As we get ready to welcome in a brand new year, it’s time to look back one more time at 2025, and a few of our successful riders, teams, and performances. Over the course of this past year, we witnessed a plethora of great performances, and exciting racing in both the Pro Classes, as well as the Amateur Classes. From coast to coast, the racing this season was incredible, and now let’s honour some of the great performances from 2025. Here are my picks for the 2025 Year-End Awards Presented by iKoniK Insurance.
Rider of the Year: Phil Nicoletti
Obviously, with both Phil and Preston Kilroy winning the 450 and 250 championships this past season in the Triple Crown Series, I could’ve pick either rider for this prestigious award. But, after going through the results, and watching each race live throughout the summer, I ended up picking Phil Nicoletti as my Rider of the Year. I picked Phil simply because when all was said and done, I believe he had a much more challenging journey (on the surface at least) to winning the 450 title in 2025. As we all saw, Phil didn’t begin the 450 series as the fastest rider, or even the second best rider. Throughout the opening few rounds of the series Phil was a third place guy behind early season title favourites Dylan Wright and Jess Pettis. But, when those two crashed themselves out of contention, Phil (along with Tanner Ward) was there to capitalize. At Round 6 in Riverglade, Phil battled through the mud to win the second moto and move within a few points of the 450 Series lead. The following weekend in Quebec, Phil did it again, winning the opening moto and taking second overall on the day. These wins gave him a small points leads heading into the final round at Walton Raceway. During that final round, Phil rode smart and steady, and did what he had to do to hold off Tanner Ward and claim the 2025 450 Triple Crown Series Championship. Even for a cagey old vet like Phil Nicoletti, those final few weeks were extremely stressful. However, Phil handled the pressure with class and extreme competence, and that is why he’s the 2025 450 Champ!
Team of the Year: MX101 FXR Racing Yamaha Team
It has been true honour to have been able to watch Kevin Tyler build the MX101 Yamaha Team over the past number of years. Just as you would build a home, Kevin has slowly built his team the right way, brick by brick, step by step, never taking any shortcuts, and making sure the foundation is strong. Heading into 2025, Kevin and his crew had the MX101 Yamaha well-positioned to potentially win both the 250 and 450 class titles. With the 2024 450 champion Jess Pettis ready to defend this crown, Preston Kilroy as one of the title favourites in the 250 class, and young Sebastien Racing looking to win his first-ever 250 title, the line-up under the MX101 Yamaha tent was perhaps the best we’ve ever seen in this sport. Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite as planned as Jess Pettis crashed out of points lead in the 450 class at Round 4 at Gopher Dunes. Then, the following weekend at the team’s home track of Sand Del Lee, Jess wasn’t able to finish the opening moto, and then came together with his arch nemesis Dylan Wright during the start of the second moto, costing him any chance of repeating as the 450 class champion. However, in the end Pettis won a total nine motos, he also won five rounds, and finished third overall in the series. All of this with a list of injuries that would’ve made most riders stay at home.
In the 250 class, the MX101 Yamaha Team was the dominant team of the series, winning multiple motos and four of the eight rounds. Both Kilroy and Racine, were almost always at the front of the pack, and their Yamaha’s were highly durable throughout the series. More importantly though, even when the pressure got high, or a little adversity set in, the mood under the MX101 Yamaha Team tent still appeared light, and they were always approachable. In the end, Preston Kilroy was able to clinch the 250 title early (his first-ever pro championship), and then cruise through the final round at Walton Raceway. Heading into 2026, both Pettis and Kilroy are back with the Blu Cru Racine has moved to the WLTN Kawasaki Team) and ready to do some more winning.
Event of the Year: West Coast AX Championships
Even though there has been multiple promoters and series names over the years, this BC AX Series has been going on for almost three decades. It also used to move around to different venues, before finding a home at the Heritage Park Arena in Chilliwack. Since then, these races have been a staple in BC, and each year they have produced some incredible racing, both on the Amateur side of things, as well as in the Pro Class. This year, the series almost didn’t happen as sponsorship was drying up, and no promoter in sight for 2025. However, Ryan Lockhart and Kyle Beaton decided to not only step up, but also to team up to make sure this incredible indoor series didn’t skip a beat. After months of hard work and determination, Ryan and Kyle were not only able to pull this four round series off, but they also made it perhaps the more successful than it’s ever been. From the organization, to the track build, to the spectator turnout, to everyone leaving with a smile and wanting more West Coast AX, this series was a big success and that is why it’s my pick for Event of the Year!
