Honda Canada Racing Presents the Monday Gate Drop

Good day and welcome to another edition of the Honda Canada Racing Monday Gate Drop. This past weekend, the Thames Valley Riders held their annual banquet and on hand to give out awards were none other than GDR Fox Honda riders Colton Facciotti and Dylan Wright. All of the riders, young and old, were extremely excited to have these two Canadian superstars in attendance. Who knows, maybe one of these young TVR riders will be the next factory GDR Fox Honda rider?

With still two weeks until the Future West Canadian AX Championships resume in Chilliwack, this past weekend the world’s attention was on the Aus-X Open Supercross in Australia. First off, I cannot wait until one of our Canadian riders gets the opportunity to head to Sydney to race in this first-class event. As far as SX events outside of the USA, this race looks to be setting the bar with its entry list and entertainment value. Yes, it’s a long way to go and it’s amazing that riders from the USA can fly across the Pacific and race a few days later. Many years ago, I flew to New Zealand and once I arrived there it took me almost a week to feel normal. I guess adrenaline is a powerful drug, and once the gate drops, the riders forget how tired they are and just twist the throttle. This is one aspect I find amazing in sports like Tennis or Formula 1 car racing where athletes are constantly not just travelling but travelling through time zones and across oceans. Anyway, over the past few years with the help of the Aus-X Open’s promoters, Chad Reed, as well as Tourism Australia, this event has turned into something very cool in our sport.

With Chad Reed currently injured he was obviously unable to compete, however he still flew Down Under this weekend to once again be the face of this race. With Reed not racing, the promoter had to find a few more American riders to compete, and one of the talented men he found was Dean Wilson. Now, everyone knows Dean’s story; born in Scotland, moved to Canada when he was a young boy, spent most of his youth racing in the USA until he won an outdoor 250MX title in 2011. Then after multiple injuries, Dean found himself on the outside looking in and was forced to ride a privateer Yamaha at the beginning of last season. Many thought that this was the beginning of the end for Dean and his racing career. However, after figuring out a way to work hard, get results, and remain healthy, Dean’s confidence came back and he spent much of 2017 rebuilding his career. Thankfully, the Rockstar Husqvarna Racing Team came calling in the late stages of the 2017 Monster Energy SX Series and offered Dean a ride. After a solid SX series and some great finishes outdoors, Dean was offered a multi-year deal, and with this signing, it makes the future once again very bright for our favourite Scottish/ Canadian.

This past weekend in Australia, Dean won the first night of racing over his teammate Jason Anderson and local hero Dan Reardon. On Sunday, Dean traded positions with his teammate and finished with a very impressive second overall. What a great weekend it looked like in Sydney, and the two-stroke battle between Ricky Carmichael and Ronnie Mac will go down in history as one of the most interesting side shows ever in SX. I for one cannot believe that Ronnie Mac’s popularity has reached a point where he is now getting invited to events overseas. This guy is now a favourite among fans of all ages, and he certainly put on quite a show in Australia. We actually sat down with Ronnie Mac recently; that interview will appear in the next issue of MXP Magazine. As I said, this event has turned into something very cool, and as far as entertainment value goes, it just doesn’t get any better. With a few new indoor events coming up next year in Canada, it is definitely an exciting time for SX-type events outside of the USA.

One such indoor event that has been running for over 30 years in Canada is the AX in Riviere Du Loup, QC. This long running event has seen top riders attend from all over the world, and although I haven’t personally been to this race since 1997, it is still going strong each and every May. Throughout the late 1980s, the 1990s, and the early 2000s, the RDL AX was a show beyond any other in Canadian motocross. From the moment the riders arrived into town on Thursday until they left on Sunday, they were treated like royalty. With nighttime parties, great racing, and not being able to go anywhere inside the city limits without being recognized and having to stop to sign autographs, this weekend was incredible. For one weekend in May, the riders who attended the RDL AX were the most popular athletes in Canada, and most will never forget this small-town event. Thanks to Paul Thibault and his crew, this race is still going on and it remains very important to the city and its residents. I’m excited to see what these new Jetwerx indoor events become in 2018 and beyond, and if they can match the spectacle of the once very popular Riviere Du Loup AX.

Speaking of Jetwerx and the 2018 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown Series, for the past week they have been releasing a few of their new pro career numbers for some of the riders. Here is a list of what has been released thus far, with more coming this week. I’m on the fence as to whether or not this is a good idea for Canada and our fan base. It is exciting to see something new and untried, however I do think fans enjoy knowing instantly what ranking each rider is from the year before. I’m sure it’s like anything new in our sport, at first it may appear weird and slightly controversial, but in a year from now it will all feel like a SOP (standard operating procedure).

2018 pro career numbers to date:

#2 Matt Goeke

#3 Shawn Maffenbeier

#5 Tyler Medaglia

#16 Cole Thompson

#26 Kaven Benoit

#45 Colton Facciotti

Well, that is it for me this week. As we head into the mid-way point of one of the dreariest months on our calendar, I hope everyone is doing well. I will leave you with some incredible news that I saw over the weekend that actually brought tears to my eyes. Blair Morgan announced that he will be competing next year at the X-Games in their Adaptive Sno-X event. With 2018 marking the ten-year anniversary of Blair’s life altering crash in Montreal, I think it’s amazing to see and hear that he will be back on a race track in the near future. This is just awesome news and I can’t wait to see how our Superman does in this cool event. Please have a great week and of course a safe week!