Good day, and welcome to the first Yamaha Motor Canada Monday Gate Drop of November. I feel like this is one of the most challenging months for the moto loving people of Canada, as the weather has now taken a turn for the worse, and riding days are few and far between. Thankfully though, there are still some exciting indoor events on the calendar, and that is where I’ll begin this week.
It’s been quite a season of Triple Crown Series racing, and we’ve been lucky enough to have witnessed many memorable moments. From the opening round at Rad Torque Raceway in Edmonton, to the final round this past weekend in Calgary, there isn’t space here to list every unforgettable moment. I know that in general terms Canada is a humble nation, and more times than not, we don’t give ourselves the credit we truly deserve. Since the mid-90s our pro-national series has been evolving and today it is truly unique. Not only does the Triple Crown Series comprise of both indoor and outdoor events, but there are also opportunities for riders of all ages and levels to take part in the race weekend festivities. For example, this weekend at the final round at the Nutrien Western Event Centre in Calgary, there was a large amateur turn out that had their practice and qualifying sessions during the day, and then their main events intertwined with the pro racing in the evening. From start to finish, the races ran like clockwork and everyone appeared to be having a great time. There was one rare incident when a poor junior rider got a little squirrelly in the whoops, and then whiskey throttled off the following berm and launched himself and his bike in spectacular fashion into the upper level of the seats. I watched it happened and I cannot believe that he was able to launch himself that far and that high. After a lengthy delay to care of him, he was taken to a local hospital with a collapsed lung, broken ribs, as well as a chipped vertebrae in his neck. I spoke to his father later in the evening and he said that everything was going to be okay with his son. Pretty scary, but thankfully this story is going to have a happy ending.
Even with a fairly simple track design in Calgary, the racing all evening was excellent as there wasn’t too much to separate the top riders. It all came down to starts, and corner speed, and then which rider could find a fast and consistent line through the whoop section. Other than that it was good old fashion AX racing with some bumping and grinding and riders just plain going for it. In the 250 class, Mitchell Harrison kept his indoor winning streak going by taking the win over Julien Benek, and Quinn Amyotte. The pace at the front was high and fun to watch. Benek made it interesting in the closing laps as he was able to get to the back wheel of Harrison, but in the end he was unable to find a way past the points leader. The 450 main event had a different ending though as Benek once again caught Harrison with a few laps to go. However, this time he was able to make a last lap pass and ride off to his first big win of his career. It was a surprising conclusion to the 450 main event and most assumed Harrison would hold on for the win. But, once Benek got close there was no denying him the victory, or at least everyone in the building knew he was going to take a shot at it. It was a great race, and a spectacular way to finish off this incredible 2023 Triple Crown Series. Now it’s onto the off-season and the planning stages for 2024! Hopefully, a race schedule can be released in the next few weeks and we can all begin to look forward to next season.
Now, let’s talk about Julien Benek and his recent success. I’m not sure if you follow him on Social Media, but in the past month he’s been posting almost daily videos of him riding and training. Now, this isn’t an uncommon practice among our top riders as most of them post content of them doing various activities during the week. However, something was different with Benek this time, there appeared to be a method to his madness. Whether it was his lackluster performance at the Gopher Dunes SX back in September, or the fact that he found out recently that he wasn’t signing another contract with the PRMX team for 2024, whatever the reason or wherever the motivation came from, Benek has been on the grind since the beginning of October with a lot of riding, and daily long bicycle rides, both indoors and outdoors. So, to see him finally find the ultimate success this past weekend was incredible for him, his family, his fans, and everyone who wants to see this kid win races. It’s also a great message for younger riders, including some of his fellow pro-riders, that if you’re willing to put in some consistent hard work, then good things will most likely come your way. This isn’t just a motocross lesson, this is a great life lesson for everyone. Now, I’m sure that Benek has been in great shape all year long as he’s always been known as a hard worker. I mean, the issue for him hasn’t been his conditioning, it’s been that so far in his pro career he’s been unable to remain healthy for any length of time. I don’t know, perhaps these two things are connected, and his mistakes have come once fatigue has set in while riding. Whatever has happened, it was great to see Benek grab his lunch box and work boots and take control of his destiny during the past month. With his recent success and consistency, I’m now hearing Benek’s name come up with a few Team Manager’s when talking about possible 450 riders for 2024. It was impressive watching Benek ride this past weekend as you could see a new level of confidence in his racecraft. This doesn’t come by accident in this sport, you have to earn confidence and Julien Benek certainly has in recent weeks.
As I mentioned above, there are a few teams now interested in Benek’s services for 2024 as team’s are busy trying to get their final rosters in order. This is one reason why it’s important that the Triple Crown Series releases a 2024 race schedule sooner than later. It’s hard for our teams to secure budgets if they don’t even know where or when they’re racing in 2024. I’m hearing the schedule is mostly done for next year, the East will most likely remain the same as it’s been, the big question is where does the series begin and what tracks does it visit in the West. Other than Wild Rose MX Park in Calgary which must be part of the Triple Crown Series again. Also, it sounds as though Josiah Natzke is headed to the KTM Factory Team in 2024, where he will join Kaven Benoit and Jess Pettis. This news hasn’t been made official yet, but I heard it last week from a very good source. This is no surprise really as Natzke has been in high demand for the past year. The only surprising part of this news, is that it sounds like this deal will see Natzke race alongside Pettis in the 450 class. I can only assume that KTM feels that by putting two top riders in the 450 class gives them the best shot at one of them dethroning Dylan Wright in 2024. If this all pans out then the 450 class will be stacked in 2024 with names like Wright, Pettis, Ward, Harrison, and Natzke, just to name a few. Then, if you go by the results this summer in the 250 class, Kaven Benoit becomes your 2024 title favourite heading into next season. This all sounds very exciting so stay tuned to see what happens.
Finally, I want to send a big thank you out to Pat Shippit and the entire Manluk Yamaha Team for not only lending my son a bike this past weekend in Calgary, but also for having us under the tent and as part of their close knit team for the day. The Manluk Yamaha Team have been a big part of the Triple Crown Series for the past several seasons and I hope they continue to remain in the paddock for years to come. It was fun to be around them this weekend and my son rewarded their kindness with a win in the Open Junior class on Saturday. This was Ayrton’s first taste of success since coming back from the injuries he suffered back in June at the WCAN. It was great to see him have a great day in Calgary, and he couldn’t have done it without the Manluk Yamaha Team.
Well, that is it for me this week. Stay tuned this week for ISDE updates from South America, and also congratulations to Cole Thompson on his solid 4th overall in Abu Dhabi this past weekend. Cole is now off to Australia for the final two rounds of the Australian SX Championships in Newcastle, and Melbourne. Good luck to Cole, and good luck to Team Canada at the ISDE. Thank you for reading and have a great week!