Greetings! Welcome to this mid-August edition of the Monday Gate Drop Column. This column is once again sponsored by the awesome folks at Yamaha Motor Canada, who at the moment are still celebrating this 250 Pro/Am class Triple Crown Series Championship with Preston Kilroy. Between the MX101 FXR Racing Yamaha Team and the Blu Cru Amateur Team, it’s been a successful summer for Canadian Yamaha riders, and when you look at their current line up, next year could be even better.
So, is anyone out there having some Walton TransCan withdrawal? Hopefully, by now everyone has returned home safely from Walton Raceway, and had a relaxing weekend. It’s always good to get back home and hit the reset button, especially for the families who had to travel a long way to Walton. This year it was great to see more and more riders taking the time to travel to the ECAN in Quebec and get some racing in prior to the TransCan. I know it makes for a long time on the road, but it also allows everyone a great chance to build some long lasting memories. Honestly though, time flies when you’re having fun, and it feels like yesterday that we were starting the Eastern portion of the Triple Crown Series in Ste Julie, QC. Hopefully, the upcoming off-season goes by just as quickly.
With not a lot to do this past weekend I was able to spend Saturday afternoon watching all four motos from the Unadilla National. Both the 250 and 450 class Championships were up for grabs as Haiden Deegan and Jett Lawrence were far enough ahead in the points standings that they could clinch. However, Jo Shimoda had other ideas, and his dominating 1-1 performance was good enough to hold off Deegan for at least one more weekend. The 450 class was another story as Jett Lawrence was able to clinch his second 450 Pro Motocross Championship in the past three years. If you haven’t watched any highlights from Unadilla, then I suggest you do ASAP!. On a beat up track, that gave almost every rider trouble, Jett won both motos convincingly, and even had some ‘did you see that moments’ along the way. In moto one, he calmly made his way to second place, and followed the ever improving RJ Hampshire for a few laps. RJ was riding good, but you could tell Jett was just patiently waiting for the track to work itself in. They had put a lot of water down before the opening 450 moto, so for those early laps, the track was treacherous. Finally, Jett made his move; in what has to be considered the pass of the year, and blew by RJ on the famous Unadilla turning uphill. From there, he never looked back, taking the opening moto win over his brother Hunter. Then, in moto two, Jett saw an opening as the pack headed into turns two and three off of the start. In the blink of an eye, and to the amazement of even TV commentator James Stewart, Jett made his move and went from fourth to first. It was an incredible quick charge to the front, a move that was necessary given the over watered track that the riders again had to face. After that, watching Jett tippy-toe around the track in the opening laps while his brother feverishly tried to get around him was exciting. Hunter knew that the best way to beat his younger brother was to try and disrupt his flow in the early laps. However, it was not to be, and after a few laps Jett lit the afterburners and cruised to another solid moto win. As I mentioned above, his 1-1 moto score was good enough to clinch the 2025 450 class title. Given my age and time around this sport I’ve been fortunate enough to watch almost all of the legends race at one time or another. I caught the end of Bob Hannah’s career, I was able to watch precise riders like David Bailey and Johnny O’Mara compete in the 1980s. Then there was Damon Bradshaw and Jeremy McGrath who I was able to be on the same track with a few times. RC, James Stewart, Villopoto, Dungey, Tomac, Sexton, the list goes on and on. But in my opinion, Jett brings a little bit of all these former legends to his riding and race craft, and he could be the best we’ve ever witness on a dirt bike. He’s fast (like RC and JS7, he’s creative (like Bradshaw), his technique is incredible (like Bailey and O’Mara), and he knows better than anyone I’ve ever seen how to manage a race (like McGrath). Honestly, I can’t think of enough superlatives to describe how good Jett Lawrence is right now, and he proved this once again on Saturday afternoon.
