Monday Gate Drop

Everyone who rode the 2014 Parts Canada TransCan was a winner in my books.

After spending this past week at the 2014 Parts Canada TransCan, I’m sure I’m not the only person who is waking up extremely tired on this Monday morning. I kind of compare five days at the TransCan to five days in Las Vegas: you can’t wait to get there and take in the excitement but you’re also ready to leave when the fun is all over. To add to the similarities, you’re also exhausted when you get home and in need of some serious rest. However, having fun always comes with a price and when you look beyond the weather, the cool temperatures and a little drama, the 2014 TransCan was nothing but fun!!

As I mentioned, everyone at Walton Raceway had to fight through some adversity this past week as the weather wasn’t very nice right from the start. With the rain on Monday and Tuesday the crew was playing catch-up with the track before the bikes even made one lap. Once this happens everyone thinks they’re Dirt Werx and they have an opinion on how the track should be fixed. The truth is that sometimes a track can’t be completely fixed and you just have to run with it. My own personal opinion is that there were a couple of sections that could’ve had the slop pushed off on Wednesday before practice began, but after a really muddy start I thought the track on Thursday was the best all week. The Walton Raceway track is tough at the best of times; the tricky sections, all the right hand corners and of course the deep ruts; all of these things combine make for an uphill battle at the best of times. When you throw in some rain and mud then you have a track that demands every bit of a rider’s ability. However, let’s not forget that this was a national event and in reality things should be a little tougher than normal.

The Walton Raceway track was a little messy for the beginning and for the end of the 2014 Parts Canada TransCan.

As we all saw this week, the tougher than normal track conditions didn’t take away from the awesome racing. Whether it was Marco Cannella, Kyle Biro, Josh Cartwright, Jake Tricco or Ryan Lockhart (just to name a few), we all got to see some incredible riding. One of the things that really stuck out in my mind was just how fast and technically refined some of our young riders are. When you have a track that was as tough as Walton, it really separates the riders by showing those that are prepared that usually enjoy success. For the riders that left the 2014 Parts Canada TransCan disappointed, well you know what you have to do for next year. Finally, for the unfortunate group of riders that just suffered plain old bad luck, please keep your head up and come back strong in 2015.

For me, the TransCan has always marked the unofficial end of summer. With only a few weeks before the kids head back to school I guess summer, as they know it, is almost over. This past week marked the 20th year that I’ve been attending the TransCan in one capacity or another, and each time I’ve left the property on Sunday night feeling bitter sweet. Before we know it the kids will be in school and we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving, Halloween and the arrival of much cooler temperatures. Soon after that the looking back at the year that was will turn to looking forward to the year ahead. Believe it or not all of these thoughts crossed my mind last night as I drove out of the Walton Raceway gate for the final time this week. Maybe I’m crazy, maybe I’m just a passionate motocross guy, or maybe I was just way past the point of exhaustion? I wasn’t the only person the TransCan affected as when my wife and I tucked our son into bed last night, he parting words were “thanks for the best week of my life”. I think that pretty much sums up what the TransCan means to our younger generation. Thank you TransCan for the memories and congratulations to every rider who made it around that tough track this past week. You’re all winners in my book!

Although the racing is obviously a big part of the week, this is what TransCan is all about.

With the Parts Canada TransCan just being part of the week’s festivities, we move along to what went on yesterday at the final round of the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals. Where do I begin with the series this summer? It was beyond unbelievable with all the different things that transpired between round one in Nanaimo and the final round yesterday; great racing, unsettled weather, drama and two very deserving champions. That is just the tip of the iceberg in describing what happened this summer. Yesterday at Walton fans got to see some of the best riders in the world tackle the same tough track that we did all week. With a few soap opera-like stories circulating coming into the final round, it was great to see it play out the way it did. In the end your champions are Kaven Benoit and Colton Facciotti, two riders who definitely deserve all the success they get, especially considering they were both at this race last year as spectators because they were injured. It just goes to show you what hard work and determination can get you.

Both Benoit and Facciotti won their final motos yesterday, which is exactly what you want to do when you’re the champion. JSR told me last night that going into the final MX2 moto he told Benoit that although it was great that he was already the champion he couldn’t let Friese get the bragging rights of winning the final moto of the year. As we saw, Benoit took JSR’s advice to heart and went out and dominated the final moto proving once again why he is the 2014 MX2 Champ!! Not to be outdone and no doubt with the same thought process as Benoit, Colton rocketed to the front in the final MX1 moto and never looked back. To watch Colton go through the new whoop section each lap was incredible! After the moto I mentioned how fast he was through the whoops and all he said was “yes, that was pretty cool wasn’t it”, and then he just smiled. It was an awesome day of racing and it certainly capped off a terrific summer of pro motocross in the Great White North. Congratulations to all the riders, the teams, the tracks, all the CMRC staff, the wonderful sponsors and of course to Mark Stallybrass for a great 2014 series.

After all the fans left and things had calmed down, your 2014 MX2 Champion put on a little whip with his new number.

In closing, I hope everyone had as much fun as I did this past week. It was great to see so many families make the trip to Walton from such great distances. Thank you to Kourtney Lloyd for bringing such a large group from out west. Every time I saw them they had huge smiles on their faces. I could go on forever with thanking people, but let me just sum it up by thanking everyone who helped make the 2014 Parts Canada TransCan and the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals possible. What a great ending to a very memorable summer!

You can’t capture a great summer without some great photos. James Lissimore has done this better than anyone for so many years, thanks JL for everything this summer! Also, my condolences on the loss of your grandfather recently. Drive safe as you head west.