Greetings! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I made it home from France on Tuesday evening, and then after suffering through a day of jet lag, we had Kevin Cox come over with his bulldozer and redo our outdoor track. Yes, we are now ready for the summer grind, and it all begins this coming weekend at the AMO event at Walton Raceway.
For this week, I’m going to keep things simple and just focus on the top ten in the 250 Pro/AM and 450 class points standings after three rounds. The opening three rounds out West were very exciting, and the East should be even better. Not only are the tracks going to be rougher and more challenging, but we also could see some new riders join the series. In the 250 class, Krystian Janik is scheduled to be at Gopher Dunes, as is Chris Blackmer and young KTM Orange Brigade rider Luke Fauser. Those are three fast USA kids added to an already highly competitive 250 Pro/Am class. Round 4 at Gopher Dunes is going to be fun to watch, and right now the extended forecast is calling for very warm temperatures. However, before we get to Gopher Dunes, here are your current top ten riders in the 2024 Triple Crown Series.
250 Pro/AM Class:
1. Kaven Benoit- 128 points
After three rounds Benoit sits exactly where he wants to be heading into Gopher Dunes. So far, he’s been fast and very smart when he’s needed to be. However, with Drew Adams now planning on racing the final five rounds, Benoit will have to continue to take what is given to him, and hope that Adams (who appears to have more raw speed at the moment), make some more ‘kid’ mistakes as the moments become bigger. Right now, I like Benoit’s chances to close out this 250 Pro/Am Championship.
2. Gage Linville- 120 points
So far, Gage has been the biggest surprise in the 250 Pro/Am Series for me. We all knew that he’d be fast in the West, but he’s also been able to be very consistent. But as they say, the series truly begins at Gopher Dunes as the next few rounds are almost always hot, rough, and extremely tough on the riders.
3. Drew Adams- 118 points
I’ve said this a few times over the past month, but honestly, I have been pleasantly surprised with the amount of raw speed that Drew Adams has shown us so far in the Triple Crown Series. He has proven to have elite pro speed, and so far in the opening three rounds his endurance has been great, which is very rare at his young age. It will be interesting to see how he attacks the Gopher Dunes track at Round 4. Will he show it respect by taking it easy in the opening laps, letting the conditions dictate how hard he charges? Or, will he go for it and set a fast pace so no one touches him all day? Given his age, skill level, and confidence, I believe he will drop the hammer and hope for the best. Either way, he’s going to be fun to watch at the roughest track in North America.
4. Sebastien Racine- 96 points
Coming into the 2024 Triple Crown Series everyone was waiting to see which Sebastien Racine was going to show up. The fast and confident one from 2022, or the struggling one from last year. Well, so far it’s clear that not only is the 2024 version of Racine more like the one from two years ago, but, this one is even better. In the opening three rounds he’s had some great results, and most likely would’ve won the opening race in Lethbridge had he not gone down. Racine is also a great sand rider so, look for him to be very good in at least three of the next five rounds. If Racine can get some moto wins in the next two rounds then he’ll be able to get himself front and center in this 2024 250 Pro/Am Championship battle.
5. Wyatt Kerr- 87 points
What a great start to the series it’s been for Wyatt Kerr. First, he made it through the opening round in Calgary, the track where he had his terrible crash at last summer. At round two, he got himself on the podium in one of the motos. And then at round three, he rode smart and stayed out of trouble. Right now, he’s one of the fittest riders in the 250 Pro/Am class so that will be his biggest strength heading into the challenging Eastern rounds. I’m not sure if he’ll be able to break into the top four on a regular basis but, just think how good 5th overall would look for Kerr when all is said and done this summer. What a great comeback for one of the nicest and hardest working riders at the track.
6. Quinn Amyotte- 82 points
Quinn has had a great start to the 2024 Triple Crown Series, and so far he’s shown that the WLTN Kawasaki Team made a great decision when they hired the likeable kid from Ontario. Unfortunately, he had a bad second moto in Calgary when he collided with a lapped rider, then at round three he was off the pace of the leaders and lost some very valuable points. So far, Quinn has shown some great speed, and now the goal will be consistency moving forward.
7. Tiger Wood- 76 points
I think Tiger Wood is right about where everyone thought he’d be as we get ready for the Eastern rounds. So far, I like what I’ve seen from him, and I think he’ll be even better on the softer tracks coming up on the schedule. This kid is smooth, and last weekend in Manitoba he proved that he’s also tough, as he recovered from a hard crash to still finish 10th OA.
8. Austin Jones- 69 points
In the opening three rounds Austin has finished 14th, 7th, and 5th. If he keeps trending in this direction then the next few rounds are going to be really good for the MX101 Yamaha rider. I’m sure his finish in Manitoba gave him a ton of confidence so look for Austin to come out swinging at Gopher Dunes and his home track at Sand Del Lee.
9. Tanner Scott- 67 points
In the opening three rounds, Tanner has hovered around 10th in the 250 Pro/Am class. His best moto finish has been an 8th in Manitoba, which is a good sign as he seems to be improving with each moto. Tanner is more familiar with the tracks in the East and historically he’s been pretty solid on all of them. Everyone is still waiting on him to break through and be that rider who can consistently battle for top five finishes. I believe he’s close, but he needs some better starts and a little more confidence.
