Husqvarna Canada Presents Going To School- Round 2 In Prince George

As Round 2 of the 2019 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MXTour Series in Prince George has now come and gone, we’re able to look back and see if we learned anything that might help predict how the rest of the series will go. As I sat on top of the biggest hill at the Blackwater MX Track watching every lap of every race, there were a few things I saw that was very interesting. Now, some of these things were most likely obvious to everyone in attendance, while others maybe weren’t. Either way, Round 2 was very interesting on many different levels.

The Track:

Since the Blackwater MX Track joined our National series three years ago, for whatever reason it has always provided great racing. Maybe it’s because the riders find going up and down the steep hills truly interesting? Maybe it’s the steep uphill start that grabs their attention? Or maybe it’s the hospitality of the track’s host city, Prince George? Whatever the reason, this track has provided many memorable moments considering the short length of time it’s been on the national schedule.

This year we saw different conditions as the track didn’t benefit from the large amount of rain that fell prior to the event in the past. Because of that, the track on Saturday was a lot drier and a lot harder packed than the riders were used to. Thankfully though, the Jetwerx crew knows how to run a bulldozer and a water truck, so the track ended up being in great shape for the opening moto on Saturday. In talking with most of the riders, the only thing they don’t like about this track is the cement starting pad. Considering they only use it twice during the day, it’s something they can live with. As the day went on the track definitely showed its teeth in certain sections, and by the final 450 moto it was as rough as we’ve ever seen it. The track has a true national calibre layout, and if it has one drawback it’s the location and proximity to potential spectators. However, regardless of the size of the crowd, the racing always seems to speak for itself in Prince George.

Dylan Wright

Coming into Round 2, I don’t think there was any doubt about Dylan Wright’s ability to never quit. Since Dylan turned pro he has sometimes come under criticism for making mistakes at the wrong time. Even last weekend in Calgary some people speculated that Dylan once again threw away what could have been a solid finish in the second moto. However, the one thing that you can always count on with Dylan is that he will always give his full effort when he’s on the track. I’m sure everyone knows the story from the opening 250 moto by now. While leading and in position for his second moto win of the MXTour series, the subframe on Dylan’s Honda broke and began to shred parts. With five laps to go Dylan was forced to dig deep and go from his normal aggressive self, to trying to keep his Honda intact long enough to finish. With his subframe almost completely off and lying on the side of the Blackwater MX Track, Dylan backed it down, gave up the lead (he really had no choice) and took a hard earned 4^th in the opening moto. As it stands right now, after two rounds Dylan Wright is your 250 points leader, and if he goes on to win the championship, I’m sure he will look back at the first moto in Prince George as one of the most important of the series. For Dylan’s sake, I hope he doesn’t have another moto as challenging as that one!

Marshal Weltin

How can you not like this guy’s riding during the first two rounds of the series? He’s smooth as silk on the track, he gets good starts, and he doesn’t appear to be a rider who makes a lot of mistakes. His solid 2-2 moto score on Saturday was indicative of how Weltin races, and if he can maintain this level for the rest of the 250 series then he may just be one of the title contenders down the stretch. For now, though, let’s sit back and allow Weltin and his Sky Racing Husqvarna Team to enjoy their big win in Prince George.

450 Class

As much as the 250 class is a 30-minute, wide open, take-no-prisoners battle royale, the 450 class sometimes feels more like a calculated chess match where every rider is constantly trying to figure the other one out. So far in the first four motos of the 2019 MXTour Series, Colton Facciotti, Phil Nicoletti and Cole Thompson have shown that they’re the current riders to beat. Unfortunately for Thompson, he had some issues while leading the opening moto in Prince George and slipped out of an overall podium finish. After four motos we’ve had three different winners, and as it stands, Facciotti leads the series by just one point. Even though it’s early in this summer-long series, I think all three riders have to happy with where they stand.

For Facciotti, after not racing the AXTour earlier this year, he must have been a little curious coming into Calgary about how his speed and intensity would be compared to both Thompson and Nicoletti. Well, our 5-time Champion had his mind put to rest in the opening moto in Calgary as he rode to a solid victory. Since then, he’s taken a third, a second, and then a huge moto win in Prince George to keep his cherished red plates heading into Round 3. Colton has been good and perhaps even a little better than I thought he’d be in these early rounds.

Phil Nicoletti also has to be happy as his speed, bike set-up and fitness all appear to be right where he wants them to be. Also, Phil is known more for his skills on softer tracks, and since he trains in South Carolina where the temperatures are already 90F on a daily basis, you just know he can’t wait until the series travels east. I really like what I’ve seen so far from Nicoletti and I feel that he’s a great addition to this series. He wants to win, he rides well, and he brings personality to the track that the series needs. It’s definitely going to be interesting to watch him try to figure out how to beat Facciotti and Thompson each weekend moving forward.

With Facciotti doing what he normally does and Nicoletti proving to be a thorn in everyone’s side on the track, that leaves us with Cole Thompson, who I feel has made the most improvement from a year ago. Last year, Thompson started the 450 series very slowly, and it took him until Round 6 to really show his true speed and determination. From there he was as good as anyone, and in certain races he was better. In the opening two rounds of the 2019 MXTour, Cole’s speed and fitness have been very good. He not only won the second moto in Calgary but he was also well on his way to winning the first moto at Round 2. However, with all of that aside, I feel the biggest change in Thompson from 365 days ago is that right now he truly believes that he can win every moto – I’m not sure if he felt the same way last year. When you add in self belief to Thompson’s already deep melting pot of skills, that is a definite recipe for success.

As we head into Round 3 this weekend in Manitoba, make sure you pay attention to these three items, as well as everything else that is going on. Knowledge, as they say, is the beginning of wisdom, and who knows what we’ll learn this weekend? The racing in the 250, 450, WMX, and even the two-stroke class has all been excellent thus far, and I’m sure we’ll see much of the same at Round 3.