This past weekend the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals presented by Motovan was in Calgary, Alberta. I have been attending this event for the past 17 years and it’s one I always enjoy. Typically I fly in early Friday morning, rent a car and head for Banff and wedge in a little explore time. How can you travel all that way and not make time for one of the best places to see; the mountains and sights of Banff, Alberta? Just the drive out to the town is unreal. Being based out of Montreal, I don’t get to see the Rockies that much so I like to make the most of it. After a fun day of hiking and taking in the sights, it’s time to head back to the Blackfoot Inn – best hotel location ever! The track is only minutes away from the hotel; you can’t beat that set up. Then you pull up to the front gate of the track where you will be greeted by Donna. If you a bring a coffee for her, she might let you park in the VIP section. This year the pro pits were to the right as you enter. I am guessing it’s a bigger area and closer to the spectator area. The start area is just down the hill from the pit area too. This is the only track with a roof over the concrete starting area. I think they installed this because you never know what kind of weather to expect in Calgary. Smart idea because it can be rain, sleet or even snow in June. The track crew put in a few new sections and slowed the track speed down a bit as it was super fast last year. Overall the layout was perfect, the weather even cooperated too. They were calling for 80% rain on Sunday. Lucky for us that didn’t happen because rain would have made the show not so fun.
The races on Saturday were good with lots of amateurs that turned out. The ladies class had all the regulars plus a few extra locals. Shelby Turner on her KTM A&E Racing 250F had a great weekend by going 1-1 and now leads the series by 9 points going into the last round in Regina. Second for the day was local resident Lexi Pechout on her Blackfoot Husky 250. The battle was good; Lexi kept Shelby in sight pretty well the whole day. Finishing third for the day was Sara King on her Cycle North Honda 250. Sara looked fast but it just wasn’t her weekend.
Coming in to Calgary the MX2 favourite, Cole Thompson, was looking confident in practice. This track suited his style of racing. Cole is used to hard pack and lots of jumps. Thompson dominated the weekend with a 1-1 and expanded his lead over Shawn Maffenbeier. When asked about the weekend, Thompson replied, “The track flowed pretty good. The track crew did a good job of keeping the track watered. The only problem is the roost hurts like hell when you are behind someone here.”
Maffenbeier on his Redemption KTM looked really comfortable, not the best start in the second moto but that didn’t slow Shawn down. He pushed hard and made lots of passes to get into second. With a 2-2, Shawn now has a pretty good gap on third place in the series. Kawasaki’s replacement rider, Mark Worth, had a much better weekend. He started well and it showed he is going to be a threat for some wins this year. Going 3-4 was good enough to finish third overall for the day. Very impressive for a rider that has never raced these tracks before. Running fourth overall for the day was Brandan Leith from Utah with a 6-3. The first moto was going great until Brandan was slowed down with a flat tire. Dylan Wright, on his MX101 Yamaha, was fifth overall with a 4-7. Wright was hoping for a better finish but unfortunately he had a crash early in moto two. Teammate Pettis had a pretty good weekend with a 7-6 for a 6th overall. Jeremy Medaglia was a no go because he’s just not ready to ride yet after his hard crash last week in Nanaimo. Let’s hope Jeremy bounces back soon.
The racing in the MX1 class in Canada just keeps getting better. Yes, Millsaps on his KTM Thor 450SXF was out front for both motos. Can you say, “See you later guys?” Mike Alessi told me, “I wanted to follow Millsaps and check out his lines but by lap two he was gone.” I think Davi enjoyed Calgary! Finishing second and looking way more comfortable on his Monster Kawasaki was Mike Alessi with a 2-2 for the day. Finishing third for the weekend was Brett Metcalfe with a 6-3. Brett looked much better on his OTSFF Yamaha as well. The team told me that Brett spent most of the week testing and it looks like it’s paying off. Kaven Benoit, who went 5-4, looked like a seasoned veteran on his KTM 450. Great starts, aggressive riding and in good shape is what I saw on the weekend. Remember, this is the first year for Benoit in the MX1 class. Wait until he gets to the sand tracks. Finishing fifth was Vince Friese on his Monster Alpinestars Kawasaki 450. Vince looked good in the first moto, charging and battling with the rest of the 450 guys. Moto two didn’t go so well for him. I think he is still struggling from his crash last week in Nanaimo. Matt Goerke’s weekend started off well with a third in moto one, but in the second moto the race started off with him at the bottom of the pile in corner one. Starting pretty well dead last, Matt was able to work his way up to eighth. That gave him a sixth overall for the day. You are probably wondering why I didn’t talk about Colton. Well, it was one of those days that I’m sure he would like to forget as he finished seventh for the day with a 5-7. I thought Colt rode well, he just didn’t have the starts down to make him a top contender. The track was a little one line and pretty fast. I am pretty sure Colton will rebound next week.
Now all the teams head to Regina for the final round in the west. This will be the fourth round in a row for the riders followed by a break before things head east. The track in Regina is just outside of the city limits. If you’re in the Regina area you should try and make it out for some great racing. That’s all for this week.