Performance of the Year: Kaven Benoit- Deschambault National
This is always a hard category as each year there are always multiple great performance at all levels of racing. This past year was no exception as it seem like every weekend we were able to see a lot of great battles, and incredible individual performances. I think back to Dylan Wright’s second moto in Calgary when he came from behind with bent up CRF450R to make a late pass on Jess Pettis for the win, and the overall. There was the opening moto battle for the win between McNabb and Kilroy in the extreme conditions at Gopher Dunes. Sebastien Racine’s win at SDL (his home track) was simply amazing, as was his celebration with his parents after. However, for me, the most impressive performance in 2025 came from Kaven Benoit at the Deschambault National. To do what Kaven did on that day (1-2 for the overall win in the 250 class), at his age, after not racing any of the previous rounds of the Triple Crown Series, was truly amazing. I know, he not only raced some local Quebec events leading up to the Deschambault National, and I know that he has always found success at this track. But, there was just something special about his riding from the moment he took to the track at Round 7, and let’s not forget if it wasn’t for a last lap tip over in the second moto, Kaven would’ve won both motos that day. It was amazing to watch Kaven that day, so congratulations to him and the entire KTM Canada Team.
Rookie of the Year- Blake Davies
This was an easy pick as throughout 2025 Blake Davies rode like a seasoned veteran. From finishing inside the top five on multiple occasions, to his incredible podium finish in the mud at Riverglade Raceway, Blake had a solid rookie year in the 250 Pro/Am class. For 2026, Blake will not only switch teams, but also move up to the 450 class. So, make sure you keep an eye on Blake in 2026, as he’s going to look great on his new AVL Husqvarna FC450!
Team Manager of the Year: Kevin Tyler
How can I pick the MX101 Yamaha Team as my Team of the Year, and then not pick Kevin Tyler as the Team Manager of the Year. Since I first met Kevin back in the early 1990s when we both were young pro class racers, he has been an absolute joy to be around, and I couldn’t be more impressed with what he has create with his MX101 Yamaha Team. This past seasoned, he was ever so close to winning both the 250 and 450 class titles, a feat that is rarely accomplished in any series around the world. But, even though his team only captured one title in 2025, his three riders were a threat to win each and every weekend. With Pettis and Kilroy coming back for 2026, and plethora of fast young Amateur riders in his stable, Kevin and his MX101 Yamaha Team are set up nicely for success in the years to come!
Comeback Rider of the Year: Tanner Ward
Tanner Ward’s comeback year didn’t begin the way he wanted it to. In fact, I recall watching Tanner at Round 3 in Quebec, and thinking that he could be done after the 2025 Triple Crown Series. At the time, Tanner appeared to be struggling with his bike, his confident, and obviously his results. However, something happened after Round 3, and Tanner not only won the following weekend at Gopher Dunes, but he also backed that win up with a dominating double-moto victory the next weekend at SDL. These two rounds are arguably the most challenging of the series, and Tanner made them look somewhat routine. That mid-season charge vaulted Tanner to the 450 class points, and a final moto showdown for the championship with Phil Nicoletti. Unfortunately, Tanner would crash in the final moto of the series at Walton Raceway, and come up just short of the 450 title. However, I think when Tanner looks back on 2025 he’ll see it as a massive success. As we speak, Tanner is getting a jump start on the competition as he’s already down south preparing to compete in the Florida Winter-AM Series. Hopefully, this quality off-season training will lead to Tanner being able to pick up right where he left off last year when the gate drops in Calgary in 2026.
WMX Rider of the Year: Katrine Ferguson
We were certainly treated to some incredible racing in the WMX class this past summer. Whether it was in the West WMX Series, or the Eastern Series, the battles were exciting to watch right through the line-up. One WMX rider who had a breakthrough season in 2025, was Manitoba rider Katrine Ferguson. For the past several seasons, Katrine and her family have travelled the Country searching for the ultimate success in the WMX Class. While they’re individuals on the track, off of the track they’re a close-knit team, and can often be seen training together, or walking the track together. It’s this family dynamic that no doubt helped Katrine breakthrough this past summer and win her first-ever WMX Championship. Her dominant performance in the WMX West Series, came as little surprise to anyone watching, as each year she’s been steadily improving. Unfortunately, a collarbone injury at Round 7 in Deschambault derailed any chance of her also winning the WMX East Championship as well, but overall, 2025 was a very successful season for the young Husqvarna rider. Congratulations to Katrine Ferguson on being my 2025 WMX Rider of the Year!
