NEWS RELEASE
TRANSCAN CANADIAN MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
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Oro-Medonte’s Blake Patterson just made his dream come true.
The six-year-old dirt bike racer has qualified for the largest amateur motocross race in Canada, the 26th annual Parts Canada TransCan Canadian Motocross Grand National Championship at Walton Raceway. Patterson has earned one of just 42 qualifying positions in his classes and age group.
“The Parts Canada TransCan Grand National Championship at Walton Raceway is the event every motocross racer in the Canada aims to compete in,” said Event Director Mark Perrin. “A win at the TransCan Amateur Grand National Championship gives a rider instant national notoriety and can serve as a springboard to a lucrative professional motocross career.”
Most of Canada’s top professional motocross racers, including 2014 Canadian Motocross Champions Colton Facciotti and Kaven Benoit, have won Parts Canada TransCan Canadian Motocross Grand National Amateur Championships at Walton Raceway at some point before becoming professional.
It will also feature top Americans Davi Millsaps and Mike Alessi. The race is so prestigious that for the second time in Canadian Motocross, the Final Amateur day of racing, Friday, Aug. 17 and TransCan Pro Open on Saturday, Aug. 18 will be streamed LIVE online. They both will also feature TSN coverage on later dates.
With the help of sponsors such as JN Roofing and Contracting, Anderson Haulage, Empire Pools, Black Knight Oil Field Services, Relic Consulting, Jenn’s Home Daycare, and Bank of Mom and Dad who help pay his way to the races,
Patterson is currently in his first year racing and has been proving his abilities and gains every race; the local boy is currently No. 2 in his provincial series. Patterson has been racing nearly every weekend with AMO/MRC SouthWestern division.
Patterson will make the journey to Walton Raceway along with his parents, grandparents and lots of motocross friends. The amateur races run Tuesday, Aug. 14 to Friday, Aug. 17, with the final TransCan $30,000 Pro Open happening Sunday, Aug. 18.
Patterson is just one of the hundreds of racers from coast to coast that spent the last three months qualifying for the TransCan. The top finishers in regional qualifiers earn a berth into the Parts Canada TransCan Grand National Championship race at Walton Raceway.
Racers may enter a wide variety of classes, from 50cc Pee Wee classes for children as young as 4 years old, all the way up to a Plus 40 and Vet division for riders over 40 and 50 years old. There is also a class for women and classes for all bike sizes up to 450cc.
The track is built in what is known to most as “Motocross Town” in the quiet village of Walton, Ontario. The racing track contains a variety of jumps, corners and other obstacles designed to test the skills and stamina of the racers, as they can fly up to 30 feet in the air and a distance of more than 100 feet.
Most riders attend the event with the help of their families. In fact, many groups consider the event their family’s summer vacation. Besides races, the Walton Facility features a campground, bicycle park, mountain bike trails, a high ropes challenge course and more.
Walton Raceway provides a family-friendly facility with nightly activities for everyone, as well as Friday Night Concert, with Canadian Country Music up and coming star Cold Creek County and Jordan Mcintosh.
More Information About The TransCan
In 1992, the TransCan was created as Walton Raceway would hold an annual event drawing on all the best things in the sport, an annual coming together for bragging rights, a celebration of Canadian Motocross. The TransCan was built from a great natural track, strong community support, accessibility and support from the Industry. The emphasis was to be real outdoor style motocross, highly competitive with lots of extracurricular attractions and opportunity for the best Canadian racers in all age classes to compete against each other for a Canadian Amateur and Pro Motocross Championship.
More Information About Walton Raceway
Walton Raceway is located in Huron County on Ontario West Coast. The address of the facility is 42852 Walton Road in Walton, Ontario, Canada. Walton Raceway was opened in 1971 and is one the longest running and most prestigious Motocross facilities within Canada.
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