Yamaha Motor Canada Presents Style Check: Updated Triple Crown Schedule

First of all, Happy May 1^st to everyone out there. We made it through a very challenging April and now it’s time for my favourite month of the year. As far as the Covid-19 Virus is concerned, May is a very important month as it will either be our gateway to a more normal June, July and August or it will just bring much of the same uncertainty that we’ve been experiencing since mid-March. Obviously, we need a few things to fall into place before our tracks are allowed to open for practice and racing. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that by late May or early June we’ll be able to load up our bikes and head to our favourite track for some moto therapy.

Yesterday, Jetwerx released their long-awaited, updated Rockstar Energy Triple Crown Series schedule for all of us to see. With the City of Calgary not allowing any events through the early part of summer (they even cancelled the Calgary Stampede), that pretty much drove a stake through the opening rounds of the MXTour. We know everyone was hoping to begin the series next month in Calgary and then continue racing three more rounds in the west throughout June, but even of you take Round 1 at Wild Rose MX Park out of the equation, starting our national series next month just seems to be too much too soon for most of our industry. So, to Jetwerx’s credit, they changed course and went to a Plan B and that is what we all saw yesterday. Let’s take a look at the new updated Triple Crown schedule.

As I’ve mentioned a few times over the past two months, we’re currently living in unprecedented times and life as we know it has probably changed forever. We’ve been in lock down now since mid-March, the economy has all but grinded to a halt, businesses have closed and some will never reopen, life savings have been lost or at the very least severely impacted, and long running events have been cancelled for 2020. As I mentioned above, the Calgary Stampede, which has been going strong since 1912, is not even happening this summer. Think about that, an event that has survived World Wars, economic downturns, and natural disasters, is now not happening because of the Covid-19 Virus. Whether you think this is warranted or not, it’s absolutely crazy! Now, as far as the Triple Crown Series is concerned, because of what is currently going on, our National Outdoor Series will not have a western round for the first time since 1996. This is also something in which to pause and give thought, as for just shy of a quarter century our pro series has been represented with races in both the east as well as the west. I was actually lucky enough to be part of the 1997 series when we headed west to Nanaimo, BC and Antler Lake, AB for Rounds 3 and 4 of that series. It was an exciting time in Canadian pro motocross, and since that year the series has been going strong.

As stated yesterday by Jetwerx, racing outdoor nationals in the west this summer just isn’t possible, and I hope that everyone understands that. Their Plan B is to begin the MXTour on July 11^th at Gopher Dunes and then travel to Sand Del Lee, Moncton, then Walton in August, before wrapping the series up in early September in Deschambault. All five of these races will be ‘Doubleheaders’ so each will be a very busy weekend of racing for everyone involved. What does a ‘Doubleheader’ National entail? Well, it means that each class will have one moto on Saturday and two on Sunday. So, three motos per weekend for a grand total of 15 points paying motos for the MXTour Series. However, each round, as normal, will only see one overall winner for that weekend. A little different? Yes, of course it is, but we’re living in different times, and for this summer at least, anything goes! I have no issue with this type of schedule as back in the early 2000s the riders had to race on Saturday to qualify for Sunday. Now, those qualifiers weren’t 30 minutes plus 2 laps, but they were still an all out 15-minute sprint that demanded the utmost effort and concentration. So, 15 motos is just shy of eight rounds if you really think about. Also, if all goes as planned then Saturday will see the Women’s National motos, the Pre-mix class, and hopefully some amateur classes. Sounds good, right? Obviously, a lot of things still have to fall into place for this to begin at Gopher Dunes in early July, but let’s hope it does for the sake of racing, our industry and our sanity. I was also told that there is a Plan C and D in the works in case being able to race gets pushed back to either August or September. I hope the MXTour Series schedule begins in early July because with each passing day it looks as though they’re going to be racing in the USA as soon as May 31^st when the Monster Energy Supercross Series resumes. Also, the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship is kicking off their series on July 4^th at Red Bud, so if racing is allowed in the USA but not here in Canada then that will be a very tough pill to swallow. As they say though, let’s hope for the best but prepare for the worst!

Once the MXTour concludes in early September, the riders and teams have to immediately shift their focus as the Fall will be all about indoor racing. The AXTour and SXTour will begin right after the MXTour Series with stops in Sarnia, Barrie, Calgary, Quebec City and Hamilton. Yes, this schedule looks quite a bit different than it did a few months ago, and yes it’s very unfortunate that there will be no western outdoor rounds in 2020, but at this point I think it’s the best Jetwerx could do, and the 2020 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown Series will still be very exciting. Let’s hope it happens and let’s hope we can all get back to our normal lives very soon. Happy May 1^st everyone!