Mitchell Harrison claims second overall win of 2023 Triple Crown Series in 250 Pro/Am class

Dylan Wright extends point lead and carries number one plate into next round of racing

BRIGDEN, ON (July 31, 2023) – The 2023 Triple Crown Series continued to round seven of racing in front of a packed crowd in Deschambault, Quebec. The track featured quite a bit of natural elevation and a mix of deep ruts and hard-packed “skatey” sections as described by the riders. Consistent traction and navigating lappers seemed to be the top two challenges of the day.

Kaven Benoit made a last minute decision to race after sustaining injuries earlier in the season to honour his hometown fans. Jess Pettis had the starts figured out, going 1-1 for hole shots for the day but Dylan Wright remained dominant, claiming both 450 Pro moto wins. Ryder McNabb still holds the points lead in the 250 Pro/Am class but Mitchell Harrison was able to claim his second overall win of the season with 2-1 moto scores.

450 Pro

KTM Canada Red Bull rider Jess Pettis started the day off strong grabbing the Royal Distributing Hole Shot in moto one of the 450 Pro class. Tanner Ward, who transitioned up to the 450 class leading into this round, followed in second with Tyler Medaglia, Dylan Wright and Tyler Gibbs all inside the top five on lap one. Current points leader, Dylan Wright quickly made his way through the pack and into the second spot and challenged Pettis for the lead. By lap four, Wright was able to take over the lead and began pulling away from Pettis. Tanner Ward settled into the third spot, where he would remain through the end of the moto. The pair of Yamahas ridden by Jeremy McKie and Shawn Maffenbeier attempted to battle for the final podium position but Ward held them off. Maffenbeier made a mistake late in the race and finished fifth and McKie finished in front of him in the fourth spot.

In moto two, it was Jess Pettis again claiming the Royal Distributing Hole Shot. Dylan Wright quickly moved into second, passing Medaglia in the process. Shawn Maffenbeier, Logan Leitzel, Jeremy McKie and Tyler Gibbs followed. Wright quickly closed in on the leader, Jess Pettis, and the two riders began to put a gap on the rest of the pack. By lap four, Wright was able to move into the lead, Pettis remained in second and Medaglia in third. Jeremy McKie battled with Shawn Maffenbeier in an attempt to move into fourth, which could potentially give him an overall podium for the day. Maffenbeier felt the pressure and increased his intensity, holding onto fourth and challenging Medaglia for third. Tyler Medaglia was able to hold onto the number three spot in an attempt to claim valuable series points after a DNF in the first moto due to motor issues. Shawn Maffenbeier maintained fourth to claim third overall for the day with 5-4 moto scores. Jess Pettis went 2-2 for second overall, and Dylan Wright extended his winning streak to nine motos wins in a row with 1-1 moto scores to claim his 18th consecutive overall win in the series.

Dylan Wright at round 7 of the Triple Crown Series.

“On the start, I had a little bit better jump that time, I just got pinched off and had to go to work a little bit early. Our speed was good today, the track was gnarly. It had a couple square edges that almost got me and put me sideways but once I got a nice little gap I just wanted to ride my own race and bring it home without getting hurt. It could have bit you in the butt quickly out there today. Overall I’m happy with the bike and the team and to go 1-1, you can’t complain. It’s awesome to do it in front of this big crowd, there’s people everywhere cheering me on and it’s awesome to see. Canadian moto is alive and well when we come here and I love to do it for the fans.”
Dylan Wright (1-1)

Jess Pettis at round 7 of the Triple Crown Series.

“Yeah man, I’m just trying to find that mojo. I’ve had up and down weekends but all-in-all we’re consistent. I just gotta put my head down and do some homework this week, but man I’m proud of myself and my team for all the hard work this last week. Colton and Joe, they helped me get my bike working better. We were closer to Dylan this weekend, he put in a good push and had a little bit better pace but it’s all good. We’re slowly progressing and hopefully we’ll get it next week. I need to do some homework, sharpen up those tools and come out swinging at Walton. All-in-all, I’m happy and proud of myself. We’ve been consistent and that’s a positive for me and we’ve got one more round to go.”
Jess Pettis (2-2)

Shawn Maffenbeier at round 7 of the Triple Crown Series.

“I made that hard on myself. All day I was making silly little mistakes. I know the speed I can go and I want to go there but my brain and eyes are just not working there yet. I’m at about 80% right now and it’s just a bit of a mental thing during the moto. I’m excited to have a weekend off and be ready for Walton.”
Shawn Maffenbeier (5-4)

Tyler Medaglia at round 7 of the Triple Crown Series.

“I didn’t really feel comfortable all day. The first moto kind of messed with my head a little bit. We had a last minute situation and thanks to the dealer that got me that motor for the second moto. My whole team, Jeff and Alex, it was all hands on deck, fire drill engine swap… I can’t give it up for my team enough.”
Tyler Medaglia (DNF-3)

250 Pro/Am

In moto one, Josiah Natzke and Mitchell Harrison charged out of the gate, side by side as they approached the first turn but it was Natzke who would claim the Royal Distributing Hole Shot Award. Benoit, who has been recovering from injuries sustained earlier in the season and was not expected to race this round, came through on the first lap in third. His KTM teammate, Ryder McNabb followed in fourth with Jimmy Decotis in 5th aboard a 125.

Kaven Benoit made the pass on Natzke to take over the second spot on lap two, in front of his hometown. Natzke and Benoit continued to battle, trading places until McNabb worked his way into the mix and made his way into the second position by lap five. McNabb was running some of the fastest lap times of the moto and began to reel in the current leader, Mitchell Harrison. The top four riders all remained within a few seconds of each other with Harrison still maintaining the lead, followed by McNabb, Benoit and Natzke.

