2025 Direct Motocross Awards

2025 DMX Direct Motocross awards The DMXies

It’s that time of year again. It’s the time when we put on our tuxedo shirts and hand out our annual awards. We go to every race throughout the year and keep our eyes open to what riders, tracks, and people in general are doing to help move the sport forward in Canada. Of course, some awards could go to more than one person, but we’ve come to the consensus that the awards we’re handing out for the Canadian Triple Crown Series season are going to the most deserving people, places, and things.

So, without further ado, here we go with our 2025 DMX AWARDS:

Biggest Surprise:

This one was easy. We headed into this 2025 Motocross season assuming we were going to see week after week of Jess Pettis and Dylan Wright going wheel-to-wheel for wins. Instead, we had both of them out with injury! It took away a summer of battles but it also opened the door for the rest of the 450 class.

Most Improved Rider:

Dylan Rempel gets the Most Improved Rider award for 2025. He’s been on the watch list for a few years but he seemed to really click another gear in 2025 and the sky is the limit with this young ripper. He moves to Honda Canada GDR Fox Racing for 2026.

Feel Good Story of the Year:

Eve Brodeur returning after announcing her retirement to race the WMX class at MX Deschambault. It was great to see Eve, her dad Sylvain, and Marc-Olivier Giguere back at the races. She even got a ride in a helicopter for a grand entrance.

Best Interview:

Crayden Dillon stands out here because he doesn’t pull any punches or hold back; he tells it just like he sees it, always. I enjoy his dry sense of sarcastic humour and have enjoyed our chats every time I put a microphone in his face.

Jeff McConkey Award (Best Style):

I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for oppos. If you’re going to throw oppos off the huge just at MX Deschambault, I’m going to reward you somehow and this is the way I can do it. I’m going to give the award to Guillaume St Cyr this year. He had a rough time at Deschambault this year (30 (DNF) – DNS) but he was tossing oppos like it was his job all season long, no matter where he was. I know Jeff would appreciate Guac’s commitment to style, so I’m awarding it to him this year.

Top Intermediate:

Tegan Kortenbach won the most prestigious class at the TransCan this year, 250 Intermediate. I looked at the Open class to see how the results went, and there was no clear choice, unlike in the 250 class where Tegan went 1-1-1 for the title. He’s moved up to the Pro class now and should continue to improve.

National of the Year:

I like what I saw from a few Nationals in the east this summer. They seemed to keep getting better all the way to the finale at Walton Raceway which I thought went above and beyond as far as look and feel. The in-house announcing was great and there were so many people roaming around that it was difficult not to bump into them as you hurried through the infield. Great job, guys. Let’s see what the new staff has for us in 2026.

Congeniality Award:

I don’t think anyone will argue that Katrine Ferguson and her speeches qualify her for the top of this list. She isn’t short on words and tells us the whole story when given the chance. I also get a kick out of how loud she speaks into the microphone. She’s always fun to listen to. She’s fast on the track and friendly off it.

Viral Video of the Year:

Brown Dog Wilson and I were walking back to the photo den after the Indianapolis Supercross. The ruts were crazy so I asked him to stand in the middle of them. He did and the video really took off, making it our most watched clip of 2025.

My Favourite Photo of the Year:

No, this isn’t a technically great photo. However, that was on purpose. If you’re old enough, you’ll remember the famous Bigfoot “sighting” video of the Sasquatch walking through that wooded area looking over its shoulder as it did. Kevin Tyler was good enough to do his best impression of that and we captured it while at MX Deschambault. It makes me laugh every time I see it. Thanks, KT.

Hard Luck Story of the Year:

This one has to go to young up-and-comer Bobby Gravel. This sport can be your best friend but it can also be your worst enemy. Bobby took that hard fall at MX Deschambault this year and he ended up in the hospital. When he recovered from his coma he and his family made the difficult decision to step away from the sport. Here’s how he said it on his Instagram page:

“Not the post i want to be making but unfortunately my dirbike racing career has come to an end. A couple months ago, i had a devastating crash that left me in the hospital for 3 months. It was the worst injury i have had and i’m super grateful to be feeling back to my old self. I’d like to thank everyone that supported me, believed in me and helped me continue living my dream. Thank you to the whole @wltnkawasaki team for supporting me and having me under the rig this summer. Also, thanks to @cadams563 @kadams981 as well as @saira_noelle @t_lammens for letting me stay at their home and treating me like family. These last 10 years have been a dream come true for me and i’ve loved every single minute of my life. And also thank you to my parents for making this dream a reality, using their time and money in supporting me and making me succeed. For these next few years i’m just going to work on myself for the next chapter of my life.”

Good luck with everything that comes next, Bobby.

Amateur Rider of the Year:

Jonathan Bergeron is our choice for Amateur Rider of the Year. He headed west and raced the FXR PreMix class all across the country, won Open Junior and was 2nd in 250 Junior at the TransCan (Fox Bronze Boot winner), and then represented Canada at the Yamaha bLU cRU championship at the MXON at Ironman MX, finishing 2nd in the 125 class. The Intermediate battles are going to be exciting to watch in 2026.

Rookie Pro of the Year:

Blake Davies won both Intermediate classes at the 2024 TransCan. People forget that he was a rookie Pro in 2025. He finished 4th overall in the 250 Pro Am class this past summer! The sky is the limit for this young rider from BC. And have you seen what he’s been doing on the snowbike this winter out in the mountains?! He’s currently competing in 250 West Supercross.

WMX Rider of the Year:

In a Canadian WMX world without Eve Brodeur, we were all wondering who would step up to fill her big shoes. A few WMX riders have continued to improve, but heading to the top of the chart and making claim to the throne was Kaylie Kayer. She’s small in stature but fierce when the gate drops. Let’s see what she can do in the next few years, as there are a few who would gladly take her seat at the top.

Pro Rider of the Year:

This one didn’t take me very long to decide. Phil Nicoletti wasn’t the fastest 450 rider on the track, but he’s a wily veteran and did what he had to do to take his first big title, once Jess and Dylan were out of the picture with injuries. Sure, we’ve had our differences in the past, but I have no problem at all handing this award to him. For a rider who has been in the game as long as he has, I was surprised to hear just how nervous he was as he closed in on the championship. I guess it’s nice to see that he still cares that much. Congratulations, Phil.

Congratulations to all our winners. Keep those elbows up and your attitude up there with them in 2026 because, as always, we’ll be watching!

Next, it’s time for our fun award of the year, the “People’s Choice Rider of the Year.” This one has gotten out of hand most times we’ve done it and we expect nothing less again this time. Stay tuned for the column and posts where you can vote for your favourite rider. Assemble your social media teams!