Greetings! Welcome to this Easter Monday edition of the Monday Gate Drop Column. Once again this column is presented by the great people at Yamaha Motor Canada, who just this past weekend announced their Blu Cru Wrap Contest. Here are all of the details, as well as a link that you can click and get started:
IT’S ON. The BLU CRU Wrap Challenge is officially OPEN.
Design an original graphics kit for a YZ—and your winning look will be featured on a YZ at Round 1 of the Triple Crown MX Series.
How to enter:
1) Sign up for the BLU CRU Canada News letter
2) Download the template
3) Create your design
4) Submit your design by April 30 (11:59 PM local)
Tap the link below: https://bit.ly/4cp1Ky6
#BLUCRU #WrapChallenge #Revsyourheart
To honour this cool contest from Yamaha, let’s begin with some Blu Cru news from the St Louis SX. As he’s done for the past several weekends, Cole Thompson did us all proud by qualifying for the 450SX main event on Saturday evening. Unfortunately, he just missed qualifying directly from his heat race, but then he came back and won the LCQ and got some TV time with an entertaining interview. Cole is riding very well at the moment and these technical tracks are really suiting him well. Also, he’s finding this success in a 450SX class that is still pretty stacked with talent. Yes, a few factory riders are out with injuries, but considering how late we are into the 2026 series, it’s good to see a lot of the top guys still healthy. So, good on Cole for having another good night in SX, hopefully he can keep it going this coming weekend in Nashville. Up front in the 250SX class, it was Haiden Deegan who completely dominated the main event, beating his Star Racing Teammate Cole Davies by almost 15 seconds. Now, to be fair to Cole, I think he was thinking more about his points lead in the 250SX East Series. With a very challenging track, it was probably best not to push it as he’s looking like the rider to beat in that class. However, even with nothing on the line, I don’t think Davies had anything for Deegan, as the now two-time 250SX Champion was on another level from the start of the race until the end.
At this point in Deegan’s racing career, I think the sooner he can race the 450SX series the better, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes a cameo in that class before the SX season is done. After watching Haiden ride in person two weeks ago in Birmingham, then seeing recent videos of him on the 450, I think it’s going to be a bigger adjustment for him than we’re being led to believe. If we look back through the history of the sport in the USA, there have only been a few riders to find instant success after moving up to the premier class. Ryan Dungey was one of those riders who fit seamlessly into the big bike class and of course, most recently we watched Jett Lawrence instantly find success on a 450, despite still being a teenager when he moved up, he beat the World’s best riders at the MXON in Red Bud. If we look at Dungey and Jett, there are a lot of similarities between them. Both ride at a very high level cerebrally, meaning that lines and throttle inputs are not chosen at random. Both are in great shape so, when challenged fitness isn’t an issue. Also, both Jett and Dungey are close in stature, so the length of their legs gives them more leverage on the heavier 450. If we look at Deegan, he’s almost the complete opposite, although he does appear to be extremely smart at picking lines, knowing where to pass, and just great general race-craft aspects. Also, despite being strong as an ox, can Deegs adapt his ultra-aggressive, bike revving style to a 450? Because, despite having a factory YZ450 under him, finding sustained success will be almost impossible if he doesn’t change how he rides, these videos of him riding 450 and looking great on a fairly smooth track at the Goat Farm do nothing to change my mind. Finally, even though Deegs has some very smart people around him, is there someone in his camp who can look him in the eye and tell him he needs to adjust how he rides? After all of the success he’s had so far in the 250 class, will he listen? Obviously, it’s going to be great to watch things unfold, and like every great rider, Deegs should be able to figure things out, it just may not happen right away as we’re being led to believe. This Deegan vs Jett rivalry is so overblown that it’s comical. Deegan will be a 450 rookie with a lot to learn, while Jett is coming back from his second missed SX Series in a row due to serious injuries, once again limited preparation heading into the Pro Motocross Championships (Jett only began riding a corner track last week). So, it’s more like Deegan and Jett versus Tomac, Sexton, Prado, Hunter Lawrence, Cooper, Plessinger etc. This will no doubt be one of the most entertaining outdoor series we’ve witnessed in years.
So, with just five rounds remaining in the 2026 Monster Energy Supercross Series, there are now three riders who have a legitimate chance at winning the 450SX Championship. Both Tomac and Lawrence are tied for the lead, while Roczen, after his second win in a row, is now just five points back. This is going to be an exciting finish, and considering that the momentum that Roczen currently has, he’s kind of in the drivers seat. Also, Hunter is still banged up from his Detroit crash and can’t really push the way he wants to and who knows what is up with Tomac right now? I personally think that Tomac is fighting through some sort of injury and that he’s doing his best just to finish main events. If I had to guess, I would probably put my money on perhaps a back injury, given his age and how much abuse his body has been through. As anyone who has ever sustained a back injury knows, you don’t have to crash or do something extreme to injure it. All it takes is a hard landing or a tweak of some sort (honestly, as you get older, you can put your back out by simply bending over to tie your shoes) to make it flare up. My first ever back issue came without any warning at 35 years old, when I put my leg out in a corner at RJ Motosports in Barrie, Ontario. That was it, I put my leg out in a turn and that motion caused a nerve to tighten in my lower back and for two days I could barely walk. After that, I eventually got an MRI and found out that I had extensive damage in my lower back. All from just general wear and tear, and genetics as my Dad also had the same issues as he got older. Obviously, I’m only speculating with Tomac, but from the way he’s just riding around, he does appear to have a possible back injury. Anyway, it does make for great theatre for us race fans. So, buckle up as these final five rounds are going to be special!
Last week, my son and I returned home from Georgia after spending a month at GPF. It was an amazing experience and one that I will never forget. The weather, the track, the people, everything was great and personally I found the repetition of our program to be very addictive. However, now we’re home and doing our best to acclimatize to the cooler and wetter weather. However, after arriving home late on Wednesday evening we loaded the truck back up on Friday and drove to Gopher Dunes for some sand practice. Since the first time I went to Gopher Dunes in 1988, nothing says Spring in Southern Ontario then riding at this famous track. The drive there, seeing the grass get greener and greener the closer you get to the track, everything about Gopher Dunes in the early spring points to the beginning of a new season, and it always makes me very nostalgic. Anyway, we had a good day at Gopher Dunes and honestly I’ve never seen the facility as busy as it was on Friday afternoon. I like the new Gopher Dunes track layout as lap times are longer and the track appears to be more spread out. I think it needs a few adjustments before the AMO race there in two weeks, but it does look a little more enjoyable to ride.
Well, that is it for me this week. I hope everyone has a great week as we make our way through the early part of April. My pick for the Motovan Canada Rider of the Week is Crayden Dillon, who wrapped up his first Snocross Championship this past weekend. Crayden was a rookie this season in the Pro Class, so that made this title even more special. Now, Crayden will load up his motorhome and make his way down to GPF to begin riding, training, and testing with Kaven Benoit and the KTM Canada Factory Team. Thank you for reading, and if you have any questions please email me at editor@mxpmag.com.
