Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
Good day and welcome to this week’s edition of the Honda Canada Racing Monday Gate Drop. In just one month’s time we will all be getting ready to celebrate the most wonderful day of the year, Christmas! This means that we are running out of time to do our Christmas shopping. With that in mind, please remember that our industry is full of companies that offer incredible Christmas gifts, both big and small and in all shapes and sizes. So, let’s get out there and support the industry that we all know and love.
The track inside the First Ontario Centre was a little on the slippery side but also a lot of fun for all of the riders. Photos by James Lissimore
Well, that’s a wrap as they say. The longest pro racing season ever in Canada has now come to a conclusion. When the checkered flag was waved on Saturday night in Hamilton for the 450 main event, it marked the end of almost nine months of racing in Canada. Throughout 2018, the Rockstar Energy Triple Crown Series has given everyone in our sport a lot to talk about. Whether it was the tracks, the racing, the off-track controversy, or a hundred other things, there were more than enough story lines to come out of this new and exciting series.
After two weeks of numerous news stories and a Social Media firestorm, the Triple Crown Series made its way to First Ontario Centre in Hamilton, Ontario this past weekend for the final round. Even with both the 250 and 450 class Triple Crown Championships already decided, there was still plenty of excitement on the unique track. All day long, both amateur and pro riders battled the technical jump sections and the slipperiness of the soil as they put on a great show for the crowd. Ironically, the winners of both main events (Shawn Maffenbeier and Cole Thompson) were also your 2018 Triple Crown Champions, so it was a fitting conclusion to the series.
With rumours that Shawn Maffenbeier will be moving to the 450 class in 2019, it was great to see him win the 2018 250 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown Series and the $10,000 that went with it. Photo by James Lissimore
In the 250 class, Jess Pettis, who hasn’t lost a race since Walton, made a big mistake on Lap 1 and took a brief off-track excursion. This allowed a number of riders to get past the MX101 Yamaha rider as it pushed him back outside of the Top 5. With Maffenbeier up front and with a clear track, the only question was how quickly Pettis could catch up. With lapped riders playing a big part in holding up all of the leaders at certain times in the main event, there really didn’t appear to be any opportunity for anyone to get a lot of momentum. With a few laps remaining, Tanner Ward began catching Maffenbeier a little as Pettis finally moved into third place. That order didn’t change as the laps wore down and the final 250 main event of 2018 came to an end. Maffenbeier won, Tanner Ward rode great to finish in second, and Jess Pettis rode perhaps his smartest race of the season and just did what he could to finish in third.
As the riders lined up for the 450 main event, all eyes were on the KTM of Cole Thompson to see if he could finish off his season in style. Unfortunately for everyone, Colton Facciotti was unable to race due to the injuries he suffered in his final corner crash with Cole in Quebec City. So, the Colton/Cole rematch will have to wait until 2019. To announce that Colton Facciotti will indeed be racing in 2019, the GDR Honda Fox Team released a Social Media video yesterday stating that Colton will “Be back.” Whether Colton just races the outdoor series or the entire 2019 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown Series remains to be seen, but let’s just be glad that he’s coming back for at least one more season. Anyway, back to the racing in Hamilton.
It was great to see Mike Alessi back racing on Canadian soil. Photo by James Lissimore
After Mike Alessi grabbed the holeshot, Cole Thompson was sitting back in fourth on Lap 1. Then a few laps into the race, Alessi went off the track and handed the lead to Phil Nicoletti. Filthy Phil looked great all day long, and at the halfway point of the main it looked as though this was his night. However, on the very slippery track, Cole Thompson’s confidence and throttle control were just too good. In just a few laps, Cole went from fourth to first and onto his third main event win in a row. As he crossed the finish line, Cole threw his arm in the air and threw his head back in jubilation. Regardless of where you sit on the subject of his aggressive move on Facciotti two weeks ago, you cannot deny that Cole has earned his success this season. During the podium celebration after the main event, Cole was visibly emotional as he collected the Triple Crown trophy and the $100,000 cheque that went with it.
I would call this event in Hamilton a success as it was great to be back inside the old Copps Coliseum racing dirt bikes. This building has hosted AX events as far back as the mid-1980s, so the venue definitely holds a lot of history. I also thought the crowd was okay for the first time back in Hamilton since 2002. Judging by the downtown area of Hamilton, getting people to go there for a night out is difficult, to say the least. However, everyone was safe and sound inside the First Ontario Centre as they watched some great racing. This event should be back in 2019, and it’s only going to get better from here.
Rubbing is racing when you’re indoors. Photo by James Lissimore
With the racing and the 2018 season all done, almost all of the teams, riders and series personnel made their way to one of the ballrooms at the Hamilton Sheraton yesterday afternoon for the year end banquet. It was good to see everyone dressed up and looking sharp as we celebrated the past season in Canadian pro motocross. After some reflecting words by Jetwerx CEO Justin Thompson about the past couple of years, it was time to hand out the 2018 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown Series awards. During his speech, Justin went through just about every emotion possible. At times he even had to pause to gather his thoughts. I’m sure the past nine months have been just a little bit of everything for Justin and his Jetwerx crew. And I’m also sure that the past two weeks have no doubt been the most difficult of this entire process. However, Justin and his grand vision remain clear and strong, and I believe the future still remains bright for Canadian motocross. To celebrate our 2018 Awards winners, here is the well deserving list:
D&D Underdog Award: Ryan Lockhart, Keylan Meston, Logan Karnow, Jared Petruska
Parts Canada Rookie of the Year: Marco Cannella
Most Improved: Tyler Medaglia
Team of the Year: MX101 FXR Yamaha Team
Team Manager of the Year: Adam Robinson
Mechanic of the Year: Justin Petker
Hard Charger Award: Matt Goerke
Most Sportsmanlike: Davey Fraser
Track of the Year: Riverglade
Most Consistent Rider: Cole Thompson
Total Dedication Award: Paul Kingsley and Daryl Murphy
These two have become quite a team during the past two seasons. Congratulations to them and to the entire KTM Thor Racing Team. Photo by James Lissimore
As you can see that is quite a list of some of the best people in our sport. I hope everyone has a great week and enjoys this final week prior to the big announcement that we are just one month away from Christmas! It’s crazy how quickly time flies by. Anyway, be safe and thank-you for reading this week’s Honda Canada Racing Monday Gate Drop. In closing, I’d like to pass along a massive congrats to Al Dyck as this past weekend he got inducted into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Al is a good guy and he is well deserving of this honour.
