Landon Nelson usually knows the track at Blackwater Motocross Park is a one-way street.
But there he was, on the last lap of the 12-16-year-old 85cc first moto Sunday, going the wrong direction on the bridge right in front of the spectators, with oncoming traffic fast approaching. It was at terrible time to lose his rear brakes, with the checkered flag waiting for him just a short stretch of track away, and Nelson had no choice but to pop over the berm into the danger zone.
By the time he got turned around, Warren Constantine of Fort St. James had moved ahead of him with just one jump and a 180-degree turn left to go. Nelson tried to cut a shortcut around the last turn and ended up eating the dirt as Constantine took the flag.
"I went to put on my brakes and they went right down, they just about fell off, and I blew the corner," said Nelson, tears of frustration dripping off his cheeks as he took off his helmet in the pits.
It was about the only mistake Nelson made in two days of racing at the Prince George Motocross Association event, as he won the 85cc and supermini classes both days to solidify his Fall Series points lead in both classes.
The 13-year-old Nelson has been exceptionally good this year racing in the Interior region. Heading into the weekend races, he was the leading Kawasaki rider in Canada in the Team Green standings, with 11-year-old Fort St. James rider Hayden Wolff in second place. The rider with the most points at the end of the October wins a brand-new Kawasaki KX-250 bike.
"I'm in top place now so all I have to do is just ride and finish and I should be able to get it," said Nelson, back on his bike after being out with a concussion when he got flung over his handlebars racing the Pro-Am event two weeks ago in Kamloops.
Although his injury sidelined him for two of three days of racing, the event did not count toward the Fall Series points standings. He could wrap up two titles this weekend in Kelowna.
Wolff races in the 7-11-year-old 85cc and supermini classes. After two third-place 85cc results Saturday, he ended up third again on Sunday and also placed sixth and seventh in supermini.
Wolff just started racing last year and has been dominant in his classes in the spring and fall series, which moved him near the top of the Kawasaki chart.
"That makes me feel pretty good," said Wolff.
"I've got a trophy in every one of my races, probably 26 or 27 races. Steve Taylor [a veteran pro rider from Prince George] made me a better rider this year, he taught me a lot of lessons. He told me to stand up and wait until the apex of the corners so the bike doesn't throw me around.
"I think I did pretty good this weekend."
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