Dylan Wright claims fourth Triple Crown Series championship title in 450 Pro at series finale held at Walton Raceway

Ryder McNabb carries number one plate into next season as the 2023 250 Pro/Am class champion

BRIGDEN, ON (August 14, 2023) – The 2023 Triple Crown Series concluded the outdoor rounds of racing at Walton Raceway in Walton, Ontario as two champions were crowned. After a week of amateur racing at the Walton TransCan Grand National Championship, the pros took to the track to see who would secure the 2023 Triple Crown Championship titles.

In the 450 Pro class, Dylan Wright claimed his fourth championship title in a dominating performance by winning both motos of the day. Ryder McNabb finished third overall but will continue to carry the number one plate into the 2024 season as the 2023 Triple Crown Series 250 Pro/Am champion. 

450 PRO

In moto one of the 450 Pro class, Dylan Wright claimed his first hole shot of the season aboard his Honda/GDR/Fox Racing machine. He had Julien Benek and Tanner Ward in tow in the second and third spots. Wright went down on lap one, allowing Ward to take over the lead, Benek moving into second and Shawn Maffenbeier now in third. Wright remounted in 4th and Elmore rode in 5th. As the moto continued, Ward was able to put a four second lead on the rest of the pack as he rode out front. Wright worked his way up to third, but went down again causing him to lose valuable positions and dropped back to fifth. 

Factory KTM Red Bull THOR rider Jess Pettis worked his way up through the pack to 6th after going down in the first turn. He chased Daniel Elmore in fifth. By lap seven, Dylan Wright worked his way up to the second spot and began to chase down Tanner Ward. Wright was able to carry momentum and pass Tanner Ward on the outside to take over the lead on lap nine. Once in the lead, Wright put a six second gap on Ward who would finish the moto in second and Jess Pettis worked his way all the way up to third. 

It was Factory KTM Red Bull THOR rider Jess Pettis who grabbed the Royal Distributing Hole Shot in moto two of the 450 Pro class. He had Tanner Ward and Dylan Wright close behind. Wright quickly made a pass on Ward to move into second and had his sights set on the leader. By lap two, Wright took over the lead. Pettis continued in second, followed by Tanner Ward, Shawn Maffenbeier and Daniel Elmore in the top five spots. 

Wright continued to maintain his intensity and increase the gap he had on the rest of the pack. Pettis, who rode in second the majority of the moto, experienced bike problems but still managed to finish fifth, securing fourth overall for the day. Shawn Maffenbeier crossed the line in third to take home a podium in his final moto of his professional career after announcing his retirement earlier in the season. Tanner Ward’s consistency paid off going 2-2 in the motos to finish second overall. Dylan Wright secured his fourth series championship after going 1-1 for the day. 

“It’s awesome to have this number one plate again. So much blood, sweat and tears goes into this behind the scenes with the team and myself, just everybody. A lot goes into it. So to reward them and myself with the number one plate. It’s what we started the year wanting to achieve and we did it again. Every year it gets harder and harder but we just keep working harder every year and keep improving. In that moto, I just wanted to go out and ride my motorcycle with no pressure and have some fun and see what I could do on the bike and get myself ready. We have some big races coming up, we’re going to do the last three US Nationals, obviously do MXON, so no time to rest. We’ll celebrate tonight and then get back to work.“

Dylan Wright (1-1)

“I’m just happy to be here honestly. It’s been a very tough year, with little glimpses of speed here and there but I’m just happy to be back on the 450 honestly. That’s what I’ve been asking for all year. I made the switch to go on the 250 a little bit last minute. I pretty much hopped on the 450 at Deschambault and showed a little bit of speed there and with a little bit of work this last week, I felt good. I didn’t really know how today was going to go. I had a really bad crash on Monday and hit my head pretty good so I was feeling it late in that second moto there.“

Tanner Ward (2-2)

“Ah man, it’s such an emotional day for me. I’ve been doing this for so long and it still makes me a little emotional honestly. It was a long day. I’m super happy. The whole family in moto is so special to me and I really appreciate it“

Shawn Maffenbeier (4-3)

250 PRO/AM

In moto one of the 250 Pro/Am Class, Noah Viney grabbed the Royal Distributing Hole Shot. Points leader, Ryder McNabb followed in second with his sights set on securing a championship. Mitchell Harrison rode in third, but was able to pass McNabb and move into second within the first few turns of the moto. Noah Viney, Mitchell Harrison and Ryder McNabb battled for the lead, swapping positions within the top three as the race continued. Harrison was able to take over the lead but by lap four, McNabb reclaimed it. Josiah Natzke worked his way up through the top five and moved into third by lap five with a pass on Viney. Kaven Benoit also put on a strong charge moving from seventh to fourth by lap six. 

