Several motocross riders recently completed a final lap this season before crossing the checkered flag of the Challenge Québec Motocross (CQMX) calendar. The highlights are numerous and loyalty was evident. The organization has gained ground and says it is ready to go even further next year.
The starting line has welcomed a higher number of athletes this season as part of this provincial championship. Spectators were not admitted at the start of the calendar, but were subsequently able to watch the races on site in limited numbers.
“We should have 15% more participants,” says promoter Hubert Rousseau. We are very satisfied with the participation rate. We also had great loyalty and a great season overall. “
The Challenge Québec Motocross presented several highlights throughout the campaign. For example, the big winner of the Expert 450 championship, bringing together the best riders, was decided by a single point.
“It is the double Canadian motocross champion, Kaven Benoit, who eclipsed the champion of the last year, Dave Blanchet, by a point, summarizes Hubert Rousseau. It was decided in the last round, in the last race in two corners before the end. It was really a highlight, we had never seen [that before] over the years. “
Jayden Lacombe, Alex Tremblay and Samuel Boisclair are among those who stood out and dominated on the track. Even brothers Emrick and Charles-Antoine Arès delivered a solid performance, finishing first and fifth respectively in the Inter 250 class.
“There are some who really dominated, who were practically untouchable and they came out of nowhere,” explains the president and founder of CQMX. It was really interesting to see that. […] [The Arès brothers] performed really well, it should be noted, really. They are good in winter and they are good in summer. “
Lots of succession
There is no shortage of candidates when it comes to succession in sport. The development of many new motocross parks over the past few years has attracted new riders.
“Now, it looks like the seeds have grown,” comments Hubert Rousseau. We have a lot of new runners who came from the parks. Half of the clientele will do one or two runs per year in their region. They won’t necessarily make the championship. They will be participating in a race not far from their home or perhaps [one more]. But it’s also correct, we are ready for that. Not everyone has the budget to travel across Quebec, but it’s cool to see so many different new racers from one week to the next. “
Qualifying for the Tring-Jonction, Issoudun and X-Town events was also beneficial for the beginner classes. And even among the veterans, we noticed an increase in participation.
“We had gates startingfull of veterans, underlines the promoter. So the sport is really going on the right track. [There is] a lot of succession. “
Professional experience
The last season of CQMX will have made it possible to further raise the level of professionalism with the contribution of sponsors, more attractive prizes, but also, [more] experienced people who have joined the organization.
“It is the professional level of the series which has increased with very attractive purses and a really solid series with precisely 300-350 regular drivers, rain or shine,” notes Hubert Rousseau. [This is] what makes events profitable, healthy, and open the door to go even further next year. We end on a very nice note. “