FXR Presents Mid-Week Report With Andy White

This past weekend’s national in beautiful Moncton, NB had lots of action, from big name riders with DNFs to riders crashing in ponds . Where to start this week’s report? Let’s talk about the track. The track owner Larry Northrup and his team did a great job of preparing the track. Some say that the watering team went a little overboard; it sure looked like it in the morning but by race time the track looked perfect. There were some corners with one main line but there were plenty of lines in the other sections of the track. The organizing team really did a great job of clearing out some of the wooded area so you could see the first couple of corners. The jumps were massive and the fans loved the high flying action.

The MX2 guys were up first after practice was over. Kaven Benoit set the fastest lap times with Shawn Maffenbeier and Jeremy Medaglia not too far off the pace. Finishing 1st overall was Kaven Benoit with a solid 1-1, although he had to work for it in the first moto as he rounded the first lap in 3rd. It didn’t take the points leader long to move up to the lead. Moto 2 was all Benoit on his KTM 250SX two-stroke. Getting the overall for the day extended his points lead over Jimmy Decotis. Jeremy Medaglia had a better weekend than the last one in Deschambault – the Honda mounted rider went 3-2 for 2nd overall. There was lots of action in the second moto between Medaglia and 3rd overall Shawn Maffenbeier on his OTSFF Rockstar Yamaha; the two riders swapped positions pretty well all weekend long. Shawn looked really solid, he is really coming on strong now that he is feeling 100%. Finishing 4th overall with a 4-5 was California resident Cole Martinez on his Monster Kawasaki. It’s good to see Cole back in the series, he will get faster and stronger as the series moves on. Jimmy Decotis didn’t have the day he was hoping for, going 8-4 for a 5th overall. Jimmy struggled in the first moto, hitting the ground twice early in the race. Just past the halfway mark the Canada’s Motorcycle FXR rider found his lines and moved up quickly to 8th. Moto 2 went much better – Jimmy started in 3rd but got passed by Jeremy early in the race. Lap by lap he got more comfortable on the hard pack and put in some good laps to catch the leaders, but unfortunately he ran out of time. Blake Savage was having a good day until he found a pond right before the finish line – he was lucky not to submerge the Devils Lake Yamaha!

It was great to see Cole Martinez back up to speed in Moncton. He’s been working hard to get back into race shape so expect him to challenge for a moto win before the MX2 series is over. photo by James Lissimore

On big bikes, Canadian Champ Colton Facciotti put his Honda on the top spot of the podium with a solid ride by going 1-2. This is the first overall for Colton this year, although he has come pretty close a few times this summer. Is the champ back? We will find out with two more rounds to go. Finishing 2nd overall for the day with a 2-3 was Cole Thompson on his Royal Distributing Fox KTM 450. Cole looks like he is much more comfortable on the hard pack and it will be interesting to see what he has for Ulverton next week. Matt Goerke had a strange weekend – not what we expected but it was fun to watch. The OTSFF Yamaha rider had a good start in the first moto but on lap two his chain derailed. Matt calmly put the chain back on, put his head down and put some seriously fast lap times in to finish 5th. Moto 2 went much better – another solid start. By lap 4 he was in the lead and continued to pull away for the moto win. Local hero Tyler Medaglia had a really good weekend – I think it’s the best he has ever ridden in Moncton on a 450! With his Parts Canada Husky 450 working really well, Tyler went 5-3 for a 4th overall for the day. Moto 2 was pretty insane. Tyler was running 4th until late in the moto when he had to slow down to remove a rock from his rear brake pedal; this moved him back to 6th. With a few laps to go in the race he put in an incredible charge and made an inside pass on Brett Metcalfe for 4th. The crowd went mental as Tyler made the pass. Rounding out 5th overall with a 4-6 was Cade Clason on his Redemption KTM. I think this was probably Cade’s best race of the year – he did say that he really prefers to race on harder pack dirt than in the sand. Not a weekend that Brett Metcalfe wants to remember – a blown engine in Moto 1 basically eliminates him from the championship. “You can’t expect to win a championship with two DNFs in the series!” Metty commented.

Here Matt Goerke and Cole Thompson battle for the lead in the MX1 class with the beautiful New Brunswick landscape in the background. photo by James Lissimore

Now a few shout-outs from the weekend. East coast rider Davey Fraser finished 6th overall on his Freedom Cycle Kawasaki. I’m thinking it was one of his best races ever – nice ride Davey! Kyle Swanson had a good weekend going 8-8 for a 7th overall; looks like he is getting his Devils Lake Yamaha set up nicely. Kyle Keast looked tight in practice but with a few adjustments after practice he looked way more comfortable in Moto 1 until he ended up with a four inch nail in his rear tire. Moto 2 went much better, as he finished a solid 7th in the moto to give him a 10th overall for the day. His travelling buddy, Dylan Schmoke, didn’t have such a good weekend – late in Moto 2 a rock came up and smacked him in the face, resulting in a broken nose. Bobby K would like to start the weekend over; it was tough luck for the friendly New Yorker. Crashes and stitches ended his day with 22nd overall. Jess Pettis once again looked great on his Vernon Yamaha with a 7th overall in the MX2 class. That’s it for Moncton – see you in Ulverton, Quebec!

How’s this for a photo from the MX2 class in Moncton. Three of the top riders from the series show how to scrub over the wall jump. Great stuff from James Lissimore