Faces at the Races | Canadian MX Nationals Round 3 in Manitoba

Brought to you by Leatt

Remember when everyone said it was kind of windy on Saturday at the track? Well, people not wearing goggles as they walked around were the odd one that day.

Daryl Murphy and Paul Kingsley doing their weekly track walk making mental notes on what they think could be improved upon for Pro Day. At least, that’s what I think they’re pretending to do. lol

See, they wished they wore their goggles.

Track owner Kyle McCannell with some “help” as he made the rounds.

There’s always one. Always. It definitely makes it easier for parents to spot them out there.

Hey, you guys left your hotel…sorry, MOtel room with a bullet hole in the window! I thought we were going to play some pool Saturday night?

No way was this thing going up on Saturday in that wind.

Chris happy to be back in the west again.

How’s the conversation going, guys?

Sometimes you just have to take a peek to see how cool your kit looks. My dad always told me I’d look down at my legs when I ran to see how fast I was going.

Classic.

Merde.

WMX is definitely a family affair in Manitoba.

Katrine is one of 4 Ferguson sisters racing! And I just can’t help thinking of the Burt Reynolds Jeopardy skit on SNL. I’m sorry, but I say it in my head every damn time.

There are two more now!

Awesome, just awesome. And she’s one of the most stylish riders in the field!

Of all the people I’d have guessed would have a problem with the heat on Sunday, the one from Mexico was not one of them.

That’s Partzilla PRMX mechanic Joe Kremkow on B-Ray’s race bike for the Vet class on Saturday.

It was great to see Josh Penner on the line. Dude still has some speed!

Julien in a nice shot for the team’s sunglass supplier, K-DEAM OPTICS.

Thomas Rendall got the memo. Hey, and I thought I’d catch you guys somewhere in Northern Michigan, but nope, you were gone!

The fans love this guy! Maguire Uruski showed great speed going 1-1 in the FXR PreMix class.

My first stop was the KTM pits. Thanks for the coffee hook-up!

Sylvain Brodeur made the cover with this one!

Just because it’s race day doesn’t mean personal hygiene has to go out the window!

Getting things sorted out in the Manluk Rock River Yamaha pits.

Too damn easy. KT+a bag of hot dog buns? Come on!

All that stuff I said about Josh Penner earlier, would you mind inserting it here too?

That’s #444 Bradley Olsen from East Helena, Montana. Let’s hope lots of Americans make the trip north as the series heads east. Good to meet you, Brad. Was it hot enough for ya? Canada, am I right?!

Classic scrambled eggs in the Ufimzeff pits. And let’s get out on the bikes while you’re staying in London!

Acting as a bit of a wind block for Cale Foster and Lexi Pichout on Sunday.

See, without a hot dog reference, I don’t know what to type!

Just getting it ready for a 7th title. No big deal.

Westen is sitting 5th in 450 points right now. And don’t count him out of a possible top 3 in the series.

What do you expect? Their head office is “just down the street.” That’s in Manitoba measurements, of course.

A reminder for Wyatt Kerr.

I saw his dad, Jim Small, in Kamloops and then Greg in Manitoba. Another great family from our sport.

A shot of Sebastien Racine signing some autographs when all I really wanted to do was get at that pasta!

They kept the track nicely watered and the ruts got nice and deep, but there was nothing they could do about that heat!

A new record in the modern era.

Sebastian doing his best Brad Hamilton cleaning the “Cruising Missile” impression. (Google it, Bowker!)

Joe Kremkow: Racer Saturday/mechanic Sunday.

It was cool to see Brendan back at the races. He worked for the PRMX gang during Supercross.

A full ice suit is what was needed on Sunday.

I’d really like to see Maguire Uruski at all the big races.

FXR PreMix West series podium: Jayden Riley, Lane Kretzel, Ryden Safron.

That’s your WMX West top 10.

Ryan Lockhart keeping tabs on the GDR riders in the rollers.

The heat really took it out of the riders on Sunday. Ask #212 Luke Svensson, I don’t think he’ll even remember! It was ugly.

#222 Ryder Zackrisson made it through both motos to take 30th overall in the 250 class.

The other #222, Jesse Barnett was right behind him in 31st.

#281 Tanner Merrick was smiling but he knew what he was in for in moto 2. He actually held on pretty strong with 22-17 motos to crack the top 20. It was survival out there.

It looks like the heat took out #510 Marcus Deausy as he’s shown 15-DNF for 18th.

I was very impressed with #33 Jeremy McKie this past weekend. He was really pissed with himself for fading from being up near the front to 13th in moto 1. He came back and held on for 5th in that heat for 9th overall and showed real heart.

I have a couple bicycles for you to choose from over here, Zach. Let’s hit the road or trails.

#14 Quinn Amyotte is showing us something this summer, too. 5-4 put him 5th and he’s sitting 6th in a battle for 4th.

Anyone who didn’t have #229 Mitchell Harrison in their top 2 for this season is likely going to be wrong. He’s looking more and more comfortable and I think the rest of the class should be worried.

You picked a hell of a race to join the series, #38 Seth Hughes. 17-DNF for Seth. Did I mention how hot it was?

After that Kamloops moto 2 turn 2 moment, it’s great to see these two BC boys yucking it up together on the line.

Tyler Gibbs wondering why he has 2 left hands. Yes, it was THAT hot.

2 holeshots for Jake. The east series is going to be a barn burner! No, don’t worry, Brett Lee, nobody is literally burning your new barn.

#130 Devyn Smith gutted out 2 good motos and finished 16th.

#46 Marco Cannella has lost touch with the top 3 in the points but he’s in the middle of that battle for 4th place in the standings.

