Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
Good day and welcome this early November edition of the Yamaha Motor Canada Monday Gate Drop. Even though the racing is pretty much done for the year in Canada, there were a few things happening in our sport last week. As I sit here writing this there is light snow falling and the temperatures feel downright chilly. Winter is definitely fast approaching and sadly for most of us that means no riding for a few a while. As much as the urge to go riding will most certainly creep into my psyche during the next couple of months, sometimes a break is a good thing. It gives us a chance to regroup, do some off-season training and then look forward to the next time we throw our leg over a dirt bike.
The opening round of the Future West AX Series is coming up very fast. Photo by James Lissimore
Last week I had a great chat with Atlas Brace’s Brand Manager Ryan Lockhart. We talked about everything under the sun including moto, family, as well as our usual banter about when we were teammates for a season in 2000. Anyway, as he did last year, this Christmas, Ryan and his family are heading to California to hang out, do a little riding, and then take in the opening round of the Monster Energy Supercross Series in Anaheim. As I mentioned above, winter isn’t very pleasant for us moto loving Canadians, but it definitely makes trips down south that much more exciting. There are very few feelings as good as loading up your bikes mid-winter with snow on the ground and then driving to warmer climates to spin a few laps. The excitement, the anticipation to fire up your bike and spin some laps on a track that is most likely in perfect condition. Heck, even if it isn’t in good condition you don’t care as perfect is to the eye of the beholder. But before he heads to California for Christmas, Ryan and most of his fellow west coast racers will be competing in the Future West AX Series, which kicks off on November 22nd in Chilliwack, BC.
On Friday last week the GDR Fox Honda Team finally announced their team for the 2020 season. With Colton Facciotti now formally retired, the red team was in the position to make some big changes for next year. The first bit of news is that Dylan Wright signed a multi-year contract extension and will move up to the 450 class in 2020. This is great news in my opinion as it not only begins the next chapter in Dylan Wright’s career, but it also will fill a bit of the void in the 450 class left by the departure of Facciotti. Dylan’s first year in the 450 class should definitely be an exciting one as he battles the older and more experienced riders. Dylan has already been testing the 450 and by all accounts he’s riding the bigger Honda very fast. With Colton’s guidance, Dylan should have no problem adapting to the more controlled riding of a 450. I also believe that moving up to the 450 class will also be better suited to Dylan’s body type and training program. Dylan is a big, strong kid, and to remain light and competitive for the 250 class he had to follow an extremely strict diet. During this off-season Dylan will be able to eat better, build more muscle, and generally just get stronger as he prepares for his biggest challenge to date.
The Red Riders are ready for 2020!
The second big news item to drop from the GDR Honda Team was the signing of Tanner Ward to race in the 250 class in 2020/21. This news has been floating around for some time and now it’s finally official. Like the Dylan Wright move to the 450 class news, I believe this is a great deal for both parties as GDR Honda obviously needed a rider in the 250 class who can both replace Dylan, as well as potentially win in 2020. Also, it looked apparent this summer that Tanner needed a change of scenery if he wanted to take the next step in his career. For whatever reason, Tanner looked to struggle in the second half of more than a few motos this year and I think it made him very frustrated. We all know he trains hard and rides hard, and we know that his KTM’s were capable of winning, but sometimes as a rider you have trouble connecting the dots. As a member of the GDR Fox Honda Team, Tanner now has a fresh start with a new bike to become accustomed, new gear, a new mechanic and a new mentor in Colton Facciotti. Tanner also lives close to the Gopher Dunes track so when you add all of this up, it looks like a win-win for everyone. Finally, the other item of GDR Honda news is the signing of Ryder McNabb to the team. Ryder will still compete as an amateur in 2020 but he will be moving up to a 250F machine. Of the three signings this one to me was the biggest surprise as I still have a little trouble picturing Ryder racing a 250F so soon. It will most certainly be a big jump from the Supermini he raced this year, but with his style and technique he should be able to adapt quite quickly to the bigger bike. If all goes as plan, McNabb is a future pro champion in our sport who needs as many tools as possible to help him succeed. He’s also a great kid off the track and will be very marketable for the red brand. To sum this all up, this is great news for our sport as it shows that Honda Canada is still very interested in supporting it both at the pro level as well as the at the amateur level.
Marshal Weltin will be riding green in 2020. Photo by James Lissimore
In other team news, last week it was announced that the Monster Energy Piller’s Alpinestars Kawasaki Team has signed Marshal Weltin to race the 250 class in 2020. With Tyler Medaglia moving back to the 450 class next season, this signing makes perfect sense. Weltin was very fast this past summer and even held the red plate for a short time. He’s also a hard working and good guy so he will be a great fit under the green tent. The Kawasaki Team also announced that Chad Goodwin will be the new Team Manager, replacing Adam Robinson. Even though this is the off-season it’s great that there is still so much going on.
With so much team news being released, the next news we all need is what the Triple Crown Series will look like in 2020. As we mentioned last week, Justin Thompson told us at the post Hamilton SX banquet that the AXTour is going to begin in the east and then move west. It will conclude in mid-May with a double header in Calgary, and then the opening round of the MXTour will begin two weeks later at Wild Rose MX Park. With four rounds planned in the west it’s anyone’s guess where the series goes after Calgary. I’ve heard everything from Kamloops, Prince George, Mission, Drumheller, Regina and Minnedosa as potential tracks for the other western rounds. I guess we’ll have to wait to see on that one. It’s also sounding like there will be eight rounds in the MXTour Series, which to me is a little disappointing, I think going back to nine is on a lot of people’s wish list. Anyway, December 1st is the date that these plans are all supposed to be released so stay tuned.
We don’t know too much about the 2020 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown Series, but we do know that Walton Raceway will host the final round of the MXTour. Photo by James Lissimore
Well, that it is for me this week. I hope everyone has a great week and I hope you’re able to stay warm. Finally, congratulations on all of our Vet riders that were brave enough to head to Glen Helen Raceway in California to compete in the World Vet Championships this past weekend. Although I’ve never been to this event, it looks like a great time and our Canadian riders did us proud. Have a great week and thank-you for reading.
Now that the weather is getting colder it’s a good time to purchase Brent Worrall’s new book. Go to www.brentworrall.com to order your copy.
