Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
Greetings, and in case you haven’t looked at your calendar, we are now under a month until Christmas! This past weekend, we decorated our home, put up our Christmas tree, and I braved the blowing snow and a slippery ladder to hang our Christmas lights. It’s not quite “Griswolds’ level, but it will do for Christmas of 2023. Let the official countdown to Christmas begin!
Over the weekend there was a few big races going on, both here in Canada, as well as in Australia. Out in Chilliwack, the opening round of the AMO Racing AX Championships kicked off with some exciting racing, and unfortunately, several injuries from what I’ve been told. All you had to do was click on young Braxton Zeitner’s Instagram story to see a few of the poor kids that crashed this weekend. It doesn’t sound like the track, or any one thing was to blame, it appears to be just one of those weekends. I’m sure the AMO Racing crew are assessing everything today to see what (if any) changes can be made for this coming weekend. Other than that, it appears that the racing was entertaining inside the Chilliwack Arena and Round’s one and two were a success. On the pro side of things, it was good to see a couple of riders get their first big wins of 2023. After Julien Benek had his big get off while leading the 250 main event on Friday evening, Quinn Amyotte took over on his new WLTN/Kawasaki/Seven Race Team KX250 and pretty much controlled the rest of the weekend. Quinn looked great on his new green machine, and it’s good that he’s out west racing and able to get some gate drops in before the new year. MX101 Yamaha rider Sebastien Racine was also able to grab a main event win on Saturday night as he really turned things around from the opening night. Sebastien has been posting a few Vlog’s recently on Facebook with a lot of racing footage. After watching his video from Saturday night, it was clear that two things drastically improved from night one. First, he was able to get better starts which on a fast AX track is of the utmost importance. Second, his flow and his ability to maintain his corner speed, while playing offence and defense at the same was much improved. This isn’t easy to do as your situational awareness has to be razor sharp. You have to be precise, and you have to know exactly where other riders are. This is why racing indoors can be so challenging, even for our top riders. Everyone will now take a few days off to catch their breath and then they’re back at it again this weekend. Good luck to everyone and please be safe!
Down in Australia there were two separate races at the same incredible venue. Marvel Stadium in Melbourne hosted both the final round of the Australia SX Championships on Friday night, and then the final round of the 2023 WSX Championships on Saturday night. Cole Thompson was competing in both events, and did he ever ride well. On Friday, Cole would finish second overall on his Serco Yamaha in the SX2 class. This was his best finish of the series and it gave him third overall in the final standings. Then on Saturday evening, Cole took his familiarity with the Melbourne track and had what is probably his best finish of the 2023 season. Cole would end up finishing second overall in the SX2 class on his ClubMX Yamaha racing against some very talented riders. It was a great way to finish off what has been a challenging season for Cole, and I’m sure his pair of podium finishes made the long flight home that much sweeter. I’m sure Cole will be taking a few days off before he resumes training for the upcoming Monster Energy Supercross Series. It was also good to see Dean Wilson get back into the winner’s circle as he took home the Australian SX Championship in the SX1 class. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Deano win a title so congratulations to him. I’m not sure what his plans are moving forward, but I’m sure he will be celebrating once he arrives back home in the USA. I’d love to see Dean come back to Canada and race the Triple Crown Series as a ‘full circle’ way to finish off his racing career. Sadly, though, I don’t see that happening. Finally, congratulations to Ken Roczen on winning his second WSX Championship in a row. Kenny has had a great season aboard his RMZ450, and he’s really become one of our sport’s best global ambassadors.
Moving onto the 2024 Triple Crown Series and this week I have some good news, and some bad news to report. Which would you like first? Okay, I’ll start with the bad news. On Friday, Steve Simms announced that he was shutting down his popular and successful TLD/GASGAS/SSR Race Team effective immediately. I know from talking to Steve on several occasions this summer that he needed a few more things to fall into place in order to continue into next year and beyond. Unfortunately, for Steve, his team, and for the sport in Canada, those things didn’t come to fruition and he was left with few options. It’s sad anytime a team has to shut it down, and we’ve seen it happen too many times over the past decade, but with the TLD/GASGAS/SSR Team it feels a little extra sad. This team wasn’t just a pro team, it wasn’t just a show up at the nationals team, it was a close knit group of friends and family that came together each year to not only chase the dream of winning a national championship, but also by attending numerous amateur events, and giving riders of all ages the support they needed to find success. I can’t tell how many times over the past three seasons I’ve walked by the TLD/GASGAS/SSR Team tent as the sun is going down on another day of racing, and there is Steve and his team fixing someone’s bike so they’ll be able to get to the starting line the next day. I mean, it’s one thing to lose a pro team and have 2-3 riders now looking for work, that sucks and I get it. However, to lose a team like this affects the amateur paddock in a much larger way. From the WCAN to the ECAN, to the TransCan, to amateur days at the Triple Crown Series events, to numerous AMO Racing events in Ontario, Steve and his friendly and helpful team were present at them all. This team will be missed and the void of them not being at the races will be felt right across the country. Stay tuned this week as we’ll connect with Steve to find what is next for him. I have a feeling that he’s not done with this sport yet, as his love for it runs too deep.
Now, for that good news that I was referring to. Late last week it was finally announced that New Zealand rider Josiah Natzke has signed with the KTM Canada Red Bull Team for 2024. I reported this rumour a few weeks ago as I was told that the deal was imminent by a very reliable source. This is great news as Natzke has certainly proven himself as a title contender over the past two summers here in Canada. I was a little surprised to hear that he will be racing in the 450 class, alongside Jess Pettis, but as he told me over the weekend, he’s more comfortable on the bigger bike. With the addition of Natzke, the 450 class is looking very strong for the 2024 Triple Crown Series. I can’t wait to watch Dylan Wright, Pettis, Ward, Natzke, and possibly Harrison, all battle next summer. I also like having the duo of Pettis/Natzke going after Wright for the 450 title. I feel like these two teammates will push each other to a level that both perhaps have not been to yet in racing. Congratulations to KTM Canada for being aggressive and going after a top rider like Natzke. Their team is now set and will feature Kaven Benoit in the 250 Class, Jess Pettis and Josiah Natzke in the 450 class, and Eve Brodeur in the WMX Class. That is a stacked team heading into 2024!
Well, that is it for me this week. I hope everyone enjoys these final few days of November. Good luck to everyone this weekend in Chilliwack, and hopefully all of the riders that were injured this weekend are doing well. I know that Dexter Seitz is going in for surgery later today to fix his broken hip, and Seb Sulyok is recovering well after his leg surgery last night. Heal up kids! Finally, I want to send out a big Happy 60th Birthday wish to Mark Stallybrass. I can’t believe Stally is 60, and I find it even harder to fathom that we’ve now known each other for over 40 years. Not sure where this sport would be in Canada without Stally’s hard work and vision, but I know it wouldn’t be near as successful as it is today. Have a great week and if you have any questions, comments, or even story ideas, please email email me at editor@mxpmag.com.
