As the 2019 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown AXTour Series prepares for its first eastern round this weekend in Sarnia, let’s take a look and what we can expect at Round 3. First off, the sport of AX has a rich history in the Province of Ontario stretching back over three decades. The first ever Ontario AX event that I was a part of, both as spectator as well as a participant, was back in 1986 at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton. That night I split my time between watching Guy Cooper amaze everyone with his aerial antics, and racing in the 80A support class. Even though I was new to the sport of AX at the time, I was quickly infatuated with it, and throughout the rest of my racing career I competed in over 60 indoor events.
Since that race in1986 there have been numerous AX events in Ontario in cities like Peterborough, Markham, Barrie, Niagara Falls, London, and of course Sarnia. Each one has provided a plethora of excitement and left fans wanting more. For racers, these AX events have provided them with not just the added exposure of racing in front of a few thousand fans but also some much needed income as indoor events have always paid very well, especially considering that on average a rider really only spends about 20 minutes in total riding their bikes. Compare this to an outdoor national where a rider spends about 90 minutes on their bikes and in some cases earn very little money for their gargantuan effort. If you think back to riders like Mike Jones or our own Darcy Lange, they made a name for themselves racing AX events in Canada as well as in the USA.
As we get ready for the Sarnia AX this coming weekend, we can expect a grand show inside the Progressive Auto Sales Arena. Last year was the first time that the Rockstar Energy Triple Crown AXTour Series travelled to this race friendly venue, and the racing was excellent. With Cole Thompson being from nearby Brigden, he was obviously the fan favourite. Cole didn’t let his hometown fans down as he took a convincing win in the 450 Pro class. This time around it might not be so easy for the 2018 Triple Crown Champion as he will have to deal with riders like Matt Goerke, Shawn Maffenbeier, and Round 2 winner Phil Nicoletti. So while Cole will certainly have the crowd on his side, he’ll also have to deal with some very stubborn competition.
So are you ready for some AX Ontario? If you are then it all gets underway on Saturday morning with some very exciting amateur racing. Last year the dirt was a little soft as it was brought into the arena still wet from thawing out after the cold winter. However, with the event being three weeks later this time around, the dirt should be dryer and that will make for better racing. As I mentioned, I love AX racing and I cannot wait for Sarnia and Barrie in the coming weeks. Just to recap, here are the updated points heading into Round 3 this weekend: