Honda Canada Racing Presents The Monday Gate Drop

Good day and welcome to the first Honda Canada Racing Monday Gate Drop of November. With Remembrance Day coming up next week, Christmas fast approaching, and of course 2019 seemingly right around the corner, time is most certainly flying by. I hope everyone had a great season of racing in 2018 and we at MXP Magazine thank you for all of your support during this past year. Now, onto the news of the week.

Well, where do I begin with this week’s Monday Gate Drop and how do I possibly find the words to accurately describe the goings on from Saturday in Quebec City? That is the question I repeatedly asked myself as I lay in my hotel room after Round 3 of the Rockstar Energy Triple Crown SXTour. As everyone saw, the drama-filled day ended with a final turn incident between Cole Thompson and Colton Facciotti. This pass will no doubt have people debating for months, maybe even years as to whether it was dirty or just a classic racing incident. Perhaps the best place to start is to talk about the pass heard around the world.

Now, I don’t think there is one person out there who blames Cole Thompson for trying to go for an aggressive pass in the final corner of Saturday’s main event. Like a dog on a bone, Cole had come from all the way back in last from a first turn crash to get into second with a few laps to go. When he got into second I’m sure every single one of the 4,000 people inside the Centre Videotron thought Cole’s feverish pace would quickly take him past Colton and into the lead. Perhaps if this had been another race or another day Colton would’ve put up a small fight, but knowing Cole’s speed was a little better, maybe he wouldn’t have been quite so stubborn. But this wasn’t just any other day at the track, this was a day where Colton had not only been accused of possible foul play, but also had his personal safety threatened by someone who had no business doing so. So as the two top riders in Canada received the white flag and began their final lap, one rider was determined to show that he could go from dead last to first, while the other was determined to not let that happen. It was supposed to be a classic racing moment in this new series, a moment that all of us dream about: One lap and two very determined riders going for the win in front of the largest crowd of the season.

As the two riders got to the halfway point of the final 30 second lap, Colton held a slight advantage and it looked like Cole would run out of time. As I mentioned above, Cole had caught Colton a few laps before but wasn’t able to find a way around the cagey veteran. This had to frustrate Cole as up until this moment he had had little trouble passing the rest of the pack. There was no doubt that Colton knew he was there and he knew exactly what was at stake. There was not only the chance to close the Triple Crown points to just eight with one round to go, but also in Colton’s mind I’m sure he had the extra motivation of trying to make up for being disrespected earlier in the day. As they hit the pivotal switch-back section of the Quebec City track, Colton still had a slight advantage, however it was clear that Cole was waiting for the final whoop section to try and make something happen. As they hit the final corner before the whoop section Cole got a little bit of a gift when Colton decided not to double the miserable little step up going into the second to last turn. I’m sure Colton knew that all day Cole had been very fast in this section all day as he was the only rider who could jump the little double and still hold the tight inside of the following corner. So Colton did exactly what any smart rider would do, he tried to counter by not jumping it and then taking the inside away from Cole. This was a smart move, but Colton couldn’t have known that he actually had enough of a gap over Cole that he could’ve doubled, carried speed through the following corner and most likely maintain the gap he had. I’m sure we can all excuse Colton for this as having eyes in the back of his head is not one of his numerous talents. So when Colton didn’t double, Cole did and that put him right on the back tire of Colton’s GDR Fox Honda as they set up for the whoop section and final 180 degree turn. Obviously, this is where things got very interesting as Cole smelled blood and Colton smelled redemption.

During yesterday’s Social Media firestorm, I read numerous comments saying that since Colton went wide in the final turn and failed to protect the inside line, that he deserved his fate. I disagree with this assessment and here’s why: If you watch any of the videos that have surfaced, you can see that while Colton is travelling through the whoops he actually is starting to lean to the inside and looks to be heading for the middle of the final berm. However, on the third to final whoop his rear tire hits the edge of the deep rut and he starts to swap a little. The rear end goes one way and then of course goes the other way and it forces him to the outside of the berm. At this point both riders were doing exactly what you’d expect them to do. If Colton had gone down the right side of the whoops and entered the corner too much on the inside, Cole would have countered by charging down the left side, carried more speed into the corner, then square up and beat Colton across the finish line. As much as every rider would love to be leading going into the final corner, sometimes it’s easier to being the hunter and not the hunted.