10. Evan Stice- 62 points
It was great to see Evan travel North to race the opening two rounds of the Triple Crown Series, and he did quite well by finishing 5th OA in Calgary and Lethbridge. Unfortunately, he missed out on some important points at Round 3, and that is why he’s back in 10th OA.
450 Class:
1. Jess Pettis- 136 points
Although he let a few points slip away last weekend in Manitoba, Jess has rode brilliantly through the opening three rounds of the 450 series. At times he’s been the fastest rider, but overall he’s been the smartest and that is why he’s your current points leader. Obviously Jess has to continue riding smart and take what each moto gives him. So far, he’s been a holeshot machine so you know he’s going to be up front early in every moto. I think his goal should be to win at least two motos in the next two rounds and that will put him in an excellent position heading into the final three rounds.
2. Josiah Natzke- 123 points
I don’t think anyone was surprised to see Natzke win both motos at round three in Manitoba. He’s come into 2024 ready to race and it was just a matter of time before he put it all together and stood on top of the podium. In the past, Natzke has been very good at Gopher Dunes, so I would expect him to win at least one moto at round 4 and place very well in the other one. Depending on how Dylan Wright heals up, this battle for the 450 Championship could make things very interesting under KTM Canada tent as we head into the next few rounds.
3. Preston Kilroy- 106 points
At times during the opening three rounds, MX101 Yamaha rider Preston Kilroy has been like Christophe Pourcel reincarnated as you can barely hear him on the track. I love his smooth style and I’m not the least bit surprised to see him sitting in third overall. Thankfully, off the track he’s not at all like Pourcel, and everyone enjoys having this newcomer to our series.
4. Aaron Tanti- 103 points
If I was a top rider in the 450 class this is the rider I’d be most worried about moving forward. With every lap out West, Tanti got faster, fitter, and more comfortable on his PRMX KX450. I’m not sure what his sand skills are like, but I do know that he’s as tough as nails and he wants to win races.
5. Dylan Wright- 98 points
Once again, at round three Dylan Wright proved just what a warrior he is as he dug deep to score a few points just days after leaving a Lethbridge hospital. Unfortunately, he has sustained injuries that don’t heal overnight so I don’t expect him to be 100% by Gopher Dunes. Also, he’s put himself in a position where he has to win races and make up the points he lost at round’s two and three. This will involve Dylan having to push well out of his comfort zone, and given his injuries, that is not the place he wants to be. However, those are the cards he’s been dealt and if anyone can rebound and get back into this championship fight, it’s Dylan Wright. This kid doesn’t know how to give up so, you know he’ll give these final five rounds everything he has. My feeling is that if Dylan can get through Gopher Dunes and Sand Del Lee without losing too many more points, then by Riverglade his body will be feeling better, and then he can focus on trying to win the final six races of the series. If he can do this, he may have a chance of pulling off the greatest comeback in Canadian moto history.
6. Mitchell Harrison- 90 points
Up until the final moto last weekend in Manitoba Harrison was having himself a very consistent 450 series. Unfortunately, he DNF’d moto two and lost some very valuable points. I would except him to work very hard over the next week and then try and do very well at Gopher Dunes. With Dylan Wright not quite 100%, the top 450 riders have to smell blood in the water, and this could be their best opportunity to win races!
7. Tanner Ward- 89 points
As we head into two sand tracks in the 2024 Triple Crown Series, I think it has to be go-time for Tanner Ward. In the past, he’s done well at Gopher Dunes and Sand Del Lee, so now is the perfect opportunity for him to finish well and get back into this title fight. Tanner had some great speed at the opening round, but struggled at round’s two and three. He knows how to set his bike up for sand, so all that is left is for him to get off the gate well, fight like hell for the first 20 minutes, and suffer through the final 12 minutes. I know I make it sound simple, but when you’re as talented a rider as Tanner Ward is, it is that simple!
8. Julien Benek- 81 points
Julien Benek was solid out West and I would expect him to be the same in the East. I like where he’s at in the points standings and with some more solid finishes, he could move up even higher. Look for him to be sneaky good at Gopher Dunes next weekend.
9. Parker Eales- 66 points
So far, Parker Eales has been doing what Parker Eales does, ride consistent and get solid finishes. In the opening three rounds, Parker has finished 10th OA at all of them. Given the depth of the 450 class this year, those are very solid finishes. I hope Parker continues to find success this summer as he’s one of the great people that make up our series.
10. Gavin Brough- 65 points
Gavin has certainly put in the most miles so far this summer, as he’s raced all three opening rounds, as well as some USA Nationals. Right now, he’s tied with Daniel Elmore for 10th in the series, which is pretty solid as the riders head into the east rounds.
Well, that is it for me this week. I hope everyone has a great week and safe week riding. It’s hard to believe that we’re almost into July, but in seven days we’ll all be celebrating Canada Day. Thank you for reading and if you have any questions or comments, please email them to me at chris@mxpmag.com.
