawasaki Team. Over the years his nickname has changed numerous times and these days everyone just calls him “Stu”. We go way back and in fact I was the very first rider that he ever helped at a National race. The race was the Barrie National in 1999 and it was not only one of the hottest and most humid outdoor nationals we’ve ever had, but that was also the final year that all the pro riders were required to ride both classes. Four motos was almost unbearable and I can confirm that the final moto that day was pretty much in slow motion as the riders were just trying to survive. Over the years Stu and I always joke about two things from that day. The first thing being just how hard I made him work that day, in the opening 250 moto I got myself involved in a massive first turn pile-up. It was ugly as one second I was wide open in about fifth place heading into Turn 1 at RJ’s, and the next second I was upside down and curled up in a ball hoping no one would run me over. Unfortunately, a few riders did and my Machine Racing CR250R and I were really messed up. I had two cracked ribs and a very sore knee, my bike was bent up so bad that it had to be carried off. Once we got back to the truck Stu had to go to work and try and repair my broken bike while at the same time trying to get my 125 ready for Moto 2. As he did that I just laid in the shade and tried to catch my breath. So from that day on Stu and I always joke about how miserable his first national was as a mechanic. Oh, and the other thing we joke about is that he somehow still blames me for giving him that first taste of the drug that we call “Motocross”. In Sarnia this subject once again came up and he reminded me that it’s been 20 long years since that National in Barrie. If that doesn’t make you feel old I don’t know what does.

So between catching up with old friends, making a few new friends, helping my son race throughout the day and night, and of course being a moto journalist all day long, my 13 hours spent at Progressive Auto Sales Arena was very interesting. Thankfully the weather was decent outside so it allowed everyone to go out and get some fresh air. As much as this arena had some very good ventilation, the fumes still get to you after awhile. Also, as predicted the Sarnia dirt was much better than it was last year. Yes, it was still soft and the ruts formed quite quickly, but the track remained raceable all day long. The attendance was also once again good as the local Sarnia fans appear to love their AX events. During opening ceremonies the biggest cheer’s went out to the Rockstar Girls and of course the hometown hero Cole Thompson. All in all, the day of racing was entertaining and I think the fans left the arena very happy.

There was also a few new faces in both the 250 Pro class as well as the 450 Pro class. For the first time this season Tanner Ward was on the starting line in the 250 class, and in the 450 class, American rider Dakota Alix was in Sarnia and ready to race. Both riders made quick impacts to the series as Ward would go onto to finish in second overall, and Alix would also end up finishing in second. Ward looked great on his KTM and I think he’s going to be one of the challengers for the 250 MXTour title this summer. Obviously his speed and fitness are good after training down south all winter, but to me he just looks to be stronger on the bike and he has a little more maturity in his riding. When these kids come up and they go fast so quickly, we tend to forget that they are just kids and that at the top level, this sport is an adult sport. You don’t peak physically and mentally in motocross on average until you’re say 24 or 25 years old. It takes time and as a fast rider if you can make it through your late teens and early 20’s in one piece, you’re best years are just around the corner. To me, Tanner Ward looks like he’s ready to win races in 2019.

Another rider who also looks great is GDR Fox Honda rider Dylan Wright. After his big win in Sarnia Dylan now leads the 250 AXTour points by 11 as we head into the final round. The one thing I noticed this weekend was that when Dylan needed to get a great start he did and that allowed him to stay out of that early race trouble and cruise to victory. Watching him nailing the deep Sarnia ruts this weekend was amazing and it certainly helped him pull away for his second win in a row. Over the years, Dylan has always exuded confidence on and off the race track, but at times his bark has been bigger than his bite and he’s under achieved at the end of a series. This year though his riding also looks more mature and when talking to him you can tell that he now has more than just confidence, he has that deep belief in himself and in his machine to win races and championships. It’s a process and Dylan looks to be right on track. I can assure you that the racing this summer is going to be incredible in both classes!

When all was said and done in Sarnia, Dylan Wright came away with another win in the 250 class and Cole Thompson satisfied his hometown fans with a come from behind win in the 450 class. Cole had some challenges from Dakota Alix and Phil Nicoletti, but he overcame his early race struggles to take the win. With one round now remaining in the 250 AXTour Series, all eyes will be on the Barrie Molson Centre this Saturday.

After the racing on Saturday evening, all of the Ontario riders made the hour drive east to Gopher Dunes for the opening race of the 2019 Southwestern Ontario Season. This event was also an ANQ so it gave the Ontario Region their first opportunity to qualify for the 2019 Walton TranCan. With 350 entries it was a cold but successful day at Gopher Dunes. The only bad part of the day was the fact that new GDR Fox Honda rider Jake Tricco suffered an unfortunate injury that will keep him off the bike for a few weeks. Jake was riding great and appeared ready for the upcoming MXTour Series season opener in Calgary. But as I said, Jake should heal quickly and not lose too much of his training base.

Well, that is it for me this week. I hope everyone has a great week and a safe week as we welcome in the month of May, my favourite month on the calendar. This coming Friday we will also welcome back one of our favourite writers Brent Worrall as he will once again be bringing us his popular Friday Flight Column each week. I cannot wait to see what Brent has in store for us this week! Finally, don’t forget about this week’s Roost Factory/ Hoosier Off-Road Barrie AX VIP contest. Here are all of the details as well as this week’s trivia question. Just email me your answer at chris@mxpmag.com and your name will be entered. The draw will be Thursday morning. Thanks for reading and have a great week.

This week’s VIP contest question:

What overall finish did Jyire Mitchell get in the 250 Pro Class at Round 9 of the 2018 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MXTour at Walton Raceway?