Tyler Seguin tightens the Flat Track Championship Chase

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Category: Other Racing News

Published on Monday, September 16, 2024 15:31 EDT

Written by Colin Fraser

Evans Racing Rotax framer mounted reigning Champ wins in Barrie

REPORT:  FLAT TRACK CANADA NATIONAL, GEORGIAN DOWNS, BARRIE, ON

Saturday, September 14

The battle for the 2024 Flat Track Canada National number one plate will feature a show down next weekend at Humberstone Speedway in Port Colborne, ON, Saturday night, September 21 – one week away.  Four months after the opening round at the Shannonville Flat Track next door to the opening Bridgestone CSBK National, round eight in Niagara will determine the new (and already reigning?) Number One.

At the Georgian Downs horse race and gaming facility just south of Barrie, ON., on Saturday night, September 14, current Champ Tyler Seguin had an impressive day for his Evans family squad.  Through two restarts, he controlled the feature Expert Open class on a seasoned Rotax framer, earning a solid win and moving to within just three points of the Championship points lead.

Last season, Seguin clinched his crown with a solid effort at Humberstone, and this year’s race will be the final event at the soon-to-close tight auto venue.

While Tyler Seguin stayed calm and near the front of the Pro pack, Championship chase leader Don Taylor had a crazy night.  Early in the program, former CSBK racer and two time FT Canada number one (2013 and 2014, sometimes retired since then) Taylor attracted attention his old Harley leathers, riding his XR750 v-twin – a machine not seen in Georgian Downs for a decade, when Steve Beattie was on the way to his number one.  To say the arrival of the big Harley was popular with the fans would be an understatement.

“This is the first time I’ve ridden this bike on this track, “explained Taylor to the crowd at dusk, pre-race.  “The last time I was campaigning the Harley I was hurt when we went to Georgian Downs in 2016, so I didn’t race.  This is probably the last time I’ll race this bike.”

Unfortunately, Taylor’s recently repurchased factory supported racer didn’t survive the heats, and he was forced to return to a machine that has also yielded much career success – a classic Sehl Rotax framer.

This forced Taylor to start on the penalty line for the Main event since he hadn’t raced or practiced on the Rotax, but five other Experts joined him at the back with similar issues, including Dustin Brown (three times number one), Fred Duchesneau, Trent Pickle and Brandon Seguin, who had issues on the warm-up lap, ran to the paddock and then suffered a chain issue with a borrowed bike.

At the start, Tyler Seguin sprinted out front with New York’s Justin Jones second on his DTX Husqvarna, battling Brandon Seguin and Dominic Beaulac on another borrowed Sehl Rotax framer.

On lap eight the Bieger Honda of 14-year-old sensation Liam Caskie from Brantford, On, went down in turn three, forcing a Red Flag.  The first in-line restart yielded more drama in the north end of the venue, this time Taylor crashing and mashing the rear of his Rotax.  None the less, Taylor again made it to the back of the grid for the third start.

The next race started with Seguin and Jones banging bars in turn one, but soon Seguin would re-take control for the third time.  Taylor charged through the depleted pack to get into a solid dice with Jones for second, the title contender earning the spot with a last lap pass.  Jones would get third, after earlier winning a great race in the DTX division on the same Husqvarna, ahead of Tyler Seguin (Honda) and Beaulac (GASGAS).

Long-time Picotte Performance supported Beaulac was a solid fourth in the main, holding off American Brandon Newman’s KTM.  Sixth belonged to Dave Pouliot (KTM) from Brown and fellow former Champ Brodie Buchan in his first Canadian start of the season. 

With just one National left to run, Taylor still heads the points standings, but his lead has slipped to just three points, 140 to 137 over Seguin, with 23 points available for the Humberstone win.  Jones has 117 points, meaning a three-way tie and then Rulebook tie breaker might be a concern next weekend.

“It’s not over until it’s over,” smiled victor Seguin post race.  “When the pressure is on, you do what you have to do.  I really want to thank Chris and George Evans, they’re so dedicated, and my sponsors like Part Canada, Thor, Alpinestars and of course my family.”

Taylor admitted that “I didn’t know we’d all be back there on the fourth row,” for the first start.  Explaining his restart crash, Taylor stated that “it can get really small out there, it was crowed, there were about four of us all tied up, and I lost the front tire.  We were fortunate to be able to make that next start.”

Taylor also thanked the Sehl brothers and his at track tech, former road racer Steve Ball.

In support class action, 2024 Bridgestone CSBK rookie Pro Andrew Cooney made his second career flat track start after dirt debut a week earlier at the Welland Short Track.  Cooney was riding for top 2024 CSBK Amateur Vincent Wilson, piloting a Suzuki DTX single that Wilson purchased the same day he crashed at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and badly injured his ankle.  The hobbling Wilson was on hand at Georgian Downs to assist with tuning for his well travelled Suzuki, a machine he has yet to ride!

Cooney was entered in Novice DTX and Open, and ran up front, briefly leading, in both Mains after working his way through crowded heats.  In the Novice DTX race, Cooney was the only racer on the high line high, up in the cushion, in a fashion made famous by Flat Trackers turned road racers Jon Cornwell and Steve Beattie.  He earned a close second in DTX, and then backed that up with third later in the night in Novice Open, opting to run a lower line similar to his opposition.