Greetings! Welcome to this mid-July edition of the Monday Gate Drop, which is once again brought to you by the awesome people at Yamaha Motor Canada LTD. This past weekend at Round 5 of the Triple Crown Series at Sand Del Lee, the MX101 Yamaha Team ran some very cool looking 70th Anniversary graphics, which were designed and printed by Decal Works in the USA. Yamaha also brought a brand new 2026 YZ450F with them to SDL to put on display beside the MX101 Yamaha Team tent. Congratulations to Yamaha on celebrating 70 years of producing incredible motorcycles, and congratulations to the MX101 team on winning the 250 Pro/Am class yesterday with Sebastien Racine.
So, where should I begin with what happened yesterday at Sand Del Lee and Round 5 of the 2025 Triple Crown Series. First, I’m not sure if there is something in the water at SDL, or if its the track, or maybe the extreme heat and humidity, whatever the reason, this round has produced both incredible racing, as well as a lot of drama over the years. Yesterday was no different as all four motos in the afternoon were exciting to watch. Even after some rain and lightning delayed the second set of motos and the track turned into a sloppy mess, the exciting racing picked up right where it left off in the first two motos as local boy Sebastien Racine finally got his first-ever Pro National win with a 2-1 moto score. It was a special day for Sebastien and his family as together they’ve been waiting for this for a long time. I remember seeing little Racine ripping at SDL years ago on his KTM 50 and thinking that he had a bright future ahead of him. Years later, he’s a 250 Pro/Am class winner, and with his win yesterday, he’s got himself back into the Triple Crown Series title chase. I posted a video of the Racine’s celebrating at the podium right after the second moto on Instagram (@mxpmag) so if you want to see an amazing family moment, please go and check it out. Racine’s teammate and 250 class points leader Preston Kilroy had a mixed day, but his last to 8th position in moto two salvaged a solid third overall on the day. After five rounds, Kilroy leads Dylan Rempel (who finished second overall yesterday) by 21 points. However, in some sad news, one of the championship favourite’s Ryder McNabb had to pull out of the opening moto yesterday with some very serious health issues. I’m not going to speculate on what his issues are as I’ve only heard second hand information, but it’s not good, and Ryder could be done for the remainder of the series. We will have to wait and see what happens with Ryder as the week goes on.
In the 450 class, the drama picked up right where it left off at Gopher Dunes and continued through both motos yesterday. However, before I talk about the bad, I want to talk about the good, and in particular Tanner Ward and Quinn Amyotte. Both riders, who ironically were teammates last year on the WLTN Kawasaki Team, are off to a great start in the second half of the Triple Crown Series. I know, some people have speculated as to why the WLTN Kawasaki Team would let these two talented riders walk away during the off-season? Well, sometimes a pro athlete needs and wants a change of scenery, and once they get fixated on that thought process, it’s hard to change their minds. From my understanding that was the case with Tanner as he just wanted to try something different for this season. Obviously, he made the right decision for him and his family, and currently he’s reaping the benefits of doing what he thought was best for his career. As for Quinn, he would’ve loved to have remained on a green bike for 2025 and move up to the 450 class, but it just didn’t work out, and sometimes the business of racing supersedes what both parties want to happen. Perhaps, this gave Quinn the extra motivation he needed to prepare for this summer, and that chip on the shoulder mentality has done wonders for his on track intensity and self belief. Either way, both riders are excelling this summer; Ward on the Priority MX Thor GASGAS Team, and Amyotte under the Guaranteed Comfort Racing Team. Also, in talking about this very subject with the WLTN Kawasaki Team, they couldn’t be happier and more proud of their former team riders!
So, after five challenging rounds in about every condition possible, Tanner Ward is the holder of the red plates in the 450 class. What a turnaround it’s been for Tanner and his chances of winning this title in the past two weekends. I can honestly say that while watching Tanner in the first moto at Round 3 in Ste-Julie a few weeks ago, I thought he was in big trouble as far as being a title contender. He looked uncomfortable, slow (compared to Pettis and Wright), as well as a little frustrated. In moto two, he was better, but still not a rider who I thought would be leading the points two weeks later. But, what a difference 14 days makes, and if you’re Tanner Ward, you have to be thankful and confident that all of his hard work is paying off. With six motos to go Tanner is eight points up on Nicoletti, 15 points up on Quinn, and 46 points up on Jess Pettis. Right now, Tanner Ward is definitely in the drivers seat of the 2025 450 Triple Crown Series Championship, and while I wouldn’t change a thing if you’re Tanner, I would be a little more cautious in my everyday life. So, if you see Tanner driving around in Woodstock, ON at or below the speed limit, or looking six times before crossing the street, you now know why. This is obviously a massive moment for Tanner and his family, and I hope he’s able to see it through to the final moto at Walton Raceway.
