Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
This weeks Monday Gate Drop is once again brought to you by the fine people at Honda Canada Racing. With their lead rider Colton Facciotti already training for the 2017 season, Honda Canada and the GDR Fox Racing Team is very excited for what lies ahead. We at MXP Magazine are very proud to have the backing of Honda Canada and we wish them luck on the race track in the future.
Good morning and welcome to the final Monday Gate Drop of 2016! Since next Monday is Boxing Day I will not be doing an official Monday column. I will be back to work on Tuesday the 27th, so I’m sure I’ll be able to put something together on that day, kind of like this week. I have to apologize for my tardiness this week as yesterday I had to fly to Montreal to visit the fine folks at KTM Canada and Husqvarna Canada. It was a fun day, but it was also a long day as I was up at 4am and didn’t get to bed until after midnight.
The sunsets in Puerto Vallarta were absolutely breathtaking.
For those of you that don’t follow my daily activities, last week my family and I spent the week in beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We staying at the Grand Palladium Vallarta Resort and Spa (they gave us an upgrade to the Master Suite so I told them I’d give them a plug). This family friendly resort was everything we could’ve asked for, and more. With multiple activities for adults and kids, we certainly got lucky when we picked this hotel for our vacation. With Puerto Vallarta being on the West Coast of Mexico, every day around 6pm it’s all about the sunsets. This daily sight gets everyone’s attention, and once you witness one, you cannot wait for the next one. I guess the fact you take the time every day to watch the sun go down means that you’re on a relaxing vacation. Anyway, we had a great time, and while it was nice to return home, coming back to full-on winter is never fun. However, as they say, in like a lion, out like a lamb!
So with Canadian moto on a brief hiatus at the moment, we turn our attention to the much anticipated, fast approaching Anaheim SX. Opening day in any sport is incredible, and for our beloved sport, Anaheim 1 is no different. With new riders, new teams and now a new timed night show format, every SX fan on the planet can’t wait for the gate to drop. It will be hard to bet against Ken Roczen or last year’s champion Ryan Dungey, however the first round almost always brings with it a surprise winner. With all of the championship contenders usually easing their way into the long series, the door is wide open at Round 1. Of course, the other way of thinking is for riders to try to make hay while the sun shines. A few early series podiums and all of a sudden a rider can get some valuable points in the bank.
It’s almost time for the 2017 Monster Energy Supercross Series to begin.
So who is your pick for the opening round at Angel Stadium? Although I’d love to see Chad Reed win the opening round, as well as the series, I honestly don’t believe that either will happen, so I’ll probably go with Trey Canard, Marvin Musquin, or maybe even Cooper Webb. I know that’s three riders, but it’s always so tough to predict a winner at A1. I will be heading down to Anaheim on January 6th for the weekend so look for live reports from the biggest race of the year, both on and off the track.
To close out my 2016 Honda Canada Racing Gate Drops, I thought I’d go back to each round of the Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals and pick a photo that tells a story from that race. From the opening round in Kamloops to the final round in Barrie, here are ten of James Lissimore’s best photos from the 2016 nationals. Also, don’t forget about our 2017 Toronto SX ticket giveaway contest which closes on Wednesday. All you have to do is tell us how many Canadian pro MX1 titles Honda has won since 2000 and who the riders are that won them. All you have to do is email me at chris@mxpmag.com and your name will be entered in the draw which takes place on December 23rd. Thanks to Honda Canada Racing, we have two pairs to give away. So good luck and of course, Merry Christmas to everyone out there. I hope all of you have a safe and joyful Christmas weekend!
For all of you who witnessed this over exuberant exit from the Kamloops starting gate by Dylan Wright, it was one of those things that had to have been seen to believe. In Moto 1, Dylan timed the gate perfectly and went on to win his first pro moto. In Moto 2, he was a tad quick with the trigger.
If you have the talent and the nerve to holeshot an MX1 moto, you’d better be ready to do a little bumping in the first turn. Brett Metcalfe and Davi Millsaps go bar to bar in Nanaimo.
As their American competition battled up front, Canadian heroes Kaven Benoit and Colton Facciotti put on an entertaining fight for home country pride in Calgary.
To watch Davi Millsaps handle the deep ruts of Moto Valley Raceway in Regina was truly amazing. Millsaps would win both MX1 motos convincingly at Round 4.
Cole Thompson came to Gopher Dunes with a slim points lead in the MX2 class, and his closest competitors were thinking they had a chance to beat the KTM rider. After his last-to-first ride in Moto 1, Cole showed that he was without a doubt the rider to beat in the small bike class.
Some of the MX1 series’ best riders went head to head for 35 minutes in Ulverton. On one of the coolest tracks of the series, riders in both classes weren’t afraid to let it all hang out.
Even though he struggled a little throughout the first six rounds of the MX1 series, Round 7 in Pleasant Valley is where it all came apart for Colton Facciotti. In Moto 1, he crashed hard ten feet out of the gate, and then in Moto 2, he went down even harder and was hit by Mike Alessi. This race was Colton’s last of the summer.
While I don’t remember Shawn Maffenbeier doing anything special in Moncton, I like this photo because it represents the determination he showed throughout the ten round MX2 series. I’m not sure what Maff will be riding in 2017, but I sure hope he’s back in the series and charging hard.
It’s not uncommon to see big jumps these days on outdoor national tracks. This massive double was not only spectacular at Deschambault, but so were Davi Millsaps and Kaven Benoit, who jumped it every lap during their intense first moto battle.
It was pretty cool to see the best riders in Canada attack the RJ Motosport Park track in Barrie again. Back in my day we used to race a national there every year. With virtually the same layout as before, I could almost close eyes and hear the old two-strokes of the 1990s blasting around the rough track.