By lap eight, McNabb had completely closed the gap on Harrison and made the pass for the lead. He held this position for the remainder of the moto, with Natzke chasing down Harrison who was still in second. Natzke finished the moto three seconds behind Harrison, who had kept McNabb in his sights with only a two second gap between them. Kaven Benoit and Jimmy Decotis rounded out the top five in moto one.

Josiah Natzke made it two-for-two on starts for the day and grabbed the Royal Distributing Hole Shot in moto two with Mitchell Harrison, Quinn Amyotte, Ryder McNabb and Dylan Rempel in tow. McNabb made his way up to third and was challenged by Kaven Benoit who charged into the top three after working his way up from outside the top 10.

As the race clock counted down and the two lap card came out, Harrison made the pass for the lead but had Natzke right on his heels. Harrison claimed the moto two win, but not without a fight. Natzke crossed the finish line less than a second behind the leader. Benoit remained consistent to finish in the third spot, with Ryder McNabb in fourth and Sebastian Racine in fifth.

Harrison’s win in moto two secured him the overall win for the day. Ryder McNabb finished second overall with 1-4 moto scores and extended his series points lead. Josiah Natzke went 3-2 to claim third overall and now sits second overall in points.

Mitchell Harrison at round 7 of the Triple Crown Series.

“I feel phenomenal and the bike, every time I go out it’s just a little adjustment away from being perfect. It seems to be the second motos for me. I can’t thank the whole GASGAS, Parts Canada, Thor, Motorex, Pirelli, Oakley, FMF and the whole Cobequid team, they’ve done an amazing job all season. It’s been so good to get these two wins. It’s been a tough one but I’m never going to stop fighting. The lapped traffic let me get closer to him (Natzke) and I had two spots where I wanted to pass him but I got a really good drive in a turn and I’m good at flat tracking so I just pulled the trigger and it worked out. I was just riding so good and the suspension was working great out there.”
Mitchell Harrison (2-1)

Ryder McNabb at round 7 of the Triple Crown Series.

I got a decent start again in the second moto but I was on the struggle bus there. I hit a big root or pot hole and almost went down on the first lap, I’m sure you could see it on TV. I don’t know what happened to my rear wheel… if I got something in it maybe? It felt flat the whole time and I just couldn’t turn the bike on the flatty skatey stuff so it’s whatever.”
Ryder McNabb (1-4)

Josiah Natzke at round 7 of the Triple Crown Series.

“I came sooo close, I led that whole thing and then lappers got in my way. I have to navigate them but one guy didn’t even jump one of the jumps and I had to check up. It’s tough to swallow man, I should have had that one but that’s how it goes sometimes. We’ll take it. It was a good race, we were battling all day so it was fun.“
Josiah Natzke (3-2)

Kaven Benoit at round 7 of the Triple Crown Series.

“It was a really tough day for me, I have the injuries I’ve been carrying with me but I really wanted to race this one. I really wanted to do it, this race is my hometown race and it’s always amazing. There’s people cheering all around the track and it’s good energy. Even though I didn’t get on the overall podium, I think I had good speed all day considering my body right now and I’m really happy with the effort and I just gave it everything I had.”
Kaven Benoit (4-3)

NEXT RACE: August 19, 2023 – Walton, ON, Walton Raceway

450 Pro Top 10

Dylan Wright (HON), 1-1
Jess Pettis (KTM), 2-2
Shawn Maffenbeier (YAM), 5-4
Jeremy McKie (YAM), 4-5
Tanner Ward (KAW), 3-9
Julien Benek (KAW), 8-6
Daniel Elmore (GAS), 7-7
Tyler Gibbs (KAW), 6-8
Parker Eales (KTM), 11-10
Tyler Medaglia (GAS), DNF-3

250 Pro/Am Top 10

Mitchell Harrison (GAS), 2-1
Ryder McNabb (KTM), 1-4
Josiah Natzke (KAW), 3-2
Kaven Benoit (KTM), 4-3
Quinn Amyotte (YAM), 6-6
Sebastien Racine (YAM), 8-5
Jacob Piccolo (HON), 9-7
Tanner Scott (HQV), 7-9
Jimmy Decotis (KTM), 5-11
Austin Jones (YAM), 12-10

WMX Top 10

Eve Brodeur (GAS), 1-1
Jamie Astudillo (KTM), 2-2
Avrie Berry (YAM), 3-3
Kaylie Kayer (HQV), 4-4
Sarah-Kim Villeneuve (KTM), 5-5
Malia Garant (KAW), 7-6
Jordanne Trottier (YAM), 6-8
Samantha Farr (KTM), 9-7
Angie Page (HQV), 10-9
Ani Ferguson (HQV), 8-13

About the Triple Crown Series

The Triple Crown Series is Canada’s premiere racing series including rounds of motocross, arenacross, and supercross events. Riders battle it out for points with the goal of becoming the Triple Crown Series Champion. For more information, visit https://triplecrownseries.ca. To stay up to date on the latest racing news and exclusive content please follow the series social media channels:

About Jetwerx

Jetwerx International Inc. is a seasoned group of specialized professionals that come from all avenues of the extreme sport industry. Our creative suite of artistic and well versed individuals have formed this one of a kind cutting edge company that can bring any dream to reality. We take extreme pride in our products and place global standards on each and every customer, project and event. For more information, visit https://www.jetwerxinc.com.

About RydeTV

RydeTV is an online streaming service that streams various motorsports including the Triple Crown Series, AMA Arenacross, Best in the Desert, and much more. The service supports most popular devices including iPhone, Android, AppleTV, AndroidTV, Roku, and FireTV. For more information, visit https://rydetv.com.