Photo Report | Walton Raceway OPC | The Pros

By Billy Rainford

With 30 riders in what the AMO Ontario Provincial Championships is calling the “Cash Class,” there was a lot to watch and pay attention to last Sunday at Walton Raceway.

As you progress through our sport, if all goes well, you will eventually make it to the Pro class. Now, that doesn’t mean you’re going to be one of the riders chasing the dream of becoming a national champion. It simply means you’re too fast to race the amateur classes and have earned your pro card. We had every level of Pro rider making up the class at Walton last week, and it was great.

I thought we’d go through the class and see how everyone looked.

OK, I’ll admit it, I didn’t know #122 was Justin Roney. Also, because of the coronavirus restrictions, I didn’t make my rounds to talk with everyone, so I don’t know why he’s scored a DNF-DNF for 30th in the class.

I’m pretty sure Intermediate rider, #464 Carlos Ponce from Pefferlaw, had a rough day on the track. He finished 28-DNF for 29th and I saw him struggling several times throughout the day.

There are a couple different reasons certain riders get sponsorship. #57 Dario Zecca is just a good dude that people like and respect. Yes, he rips, but he’s not going to win a title in the Pro class, and that’s fine. 22-25 put the teacher in 25th place.

I feel like I’ve been typing the name “Damon Luksys” into photo reports for a long time. He’s going to have to fight young Julien Benek for his number very soon! Damon finished in 23rd with consistent 21-21 motos.

#243 Eric Schildt is another one of those good dudes in the Pro class. He works hard and is pretty no-nonsense on the track. 20-24 put him 22nd.

#156 Cole Wilson has the beard I’m trying (but failing badly) to emulate. He’s another workman in the class and finished 19-22 for 21st, and did it on a 2-stroke for bonus love and points.

I have to admit, I don’t know much about the older Rempel. #577 Josh Rempel looked good and finished 16-18 for 19th.

#43 Ryan Derry is a smart guy with an advanced degree…and he still loves ripping it up in the dirt! He and Zecca are teammates and will win the “Mr. Team Congeniality” award in 2020, hands down. It was a tough week, remembering the death of Desiree Adams. Ryan finished 24-13 for 18th.

#295 is Josh Mann. He had a solid first moto, taking 12th, and finished 17th (12-20).

#810 Travis Roberts sat mid-teens with 13-17 motos for 15th.

#383 is Cameron Mead. He said he wore his blue gear just for me, so I had to crank up the saturation a little in this one. Jeff would appreciate the sentiment, Cameron. He finished 14-15 for 14th.

#343 Max Filipek is getting back up to speed after knee surgery. He’ll keep improving and finished 17-11 for 13th.

#28 Sam Gaynor had a throwaway first moto with some bike issues. After patching up the problem, he came back through the pack for 5th in moto 2 for 12th overall (29-5). Don’t let this result fool you.

I was really impressed with #14 Kyle Brown’s first moto 7th place. His 2nd moto 16th dropped him back to 11th overall, but he should be happy with how he rode.

If #295 Keenan Peterson rode like he did in the 2nd Youth moto, he would have been higher up the results sheet in the Cash Class. He was flying up in 4th! 10-12 put him 10th.

I feel like I should know more about #67 Brock Kelly than I do. Again, it wasn’t the time to go around chatting with people. He looked really comfortable mixing it up in the Pro class with some fast company. 11-9 put him 9th.

It was #21 Quinn Amyotte’s 20th birthday last Sunday, so he was probably getting a little ahead of himself out there. LOL His 9-10 motos put him 8th (3rd 250).

#734 Tyler Rayner is a rider with potential. I’d like to see him “hang it out” a little more, but he looked great with 8-8 motos for 7th.

I think I have some photos of #708 Jason Burke on film! I’m kidding but he’s also in the Vet class. He’s got more laps on the Walton track than almost anyone and he busted out impressive 5-7 motos for 6th.

I was really impressed with #197 Ty Shemko’s comeback last summer, and he just keeps on impressing. He took a lot of time off the bike and looks like he belongs battling near the front in the Pro class. 6-6 put him 5th.

