round 17
Canada’s warming up—Gopher Dunes thawing out, Wildrose opened last weekend, and Raymond is already dry and ready to ride. Time to pull the bikes out and kick off the season!
Here at SpecMoto, we’re all about moto, but we’re making an exception for the Dupuis family—they’re absolutely dominating both the moto track and the off-road scene. I’ll be honest, I’m diehard moto and not too familiar with off-road terminology, but we’re going to make it work!
From what I understand, GNCC is a major player in off-road racing, and Hayden is going from LL qualifiers straight into GNCC races, winning in both—what a massive achievement. As a Canadian, it’s incredibly exciting to have someone we can all rally behind and cheer for!
In Round 1 of GNCC in South Carolina, Hayden crushed it, finishing first in Supermini Jr. (12-13). Off-road races track overall results across all classes since it’s a timed race, and Hayden finished 4th overall.
Kade raced in the 65 class (10-11) in South Carolina, finishing 6th. After that, he packed up, headed back to Alberta, and got some Canadian riding in at Raymond while Hayden raced Round 2.
Round 2 took place in Florida, right after Daytona, where Hayden finished 2nd in his class and 5th overall. He’s currently tied for the points lead.
Next up is Round 3 in Alabama this weekend, and the Dupuis family is racing the full series. We’ll be keeping an eye on Hayden’s results!
Kade 1w and Hayden 213 at Walton 2024
Photo: Tree Three Media
We took the week to catch up with some Canadian pros prepping down south:
Dylan Wright
Dylan Wright, one of the few riders sticking with the same team and gear for 2025, is looking for a fresh start after an uncharacteristic 2024 season. We asked him how his 2025 prep is going:
“So far things down south have been going great. Of course there has been a couple weeks that I have been flying back and forth for the motorcycle show in Toronto and Montreal. But, from now until Round 1 it will be full days and weeks of training and testing. I am back down at the dogpound this winter with the crew. This new Honda CRF450R is an amazing platform to start with, even at its stock form. Cheers to a few more moths of 30 minutes motos and some hard dang work!”
Dylan at Walton 2024 Walton
Photo: Tree Three Media
Jess Pettis
Jess is making the biggest move in Canadian moto for 2025, joining the MX101 team and rocking FXR gear. Down south and riding with the #1 plate, we caught up with him to see how prep is going:
“Very nice to be back on the blue bike and starting my training and testing! I’ll move my training base from Florida to gpf next week and I’m excited for the next few months to keep building!”
Jess will be aboard a MX101 Yamaha and in FXR gear for 2025. Photo from 2024 Walton
Photo: Tree Three Media
Sebastine Racine
One of the few riders making no changes for 2025, Seb is sticking with MX101 and FXR gear—he may have an edge racing what he knows. We asked how prep has been going so far:
“The 2025 prep is underway and I’ve been feeling really good on the bike! I’m very happy to be with mx101 FXR Yamaha again this year. We keep building and this year will be a great year! I want to get my first moto win and get up there and be in the tittle chase!”
Racine Walton 2024
Photo: Tree Three Media
As the weeks go on we will bring more updates leading up to opening round in Calgary in June but until then we will have lots of Amateur updates as most of the Canadian kids are down south racing LL qualifiers am AM Racing in Canada gets started in about a month.
Pay Dirt: The Story of Supercross hit theators nationwide this past weekend. The film, divided into engaging segments, offered an exciting take on moto. It’s not every day you see dirt bikes on the big screen, let alone spot familiar faces in the action.
If it’s playing near you, grab your tickets – it’s a must-see for any moto fan!
Many Canadians are competing in Loretta Lynn Qualifiers down south, and we'll cover the results in our LL March update later this month. Additionally, a group of West Coast riders in Texas will have the opportunity to head to Freestone and Spring A Ding AM Events over the next two weeks. We'll provide updates on the results and keep an eye on who races, who doesn't, and who’s sticking to the practice-only program.
Another highlight was this past weekend's Daytona Supercross, followed by RC SX for AM riders, where we saw a strong Canadian presence on the track.
RC SX 2025 Results
The Triple Crown series has introduced a new stages format for 2025. The name "Triple Crown" itself is now more fitting, given that the series is adding on three individual stages. Now that Arenacross and Supercross are no longer part of the series they wanted to create a reasoning behind the name.
One of the standout features of the new format is the team-based approach. Any two riders from the same team have the opportunity to win a stage for the team.
Teams can pair riders in a variety of combinations—whether it's two 250 riders, two 450 riders, or even a 250 rider alongside a 450 rider.
The financial incentives in the Triple Crown format go directly to the teams. This could create an additional layer of motivation for riders to perform at their best, but the decision on whether to reward the individual competitors with compensation will be left up to the teams.
Another innovative element is the ability to switch riders between rounds. If a rider is injured or unable to compete, teams have the flexibility to swap in a healthy rider for each individual stage. This allows teams to remain competitive even in the face of setbacks.
Although official dollar amounts have not been disclosed by Triple Crown, rumors suggest the following estimates:
Stage 1 – $5k, Stage 2 – $10k, and Stage 3 – $15k-$20k.
To win the Team Triple Crown championship, teams must earn the most points across all team stages. This tests rider performance, team strategy, bike maintenance, and consistency throughout the series, while also giving teams a chance to generate revenue.
Final thing: if you’ve made it this far, let us know your thoughts! Are you enjoying these updates? How’s SpecMoto looking from your perSPECtive? We’d love to hear your feedback!
Thats all for this week folks, well catch up again same time next week.