Yamaha Motor Canada Presents Style Check- From Prince George To Kamloops

After three good years of providing some of the best racing that our Pro Nationals have ever seen, it was announced yesterday that, for 2020 at least, there will be no National in Prince George, BC. Instead, Round 2 of the Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MXTour Series will be moving to Whispering Pines Raceway in Kamloops, BC. The Kamloops track is no stranger to hosting big races as it was a staple on the National schedule for years, and it too has provided fans with some incredible racing. For instance, I will never forget watching Davi Millsaps attack the track back in 2016. But it’s always a cause for concern when any track pulls out of our prestigious National Series. To me, it would be no different than if a team decided to fold up shop and leave the NHL. I mean, regardless of whether or not you have a quality replacement ready to go, it’s troubling to hear of a track pulling out.

The first time that I ever experienced the Blackwater MX Track and some Prince George hospitality was back in 2012 when Ryan Lockhart and I were invited up to teach a riding school. While I can’t exactly recall how many kids we taught over the course of the weekend, it was well over 30 and we had a great time. Not only did we get to spend time with Kourtney Lloyd and her awesome family but we also got a taste of just what this sport means to riders in the Prince George area. Even though they’re slightly removed, geographically, from the centre of the sport in BC, they love motocross, and like any of us, they want to compete and become the best riders they could be. Throughout that weekend of teaching with Newf, we commented numerous times to each other how awesome the Prince George motocross fraternity was.

A few years later when Mark Stallybrass was considering holding a national in Prince George, I told him that, in my opinion, a series race at the Blackwater MX track would be huge. With a large demographic of people that puts their heart and soul into powersports, how could a national in the area not be a massive success? Well, it all came to fruition in 2017 when the Blackwater MX track hosted Round 2 of the Rockstar Energy Nationals. Overall, it was a success. Even though the event lacked the large number of fans that I had incorrectly predicted, the racing that day was incredible and the track instantly became a rider favourite. The standout moment that day was, of course, Christophe Pourcel’s famous last corner pass on Matt Goerke to win the final 450 moto of the day. Since that eventful day there have been two other Nationals in Prince George, and although it was a struggle to get fans to make the 40-minute drive out to the Blackwater MX track, the racing was always excellent. Trust me, even though the travel time was long for the riders and teams from the opening round in Calgary, everyone loved having the welcome mat laid out for them the moment they arrived in Prince George.

In a press release that came out late yesterday, Kourtney Lloyd stated: “I want to make it very clear, this decision to not hold the PG National was not that of the MRC, Jetwerx or Justin Thompson. This decision was mine and mine alone. The details are irrelevant, but I want to thank everyone that helped me put on three iconic races and put PG on the map as riders’ favourite track three years in a row. I am proud of the events we held and I am proud of my City. I cannot express my gratitude for the Jetwerx team coming so far out of the way to hold events. Logistically, I know it wasn’t easy but you did and I thank you.”

So, with that statement the Prince George National is off the 2020 MXTour schedule. Will it return at some point in the future? That remains to be seen as you just never know what the future holds in this sport. For now, though, we say thanks to the PGMA and to the City of Prince George for opening up its doors to our National Series. The racing was always excellent at the Blackwater MX track and the great battles there won’t soon be forgotten.

Now we move on to Whispering Pines Raceway, another track and facility that has held incredible Nationals in the past. Jetwerx CEO Justin Thompson had this to say yesterday about the recent changes to the 2020 MXTour Series: “ I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the Whispering Pines MX organization to the series and again thank Kourtney Lloyd’s Blackwater MX Park team for the highly entertaining and successful races held at their facility over the past few years.” The weekend of Round 2 will remain the same – June 6-7, 2020 is the important date to save on your calendar.

Again, I don’t like when tracks pull out of our National Series, but if we cannot go to the Blackwater MX track then Whispering Pines is an excellent replacement. I can almost guarantee the temperature will be hot and the track will be rough. Oh, and one more reason that I’m a little sad about not going back to Prince George is this year I was planning on staying at the new Pomeroy Inn! Now I’ll have to see if there’s one in Kamloops.