2015 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals MX2 Preview

Words by Kyle Beaton

As we head into the MX2 series of the 2015 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals presented by Motovan, we have many questions and very few answers. As was witnessed last year, this class is full of young and aggressive riders who are all trying to make a name for themselves. While consistency may not always be front and center with these young riders, the MX2 class will most certainly be exciting to watch throughout the summer.

Beginning at round one in Kamloops, the MX2 riders will be tested right away as they will find Whispering Pines Raceway extremely challenging. From there they follow the setting sun west to the hard packed soil of Nanaimo, then head back east to Calgary for round three, and then the final western round in Regina. All four of these tracks will test these MX2 riders to the fullest and only the smartest rider will take the points lead into round five at Gopher Dunes.

Headlining this MX2 class is last year’s champion Kaven Benoit, who comes into 2015 riding with a wave of confidence. Armed once again with his trusted KTM 250 two-stroke, Benoit is looking to have a much more drama-free series than he had last season.

Chasing the #1 KTM is the trio of Jeremy Medaglia, Dylan Wright and Shawn Maffenbeier, who all come into 2015 with unanswered questions as they slightly underachieved their goals last year. However, the speed of these riders is definitely not in question as they’re all capable of winning races and possibly this MX2 championship.

Another rider who could be a factor in 2015 is Cole Martinez, who will be riding the Canadian series for the first time. Martinez will be riding for the Monster Energy Thor Kawasaki Team, a team who will be looking to rebound after a disastrous 2014. Although Martinez comes in as a bit of an unknown, his resume shows that he’s capable of being a real player in the 2015 MX2 series.

Of course, as we get ready for the gate to drop on the 2015 season, the speculation and anticipation is rapid as we all try to predict what might happen. To help us with this process we’ve once again called upon former MX2 specialist Kyle Beaton to give his thoughts about what might happen in this energy charged class in 2015.

#1 Kaven Benoit – Royal Distributing Fox KTM

How can you not pick this guy to repeat? He absolutely killed it last year, and he has the confidence as well with his new Team Manager, JSR, guiding him. I believe Benoit is definitely the rider to beat in 2015. From what I hear he’s decided to ride the two-stroke all year, which is a great decision considering the success he had on that bike last year. I think the two-stroke will be a little tougher for him on the western tracks, but as long as he can stay in the hunt and stay calm, as the series heads east he’ll once again prevail.

#2 Jeremy Medaglia – Honda Canada GDR

I’m hoping Jeremy comes out and has a great year because he certainly deserves it. I’d like to see Jeremy win this thing but I’m putting him second for a few reasons. First, I think Benoit will be hard to beat, and second, I think Jeremy will need a year on his new Honda before he can make a run at the MX2 Championship. However, if he can get some moto wins early then it might be a different story. Jeremy is a rider that when he’s confident he’s able to get on a roll. I think we’re going to see some great battles between Jeremy and Benoit for the entire series.

#3 Shawn Maffenbeier- Rockstar Energy Drink OTSFF Yamaha

I think Shawn has the potential to be a podium guy and will battle for wins every weekend this season. However, he must work on minimizing his mistakes in the early rounds of the series. If he does then this could be his year! Shawn works extremely hard and puts a lot of effort into his racing. In my opinion, I think the biggest thing Shawn needs to do is slow down to go faster. To win a championship you must stay calm and sometimes take second or third in a moto instead of trying to win but then crash. Shawn definitely brings a lot of experience into the 2015 MX2 series so this might just be the year that he’s been looking for.

#4 Dylan Wright – Canada’s Motorcycle FXR Yamaha

I’m going to gamble on this one just because Dylan is Canadian and I’m all about the maple leaf. As long as Dylan has learned how to be more efficient on his four-stroke then the sky is the limit for this second-year pro rider. Even though Dylan is still a teenager, he works incredibly hard at his craft so it’s only a matter of time before he wins a championship. Sometimes when you’re young and inexperienced you end up trying way too hard, and that is what we saw with Dylan in 2014. But, with a season under his belt, he should be much better this year.

#5 Brad Nauditt- GA Checkpoint Yamaha

Brad has raced up here before, and I believe out of all the Americans coming north, he will be the best. He’s comfortable and knows all the tracks, he is also on great bikes and working with Ed from GA Checkpoint. Ed is very good at bringing the best out of his riders as he knows how to get the job done while still having fun. We know from his past races in Canada that Brad will be very fast on the western tracks. The big question is, can he maintain this success as the series moves east. The pace of the MX2 class in 2015 is going to be faster than we’ve seen in years so it’s going to take a very focused and experienced rider to get the job done. Brad brings all of the intangibles needed to have a great season in Canada, however I put him fifth simply because of the raw speed of the riders in front of him.