Moving onto the 2025 Triple Crown Series and what an amazing summer it was at the Nationals. The battles, the ups and downs, the Pre-Mix class, the WMX class with all of our talented female riders, and of course the 250 Pro/Am and 450 classes. I will go into more detail below on the 250 class and the final top ten points standings, but how about that final 450 round last weekend at Walton Raceway. It was exciting, and I can’t recall a final round with so many different story lines. There was the obvious battle for the championship between Phil Nicoletti and Tanner Ward. There was the return of Dylan Wright and his blazing speed on Sunday, only to have both his races end early with fuel issues. There was Jess Pettis, who was out to prove that he was the best 450 rider this summer. I think he did well to prove that, and now he has the large Walton Sword to hang up in his new house. Further back, there was the popular Quinn Amyotte, who impressed everyone all summer long, and now from what we hear has a few options for 2026. We had the Dutch rider Lars Van Berkel who had several solid motos this summer, but struggled with his starts at most of the rounds. Daniel Elmore had a decent summer, but his 6th overall didn’t really show how fast he was at times. Dylan Wright finishing 7th overall is just astonishing, given his speed and expectations coming into 2025. In 2022, he won every moto in the 450 series, in 2023, he won all but two motos, and since then he’s only won four motos in the 450 class. It’s hard to even fathom those numbers, but I’m sure Dylan and his team will figure out stuff during the off-season and come out swinging in 2026. Also, congratulations to Tanner Scott on his solid summer and earning his first ever top ten national number. Finally, Noah Porter had a solid 450 series, finishing 9th overall, and even bringing home a career best 6th place moto finish in the mud at Riverglade. It was an exciting and unpredictable 450 Triple Crown Series; it would be great if we got to see Nicoletti with the big #1 on his WLTN Kawasaki in 2026. Now onto the 250 Pro/Am class.
250 Pro/Am Class:
1. Preston Kilroy- 361 Points
If you searched up how to win a championship and the steps that it would take, Preston Kilroy followed this plan perfectly. Right from the opening round PK was fast, smooth, and amazingly consistent. During each moto, he took what the track gave him, and he never looked rushed or rattled in anyway. The only moment that he did look uncomfortable was after the opening moto at Gopher Dunes when he pushed his limit to try and pass Ryder McNabb in the closing laps. He wasn’t able to pass McNabb, and that extra effort appeared to leave him depleted for moto two. However, he did find some energy in the second moto and managed to bring his MX101 Yamaha home in fourth, that finish coupled with a last to 8th ride in the second moto at SDL were his worst of the Triple Crown Series. Other than that, PK was almost perfect, and it was a pleasure to watch him this summer. Hopefully, he’s back on blue in 2026, and we can see him run the big #1 all series long.
2. Dylan Rempel- 308
Okay, raise your hand if you were a little surprised when the KTM Canada Team signed Dylan Rempel late last year. Now, I’m a big Dylan Rempel fan, but given KTM’s recent global financial struggles, I was a little surprised when KTM Canada announced that not only were they signing Dylan as their only rider for 2025, but that they were having a team at all. But, credit to Matt Deroy, JSR, and even Kaven Benoit, they did see something in Rempel that they liked, and knew they could groom into a title contender. Finally, good on Dylan for buying in and doing exactly what they told him to do with regards to his training, diet, and riding. Dylan worked extremely hard this season, and it paid off with moto wins, overall wins, as well as one of the title favourites heading into next season.
3. Sebastien Racine- 267
During the opening few rounds many questions continue to swirl around Sebastien Racine. First, there was the quiet 5th place finish at the opening round in Calgary, then a DNF at Round 2, followed by a 5-3 moto performance at Round 3 in Ste Julie. With his teammate winning on the exact same bike, Racine looked like someone who was going to be left without a chair when the music stopped. However, after a small bike change (that was the rumour anyway) and a mental reset, Racine caught fire in the remaining rounds, with the obvious highlight being a win in front of his friends and family at the SDL round. Instantly, Racine looked more confident as he became a threat to win each 250 moto. In fact, you could argue that after his second moto win in Deschambault, Team Canada MXON Manager Kourtney Lloyd decided to name Sebastien as Team Canada’s MX2 rider. It’s been a massive summer of growth for Sebastien Racine, and heading into 2026 he will no doubt be a title contender.
4. Blake Davies- 201
With Blake Davies being a rookie pro rider this summer, you could say that he came into the 250 series with very little expectations. However, given Blake’s quiet confidence, you knew that he was expecting big things from himself. For the most part, Blake was very consistent this summer with the highlight being a third overall in the mud at Riverglade, and the low point being a 22nd overall at Walton Raceway. I love the way Blake methodically attacks each moto, regardless of where he starts. He rides with the calmness and precision of a seasoned Vet, and he makes the most of his opportunities. Fourth overall is a solid finish for Blake, and it will be interesting to see what the off-season looks like, and what he does to be even better in 2026.
