Well, I supposed a ‘Happy October’ is in order as we just entered a new month yesterday. Hopefully the weather has been as nice where you live, as it’s been in Southern Ontario in the past two weeks. We have been absolutely spoiled here as the days have been sunny and mild, and the nights have been cool. This late burst of summer is supposed to last until Friday, and then next week it cools down considerably. I love this time of year, even though I hate the weather that is just around the corner. I guess we have to enjoy it while we can!
Yesterday my family and I took full advantage of the nice weather and woke up early to travel to Gopher Dunes for the penultimate round of the 2023 True North Fleet OPC AMO Racing Series. With my son’s injury this summer it’s been almost four months since he lined up behind a starting gate, so as you can imagine we were all excited, and a little bit nervous. I’ve always loved going to Gopher Dunes in the fall, the track is always in great shape, and the backdrop of the forest with its fall colours looks like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. We had a great day yesterday, and as a parent and fan, it was great to see my favourite rider back on the track. This coming weekend is the final AMO race of the season, and it’s right back at Gopher Dunes. There is also a banquet after the races this weekend, so it will be fun to celebrate both another great season of AMO racing, as well as Thanksgiving! Good luck and I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable weekend of racing and eating turkey.
With Thanksgiving this weekend, we also get to sit back and watch Team Canada battle the world’s best riders at the MXON in France. Our Canadian contingent all met up last night in Montreal and then flew over to France. It’s certainly an exciting time to be a Canadian race fan as this is one of, if not the best team we’ve ever sent to this event. All three riders are healthy and at the top of their game right now, so if there was ever a year to crack the Top 5 it’s this year. I spoke to Dylan Wright late last week, and he was obviously excited to head back overseas to battle some of the best riders on the planet. Dylan also told me how good he’s feeling on the bike since taking almost a month off after the final round of the Triple Crown Series at Walton. Since he was pretty much non-stop riding and training since he began his comeback in late February, it was nice to take a vacation, relax, and do something other than think about dirt bikes. Now he’s ready to go and obviously with the MXON this weekend a ‘refreshed’ Dylan Wright couldn’t come at a better time. Jess Pettis and Ryder McNabb also took some time off to regroup, but both have been hard at it again for a few weeks. Pettis has been riding and training in Quebec, while McNabb has been back home in Manitoba. I said this last week, but I feel like the stars could be aligning for a spectacular finish this weekend in France. If we get some luck with the team’s gate pick on Friday, and qualifying on Saturday, then Sunday could be a big day for Team Canada. As we speak, the team is settling into their residence for the week and from what I’ve been told they will be heading to a track to ride tomorrow. It should be a great week for our team in France, so look for updates right here, all week long.
Last week, I had one of the most amazing experiences as a journalist as I travelled to Fort Scott, Kansas for the 2023 Red Bull Imagination event. I’ve been watching this event for the past few years on YouTube so I was anxious to see what it would look like live and in person. Well, it was way beyond what I had envisioned. The jumps were massive, and the amount of time and effort that Red Bull puts into this event honestly blew my mind. Just to build the two courses alone took three big bulldozers, two track loaders, an excavator, as well as a roller to finish everything just right. I was there on Tuesday and Wednesday so I was able to watch the riders as they hit the course for the first time. Even these top FMX riders were nervous as they navigated themselves from one big jump to another. It was cool to watch them try stuff for the first time, and it was also interesting to see how close-knit these riders are. Even though it’s essentially a competition, there is certainly a strong bond between them; they want to see each other succeed. Thankfully, while I was watching, there were no mishaps or crashes, and everyone looked comfortable. The events founder Tyler Bereman was the lead rider and most allowed him to jump the ‘big’ stuff first. It was a great few days and I cannot wait to tell the story over the next few weeks. I wasn’t allowed to post too much content last week as there was an embargo on the event until it was completed yesterday. There will also be a three-episode series on this event airing on YouTube, with the first one coming out this week. Thank you to Red Bull for bringing me out to see it in person.
Another cool event that is fast approaching in Ontario is Frank Schuster’s annual Vet/Vintage Race at Gopher Dunes. This event takes place on the back track at Gopher Dunes, and for the past few years it has been growing in popularity. For 2023, it’s taking on an entirely new level of coolness as Lawrence Hacking and former top pro-rider Glen Nicholson have teamed up to make this event also a Canadian Motocross Legend Reunion. Former top riders like Ross Pederson, Doug Hoover, Darren Sharuga, as well as many more, will all be not only in attendance at the race on Saturday, but will also be taking part in a dinner inside Frank’s large shop on the Friday evening. This event will be catered by the local Lion’s Club and tickets to the public will be made available this week. It’s going to be an incredible event and I cannot wait to bench race and see all my old MX friends again. I will let you know as soon as I find out how to get some tickets to this amazing event coming up on October 20th and 21st.
Finally, some more big news with regard to the WLTN/Kawasaki/Seven Team as Quinn Amyotte has signed on to be their official 250 rider for 2024. Last week, the green team inked Tanner Ward as their 450 rider, so with Quinn now signing everything is now set for next year. This is big news and congratulations to the WLTN/Kawasaki/Seven Team for getting two great riders, and great humans signed so early in the off-season. Tanner and Quinn are going to be great teammates, and I cannot wait to see them find success in 2024.
Well, that is it for me this week. I hope everyone has a great week and once again Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for reading this week and good luck to Team Canada in France. Go Canada Go! Oh, and one final note. Cole Thompson kicks off his Australian SX season this weekend aboard his Serco Yamaha. Good luck CT!
