round 30

That’s a wrap on the 2025 West Series, short and sweet this year, but with a few new tracks in the works, there’s real potential for growth in 2026.

Let’s talk about what went down in Cold Lake:

With the remote location, most riders flew into Edmonton and made the 3.5-hour drive north. Coming into the weekend, word got out that Dylan Wright was dealing with an elbow injury and actually cut a cast off. What most didn’t know until after the races was that Jess Pettis was also riding through a wrist injury from practice during the week. Ryder McNabb was under the weather Saturday but seemed to bounce back by race day on Sunday.

This was just a reminder, nearly every rider on the gate is battling something. Whether it’s injuries, bike setup, or life off the track, it’s rare that everything’s running smooth in this sport, which just adds to the level of talent we have racing in Canada.

And if that wasn’t enough, Thursday’s windstorm was wild, so wild it ripped the canopy off the Priority MX rig, making them the second team this season to lose a tent to Alberta’s infamous gusts.

Cold Lake’s track is carved into the side of a hill, making it a prime spot for spectators with a view of the entire layout.
*Photo: Tree Three Media*

Let’s get into the on-track stuff.

Cold Lake was a new stop on the tour, and there were plenty of question marks going in. Leaving the weekend, the consensus? It was decent, not amazing, not awful, which, all things considered, feels like a win. Rider feedback was mixed, but the venue showed promise.

The talk of the weekend? The quad.

Saturday morning, only one rider hit it, Danny Robertson. On his first attempt, he cased it hard enough to snap his frame. But somehow, he kept sending it clean on his 450 for the next few laps. After the frame gave out, he jumped on his 250, went for it again, but a gust of wind pushed him long. He overshot it and unfortunately ended his weekend early with a leg injury. (Get well soon, Danny!!)

In the first 450 practice, Jess Pettis was the first to send it, with Phil shortly after, setting the tone and making it clear: if you’re in this class, you better be jumping it.

Phil is a fan fave of the series
*Photo: Tree Three Media*

By the second qualifying session, the top 10–15 guys were hucking it on lap one. You could feel the tension between sessions as riders scoped it out, nerves buzzing in the air. That pressure, that energy, that’s what makes this sport so special.

We caught up with a few 450 riders to get their thoughts, opinions were split, which is exactly what you want with a feature like this.

Below you'll find all our videos from the week, including rider reactions to the quad and everything in between.

Here is our Pro Photo Report
Presented by: Fox Racing Canada

Each week, we’ll spotlight the people around the pits called “Specs”, the ones who aren’t on the track but make these races happen. It’s only right they get some love, too.

Sunday delivered plenty of great racing. Since we covered the top 5 in our main recap, let’s highlight some other standout performances from the weekend.

The WMX series wrapped up the West season with Kitty Ferguson winning all five motos, Kaylie Kayer securing second, and Destiny Slingerland rounding out the overall podium. Two riders made the trip from the East, and two more Fergusons cracked the top seven, bringing a fresh level of speed to the WMX class in 2025.

Eight WMX riders were launching the triple that was 130-foot, and six cleared the big step-up on the very first lap of practice. The class may be smaller in numbers, but this group is fast, fearless, and fully committed. We hope the teams see these riders and their skill earns them a ride under one of the tents in the near future.

With 32 riders signed up for the 250 class, qualifying was all about gate picks. There’s been plenty of buzz about the low turnout, but numbers are expected to climb once the series heads east.

Jared Allison is getting a lot of attention for his 8th overall on the day including talks with GDR about heading east to race St. Julie coming up in a couple weeks.

Tyler Gibbs first moto start was stand out as he found a great line and used it to his advantage. Tyler sadly is done for the next couple rounds mentioning he really wants to save up and be able to hit some SX west rounds in 2026.

Sebastien Racine faced a déjà vu moment from 2024 Round 2, bike trouble in Moto 1 followed by a strong rebound in Moto 2. He’s got the speed for the podium; it’s just that luck hasn’t been on his side lately.

The 450 class is stacked, and everyone knows Dylan and Jess are the ones to beat. But the real story lies behind them. Phil Nicoletti has made it clear he expects nothing less than third, but the rest of the pack took offense. Tanner Ward came out swinging in Round 2, putting serious pressure on Phil and shaking up the battle for the podium. Quinn Amyotte is right in the mix, poised for his first 450 podium.

Tyler Shewchyk had a standout weekend, not just on the track with his 13th overall but off it too. During military appreciation weekend, the team honored his late father, who spent most of his career stationed at the Cold Lake base. The RydeTV broadcast did a great job highlighting this.

Tyler Shewchyk
*Photo: Tree Three Media*

The road to Loretta’s is heating up as Canadian riders start punching their tickets. Parker Hatt, Sawyer Saunders, Ryan Taylor, and others have already locked in their spots and shared the stoke, gearing up for the big showdown this August.

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A post shared by Parker Hatt (@parkerhatt518)

WMX in the U.S. got a major boost this weekend. Normally running Fridays before the Mens Nationals, weather delays pushed the WMX Pro Series race to Saturday, after the men’s pro motos and live on the SuperMotocross Video Pass. The race delivered big time, with action so intense it's lighting up moto media and sparking calls for WMX to become a Saturday staple. This is amazing for the sport and we cant wait to see what this leads to. High Point this weekend is an off weekend for WMX, but many of the women are signing up to race with the men! Keep an eye out!

Sticking with the WMX USA theme, that brings us to our video recommendation of the week, a must-watch feature from SLR Honda on Mikayla Nielsen’s Round 1 WMX win!

In Calgary moto news, Wild Rose MX Park is on the hunt for a new facility manager. The timing has sparked speculation, some wondering if national track prep played a role in the change. Either way, landing the right person will be key with WCAN just weeks away in early July.

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A post shared by Wild Rose Motocross (@wildrosemx)

Here’s all the content we dropped this week, perfect to catch up on as we head into a couple off-weekends from Nationals. Time to hit some local races!