Greetings! Welcome to this early June edition of the Monday Gate Drop Column, which is once again brought to you by the awesome folks at Yamaha Motor Canada. This past weekend at Wild Rose MX Park, MX101 Yamaha rider Preston Kilroy proved why he’s the defending 250 class champion by winning both motos at the opening round of the 2026 Triple Crown Series. Kilroy and the MX101 Yamaha Team will now take that momentum into Round 2 this weekend in Pilot Mound, MB.
Before I get to all that happened in Calgary this past weekend, I’d like to give a big congratulations to our top off-road rider Trystan Hart as he finished second at the famous Red Bull Erzberg Rodeo Event in Austria on Sunday. For the past several years Hart has been a consistent podium rider at this iconic race, and this year he was really looking forward to dethroning his KTM teammate and four-time Erzberg winner, Manuel Lettenbichler. Hart rode great all day long and at times was right on the rear tire of Manuel, but in the end he came up just short of the victory. Here is what Hart had to say about his race in Austria:
“I’m happy to come away with second place at Erzberg. It was a really tough race and I had to manage a few issues throughout, so it definitely wasn’t straightforward. I felt like I rode well in sections, but there were also areas where I know I can improve. That’s part of racing at an event as demanding as this. We’ll take the positives, keep working, and come back stronger next year.”
Okay, let’s move out to Calgary and the opening round of the 2026 Triple Crown Series. In the weeks leading up to Round 1, there were a lot of story lines about the possibility that this would be the final pro national at Wild Rose MX Park. With the City of Calgary having some grand plans for the property in the near future, it would leave little room for the track to still exist. However, two weeks ago it was announced that the city has delayed their plans for at least a year, so that means that we will most likely see at least one more pro national in Calgary in 2027. This is great news for everyone involved, including the Triple Crown Series, the riders and their families who use this facility on a weekly basis, the Wild Rose MX club, and really the sport in general in Canada as this is one of the most iconic race tracks on the planet. I’ve travelled to the USA and to Europe and people always ask me about the “the track in the city.” Let’s hope that one year turns into several years, as city planning is always a fluid situation at best.
So, with the last dance scenario put to rest for the opening round, the focus shifted, as it should, to the riders and teams that were set to perform on Sunday. The 2026 Triple Crown Series featured some new riders from the USA and Europe, as well as a host of young talent moving into both the pro ranks, as well as moving up from the 250 class to the 450 class. With this in mind, it was safe to say that there was a little extra hype heading into the weekend. After an entertaining press conference on Friday evening at the famous Blackfoot Inn (if you’re planning on attending this race in 2027, you have to stay at the Blackfoot Inn as it is the place to be for the weekend), a Saturday full of catching up and bench racing, it was finally time to go racing on Sunday morning.
As everyone arrived at the track early Sunday morning, Mother Nature greeted everyone with partly sunny skies and cool temperatures. With the forecast for Sunday being unsettled at best, it turned into one of those weather days where you didn’t know what you were going to get. As it would turn out, we did get a little bit of everything as the skies opened up just prior to the opening 250 moto of the day, turning the track into a wet and slippery mess for both the 250 and 450 opening motos. When the gate finally dropped for the first moto of the year, Preston Kilroy rocketed through the rain drops to take the holeshot and the early lead. He was followed by GDR Honda rider Dylan Rempel, who looked fast and comfortable on his new red ride, as well as the two young Team Green riders from the USA, Kade Johnson and Vincent Wey. This opening moto was wet, muddy, and long, as the riders were on the track for over 30 minutes. In the end, Kilroy took the win with Rempel not far behind, and Wey, who turned in some fast lap times in the closing laps, in third. It was an entertaining race to kick off the 2026 Triple Crown Series without a doubt.
Moments later when the gate dropped on the opening 450 moto, Dylan Wright appeared to pull a rare holeshot before Jess Pettis made a quick pass for the lead heading into turn two. From there, Pettis and Wright remained about the same distance throughout the first 25 minutes of the race. Pettis looked great as usual out front and didn’t appear too concerned with Wright just two seconds behind. On the other side, Wright look uncharacteristically patient as he followed Pettis for the opening half of the moto. Whether he was waiting for a mistake, or waiting until the late stages of the race to make his move, Dylan made the most, of really the only opportunity Pettis gave him, and took the lead and held it for the remainder of the moto. Harry Kullas, who started well outside of the top 15, rebounded nicely to charge to third by the end of the race. Ryder McNabb also had a solid moto as he came back from a first turn crash to finish fifth, one spot behind rookie 450 rider Sebastien Racine.
Thankfully, the weather had improved for the second set of motos, and in the WMX class visiting American Jordan Jarvis took full advantage of the drying conditions to take the win and the overall in the opening WMX round. Kaylie Kayer won the opening moto, but a poor start affected her second moto finish and the best she could do was third. Kayer’s second moto podium finish was enough to give her a solid second overall on the day, and the top finish by a Canadian WMX rider. In the second 250 moto, Preston Kilroy once again grabbed the early lead and never looked back. Rempel was once again second, but this time it was Ryder Malinoski, who made a late pass on Kade Johnson to finish third. With a much improved track, the racing in the second 250 moto was the best of the day as there were battles all over the track. The fans loved it as you could hear them cheering every time their favourite rider raced by the main spectator area. Unfortunately, the Wright/Pettis battle in the second 450 moto was over before it really began as Pettis would suffer a first lap crash that knocked him out of the moto completely. It wasn’t a big crash but something mechanical appeared to happen to his bike, and sadly his race was done. Harry Kullas rode great again in moto two and kept Wright honest for 35 minutes to finish a few seconds behind the GDR Honda rider. McNabb held on for third, and Racine charged hard after a crash at the start to secure fourth in moto two, and fourth overall for the day. I loved Racine’s effort in moto two as he just didn’t stop charging and would pass Tanner Ward in the closing laps. During the final moto, not only did Racine impress me with his never give up charge, but Kullas also impressed me with his speed and fitness. As I mentioned, he ran pretty much the same pace as Wright for the entire second moto. If Kullas can get out front early this weekend in Manitoba, he could give Wright, and Pettis a big challenge. Either way, he’s a great addition to the Triple Crown Series and it’s going to be fun to watch the battles at the front of the 450 class this summer. Finally, one other 450 rider I will give a shout out to is AVL Husqvarna rider Daniel Elmore, who rode solid to finish 5th overall on Sunday. Danny is a warrior who wasn’t afraid to keep charging on Sunday, even after crashing hard into the tunnel in the opening moto.
Well, that is it for me this week. Sorry this column is a day late, but yesterday was a travel day home from Calgary, so I simply ran out of time to write. Anyway, better late than never. Finally, my pick for the Motovan Canada Rider of the Week is my son Ayrton, who went 16-16 on the Sunday in the 250 class. I know, I could be biased for sure. But regardless, I like to give credit when credit due, and I’ve witnessed first hand the work that he’s been putting in, and two solid finishes at the start of his rookie pro season is really all we and his AVL Husqvarna Team can ask for. It was a good start, and now the focus shifts to trying to be a little better this weekend in Manitoba. Thank you for reading and have a great week!
