Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
Words by Chris Pomeroy
Photos by James Lissimore
If you think back to how are world has changed over the past 27 years, it’s no wonder that the Walton TransCan has also had to reinvent itself. When the first TransCan took place back in the early 1990’s, four-stroke motocross bikes weren’t even on the radar, and this program’s cover boy Colton Facciotti was still a youngster. When you look back at just how the Walton TransCan has been able evolved with the times, it’s no wonder that it’s still going strong.
If you pause from reading this story for a moment and proceed to the Past Champions page, you’ll see a long list of names that have managed to find success either one time, or even multiple times at the TransCan. If you start at the beginning you’ll see Ross Pederson’s name as he once won the pro class back when the TransCan was in it’s infancy stage. Since then, the list reads like a who’s who of fast riders from both yesterday and today. That is one of the coolest parts of an event like the Walton TransCan, when you ride the track or stroll around its hollowed grounds, you can almost hear the voices of the past heroes that have gone before.
The first thing that I always notice when I first arrive at the TransCan is just how much the track has changed from those early days. The focal point of the track, the start, has moved a few time since the first ever gate drop there. With the exception of perhaps 1997, the start has always been an exciting spectacle that has entertained the fans in attendance. My favourite version of the start was back in 1996 when it was an ultra-fast right hand first corner that immediately went under a bridge walkway. Right hand first turns don’t always make for the safest of starts, but for some reason this one worked. These days the starting line is located adjacent to the longest and fastest straight-away of the track and it’s very safe. And even though so much has changed since those early days, the Walton Raceway track is rich with tradition as famous obstacles like the Step-Down and Natural Double still remain in 2019.
For those readers who have never had the pleasure of riding a lap or two on the Walton Raceway track, let me give you a little insight. While this track is not considered to be as rough as say Gopher Dunes (a rough sand track located two hours to the southeast of Walton) I personally find Walton to be as difficult to ride as any track in Canada. Just what makes it so difficult you ask? Well, there are a few things that make racing successfully at Walton Raceway such a formidable task. The first thing you have to learn is of course how to ride ruts. Riding in deep ruts takes a lot balance, patience, and throttle control. Since coming into a corner and having to sometimes pick from ten different ruts is not easy, those riders who can do it well usually are the ones on the podium getting interviewed. So the ruts are an issue, sometimes mud is sadly an issue, but the other thing that makes this race difficult is the pressure that comes with racing any national championship event. Dealing with pressure is never easy and obviously some riders cope better than others. Performing well when you feel like you have to is not for the faint of heart. At times we’ve witnessed riders take a few years to win their first title at the TransCan, and once they figure out how to then they just keep winning. We’ve seen some incredible shining moments during the week of the TransCan, and we’ve seen some crushing defeats that just make you want to cry. Each year has those ‘did you see that’ moments that leave us talking for months after. When it’s all said and done and regardless of how you week goes, at least you know that you competed on one of the most challenging tracks in Canada, as well as battled through the pressure of National Championship event.
The first time that I raced the Walton TransCan was way back in 1994. That year was the first year that TransCan also hosted the final round of our National pro series. Up until that point I hadn’t been to Walton Raceway since my dad took me there to watch a local race in the late 1970’s. On that day Jeff Sutherland battled Doug Hoover for the 100cc class win. Sadly Jeff crashed and broke his leg, an injury that took him a long time to recover from. It’s hard to fathom that we’re about to close out five decades of racing in this small Ontario hamlet. With a deep history and a endless amount of stories surrounding the TransCan, someone should sit down and write a book about it. Until then, let’s enjoy the 2019 Walton TransCan and good luck to everyone.
