Honda Canada Racing Presents The Monday Gate Drop

Good day and welcome to another edition of the Honda Canada Racing Monday Gate Drop. To begin this week we will honour Honda Canada’s top 250 Pro rider Dylan Wright. On Saturday evening in Calgary, Dylan rode brilliantly to not only win the 250 Pro main event but also in doing so the Honda rider moved himself into the lead in the 2019 AXTour point standings.

To begin this week’s column, let’s talk about Tiger Woods! Having gotten home from Mexico really late on Saturday evening, my Sunday was spent doing laundry, trying to stay warm, and watching golf. Like a lot of people I’m sure, I was watching The Masters for one reason and one reason only, because Tiger Woods was in contention for the win. Although the current field of golfers has never been better, there is something about Tiger Woods that makes me want to watch golf and play golf. He is one of the few athletes that transcends their sport, and his current comeback is one of the greatest of all-time. I know there are people out there who dislike him and wrote him off a few years back. A decade ago when Tiger was winning more often than he was losing, he definitely had a ‘winner’s arrogance’ about him that obviously rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way. Back then, he was guarded and appeared to take joy in not just winning but in crushing his competition. From 2000 until that fateful evening in late 2009 when the world found out that Tiger wasn’t Superman, Tiger’s presence on the golf course was as big as his game. Prior to yesterday it had been over a decade since his last Major Championship win, and an astonishing 14 years since his last win at The Masters. It’s crazy to think about what has transpired in the world since 2005. In the USA, that year marked the final time that all of the top riders were racing two-strokes in Supercross. And in Canadian motocross, 2005 was the final year of JSR’s remarkable five MX1 Championships in a row. He also rode a two-stroke for the final time that year. As Tiger putted in for yesterday’s big win, it definitely brought a lot of memories from the past 14 years. Since I turn 46 next month, I’m sure you can imagine that I have a real soft spot for top athletes who are either in their 40s, or close to it. After watching Tiger win yesterday, I hope he wins again and again and is able to firmly cement himself as the greatest golfer who has ever lived. I already think he has earned that title, but officially he still needs at least three more Major Championship wins to silence the shrinking group of doubters.

Moving back to the subject of motocross now, this past weekend was Round 2 of the Rockstar Energy Triple Crown AXTour Series in Calgary. The Calgary arena is an absolute gem for this series and for the riders. With an indoor paddock, a slightly larger floor, a comfortable seating area for the fans, and great lighting, this building is perfectly suited for AX racing. Also, for whatever reason, this race in Calgary always seems to provide some incredible racing. This year was no different as riders in both classes were going for it on the extremely technical track. In the end, we had two new winners as Dylan Wright grabbed the win in the 250 Pro class and Phil Nicoletti took his first win on Canadian soil in the 450 Pro class. Here are some notes from Round 2 in Calgary.

The Track:

As I mentioned above, the facility in Calgary is perfect for AX racing and the dirt is no different. After coming off yet another soft and sticky Abbotsford AX, I’m sure the riders’ eyes lit up when they first saw the Calgary track. I can tell you from experience that when the riders finally get confirmation that the track they will be racing on is in great shape, it takes a huge weight off their shoulders. Although the Calgary track broke down a little throughout the day and evening, it was night and day better than the opening round and the racing reflected that.

Dylan Wright:

In talking with Dylan last week after his 7^th place finish in Abbotsford, Dylan was very disappointed with that result. However, after Round 1 he did what every top rider does, he used his less-than-seller finish as motivation for the following weekend. Since he turned pro, Dylan’s speed and determination has never been in question. During last summer’s MXTour we witnessed on numerous occasions Dylan’s skills on the race track as he won multiple motos. However, like most young pro riders, Dylan has struggled with consistency and with making mistakes at the worst possible time. As fast as he was when he turned pro a few years back, Dylan has been slowly gaining experience and now 2019 could be the year that he challenges for his first pro championship. Congratulations to Dylan and his GDR Fox Honda Team on their big win in Calgary and I’m sure the red plate will look great on Dylan’s red Honda.

Phil Nicoletti

Things definitely happen quickly in our sport as just last week I was speaking about how Cole Thompson was almost unbeatable in Canadian AX races. Well, maybe Phil Nicholetti and Matt Goerke read what I wrote as they both took it to Cole this past weekend. Phil was able to get the win in the 450 main event while Goerke won the Clash for Cash race. Although this was Nicholetti’s first win in Canada, something tells me that it won’t be his last. His presence this year in Canada only heightens the excitement of the upcoming MXTour. Phil knows how to win races and he also appears to be one of those riders who’s not afraid to move other riders in order to do so. If he can get his OTSFF Yamaha set up the way he likes it for our Canadian tracks, he will no doubt challenge for the 450 MXTour Championship.

Rider Quotes:

Tyler Medaglia:

“I didn’t really have a good night in Calgary. In the final practice session I was running a good pace and I thought everything would be good for the night show. I rode well in my heat race, but I wasn’t aggressive enough and that kind of annoyed me. In the main event I ended up getting a good start, but then I hit the rear wheel of Nauditt and went down. Renzland ran into me and my levers and front end got all twisted up. I remounted and started charging, but then I went down again and lost even more time. Like I said, it wasn’t a great night for me. I’m looking forward to the weekend off and then we’re back at it in Sarnia in two weeks.

Cole Thompson:

“It was a decent night of racing for sure. I felt great on the bike and was close to getting another win. Unfortunately, things didn’t go my way I came up just short and finished in second. I’m still happy to have the red plate and I’m looking forward to Round 3 in Sarnia.”

Well, that is it for me this week. I hope everyone has a great week and I hope your riding season has gotten off to a good start. Also, I’d to send Brock Leitner my best wishes as he recovers from his crash in Calgary. Brock has been through a lot during the past year and hopefully this latest injury is just a small set back for him and his racing career. Have a great week and thanks for reading!