So, now onto the Dylan Wright incident, or in this case incidents from yesterday. To put it mildly, it was a tough day for the two fastest riders in Canada as both Dylan Wright and Jess Pettis had terrible days at Round 5. For Dylan, his problems yesterday (unlike last weekend), were almost all self induced. Meaning, he most likely would’ve and should’ve went 1-1 and left with the 450 points lead. However, after crashing twice in the opening moto (once was one of the hardest crashes I’ve seen since his crash in Lethbridge last year) and finishing 9th. Dylan came out in moto two hoping to salvage something on the day. But, after getting lucky with Pettis not finishing moto one with a engine malfunction, Dylan went down in the first turn, then got up, rode 20 feet, collided with Pettis (taking them both down), got up again, charged from dead last up to 5th, crashed again (very hard), remounted one more time, made a few passes (one on the final lap) and finally ended up 8th. It was a nightmare of a moto, and as we sit here today, it was one that has more than likely cost Dylan the 450 title this summer. As I was writing this column it was announced that Dylan was DQ’d from moto two for recievieng outside assistance after his final crash of the day in the section after the finish line. He has also been put on probation for the remainder of the series, as well as suspended temporarily until he can get concussion clearance from a doctor.
As for Pettis, he came into Round 5 nursing a list of injuries including broken ribs, a broken scapula, as well as the effects of a collapsed lung. These injuries came as a result of his hard crash last weekend at Gopher Dunes. It was a miracle that Pettis was even able to line up yesterday, but this just goes to show us once again how tough these guys are. In the opening moto, Pettis grabbed the holeshot and led right up until his engine let go with just under ten minutes to go. Then, as I said above, in moto two he was forced to pick an outside gate (which I believe was a mistake on his part as the very inside gate was still available when it was his time to pick), where the sand was deeper and softer. He did not get a great start, and then led to him getting collected in a big first turn pile up. As he was remounting from that crash, attempting to accelerate his YZ450F, Dylan, who was also getting back into the race at that point, got way too close and the two riders went down in a heap, and just like that Pettis was injured again and out for the moto, and possibly the series. As you can imagine, this caused a massive amount of anger from multiple people, with the most displeasure obviously coming from Pettis and his MX101 Yamaha Team. I will add, after the officials reviewed the incident last night, it was deemed a racing incident and Dylan was not penalized for it. There are multiple videos of the incident from all angles, so you can all watch and be the judge of what happened. It’s honestly one of those incidents where 20 people could watch it and all end up with 20 different opinions. My opinion is as follows. I think that while Dylan can be wild and ruthless on the race track, I don’t think it’s in his character to intentionally torpedo Pettis in that situation yesterday. As a rider, you know that if you do that, then you’re more than likely going to go down yourself, and that is the last thing Dylan wanted at the time. In his head, I’m sure he, like every rider down at the time, was trying to get up and get going as fast as possible. Now, this is not in Dylan’s defence, but the soil conditions in the first turn were soft and deep, so changing direction quickly wasn’t easy at all, especially under power and with not much room. In the video that Pettis posted on his IG you can see that there is a Kawasaki rider also down on the inside of the exit of the corner as both riders begin to start moving. It was that Kawasaki rider who forced Dylan to change his exit angle, and that unfortunately put him on a collision course with Pettis. Could it have been avoided? If Dylan had chopped his throttle and allowed Pettis to proceed, or if Pettis had somehow heard Dylan coming and chopped his throttle, then perhaps. But, these two riders have a lot on the line and with their injuries and bad luck as of late, tensions were already sky high, and every position matters. In short, they were going for it, and chopping the throttle wasn’t an option. It was a terrible incident, and one that was obviously made worse because of who was involved, and with the type of day that both riders were already having. In the end, I compare this incident to that of Nicoletti/Alessi back in 2019, or Nicoletti/Wright from 2020. If you’re on the wrong end of it as Pettis was, then you’re furious and have every right to feel that way. On the other side of it, if you’re Dylan, then it just felt like another unfortunate racing incident, and as he said in a post-race video interview on Instagram I did with him last night, he feels the responsibility lies more with Pettis than himself. I’ve been on both sides of these types of incidents, and it’s never good, but that is racing, and as Phil Nicoletti once said, “Sometimes you’re the nail and sometimes you’re the hammer.”
The next question is where do these two top riders go from here? If you’re Pettis, do you once again try and heal up enough to race Riverglade this weekend? I mean, he’s 46 points out of the lead with six motos to go, making up that many points is virtually impossible, or is it? Any other year I’d say yes that is too big of a points gap to make up. But, in the 450 class this summer, anything can happened, and really has happened already. This series ain’t over until the final checkered flag waves at Walton Raceway. If you’re Dylan Wright, can you find a doctor and pass all of the necessary tests in time to get clearance to race Round 6? Hopefully he can and will be ready to go when the gate drops on Sunday. Dylan is 55 points back of the leader in the 450 class so his mountain is even bigger than Pettis has in front of him. As different as these two champions are both on the track and off of the track, the one trait they share is their inherent desire to never give up. Regardless of injuries or the situations they’ve put themselves in, you know both of them will not quit! We want to see both riders healthy and back on the track ASAP! If that is this weekend then great, if not, then we will wait with bated breath until they return. In the meantime, let’s get out our pom-poms and cheer on some new title contenders, as these riders are playing out the biggest moment in their careers right before our eyes.
Well, that is it for me this week. I hope everyone has a great week as we approach the mid-part of summer. For his incredible performance yesterday, my pick for Rider of the Week is Preston Masciangleo, who finished third overall in the 450 class. Finally, if all goes as planned, my son will be racing his first pro national this Sunday in Riverglade. The Riverglade National was my second pro national back in 1990, so this track has some great memories for me and my family. I can’t wait as it should be another fun and memorable weekend under the Guaranteed Comfort Racing tent. Have a great week and thank you for reading. If you have any questions or comments please email me at editor@mxpmag.com.
