THE DIRT Dawn McClintock
Are we there yet?
W
e’re back at it! Not going to lie, I was really doubtful for the upcoming moto season given the rocky road we had coming out of the spring with COVID numbers soaring. Finally, we are starting to see a light at the end of the long, pandemic tunnel. It’s been well over a year of spinning our wheels to get back to some form of normalcy in the MX and offroad competition scene and we are peeking through to the finish line… we hope. A year ago, we were uncertain at each round of the MX nationals that the proceedings would come grinding to a halt with bylaw officers looking for any flaws in the protocols laid out to shut things down. We were also faced with some people calling the authorities in an attempt to try and have things shut down. A quick pass from the bylaw officers proved that everything was up to snuff, proved the whistle-blowers wrong and we carried on, business as usual. We were up against more than just the pandemic it seemed. We somehow managed to get through it all with a condensed moto season and we figured by the following spring everything would be all back to
normal. It wasn’t the case, and we started this year further back than we were year previous. This past month we eagerly awaited our opening provincial MX round here in Ontario as we were faced with recent lockdown and stay-at-home orders. We were waiting with hope that the tide would shift in our favour. As luck would have it, things did open up to allow us to go racing… finally! With the wait over, people came in throngs to the opening round at Gopher Dunes near Courtland, ON. We saw record number of entries and a similar pattern at the second round held at Sand Del Lee near Ottawa. There are all kinds of new faces we are seeing at the races these days. Families who once perhaps had their kids signed up for hockey or little league baseball have moved on to find a sport that isn’t team-based and dirt bike racing sure fits the bill. Despite the shortcomings of the industry supply, we are seeing our sport grow by leaps and bounds right now. The strongest numbers were in the peewee classes with entries like we have never seen before… ever. There will be a whole crop of minibike riders rising onto the scene over
While it seemed impossible just a few months ago, racing action is finally back. PHOTO BY DAWN MCCLINTOCK 42 Inside Motorcycles
this next season and it makes me smile seeing this happen. The calendar flips for the Canadian MX nationals starting the first weekend in July and it sounds like the Ontario government will be looking to push into the next phase of opening up, ahead of schedule. The federal government is also looking to consider opening the Canada/US border to fully vaccinated travellers, so things are looking up for our US athletes who have been put on hold for resuming competition north of the border. The only American pro rider I saw lining up for the Cash Class at round 1 of the provincials was Michigan native Marshal Weltin, who has come back to Canada to contest the 450 title. Weltin will be joined by fellow American rider Darian Sanayei who shares space under the Thor Kawaski Pro Circuit tent this summer. With border restrictions lifting, we might even see some privateer riders load up their pickup trucks and make the journey here to line up for the nationals. US riders always add more notoriety to our nationals and fill the gates, so they have really been missed this past year. Our local cross-country racers have also been in touch with me to get track tape to mark out courses for upcoming races planned so it’s great to see things opening up for our off-road riders as well. I’m seeing things are back in place for the Future West series out in BC and our Quebec riders have been lining up for races this past month too. As I pack my car up with boxes of gear, umbrellas and stickers, headed to round 1 of the Canadian Triple Crown MX Nationals in Walton, Ontario, it fills me with joy knowing that through thick and thin this sport always comes out swinging and ends up stronger than ever when it’s been dealt a crappy hand. It’s been a long year or so and as we continue to move through this whole COVID mess we will remember just how much we love this sport and the community that is involved in it. I look forward to seeing everyone at the track this summer. See you there and stay safe everyone! IM
