3 Canadians Racing 250 East Supercross

3 Canadians Racing 250 East Supercross

By Billy Rainford

On the eve of Round 1 of the 2022 250 East Monster Energy AMA Supercross series at US Bank Stadium, three Canadians are trying to get a full night’s sleep. For the first time in a long time, we’ll have 3 riders to cheer for when the gates drop on Saturday in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Of course, that number should be 4, but when Jess Pettis got hurt practicing at State Fair MX in California a while back, it took him out of competition and back into some rehab. With a collarbone, scapula and lung injury, we just need to see Jess healthy for the start of the 2022 Canadian Triple Crown Series in Kamloops, BC.

#551 Guillame St Cyr is no stranger to racing at the top level of Supercross. He’s been coming south of the border for a few years now. His trip to Minneapolis did nothing to help him relax as he heads into the racing on Saturday.

He picked up his mechanic, Chris DaSilva, who is out of action while he rehabilitates a knee, and the two of them sat in the vehicle waiting for I-65 to reopen. They didn’t just lose a few minutes, they lost 12 hours!

As the 4:00pm tech inspection deadline loomed on Friday, we were left waiting at the stadium to see if Guillaume would even be able to go out for Free Practice in the morning.

Fortunately, they made it in time, although they couldn’t get into the trailer as the lock had frozen solid. They even broke a key in it.

It will be interesting to see how Guillaume does this season. It’s no secret he’s most comfortable on the tighter indoor tracks of Supercross.

#500 Julien Benek is from Mission, BC and grew up racing Future West Moto Arenacross out in Chilliwack, BC. He’s got a ton of indoor experience on the smaller tracks, but Saturday will be his first-ever indoor race of this magnitude.

He’s part of the Partzilla PRMX team and has spent the last few months down at South of the Border in South Carolina with the team. He’s put in a ton of time in the whoops and in every other aspect of Supercross that should see him get comfortable pretty quickly.

He said he’s been off the bike for a couple weeks due to a technical issue and that he’s not sure his race fitness is exactly where it should be because of it, but it may also be a benefit to him to come into round 1 completely rested and healthy.

He’s got the potential to make night shows and mains, but learning the track quickly will be most important as it is with every new SX racer.

With as much indoor racing experience as Tanner Ward has, I’m actually surprised that he’s never lined up at a Pro Supercross before. Tanner has raced the Monster Energy Cup on a 150 and done a bunch of Arenacross racing over his years. He’s always been comfortable on the tighter tracks.

He has not only changed teams for 2022 but also bike manufacturer. He’s a member of the Thor Kawasaki Pro Circuit team for the 2022 season and will actually move up to the 450 class when the Canadian Triple Crown Series starts at Whispering Pines in Kamloops, BC.

I think that if Tanner can get himself used to the track quickly in Free Practice, he’s got a really good chance to make it deep into the afternoon.

Enjoy the racing Saturday, everyone.