Race Report From Round 2 in Nanaimo

On a rider friendly, cool, dry day in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, Round 2 of the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals presented by Motovan saw both the MX1 and MX2 red plates pass into the hands of different riders, as the series leaves the west coast and begins its summer long trip east. Canadian hero Honda Canada Racing Fox GDR’s Colton Facciotti finished 2-2 and stood on top of the MX1 podium in Nanaimo, grabbing the series lead and the red plate that goes with it, heading into Round 3. Fellow Canadian KTM Canada Thor Racing’s Cole Thompson put on a clinic at the Wastelands while finishing 1-1 in the MX2 class, and in the process begins to put some distance between himself and the rest of the riders.

The Wastelands in Nanaimo is a huge, outdoor, spectator friendly supercross track, cut into the side of a mountain with elevation changes and a hard packed, shale based soil. It also has a unique concrete starting pad like the one we will see next weekend at the Wild Rose MX Park in Calgary at Round 3.

MX1

KTM Canada Thor Racing’s Davi Millsaps had a nearly perfect day; he led all but one lap of the entire 2 motos after getting good starts and making aggressive passes early in both races. Unfortunately for Davi, he was penalized 10 positions in the first moto after video evidence showed him jumping on a Red Cross flag. Fellow competitor Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s Matt Goerke suffered the same fate after finishing third in the first moto. Goerke ended up 13-4 on the day, which put him in sixth overall. Millsaps was on fire today and was clearly the fastest man on the track. With the penalty Davi finished 11-1, for fourth overall, and was very gracious on the podium after the second moto where he apologized for missing the flag.

Honda Canada Racing Fox GDR’s Colton Facciotti on the podium after the second moto described his performance today as “slow and steady.” Colton ended up on top of the podium after finishing 2-2 on the day and briefly leading the second moto. He managed to keep Millsaps in his sights for most of Moto 2, but was never a threat to the front runner. “Colt 45” leaves Nanaimo with the series lead and the red plate on his bike, and is in a good position as we head east to win his fifth national title.

Monster Energy Alpinestar Kawasaki’s Mike Allesi rode well this weekend, and after Goerke made a mistake on the last lap of Moto 1, passed him to finish second. Mike ended up being declared the winner of Moto 1 after the penalties, and went on to finish fifth in Moto 2, for second overall. Allesi is sitting third in the standings and is only 12 points back of the series leader. Mike has not had the good starts we are used to seeing out of him thus far, but expect the talented US rider to get that worked out as we move to the next round.

Grabbing both Royal Distributing Holeshots this weekend was Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s Brett Metcalfe, who’s 3-3 moto finishes were good enough for third overall. Metcalfe admitted after the race that the Wastelands track is not one of his favourites and was happy with his third place finish. “I was surprised to grab two Holeshots,” Metty said on the podium after the race.

Rounding out the top 5 were Davi Millsaps 11-1, and Redemption Racing Big Steel Box KTM’s Cade Clason with 4-8 moto finishes. Clason is in sixth place in the series standings as we head to Round 3 next weekend.

Parts Canada Husqvarna’s Tyler Medaglia finished sixth in the second moto after suffering a mechanical issue in the first moto that forced him back to nineteenth. KTM Canada Thor Racing’s Rookie Kaven Benoit was running strongly in the first moto in fourth place until a broken chain forced him to retire. After a second moto start outside the top 15, Kaven could only manage to fight back to a seventh place finish. His 30-7 finishes cost him in the series standings, as he was pushed down to ninth position after doing well in the opening round in Kamloops.

MX2

KTM Canada Thor Racing’s Cole Thompson has been on a tear since going down in the first turn of last weekend’s season opening MX2 moto. Thompson got off to a great start in Moto 1 and ran behind newcomer Monster Energy Alpinestar Kawasaki’s Mark Worth, who is filling in for the injured Jacob Hayes. Cole made a clean, aggressive, inside pass by Worth on lap 7 and never looked back. “The track was a little slick for the first few laps, so I waited to make the pass,” said a confident Thompson after the first moto. “Tommy Gun” took the Royal Distributing Holeshot in Moto 2 and checked out, finishing 20 seconds ahead of the field by the end of the moto. On the podium after his 1-1 finish, Cole said, “There is something with me and Nanaimo; going 3 for 4 in moto wins, and overalls for the last two years in different classes.”

Although he enjoyed having the red plate on his bike this weekend, Redemption Racing Big Steel Box KTM’s Shawn Maffenbeier will not have it going into Round 3. Shawn had a great day in Nanaimo finishing a strong 2-2 after getting good starts in both motos and being second fastest in morning practice. On the podium he said he was searching for Coles’ speed all day. Maff leaves the west coast in second place in the series standings, but will have to figure out a way to beat Thompson as we go into the next round.

