Yamaha Motor Canada Presents The Monday Gate Drop

Good Day, and welcome to another edition of the Yamaha Motor Canada Monday Gate Drop. With the 2021 Walton TransCan just days away we want to wish all of the Blu Cru good luck this week as they battle Canada’s best riders at Walton Raceway. Of course, the top Yamaha rider for the week will win themselves a free 2022 YZ thanks to the long-running Yamaha Factory Ride Award. So good luck and be safe!

The week all of us have been waiting for is finally here! The 2021 Walton TransCan begins tomorrow with the final move-in day and then opening ceremonies at 7 pm. Then on Wednesday morning, the bikes will start and the first practice sessions will commence. For the most part, Wednesday is all about practice as every rider will get two sessions, however, they’re a handful of first motos later on in the day. As it has been for many years the opening moto of the Walton TransCan will be the 250 Intermediate class. To think of how many incredible moments are going to happen between the first moto on Wednesday and the final moto on Saturday is pretty exciting. This year it appears we may have some rain and muggy temperatures mid-week before the weather clears and cools for the weekend. It’s most certainly not the ideal forecast but like the Walton Rooster going off first thing in the morning, there’s not much we can do about it.

For those of you that were at Walton One and Two back in early July, we all got a little taste of what the TransCan is going to be like this week. Good racing on the track and fun times off of the track, that’s what Walton is all about. Also, with a limited number of spectators allowed on each day this week, the vibe should be a strong one and it’s going to be awesome to once again hear fans cheering on the riders at both the TransCan as well as the final round of the Triple Crown Series on Sunday. At all levels of our sport, this is the week of champions and it all takes place in a field in Walton, Ontario. If you build it, they will come! That famous phrase always comes to my mind when I drive into the TransCan for the first time each year and see what the Lee Family has been able to do over the years with their farm. I know that most people are aware of all of the hard work that goes into this event each year. However, over the past year, the stress and uncertainty have only multiplied for the Walton crew. So, let’s go and have a safe and successful week in Motocross Town and let’s try and stay relaxed, obey the rules that are in place, and when you get a moment in between motos, let’s all be thankful to everyone that has worked hard to make this event happen. And that includes you, because after all what would an event like this be without riders.

One rider that won’t be at Walton this week is Jess Pettis who as you know suffered a massive crash last week in Quebec. As I mentioned in my Gate Drop column last week, it’s been some time since I’ve witnessed a rider hitting the ground as hard as Jess did on Monday morning. I spoke to him on Thursday morning as he was preparing to fly home to Prince George to begin yet another recovery, and he said that although he was upset at the fact that he threw away a chance at his first 450 title, on the other hand, he’s thankful that his injuries were not worse. In his violent crash, Jess fractured three vertebrae, a cracked sternum, as well suffering a good blow to his head (he said his helmet was cracked in three places). Now obviously, whenever you fracture vertebrae in your back you run the risk of having life-changing injuries, but thankfully these fractures were non-displaced and in time Jess will heal up and be back on the track. This kid has been through a lot in the past two years and I’m sure I speak for everyone when I wish Jess a speedy recovery.

Without Pettis on the gate this coming weekend Dylan Wright will take a comfortable 27 point lead over Marshal Weltin into the final two motos of the Triple Crown MXTour Series. Barring any major issues for Dylan, this points lead should be more than enough to clinch his second 450 title in a row. On the track, this summer has appeared somewhat normal for Dylan as he’s had his share of moto wins. I do think that the overall pace at the front of the pack has been more intense this summer because young riders like Weltin and Pettis have been riding much more aggressive than Dylan’s competition last year. So at times, Dylan has had to push that much harder and that has led to a few mistakes and crashes. Also, I think you’d be surprised to learn just how injured Dylan’s been all summer long, and considering that he’s on the verge of once again winning this title, it only goes to show how tough this kid is. I will also add that after seven challenging rounds I’d be shocked if any of the riders aren’t injured in some regard right now. Every rider who lines up for a pro-national is a warrior, but to line-up every weekend for two months is another story altogether. I hope all of our pro riders have a safe and successful weekend at the final round while they go out and entertain us once again.

As I mentioned above, the points in the 450 class are not as close as they would’ve been if Jess Pettis hadn’t crashed and gotten injured last weekend. However, the 250 class is another story and I think Sunday’s final two motos will be worth the price of admission into Walton Raceway. With just three points separating Jacob Piccolo and Ryder McNabb, I cannot wait to see the battle between these teenagers this weekend. Also, behind them is the experienced Darian Sanayei who sits just seven points back and has just been getting better and better since the opening round. I spoke to Sanayei last week at the Kawasaki race shop and he said that he likes where he’s at right now. He’s been getting good starts and really has nothing to lose on Sunday. Finally, Tanner Ward who won the opening round at Walton Raceway in July sits only 11 points back of Piccolo so his plan is also simple heading into Round 8. Four riders, two with experience and two very fast teenagers, who do you like for this 2021 250 class Championship?

Well, that is it for me this week as I have to begin packing up for my week at Walton Raceway. My son is racing the Supermini and Schoolboy 1 classes this week so please wish him and all of the TransCan riders good luck! We also had a few Canadian riders find success last week at the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National as Brennan Schofield captured the 450C Championship and Noah Viney not only finished second overall in the Supermini 2 class, but also won the final moto of the week in that class. Just getting to Loretta’s is a hard thing to do, but to be able to stand on top of the podium for either a moto win or a National Championship is truly remarkable! Thank you for reading and if you cannot make it to Walton Raceway this week, Flo Racing and Jetwerx will be broadcasting some of the motos live each beginning on Wednesday.