Greetings! Welcome to this mid-October edition of the Monday Gate Drop Column. This column is once again presented by the awesome crew at Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd. After a very successful 2025 race season, which included Preston Kilroy winning the 250 Triple Crown Series Championship, and multiple amateur titles, the Blu Cru is gearing up for an even better 2026 season. With new updated 2026 models already at dealerships across Canada, and great rider incentive programs, it’s a great time to be a Yamaha rider. For more information on Blu Cru programs, please visit their new website: Blu Cru – Yamaha Motor Canada
In keeping with the Blu Cru, this past weekend our two top Yamaha riders, Sebastien Racine and Jess Pettis, headed down to Tomahawk Raceway in WV to compete in the Tyler Condon Pro Challenge. In recent weeks, there has been a few big money races for pro privateers in the East, but this one at Tomahawk Raceway, with its $50,000 pro purse, was perhaps the biggest. With a gate full of fast and money hungry American privateer riders, both Racine and Pettis put on a great show as they showcased their speed and endurance. After two hard motos, Racine would take the overall with a 1-2 moto score, while Pettis would secure second overall with a solid 3-1 moto score. I’m not sure how much Pettis made, but I know Racine with his win in the Open Pro Class, as well as 1-DNF score in the 250 Pro Class came home with well over 10K USD in prize money. For two days of racing in WV, that is a remarkable money making adventure for Racine. Good on both of these riders for deciding (last minute from my understanding), to travel down to WV to race against some of the fastest non-factory riders in the USA. It certainly appears like it was well worth the drive for both Racine and Pettis, not just from a money point of view, but also from a racing point of view, as well as promoting themselves and the MX101 Yamaha Team. Finally, for Racine, who is currently trying to secure a deal for 2026, this result definitely increased his value as a rider who might want to move up to the 450 class sooner rather than later. As for Jess Pettis, he will soon head back down to the USA to begin his Paris SX preparation at ClubMX.
Moving from the Blu Cru riders over to Team Green, this past Friday a large group of us were invited over to Walton Raceway to witness the WLTN Kawasaki Team presentation of their #1 plate to the President of Canadian Kawasaki Motors Inc. It was a great afternoon with not just the Canadian Kawasaki President in attendance, but also the entire Canadian Kawasaki Marketing Team, as well as WLTN Kawasaki Team supporters and valued sponsors. Even Blake Hall from Hall Race Fuel made the long drive from Huntsville, Ontario to be there. It was a great day that began with an emotional speech from Brett Lee. During his 20 minute speech, Brett spoke about how the WLTN Kawasaki Team was able to go from start-up to winning a 450 Triple Crown Series Championship in just three short years. Brett gave credit to partnering with a storied brand like Kawasaki, the “never say die” attitude of Phil Nicoletti, as well as the hard work and determination of his wife Melody, as well as Steve Simms. It’s always nice to hang out at Walton Raceway when you’re not under the daily stress of the Walton TransCan. As you can imagine, the facility looks a little different in late October than it does in mid-August when the paddock is full of riders and their families, and the track is a buzz with TransCan motos. However, I always enjoy seeing things in a contrasting fashion, so it was nice to walk around the track while enjoying the peace and tranquility of having no one on it. Thank you to the Walton crew for having us out, and congratulations to everyone involved this year with the WLTN Kawasaki Team.
Also taking place on Friday was the release of the 2026 Triple Crown Series Schedule. With the MXON just taking place two weeks ago, multiple rider signings soon to be announced, and the upcoming BC AX Series, as well as the WSX round in Vancouver in four weeks time, this was a great time to release our 2026 National Schedule, and get it to the top of the Canadian moto news cycle. The 2026 Triple Crown Series Schedule as you can see above looks a lot like the 2025 schedule, with the exception being that Round 2 has moved from Cole Lake, Alberta to Pilot Mound, Manitoba. This came as no surprise as it was my understanding that Manitoba would host a round every other year. Other than that, the series is the same with the opening round once again being in Calgary, the Eastern rounds starting again in Quebec, and the eight-round series will of course, conclude at Walton Raceway. I know, most people agree that it would be nice to have the series expand to nine one again, or even ten rounds, but in the current landscape of Canadian moto, that simply isn’t feasible. Now, you would assume with the Triple Crown Series announcing their schedule approximately four months before they did last year, everyone would be happy and excited for what’s to come in 2026. Well, sadly, as it’s been since I can remember, the Canadian lobster syndrome is still alive and well in the Canadian moto industry. If I read 40 comments over the weekend regarding the 2026 schedule, I bet 35 of them had a negative tone. Everything from the Triple Crown Series needs a complete revamp, to why aren’t there more rounds in the West, or more rounds in general, to suggesting Canadian moto was better when the CMA ran the show (this was my favourite comment as it’s just so ridiculous). In some ways, I can understand the frustration of the West, in a perfect world it would be great to have more races in BC and Saskatchewan, but right now, for a number of reasons, that doesn’t appear to be possible. I’m almost certain that things could change in the future, but as we sit here right now, I’m not sure what other track or tracks are set up or willing to host a pro national in either of these Provinces. My point is, while there are legitimate arguments to be made right across the board about why doesn’t the series go to this track, or that track, for 2026, this is our series schedule, why not embrace it. It’s eight rounds long, and if history is any guide, it’s going to be exciting to watch from start to finish. There will be an East/West WMX Championship, as well as an East/West Pre-Mix Series for everyone to enjoy. The Sunday Triple Crown Series race day schedule is unlike anything else on the planet. I mean, what other series can you watch talented females, the glorious sound of a gate full of two-strokes, as well as top pro riders all race, in one day? However, instead of looking at the positive, it’s easier to instantly go to negative town. I mentioned the “Canadian lobster syndrome” simply because some of the biggest compliments I hear regarding our series and our riders come from when I travel outside of Canada. To me, that is a sad reality and it’s been going on for a long time. So, even if it’s not perfect, let’s be happy that the 2026 Triple Crown Series Schedule is out this early, and now everyone can begin planning their summer. With my MXP duties, as well as my son getting ready to race his first full season in the pro class, I know where I’ll be next summer!
Well, that is it for me this week as my ranting has come to an end. I hope everyone is enjoying this penultimate week of October. The weather is definitely starting to change for the worse, and those good riding days are now few and far between. Finally, my pick for Rider of the Week is multi-time Canadian 250 Champion Ryder McNabb. This morning the GDR Honda Team announced that Ryder has decided to take a step back from racing to not only allow his health to improve, but also to further his education. This announcement certainly gives me mixed emotions; on one hand, I hate to see Ryder continue to battle health issues; however, on the other hand, I’m proud of him for deciding to pause his racing career and go back to school to better himself. Sometimes, when you spend a better part of your life racing dirt bikes, you begin to [wrongly] think that you’re only a one-dimensional person. Someone who is only capable of finding success on two wheels, when in reality, you can take the things you’ve learned and the tools you have to accomplish anything you want outside of motocross. I wish Ryder all the best as he changes direction and pursues other things. Hopefully, his health will improve, and perhaps one day, we will see him back on the track and on top of the podium. Thank you for reading, and if you have any questions or comments, please email me at editor@mxpmag.com.
