Tragedy at Welland motorcycle track: 29-year-old rider killed in Open Expert feature

Hamilton Spectator

4 hours ago

Motorcycle racing at Welland County Speedway has been postponed indefinitely following the death of a Canadian championship-calibre rider in Saturday night's premier race.
Two laps were remaining in the four-lap 450 Expert feature when Tyler Seguin got 'tangled up' with other racers in the field of eight.
'Tyler was in fifth place, he took the inside and they got tangled up,' said Jack Wilson, president of Welland County Motorcycle Club, which owns and operates the quarter-mile clay track on Netherby Road.
Seguin, 29, of Welland died at the scene.
Tyler Seguin, right, is interviewed after winning the Flat Track Canada championship in 2023. One of the top motorcycle racers at Welland County Speedway, Seguin was killed in a crash in Saturday night's final race. He was 29.
The owner of a construction business, Seguin is the first fatality at the track since Bob Harpwood was killed at 20 in 1979.
Wilson said one other rider suffered minor injuries in Saturday's 450 Expert final.
'He's fine,' Wilson said. 'He fell, bumped his head, but he's OK.'
Wilson told The Standard there is no one to blame for the tragedy.
'I've been out here all night with police investigators, everything. There's no fault, no blame, it's simply a racing accident,' he said.
'One guy is holding his line, the other guy goes underneath. Tyler was on the inside, he got a little loose, it's as simple as that. He high-sided the bike and went into the barrier.'
In 2023, Seguin, whose No. 22 was a fixture at Welland County Speedway over the years, won the Flat Track Canada championship, taking the title in the final race of the season at Humberstone.
'He was one of our top racers,' Wilson said.
In a Facebook post, a user by the name of MyRanda SwayZe called Seguin's death 'such a huge loss for the entire community.'
'Watching you grow up from a little kid to a grown man, you made a lot of people proud. And you definitely made a name for yourself, everyone knew you one way or another.'
Jacob Campbell wrote in his post that he watched 'from the shadows for years of what you (Seguin) became.'
'A beautiful human with a business, family and purpose.'
As of Sunday, all track operations have been cancelled by the club.
'We would normally be running motocross today, but that's cancelled,' Wilson said. 'Our next race, next week, is cancelled.
'Beyond that, I have no comment.'