We’re expecting a lot from young #164 Ryder McNabb but let’s also not forget that he’s still a young kid! To race past some of these seasoned Pros is something he should be proud of, and on a 250 to boot! 4-4 put him 4th.

What can you say about #64 Liam O’Farrell?! I remember going for runs with the South African out west during the 2009 season! He had to get a “real job” but could easily compete for top 5’s this summer if he wanted. 2-3 put him 3rd.

#18 Tanner Ward expects a lot out of himself and he took a lot of roost on his 250…all day! He should be very satisfied that he was able to finish 2nd in this group. Nobody was touching the rider out in front and 3-2 motos put him 2nd.

If you’re at all surprised that #16 Cole Thompson finished 1-1 on the day, I don’t think you’ve been paying attention. Somehow, he goes faster than everyone else but it seems like it’s all moving in slow motion. He has the ability to look ahead, change his line, and make it all look so easy. He does *not* repeat a mistake or bad line.

Cole is going to be tough to beat on all these Ontario tracks we’ll be seeing on the Rockstar Triple Crown Tour.

2020 WALTON RACEWAY OPC #2 – 6/28/2020
WALTON RACEWAY

CASH CLASS – Overall Finish Positions

Points for this class

Overall	Nbr	Name	Moto 1	Moto 2	Points Earned
1st	#16	COLE THOMPSON BRIGDEN, ON	1st	1st	0
2nd	#18	TANNER WARD WOODSTOCK, ON	3rd	2nd	0
3rd	#64	LIAM O’FARRELL PARIS, ON	2nd	3rd	42
4th	#164	RYDER MCNABB MINNEDOSA, MB	4th	4th	0
5th	#107	TY SHEMKO TRENTON, ON	6th	6th	30
6th	#708	JASON BURKE BURLINGTON, ON	5th	7th	0
7th	#734	TYLER RAYNER MOUNT PLEASANT, ON	8th	8th	0
8th	#21	QUINN AMYOTTE BLACKSTOCK, ON	9th	10th	23
9th	#67	BROCK KELLY SUNDERLAND, ON	11th	9th	22
10th	#295	KEENAN PETERSON HOLLAND LANDING, ON	10th	12th	20
11th	#	KYLE BROWN HAMILTON, ON	7th	16th	0
12th	#28	SAM GAYNOR ERIN, ON	29th	5th	16
13th	#343	MAX FILIPEK GRIMSBY, ON	17th	11th	0
14th	#383	CAMERON MEAD RICHMOND HILL, ON	14th	15th	0
15th	#810	TRAVIS ROBERTS ALVINSTON, ON	13th	17th	12
16th	#691	BLAIR NAUTA WAINFLEET, ON	18th	14th	10
17th	#295x	JOSH MANN TEESWATER, ON	12th	20th	0
18th	#43	RYAN DERRY THORNHILL, ON	24th	13th	8
19th	#577	MITCH REMPEL ARISS, ON	16th	18th	8
20th	#437	KYLE KING BOWMANVILLE, ON	15th	19th	0
21st	#156	COLE WILSON UXBRIDGE, ON	19th	22nd	2
22nd	#243	ERIC SCHILDT CONN, ON	20th	24th	1
23rd	#170	DAMON LUKSYS ALLISTON, ON	21st	21st	0
24th	#154	TRAVIS FORD ORONO, ON	26th	23rd	0
25th	#57	DARIO ZECCA MIDHURST, ON	22nd	25th	0
26th	#751	JASON FLURY PHELPSTON, ON	25th	26th	0
27th	#82	ZACK ZAGER MELBOURNE, ON	23rd	DNF	0
28th	#143	TRAVIS BARRETTE Lakeshore,	27th	DNF	0
29th	#464	CARLOS PONCE PEFFERLAW, ONTARIO,, ON	28th	DNF	0
DNF	#122	JUSTIN RONEY LONDON, ON	DNF	DNF	0