Decal Works Presents Monday Gate Drop

I hope everyone had a great weekend doing whatever it was that you chose to do. As I mentioned a few weeks back, I can’t believe this summer is moving along at such a fast pace. This week will mark the end of July and then the beginning of the final month of summer, and we all know what August means in Canada. It’s the month of the Parts Canada TransCan and the month that the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals wrap-up at Walton Raceway. Please, if anyone out there knows how to slow down the hands of time, let me know ASAP. As always, this weeks Monday Gate Drop is presented by the awesome people at Decal Works. We have some big races coming up in Canada so if you need a set of custom graphics then you must act fast and order them at www.decalmx.com.

Heal up soon Teddy! photo by James Lissimore

Before I dive into the news of the past week, I want to pay tribute to one of the class acts in Canadian motocross. The person I’m thinking of today is Monster Energy Thor Kawasaki rider Teddy Maier, who had a pretty spectacular crash yesterday in Quebec and will now miss the final few rounds with a broken wrist. Teddy has had an up and down season, to say the least, in 2015. Every weekend he’s been very fast in qualifying but couldn’t seem to transfer that speed to the motos. Yesterday, fate decided how the remaining rounds would go for Teddy. Hopefully he can heal quickly and be ready for the AX series in the late fall. I think everyone in the pits will agree that Teddy is a class act and one of the most respected riders on the track. I really hope this isn’t the end of the line for him in Canada. However, if it is then congratulations Teddy on a great career up here, your presence has made the Canadian Nationals a better place to be.

Other than Teddy’s huge crash yesterday in Quebec, Round 7 of the Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals presented by Motovan went off without a hitch. As usual the motos were jammed packed with action as all of the riders are trying to position themselves for one final push in the points standings. Did I mentioned that I can’t believe it is Round 7 already? Anyway, with this past weekend being the series’ first visit to Quebec, it was only fitting that the hometown kid, Kaven Benoit, once again dominated both motos in the MX2 class.

Kaven Benoit is currently on quite a roll in the MX2 class. photo by James Lissimore

The MX2 class hasn’t been the most exciting to watch lately, at least at the front of the pack anyway. We should all take a moment to sit back and marvel at just how well Benoit rides his KTM250SX two-stroke. Like every rider my age, I grew up riding two-strokes and I know exactly how hard it is to go fast on one. Many people have commented this season that the two-stroke (especially Benoit’s) is a huge advantage in the MX2 class. In some situations it is, however I feel that Benoit just knows how to ride one of these bikes. It is not easy, that’s for sure, as they can be a slippery motorcycle to ride at the best of times. Benoit and his KTM have been at one with each other so far in the East, and he’s now knocked off six moto wins in a row. Due to the troubles that his main rivals Jeremy Medaglia and Jimmy Decotis had yesterday, his points lead is massive and he can now relax a little as the series finally heads back to a hard packed track this weekend in Moncton.

Even as Benoit rode away to his big wins yesterday in front of his legion of French fans, behind him we saw some incredible rides from guys like Jess Pettis, Dylan Wright, Blake Savage and Shawn Maffenbeier, all of which did everything they could to keep Benoit in their sights. Since sponsors always remember the last time they saw you race, this time of the season is so important to dig deep down and come up with your best rides. I was even impressed with Jimmy Decotis, who finished a strong second in moto one and then had to charge from behind in moto two. Jimmy was flying in moto two until he reached his teammate Dylan Wright who, for 20 minutes, refused to give Jimmy an inch. In fact, during this battle, Wright began turning lap times that equaled Benoit’s out front. After the race, clearly Jimmy’s championship hopes are fading quickly. He was the first to pat Dylan on the back and say great ride. That’s class folks! In the brand new issue of MXP Magazine I wrote a story called ‘Attitude is Everything’ where I talk about some of the things that Jimmy exemplified yesterday.

After an intense battle, Colton Facciotti took the first moto win on Sunday in the MX1 class. photo by James Lissimore

Where do I start with the MX1 class? As it has been at every round this summer, the battle at the front of the MX1 class was once again incredible. This season you just have to expect the unexpected in this class, as it’s never over until it’s over. For instance, in moto one it appeared Goerke had the win all wrapped up with ten minutes to go. At that stage he started to get into thick pockets of lappers that slowed him just a hair. That was enough to allow a silky smooth Colton Facciotti and a hard charging Brett Metcalfe to catch up and make it a ‘hold your breath’ five lap battle to the finish. When Goerke chose the wrong line to pass a lapped rider with two laps to go, Colton pounced like a cat and took the lead. Metcalfe tried to follow suit but wasn’t as lucky as Colton, and he spent the final two laps trying to find a way around the points leader. Up front our 2014 MX1 champion turned the fastest lap of the moto on the final lap as he thought Goerke and Metcalfe were right behind him. It was a pretty impressive race and I thought Brian Koster was going to have a heart attack as he called the non-stop action.

In moto two it was once again Facciotti, Thompson, Goerke and Metcalfe (who has used more tear-offs this summer than anyone else) up front. As Colton pulled away and tried to hide, Goerke and Metcalfe had to work for five laps before they could find a way around Thompson. At that point Metcalfe stuffed Goerke over a berm and took off after Colton. It was a spirited move by Metcalfe and one that he needed to make to keep his championship hopes alive. The excursion over the berm seemed to fire Goerke up and he also set his sights on catching the lead two.

Up front, Colton’s lead pace wasn’t quite good enough this time around and Metcalfe caught him with just over ten minutes remaining in moto two. However, so had Goerke and the three top riders in this series began to battle, much to the delight of the screaming Quebec fans. As Metcalfe made his move on Colton I thought Koster was once again going to leap from the tower with excitement. At that moment, Colton bobbled and Metcalfe ran into the back of him. That slowed them enough to allow Goerke to motor by on the outside. Metcalfe was then in full panic mode and pinned it to the next corner in hopes of out drag racing his main rival. With Colton left to try restarting his Honda, Goerke inherited the lead, which began a frantic four lap battle to the finish between Goerke and Metcalfe. In the end, Goerke took the win and extended his points lead to 22 in the process. After the moto all the riders were completely exhausted on the podium as they all had given it everything they had. For them, it was just another day at the office doing exactly what is expected of them and what they get paid to do. For the fans, it was the ending to a thrill ride that will leave us talking for days to come. This season has definitely been a treat as this scenario has played itself out many times since the series began in Kamloops. And there’s no reason to think that it won’t happen again this coming weekend in Moncton, NB.

Cole Thompson has been fast and smooth all season long in the MX1 class. In Deschambault, Cole chased the leaders all day and eventually finished 4th overall. photo by James Lissimore

So that was yesterday in a nut shell. For those of you who weren’t able to make it to Quebec, I hope my description did the action justice. It was a great race and a great event all week long. The ECAN saw 630 entries over the three days and some very good racing. This week all eyes will be down south as our Canadian contingent battle in the heat at Loretta Lynn’s. We have a number of fast Canadian riders competing so keep checking mxpmag.com all week for updates. I hope everyone has a great week. Stay cool and please stay safe!