5. Dylan Walsh- 194
Coming into the 2025 250 Pro/Am Series, Dylan Walsh was still recovering from a back injury suffered at the SLC SX. So, given those injuries, I thought his two podium finishes out west were outstanding, and a solid beginning to a possible championship run. In the weeks between Round’s 2 and 3 I taught a motocross riding school with him at Walton Raceway, and he assured me that moto wins were going to come once the series resumed. Unfortunately, Dylan’s grand plan never came to fruition as a multitude of issues kept him from consistency finishing on the podium. The lone bright spot of the summer was a dominating moto win in the mud at Riverglade Raceway, other than that it was certainly a roller coaster like summer for the likeable Kiwi.
6. Noah Viney- 179
When you look at Noah Viney’s 2025 Triple Crown Series 250 Pro/Am finishes, you could also compare them to a roller coaster. One weekend Noah looked like he had turned the corner and was ready to be podium rider, and then the next he was working hard to remain in the top ten. I believe Noah was the perfect example of a rider that came into a series not quite 100% ready to go. After suffering a very serious shoulder injury back in January, Noah didn’t have enough time to properly prepare for the workload of a pro outdoor national series. Despite that, I thought Noah rode well overall, especially in the latter part of the series when he looked more confident in his fitness and on his bike. His 5th overall at the final round was great as he finally looked comfortable while running with the leaders. After a strong, hopefully injury free off-season, Noah should be consistent podium threat in 2026.
7. Ryder McNabb- 174
Back in early May at the annual GDR Honda Team Media Day, Ryder McNabb was loose, confident, and when he took to the track for a rider demo, he looked blazzingly fast. In fact, many people in attendance commented that Ryder was going to be next to impossible to beat in 2025. Well, history has proven that even the best laid plans can sometimes go awry, and after suffering through some more health related issues, as well as lining up against a well conditioned machine in Preston Kilroy, Ryder’s 2025 season was a challenging one to say the least. Even when he tried to return for the final two motos of the year at Walton Raceway, a hard first moto crash took him out for the day. So, where does Ryder McNabb go from here? I assume that he will be able to get 100% healthy again over the off-season, and that he will return to the GDR Honda Team for another title run next year. We shall wait and see what happens in the next few months. The Triple Crown Series is a better place with Ryder on the starting line, so I hope he’s back and ready to battle in 2026.
8. Clayton Schmucki- 168
When you look at Clayton’s 2025 250 Pro/Am series, one thing jumps out at you. From beginning to end he was steady and consistent, and able to compete in all conditions. His only real blemish was at Round 7 when he suffered two bad starts and was unable to charge from behind. Other than that, Clayton was solid, and he should be proud of his summer in the Triple Crown Series.
9. Cole Pranger- 141
As a rookie in the 250 Pro/Am class, Cole Pranger had the type of series that you would expect a young, first year rider to have. At times, Cole was fast and running with the fastest riders in the class, but at other times his lack of experience led to mistakes, and that hurt his results. However, you cannot buy experience, and Cole needed to go through what he did this summer in order to be better moving forward. This kid works hard and has a quiet confidence about him, and I like that. He also has a great team behind him, and I believe he’ll be a top five rider in 2026.
10. Wyatt Kerr- 129
Other than a 6th overall at Gopher Dunes, and a 5th overall in Deschambault, this summer was another challenging one for Wyatt Kerr. After getting injured in the weeks leading up to the opening round and missing the races in Calgary and Cole Lake, Wyatt never seemed to get back on solid ground. His starts were inconsistent at best, and that led to getting stuck in the back of the pack on multiple occasions. The season goes by fast, and now Wyatt will have to go back to the drawing board to figure how to rebound in 2026. I feel like he’s capable of winning races and challenging for the 250 championship, but after this past summer, Wyatt has a lot of work to do.
Well, that is it for me this week. I hope everyone has a great week as you try and enjoy these final two weeks of August. My pick for Rider of the Week comes from the Walton TransCan, and it’s Talon Medaglia. Talon rode solid all week and when all of the dust settled he was crowned Supermini Champion. This kid has made a lot of improvements with his race craft and technique, and when you combine this with his work and effort level, you have a very successful rider. Thank you for reading, and if you have any comments or questions, please email me at editor@mxpmag.com.
