A group of Mission motocross racers are set to compete in the largest amateur motocross race in Canada.
Mission residents Tyler Gibbs (14), Julien Beneck (12), Devyn Smith (11), Travis Gibbs (10) and Blake Davies (8) have qualified to race at the 25th annual Parts Canada TransCan Canadian Motocross Grand National Championship at Walton Raceway in Ontario.
They have each earned one of the 42 qualifying positions in their respective classes and age groups, by outlasting hundreds of racers from coast to coast that have spent the last three months qualifying for the TransCan.
Each racer had to be a top finisher at regional qualifiers to earn a position into the championship race.
This year marked the first year that registration to the event was open to racers from all across Canada and internationally.
“The Parts Canada TransCan Grand National Championship at Walton Raceway is the event every motocross racer in Canada aims to compete in,” said the event’s director Mark Perrin. “A win at the Parts Canada TransCan Canadian Motocross Grand National Championship gives a rider instant national notoriety and can serve as a springboard to a lucrative professional motocross career.”
Many of Canada’s top professional motocross racers, including recent Canadian Motocross Champion’s Kaven Benoit and Colton Facciotti, have won titles at Walton Raceway at some point before becoming a professional racer.
The 2016 race will also be produced into TV programming and played on TSN for the first time ever this year, as well as streamed live online.
The Mission racers will make the journey to Walton Raceway along with their families.
The amateur races began on Wednesday and run until Saturday, with the Grand National Pro Motocross Open Race occurring on Sunday.
Sunday’s race features a $30,000 purse up for grabs. For more, visit waltontranscan.ca.