After an impressive third place finish in Moto 1, Honda sponsored Brad Nauditt was forced to ride his practice bike in the second moto, and after being outside the top 20 coming out of the first turn he managed to work his way up to sixth by the end of the race. Nauditt’s 3-6 moto finishes earned him a spot on the podium and puts him into the top 5 in the series standings.

Rounding out the top 5 were Kawasaki’s Brandan Leith in fourth with 4-8 moto finishes, putting him in third place in the series standings, and KTM’s Dylan Kaelin who finished 6-7, and moves into fourth in the series.

Monster Energy Alpinestar Kawasaki’s Mark Worth had a good day in his first outing with his new team. The long time Team Green rider grabbed the Royal Distributing Holeshot in the first moto and held the lead until lap 7. After Thompson made the pass on Worth he tried to fire back, bumped Cole and went down. “I made a mistake and hit the ground pretty hard.” In the second moto, Mark got a top 4 start but went down early, before charging back to fifth. Worth, who will fill in for the injured Jacob Hayes for the
rest of the 2016 season, said “When I got the call Tuesday (to fill in for Hayes) it was the highlight of my life.”

Round 2 was a tough one for the MX101 FXR Yamaha’s Dylan Wright who crashed hard on the first lap of Moto 1, injuring his ankle and forcing him out of the moto. He came storming back in Moto 2 and rode to a third place finish on an ankle that he could barely walk on. Wright’s teammate, Jess Pettis, also had a difficult day after setting the fastest lap in practice; he also crashed hard in the first moto and couldn’t finish. In the second moto he fought back from a poor start to finish fourth. Honda Canada-GDR-Fox rider Jeremy Medaglia tangled with Dylan Wright on the start of Moto 1 and needed help to get off the track. Medaglia didn’t line up for the second moto.
Round 3 of The Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals will take place next weekend, June 19th at The Wild Rose MX Park in Calgary, Alberta. If you haven’t already purchased your tickets you can buy them online easily at the mxnationals.ca website. If you are in another part of the country and are unable to attend the race you can see all the action live by downloading the free Conx2share app and live stream every moto on your mobile phone or computer.

MX1 The Wastelands, Nanaimo, BC – June 12, 2016

1. Colton Facciotti (Honda) 2-2 54pts
2. Mike Alessi (Kaw) 1-5 51pts
3. Brett Metcalfe (Yam) 3-3 50pts
4. Davi Millsaps (KTM) 11-1 45pts
5. Cade Clason (KTM)4-8 41pts
6. Matt Goerke (Yam) 13-4 36pts
7. Keylen Meston (Yam) 9-9 34pts
8. Austin Kouba (Kaw) 7-12 33pts
9. Morgan Burger (Yam) 6-14 32pts
10. Kyle Swanson (Yam) 8-13 31pts

MX2 The Wastelands, Nanaimo, BC – June 12, 2016

1. Cole Thompson (KTM) 1-1 60pts
2. Shawn Maffenbeier (KTM) 2-2 54pts
3. Brad Nauditt (Yam) 3-6 45pts
4. Brandan Leith (Kaw) 4-8 41pts
5. Dylan Kaelin (KTM) 6-7 39pts
6. Mark Worth (Kaw) 10-5 39pts
7. Davey Fraser (Hus) 9-10 33pts
8. Casey Keast (Yam) 5-14 33pts
9. Taylor Arsenault (KTM) 11-9 32pts
10. Marcus Nilsen (Hus) 8-13 31pts

MX1 Point Standings 2016

1. Colton Facciotti (Honda) 106pts
2. Davi Millsaps (KTM) 102pts
3. Mike Alessi (Kaw) 94pts
4. Brett Metcalfe (Yam) 92pts
5. Matt Goerke (Yam) 91pts
6. Cade Clason (KTM) 76pts
7. Tyler Medaglia (Husq) 64pts
8. Keylen Meston (Yam) 64pts
9. Kaven Benoit (KTM) 62pts
10. Austin Kouba (Kaw) 61 pts

MX2 Point Standings 2016

1. Cole Thompson (KTM) 113pts
2. Shawn Maffenbeier (KTM) 108pts
3. Brandon Leith (Kaw) 86pts
4. Dylan Kaelin (KTM) 73pts
5. Brad Nauditt (Yam) 66pts
6. Casey Keast (Yam) 61pts
7. Mc Cough Brough (KTM) 59pts
8. Dylan Wright (Yam) 55pts
9. Ryeley Gallup (KTM) 51pts
10. Davey Fraser (Hus) 50pts

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