As the two riders entered the final berm, Colton fought to get his Honda turning right; Cole wasn’t quite close enough at this point to go for a pass. For a split second I was pumped for both riders as I thought they had just rode one the their best races of the indoor season, and I pictured what the final round was going to be like with these two separated by just 8 small points. But then something happened and this is the only issue I have with Cole’s aggression. As I said earlier, I fully support a pass attempt in the final corner, but when he realized that he wasn’t close enough in the first part of the turn, swallow some pride and follow the code of respect that is supposed to be there between the elite riders of our sport. Instead, it appeared Cole grabbed another handful of throttle, cut across a few ruts in a despite attempt to pinch Colton off at the base of the face of the steep finish line jump. At best, I and do mean at best, this move guaranteed contact between the two riders at the worst possible time, and at the point all bets were off as to what would happen. In Cole’s Social Media post on Sunday he said that at that moment he thought Colton would back off and give up the spot. Perhaps Cole is correct and Colton should’ve back off, I’ve been in Cole’s position and thought the same thing about another rider. However, I’ve also been in Colton’s position and given the circumstances (remember Cole had the most to lose on Saturday night) there is no way that I would think Cole would be that aggressive. A little aggressive, of course, but not to the point where I’d have to make the quick decision to either back off or risk going flying 30 feet through the air and possibly suffer a career ending injury. To me, that is where Cole crossed the fine line between being aggressive and going way too far. That is racing though, at the best of times it’s unpredictable, and that one reason is why we love this sport. I’m sure Cole wishes he could take back the contact he initiated with Colton and hopefully we never see that type of outcome again. It’s too bad because it takes away from just how incredible Cole rode all day. He was on fire all day long and his charge through the pack in the main event was just awesome to watch live.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this, the entire day on Saturday started off on a puzzling note when at riders meeting Head Referee Paul Kingsley told the riders and teams that the fine for team tactics was being increased from $5,000 to $20,000. This increase, as well as the warning to Colton Facciotti was because his teammate Dylan Wright was signed up to race the 450 class in Quebec City. Some felt that the only reason Dylan was racing the 450 class was to run interference for Colton and to make Cole’s life on the track a little tougher. With a lot of money on the line you can understand why Team Thompson was suspect at the thought of Wright’s presence in the 450. I mean, why the 450? Why now? My understanding is that Dylan might be done with the 250 class and for the past month he’s only been riding a 450, so since he’s healthy and wants to race, the 450 class is his only option right now. I can understand why Dylan’s presence made Cole and his team a little uneasy, but it definitely could’ve been handled differently prior to the bikes even starting up on Saturday. That is what made the final corner incident in the main event even more troubling as this is exactly what Cole was worried about happening to him when they saw the #12 signed up. In the end, Dylan Wright rode practice and then decided that he wouldn’t race the night program.

So, other than the immediate concern for Colton Facciotti’s health and his future in this sport, the big question for me is, where to we go from here? I have never seen so much distrust in the paddock before as some teams feel like it’s them against the establishment. In my opinion, this has to be dealt with immediately as this type of thinking cannot go on. Regardless of what everyone thinks of Cole’s move on Saturday night, Round 3 of the SXTour is over and we have to focus on Hamilton in two weeks. The event itself in Quebec City was a success with good racing and a good crowd; if you buy into the adage that any press is good press, then Round 3 is one of the most successful races of all time in Canada. I don’t quite buy into that thinking as all of the drama far overshadowed the great riding on the track by Cole, Colton, Jess Pettis, Phil Nicoletti and even AX newcomer Sam Gaynor. With that said, I’m sure cooler heads will prevail and that everyone involved with be quite busy on their phones this week. After all, we have to remember that this is the top level of our sport in Canada and this level is supposed to set the example for everyone else. Imagine what our amateur riders and parents are thinking as the news from Saturday filters out? Saturday showed all of us, unfortunately, that as we get ready to close out 2018 and move into a new year, a year by the way which I feel will be the most important year in Canadian motocross history, we all need to be better! The riders need to have more respect for each other, the relationship between some of the teams and series has to improve, and even us the media have to be better. We can’t be running around like we’re TMZ just because there’s a little bit of drama in the pits. I love the access and the closeness we all have with the teams, the riders, as well as the series, but we can’t overstep and report drama simply because it’s drama. I can’t think of another professional sport that does this, or even allows their media to do this.

Anyway, other than all of the above, the overall event was great as it took place in an incredible building with a good number of spectators. Indoor events like this one are exactly what we need in this country to compliment our outdoor nationals. In between all of the drama on Saturday I actually had the opportunity to sit down to talk with Jetwerx CEO Justin Thompson about his 2019 plans. He knows that a few changes need to be made to keep the series vibrant and he’s looking into all possibilities. I think everyone, including Justin, knew that year one would be a massive challenge and learning experience, but it can only get better from here. With this year almost complete, now is the time to work through the issues of this past weekend and then build towards a strong 2019. But for now, let’s wish Colton Facciotti and Davey Fraser a speedy recovery. The entire motocross community is thinking of you both today.

That is it for me this week. I hope everyone has a great week and a safe week. Thank-you for having the patience to read this drawn out Honda Canada Racing Monday Gate Drop. In closing, please take a moment this Sunday to acknowledge our soldiers and their families on Remembrance Day! Lest We Forget.