Keeping the streak alive, here’s photo #3 in our Wyatt and Andy Kerr 2022 start line series. Collect all 9! Wyatt held strong for 7th in Manitoba.

I thought Julien Benek was suffering a mechanical with the bike in moto 1 as he started to slow, but it turns out he blacked out in the pits afterward and couldn’t make it to moto 2. I tell you it was HOT!

#138 Dylan Rempel did 10-9 the hard way on Sunday.

#65 Bryce Wadge found himself in some great battles and took 17th at Round 3.

#317 is Matthew Stokes from Manitoba. That’s a pretty cool name but it wasn’t “cool” enough to save him from a 21-DNF score in that heat.

That’s #819 Dawson “Slim Millsaps” Gravelle on the line.

I didn’t get the story but #574 Charles Charlton was back on his KTM and not the GasGas they bought from Al Dyck. He still threw the bike harder than anyone for 25-22 motos.

Let’s let Marco sum up the day for everyone.

#18 Parker Eales can help, too.

#175 is Dylan Wiebe from Morden. Wiebe and Penner are the Smith of the prairies. Dylan pulled a reverse and went DNF-22 for 23rd overall in the 450 class.

#74 Danny Garey from Quebec managed a thumbs up before heading out for moto 2. He finished 19-18 for 18th.

#143 Eric Harvey also went for a reverse for the judges. DNF-17 put him 21st.

#112 Cory Steeves from Peachland, BC has shown some good speed this season, but Manitoba got the best of him and he’s shown DNF-DNF in the results.

I don’t know what #114 Jesse Royan’s plans are, but I hope he heads east because he’s been impressive so far.

#108 Max Day hanging as loose as he can. The Lake Country, BC rider was another victim on Sunday.

If anyone is going to flash a smile and a thumbs up even though they can’t put any weight on their one foot it’s #573 Chris Blackmer from Michigan. He’ll need this week off to be ready. 8th (8-7) was a win in Manitoba.

#61 Tea Perrott was a DNF in moto 1 but used his saved energy for an 11th in moto 2 for 17th.

#5 Tyler Medaglia has been a holeshot machine. Even when he didn’t get the start, 2nd place is almost a lock for him. It’s not enough for him though as he’s going for wins.

We may have seen the last of the Meston father/son team for this season. Keylan grabbed the moto 2 holeshot and finished 7-5 for 6th. Thanks for the tasty beverage at the end of the day!

Tanner Ward used every once of strength to grab his first podium in the 450 class in that moto 2 heat. As everyone yelled at him that Felix Lopez was struggling, it was all he could do to keep fighting. 4-3 landed Tanner on the box in 3rd.

#3 Shawn Maffenbeier was smiling before heading out for moto 2. He, too, was able to capitalize on the demise of poor Felix in that 2nd moto to tie Tanner for points on the day with 3-4 motos.

It was very concerning watching Felix try to circulate the track near the end of moto 2. He dove straight into the PRMX cooling pool after the moto and was still in his gear at the end of the day when we chatted with him on the drive out!

#170 Josh Gedak was super solid in moto 1 with a 9th. Unfortunately, he’s one of the many riders listed as a DNF in moto 2. We were down at least 10 riders at the start of moto 2.

#1 Dylan Wright looked like he was going at about 75% out there and was maybe the only rider who thought there was a cool breeze out there! We’re going streaking! He hasn’t lost a moto yet. I can’t remember a year when a perfect season was even in the conversation.

In the running for Fastest Couple is #47 Blair Nauta and #3 Malia Garant. Blair made it through both motos with 15-15 for 14th.

#19 Ryan Derry has a smooth style that definitely pays off in these conditions. 12-12 put him 11th.

Keep an eye on #26 Westen Wrozyna. He’s going “sneaky fast” out there, as Jeff McConkey would say. 6-8 for 7th and 5th in points. Kevin Tyler has to be happy with his performances.

Can someone else make a Canadian Moto Memes out of this shot? See what I did there? No, you will…

#17 Yanick Boucher showed he’s ready for the heat with a nice 10th in moto 2. He was 10th overall.

Speaking of SNowBike guys, #157 is Troy Horbaty. He looked great and took 13th (16-14) on the day. He’s another rider I hope we see in the east.

#202 Blake Osatchuk was deciding between an Arenacross in Montana and this race in Manitoba. He’s got to be questioning his life choices now. Lol It was brutal. He made it through both motos for 20th on the day.

It would be cool to see #270 Josh Penner at some more races that aren’t this hot. He has top 10 speed still but the heat got to him and he was seen leaving Dodge as moto 2 went off.

#138 is Lucas Giardino from Thunder Bay, ON. I don’t know him yet but he took 19th (18-19).

#996 is Cameron Birnie from Winnipeg. I don’t know him yet either but he is a lot of fun to watch ride. As Stewy would say, “Cool wHHips!” 20-21 put him 22nd. He’s another rider I hope we see more of this season.

Olsen questioning his choices too. Sorry, you picked this one to cross the border for, Brad. Nothing wrong with the track, it was just a wee bit too hot.

It was great to see Ryan Millar and his little guy. What? Wait? OK…

There we go. He was ready this time. Haha. Say hello to your folks for me, Ryan.

Luke sums up the day for us too.

Ryder McNabb was fighting a bug last week and it’s going to be interesting to see what he can do the rest of this season. 6-3 put him 3rd. He’s 3rd in points but down 18.

The battle at the front between Jake and Mitchell has been amazing so far this year. If you’re in the east, get your tickets now!

Mitchell is starting to get the hang of this Canadian racing and it makes me worried for the rest of the field, but let’s see what our guys have for him in the east before we hand him this 250 title.