Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
The Blu Cru is definitely on the move as they’ve finished first and second in the past two rounds of the Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals. Photo by James Lissimore
As it’s been for a number of years at the Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals presented by Motovan, the series and its landscape doesn’t just change its postal codes in the final six rounds, it also changes how the riders perform. Take last season for instance, out west we watched Brett Metcalfe and Matt Goerke dominate the MX1 class. Then once the boys headed east, Colton Facciotti got a sniff of victory and went on a pretty good run. Although Facciotti would come up five points short of winning the title over Matt Goerke, his performance during the final six rounds was nothing short of incredible. Too bad for him and his team that it was a case of too little, too late. Think about it for a second, if Colton could’ve just found five more points out west, the 2015 MX1 Championship would’ve been his. Five points seems like a minute amount after 20 long motos, but to the record books, five points might as well be 50 as there is only one name recorded in the history book.
Fast forward to this season, in Western Canada west we watched Davi Millsaps and his jaw dropping speed completely dominate 7 out of the 8 motos. In Moto 1 in Kamloops, he played kitty by the door with Matt Goerke, but the door never opened and Millsaps finished second. Then in Nanaimo, Millsaps won both motos, however in Moto 1, he jumped on a red cross flag and was docked ten positions. So really, to his competition, Millsaps was virtually unstoppable in the west, even though the results may indicate otherwise. When the gate dropped in Kamloops, Millsaps was ready to race, and when the chequered flag flew at the final western round in Regina, Millsaps had a massive points lead and left for a week’s vacation without very much stress.
Despite his recent troubles, Davi Millsaps has remained happy and relaxed. He will take a 25 point lead into round 7 in Truro this weekend. Photo by James Lissimore
Davi’s Team Manager, Jean Sebastien Roy, used to tell me that when he was on his five year MX1 title winning streak, his tenet was to work as hard as he could in the western rounds to try to build a points cushion. He knew that every rider would improve as the series went on and that anything could happen in the east. The tracks are a little rougher, the temperatures and humidity are greater, and conditions are a little more extreme for man and machine.
As we’ve seen in the first two eastern rounds, anything can happen, and all of the sudden we’re one moto away from a serious points battle for the lead. Davi Millsaps’ lead is now down to 25 points, which is still a great lead that I’m sure any rider would take at this stage of any series. However, the momentum has definitely shifted in favour of the Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha duo of Goerke and Metcalfe. Together, they’ve finished 1-2 in the first two eastern rounds and have won all four motos. Millsaps, on the other hand, has gone 3-2-2-8 in his last four motos. While his moto scores are still pretty good, they’re still a mile away from the dominance we witnessed in the west. We all know that Millsaps had a big get-off while practicing after Regina and injured his ribs. For anyone who has ever tried to do anything with injured ribs, it is quite the struggle. If this is indeed his injury, then he’s done a masterful job of hanging on the past few weeks, and with any luck he will feel better as each week passes. However, this is sport and Millsaps’ competition doesn’t care if his ribs are sore or if his hands are blistered. All they know is that their prey is showing just a glimmer of weakness and they’re trying to move in for the kill.
While this sight was very common out west, so far in the two eastern rounds Millsaps has struggled to win motos in the MX1 class. Photo by James Lissimore
If you had to pick a rider thus far in the MX1 series who has been the fastest, that rider would have to be Davi Millsaps. As good as his nearest competition is, if Millsaps doesn’t win this title then it would be a massive disappointment. Sore ribs, blisters, mud (as we may see this weekend), heat, humidity, long travel, whatever adversities Millsaps has to face in the next 24 days, with so much dominance so far and a current 25 point lead, he has to get this done. With four rounds remaining and the current points leader a little wobbly out front, the 2016 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals’ MX1 class is definitely in for one heck of a barn burner finish. Buckle up fans, it’s going to be a crazy ride!