As the halfway point of the moto approached, McNabb had put a six second gap on the pack and maintained the lead through the final lap, claiming enough points to secure the class championship. The battle for seventh through tenth heated up between Tanner Scott, Noah Viney and Jacob Piccolo. Mitchell Harrison held on to finish second in the moto, with Josiah Natzke in third. 

It was Kaven Benoit who claimed the moto two Royal Distributing hole shot. Benoit charged forward with Josiah Natzke in a close second. Josiah Natzke quickly claimed the lead before the end of the first lap. Quinn Amyotte, Ryder McNabb and Mitchell Harrison battled within the top three positions early in the moto. Harrison maintained pressure on McNabb who was in third, until an error by McNabb allowed Harrison to move into the top three. 

Josiah Natzke maintained the lead to secure the overall win for the day and his first of the season. Mitchell Harrison worked his way into second to claim second overall. Ryder McNabb dropped back in moto two, but with 1-5 moto score still secured third overall and the series championship title. Benoit crossed the line in third, to go 4-3 for fourth overall. Quinn Amyotte’s fourth place finish in moto two secured fifth overall. 

“It was cool to end it like that. I was sitting on the start line trying to visualize that, thinking ‘I’m going to hole shot this and win it, that’s what I gotta do if I want to win this thing.’ So I’m pumped on the overall. It was a gnarly race, Benoit was on me.”

Josiah Natzke (1-1)

“I rode really well that moto, I was happy with how I was changing up lines and excited with the way the bike was working. You know, they’re so fast so if you let them go, they’re going to get away. I tried as hard as I could. I fought till the end. I thought maybe for a second I would get it. Overall I’m happy with how I rode and it was a good way to end the season.”

Mitchell Harrison (2-2)

“My left fork seal blew out and was all over my front brakes, and then a rock or something got in my rear brakes so then I had no brakes in the back and that’s why I went down in the back. I was super nervous this morning, I knew I just had to come out and get the job done. Last year I went 3-3 for the day but I didn’t want to do that this year. I wanted to come out and win one (moto) at least. And we got it done.”

Ryder McNabb (1-5)

“The year started out really good. I had some moto wins. I can’t really ask for more. Honestly, it was a tough end of the season though. I banged myself up pretty good at Sand Del Lee and those last couple rounds were tough. I didn’t practice during the week because I was trying to heal up. I’m old now so I need some more time to heal. It was a solid year, battling with these kids was really fun and a great accomplishment. I think I ended up third overall in the championship so I mean, it’s solid. I’m happy with it.“

Kaven Benoit (4-3)

450 Pro Top 10

1. Dylan Wright (HON), 1-1
2. Tanner Ward (KAW), 2-2
3. Shawn Maffenbeier (YAM), 4-3
4. Jess Pettis (KTM), 3-6
5. Daniel Elmore (GAS), 6-4
6. Julien Benek (KAW), 5-5
7. Jeremy McKie (YAM), 11-7
8. Nate Mason (YAM), 9-9
9. Parker Eales (KTM), 13-8
10. Grant Hoffman (YAM), 10-12

250 Pro/Am Top 10

1. Josiah Natzke (KAW), 3-1
2. Mitchell Harrison (GAS), 2-2
3. Ryder McNabb (KTM), 1-5
4. Quinn Amyotte (YAM), 5-4
5. Kaven Benoit (KTM), 4-3
6. Jacob Piccolo (HON), 7-6
7. Sebastien Racine (YAM), 8-7
8. Noah Viney (HON), 9-8
9. Preston Masciangelo (KAW), 6-11
10. Tanner Scott (HQV), 10-9

WMX Top 10

1. Jordan Jarvis (YAM), 1-1 
2. Eve Brodeur (GAS), 2-2
3. Kaylie Kayer (HQV), 3-3
4. Avrie Berry (YAM), 5-4
5. Malia Garant (KAW), 4-5
6. Hannah Cole (KTM), 6-6
7. Katrine Ferguson (HQV), 7-7
8. Brandy McLarty (KTM), 9-8
9. Brittani Majcher (HON), 8-9
10. Brook Greenlaw (KTM), 11-10