Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
Even though the 2019 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown AXTour Series ended just over a month ago, it didn’t take long for every rider and team to begin looking forward to the opening round of the main pillar of the Triple Crown Series, the MXTour. When everyone arrived in Calgary for Round 1, they were greeted by not just a technical Wild Rose MX Track but also by a large blanket of smoke over the city, which was the result of a large nearby forest fire. Thankfully, by the time sign-up and tech inspection was completed on Friday afternoon, the smoke had cleared and everyone began to breath a big sigh of relief. As the sun set behind the Rocky Mountains on Friday evening, the stage was all set for the opening round of the 2019 MXTour Series.
The racing on Saturday was excellent as Josh Osby and Cole Thompson drew first blood in the 250 and 450 classes respectively. Behind them was a host of fast and aggressive riders who will most certainly come out swinging this weekend in Prince George. However, before we get looking too far ahead, let’s take a look back at some incredible James Lissimore photos from Round 1 in Calgary.
Once the smoke cleared the views we’re used came back quickly.
As predicted, Mike Alessi grabbed the holeshot in both 450 motos.
Some of Lissimore’s best photos have come with this city in the background.
Mike Brown had a solid day in Calgary finishing 9th overall in the 450 class and first in the two-stroke class.
Marco Cannella came into the opening round fighting an illness and because of that he didn’t have a good day in Calgary.
Cade Clason had a solid day and ended up 10th overall in the 450 class. Look for his column later this week on mxpmag.com
These three make a pretty good team!
After a race long battle with Thompson and Nicoletti, Colton Facciotti held on the opening 450 moto win.
Dylan Wright celebrates as he takes the win in the first moto of the summer.
Even though Facciotti came into Round 1 not feeling well, he still managed to go 1-3 and tie for the overall win with Cole Thompson.
In his first race with the Sky Racing Team, Christopher Fortier didn’t have a great day.
Wild Rose MX Park is one of two tracks in the MXTour Series that have a concrete start.
Racing in his first ever pro 450 national, Ontario rider Sam Gaynor had a great day and ended up 14th overall.
Matt Goerke had to be another rider who wasn’t feeling well in Calgary as he had an off day.
After his big crash last summer in Quebec, it was great to see Hayden Halstead back on the starting line.
We’re not sure how much preparation Dylan Kaelin had coming into Calgary, but he sure rode well and finished inside the Top 10 in the 250 class.
Racing a 450 for the first time, Casey Keast had a decent day at the opening round.
Shawn Maffenbeier rode very smooth in Calgary and came away with a solid 5th overall in the 450 class.
Even Steve Matthes of PulpMX fame showed up in Calgary.
Watching what the mechanics write is always fun.
After a slow opening moto, Tyler Medaglia turned it on in Moto 2 and finished in third.
While not as spectacular as last year in Calgary, Keylan Meston still had a solid opening round and ended up 7th overall.
Brad Nauditt is back racing in Canada and at the opening round he looked as fast as ever.
Josh Osby got the start to the MXTour Series he was looking for as a 2-2 moto score gave him the overall win in the 250 class.
The OTSFF Yamaha boys get ready to battle under the hot Calgary sun.
Jess Pettis came into Round 1 having not ridden a dirt bike since early May. In fact, doctors told him last week that he shouldn’t even ride until his broken arm had healed more. So with that in mind, his 5-7 moto score was pretty impressive.
Pettis rode smart in both motos to secure as many points as possible in Calgary.
After trying to reel in Facciotti for the final 20 minutes of the opening moto, Nicoletti had to give our 5-time champ some props.
In both motos, Phil looked fast and aggressive on the difficult Wild Rose track.
It was cool to see so many eastern riders make the trip out west to race in the opening three rounds of the MXTour Series.
After struggling through the opening moto, Luke Renzland came back strong in Moto 2 and took his first ever victory on Canadian soil.
With the quickest lap time of the day, Dylan Wright proved to everyone that right now he’s the fastest 250 rider on the track. Unfortunately, speed doesn’t always get you the win.
It was great to finally see the gate drop on the 2019 MXTour Series.
Just as he did in the AXTour last month, Cole Thompson landed on the top step of the podium in Calgary.
In Moto 2, Thompson pulled away and took not only the race win, but the overall victory as well.
Tanner Ward had a great day in Calgary and went 3-5 for 5th overall in the 250 class.
Once he heals up from a little shoulder injury, Marshal Weltin is going to be a championship contender in the 250 class.
We can’t wait for Round 2 this weekend in Prince George!
