CMRC MEDIA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Stouffville, ON – June 11, 2015)
Mike Alessi could be the ‘fly in the ointment’ at Round 3 in Calgary
 No matter how you look at it Round 3 of the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals presented by Motovan, which is scheduled for this Sunday in Calgary, AB, points to every indication of being a slugfest of epic proportions. With the current points rankings being neck and neck in both classes, competition promises to be a smorgasbord of motocross action, fierce and unpredictable!After two rounds, MX1 has witnessed three different moto winners and a scoreboard gap of a mere eight points between first place Brett Metcalfe and third place Colton Facciotti. Wild Rose MX Park could therefore set the stage for a new leader at the top of the board by the time both motos have run their course.Matt Goerke, currently in second, trails Metcalfe by a scant three points. The Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha ace, and 2012 National MX1 champ, will be pinning the throttle in a bid to claim his first overall of the season and first ever win at Wild Rose. Honda Canada GDR’s Facciotti has won twice in Calgary; Monster Energy Thor Kawasaki’s Metcalfe won there in 2013, the year he claimed the MX1 title.
Royal Distributing Fox KTM’s Cole Thompson, overall winner last Sunday in Nanaimo, is just 11 points in arrear of Metcalfe. Parts Canada Husqvarna’s Tyler Medaglia is looking at a 16 points deficit. If the top-five contenders keep it on two wheels and stay healthy, it’s safe to say the title will go to one of these riders when the 10-round series wraps up in Walton in August.
But the title favourites could very well find a fly in the ointment in the form of Smartop MotoConcepts Racing’s Mike Alessi as they vie for victory. Alessi, last year’s No.2 in the title hunt, has commitments to race in the US and Europe this season, and is making his first of only two scheduled appearances in Canada on Sunday.
Alessi, who bagged a total of five national overall wins in 2014, dominated the proceedings in Calgary with a clean sweep and he will unquestionably be gunning for a repeat win. After asking him for a comment, the Florida native texted CMRC Media “I’m excited to be coming back to Canada and racing at Calgary where I had so much success last year.” Success indeed! Notice has been served.
Smartop MotoConcepts’ Vince Friese will be making the journey to Calgary as well. Friese was a main contender in last season’s MX2 Championship, in which he recorded a No.2 ranking. He will be contesting the MX1 class this time out and could also be a spoiler in the proceedings. Friese won Calgary in 2014 on the strength of 3-1 motos.
 In the MX2 title hunt, Royal Distributing Fox KTM’s Kaven Benoit has taken over top dog on the scoreboard. The defending champ displaced Canada’s Motorcycles FXR Yamaha’s Jimmy Decotis from that honour at Round 2, thanks to a clean sweep. Decotis, who suffered a first moto mechanical DNF in Nanaimo, swapped positions with Benoit and now finds himself in third, 27 points behind the Quebec native. Massachusetts native Decotis, riding his first season in Canada, will want nothing less than to restore his status as leader in the points chase and prove his Round 1 clean sweep wasn’t just a fluke.
Honda Canada GDR’s Jeremy Medaglia, who proved to be rock-steady at the first two rounds with second overall both times out, is looking at a miniscule four points gap between himself and Benoit. Neither Medaglia nor Benoit has won in Calgary. They will be pulling out all the stops to write their names in the Wild Rose history books. Medaglia will especially be on the gas for a win. Not just because it will be his first victory of the season, one that could hoist him into the points lead, but because his older brother Tyler has twice won the MX2 class in Calgary.
Brad Nauditt, back in Canada from a one-year hiatus, got off to a tentative start at the opening round of the MX2 Championship. With a fourth overall at Round 2, however, he leapfrogged into the top-five points rankings. The GA Checkpoint Yamaha rider currently sits in fourth, 30 points behind Benoit. Whether Nauditt will be a threat for the championship may be debatable, but he is capable of winning motos and raining on the points leaders parade. With podium finishes, Round 3 could be a game changer for the Colbert, Washington native.
 Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s Shawn Maffenbeier, MX2’s No.3 last year, couldn’t find his rhythm in Kamloops. The Saskatchewan native rebounded in Nanaimo, however, to snare third overall. Although currently sitting sixth on the scoreboard, 36 points down the ladder from Benoit, Maffenbeier has historically picked up the pace at each unfolding round and will want to install himself in the top-five at Wild Rose.
Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals on FOX
FOX Sports and the Canadian Motosport Racing Corp. (CMRC) announce a new three-year agreement (2015-17), bringing the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals presented by Motovan to an already robust motor sports FOX Sports Racing lineup in Canada beginning July 18. The deal includes 20 30-minute shows covering 10 rounds of MX1 (450) and MX2 (250) classes.
“We continue to look for opportunities to add quality programming to our FOX Sports Racing motor sports lineup,” said David Nathanson, Head of Business Operations for FOX Sports. “Working with the CMRC, we believe the Motocross Nationals is a strong, home-grown series that offers quality competition and entertainment to our viewers in Canada.”
MX1 points after 2 of 10 rounds
1. Brett Metcalfe 108 pts
2. Matt Goerke 105
3. Colton Facciotti 100
4. Cole Thompson 97
5. Tyler Medaglia 91
6. Bobby Kiniry 78
7. Cade Clason 76
8. Teddy Maier 68
9. Kyle Keast 67
10. Dylan Schmoke 61
MX2 points after 2 of 10 rounds
1. Kaven Benoit 110 pts
2. Jeremy Medaglia 106
3. Jimmy Decotis 83
4. Brad Nauditt 80
5. Blake Savage 77
6. Shawn Maffenbeier 74
7. Morgan Burger 72
8. Cole Martinez 69
9. Jess Pettis 68
10. Seth Rarick 66
Past Champions at Wild Rose MX Park
MX1
2001 Jean Sebastien Roy
2002 Blair Morgan
2003 Damon Huffman
2004 Jean Sebastien Roy
2005 Jean Sebastien Roy
2006 Dusty Klatt
2007 Paul Carpenter
2009 Colton Facciotti
2010 Dusty Klatt
2011 Colton Facciotti
2012 Bobby Kiniry
2013 Brett Metcalfe
2014 Mike Alessi
MX2
2001 Brad Hagseth
2002 Brad Hagseth
2003 Jimmy Nelson
2004 Ryan Morais
2005 Dusty Klatt
2006 Jimmy Nelson
2007 Tucker Hibbert
2009 Dean Wilson
2010 Tyler Medaglia
2011 Tyler Medaglia
2012 Teddy Maier
2013 Austin Politelli
2014 Vince Friese
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Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
