MXP Chatter With Mitchell Harrison Presented By Kimpex

It’s been quite a season for Mitchell Harrison here in Canada as he was able to find success from the moment he landed on Canadian soil. Throughout the summer he battled hard in the 250 class and would come very close to winning the overall title. Then when the Triple Crown Series moved indoors in September Harrison was instantly fast as well as consistent. This past weekend the city of Calgary hosted the final round of the 2022 Triple Crown Series and Harrison was the dominant rider in both classes winning 4 out of the 6 main events. When the final checkered flag was waved on Saturday evening in Calgary Harrison was rewarded with the overall Triple Crown Series Championship in the 250 class. With the 2022 season now in the rearview mirror, we caught up with Harrison as he’s now back in California preparing for the 250SX West Series in Monster Energy Supercross.

MXP: Hey Mitchell! Did you make it home from Calgary okay?

MH: Yes I did. I flew home on Sunday and honestly that flight from Calgary to California is pretty low-key and easy. Even flying up to Calgary I waited until the last minute and flew up on Friday morning. I was a little stressed on that one as I had my gear bag checked in and I hoping it was on time. But it all worked out!

You were on fire this weekend in Calgary. Did you like the track and the venue for the final round of the Triple Crown Series?

I thought this was the best round of the series as the track was fun, the arena was perfect for this event and I really enjoyed being in Calgary. I think it’s one of the cleanest cities I’ve ever been to. Also, it was cool on Saturday evening being there and next store to the arena where the Calgary Flames were playing. You could just feel the energy in the air. Overall, it was a fun weekend and a great way to finish off the series.

I agree with you as I thought this weekend was one of the best events of 2022. You had a lot of success this summer and during these three indoor races you continued to ride at a very high level. You enjoy riding SX correct?

Yes, I love SX and these three races were fun to do, I’m glad we decided to do them. Gopher Dunes was fun and I enjoyed the track and the fans were cool there. Sarnia was tight but also fun, and then Calgary was just great. I’ve always liked SX and I thought that if we could do this series then it would great training for the Monster Energy SX Series in January.

Your bike looked great all weekend long and on Saturday it especially looked good in the deep whoop section. Was everything good with your bike in Calgary?

Yes definitely! All season it’s been great and coming into SX I wasn’t sure how our SSS Suspension would work. In the outdoor series, it was awesome and honestly, it felt just as good in the indoor races. It was cool because on Friday in Calgary the whoop section was shorter and it had a double before it. The section was fun but we needed a longer whoop section. Thankfully the track crew listened and for Saturday the whoops were long and deep and pretty much to USA SX spec. Even though those my bike felt great and my SSS suspension was set up perfectly.

Yes, those whoops were big on Saturday and it was fun to watch you guys blitz through them. As I said, you looked great all weekend and you didn’t seem fazed at all by having a few new riders join the series this weekend.

I was bummed that Cole [Thompson] wasn’t there as he has been fun to race against in this series. However, I was happy to see Jess[Pettis] on the weekend as he is one of Canada’s best SX riders. Also, it was good to see a few of the western riders there as they weren’t at Gopher Dunes or Sarnia. I don’t know, I just love racing and I love seeing where I stack up against good riders. Pettis was fast all weekend long and we battled each other fair in a few of the main events. Overall, it was a pretty clean weekend and there wasn’t a lot of rough riding.

You’re right we didn’t see some of the block passing or take-outs that we saw in the opening two rounds. Do you think that’s because the track was so fast (especially on Friday night) that it made it difficult to set someone up in the turns?

For sure! It was a fast track and on Friday everyone was pretty much doing the same thing in each section. Saturday was a little different as the track was more technical, but it was still difficult to set someone up. Most of my passes were in the whoops where I felt pretty good.

Well, you ended the Triple Crown Series on a high note by sweeping all of the main events on Saturday night. You are now officially the overall 250 class Triple Crown Series Champion. That must feel pretty good right now?

It feels great as I thought we had a pretty solid season overall. I wish I could’ve won the MXTour portion of the series as I really love outdoor racing, but that didn’t work out. I felt great through these three indoor rounds and I’m happy that we won the overall Triple Crown Series. Now I cannot wait until next year (laughs).

Well, speaking of next year. A few weeks ago it was announced that you will be back in Canada for at least two more years with the GASGAS/CMS/Callus Race Team. This is great news for you, the fans, as well as your team, and the Triple Crown Series.

I’m so grateful to them for bringing me back and showing such confidence in me. I’m excited to come back to Canada as I loved being there this summer. The people are great, I love the team, the tracks are good, and the series is a lot of fun to be a part of. The people at Jetwerx are great to deal with and honestly, I feel like you guys are really fortunate to have a series like this.

Well, those are very kind words. I know I speak for everyone when I say that we’re lucky to have you up here racing in the Triple Crown Series. In the past, it hasn’t always worked out when USA riders travel north but it appears like things are working out great with you. It’s been great watching you ride this season and also you’ve been great to deal with off of the track as well. So what is next for you in the coming weeks and months?

I’m back in California full-time now so I’m just going to be training for SX in January. I might do some USA AX in the next two months but I’m not sure at that yet. So yes, just training and riding SX to myself ready for A1 in January. That is really all I’ll be doing for the next few months.

It sounds as though you’re going to be busy. Well Mitchell, thank you for taking the time to speak with me this morning. Again, congratulations on the 250 Triple Crown Series Title! Maybe we can catch up again just before A1 to see how you’re doing.

Sounds good Palms! Thanks for reaching out.