MXP: Dylan Wright leads Harri Kullas by 12 points heading into the final two motos at Walton Raceway. Does Wright have anything to worry about, or does he have this title on lock?
CP: You’d think with a 12 point lead that Wright will be able to cruise at Walton and easily bring home his first 450 championship since 2023. It’s actually hard to believe that it’s been three years since Dylan was dominating the 450 class and winning title after title. We all know Dylan hates to lose, actually that might even be an understatement as he despises losing. With that said, Dylan has to look at the big picture here and just focus on winning this title, regardless of what his moto finishes are at the final round. With everything that he’s been though in the past several seasons, this is a must-win title for Dylan IMO. He needs this championship to prove to everyone, including himself that he can return to the Dylan Wright we saw pre-2024. I think if he wins the title at Walton, then we could see him get back to dominating the 450 class for the next few years. With that said, I’ve been really impressed with Kullas and how he’s been riding this summer. He just keeps getting better and better and if this series was ten rounds, Dylan could be in trouble. You know Kullas is going to love the rutted Walton track, so look for him to be really good there. He’s also been getting the majority of the holeshots this summer, so it’s almost a given that he’s going to start each moto up front. If he does, then Wright will have a few moments during the race when he’ll have to decide whether he’s going to go for the moto win, or play it safe knowing that a 2-2, or even a 3-3 will get the job done. Like the 250 Pro/Am class, this battle and chess match is going to be a pleasure to watch at the final round of the 2026 Triple Crown Series.
MXP: With the 250 Pro/Am class championship coming down to the final round at Walton Raceway, who do you think wins the title, Dylan Rempel or Ryder Malinoski?
CP: Good question for sure! With just three points separating these two, the battle for the 250 class title is going to be exciting to watch without a doubt at Round 8. Both riders have their strengths when it comes to riding the Walton track, and also dealing with the pressure that will no doubt be present on Sunday at Walton. I don’t think it’s wrong to say that at most of the rounds this summer, Malinoski has been the faster rider of the two, and if it wasn’t for his DNF in moto two at SDL, he’d be in a really good spot heading into the final round. However, I love the way that Rempel (in true Dylan Rempel fashion) has remained in the fight and really has scratched and clawed his way into the points lead. Also, if we go back to last year, Rempel won the overall at the final round, so he knows how to race in the ruts of Walton Raceway. But, Malinoski got third last year at the final round, so he’s no slouch in the ruts either. Like always, it’s going to come down to who can deal with the extra nerves, who can execute two good starts, and then who wants it more. Other than Malinoski’s slight advantage in the raw speed department, I think who wins this championship is a toss-up! Both riders have been great this summer, and both are also great kids off of the track, so whoever wins will be a deserving Triple Crown Series Champion!
MXP: How was riding the new 2027 CRF450R at Spring Creek?
CP: Although, I’m unable to speak about the new bike and how it works until 9am EST on Tuesday, I can say that everyone there had a great day of riding. The folks from Honda treated us great, and the Martin Family had the Spring Creek track in excellent condition. Unfortunately, the Lawrence brothers were only there at the beginning of the week and not while I was there, but it was still cool to ride with Trey Canard, and even Justin Brayton. With this being an all-new CRF450R, there are obviously a ton of changes. Some changes were inspired directly from the HRC Team and some of the mods they’ve made over the past several years to Jett and Hunter’s bikes. Please check back on Tuesday morning when I will go over this new CRF450R from top to bottom. I will say in closing that the Spring Creek track is fun to ride and TV doesn’t do justice to how steep the elevation changes are there. Mt. Martin is almost vertical!
