Honda Canada Racing Presents the Monday Gate Drop

Good morning and welcome to the Honda Canada Racing Monday Gate Drop. This morning the folks at Honda Canada must be so proud as their top rider, Colton Facciotti, won the first MX1 moto yesterday at Gopher Dunes, his first win of 2017. Racing on their home track, the GDR Fox Racing team had a great day at Round 5 of the Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals presented by Motovan. Not only did Colton Facciotti win a moto but Dylan Wright finished third overall in the MX2 class. This was Wright’s second podium finish in a row, so he’s definitely turning his season around. We would like to thank Honda Canada Racing for their continued support of this Monday Gate Drop, as well as our sport in general. 

All of the action got underway yesterday with the first MX2 moto. As you can see here, Shawn Maffenbeier grabbed the holeshot and never looked back. Photo by James Lissimore

Okay, now let’s talk about yesterday’s National at Gopher Dunes. I think everyone will agree that Round 5 of the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals is a lot more than just a race on the series schedule. Just like they say for the opening round of the series in Kamloops, riders spend a lot of energy and a lot of time thinking about and preparing for the round at Gopher Dunes. This race is not only important for how a rider does at the actual race, but also it can have a dramatic affect on the rest of their series as if a rider isn’t careful they can use up way too much energy racing at Gopher Dunes. If they ’empty the tank,’ so to speak, it can take them weeks to fully recover, and by that time the series is almost over. So, for this weekend, the riders not only want to finish well but they also want to try to survive. I’ve always thought that the trophies at Round 5 should read something like “I survived Gopher Dunes,” because as we all witnessed yesterday, it really was all about survival.

Maybe it was all the rain that Southern Ontario has received for the past few months, or maybe it was just the Gopher Dunes crew preparing the track to be as nasty as possible. Whatever it was, I couldn’t find one rider yesterday who liked the track. I mean, let’s face it, no one ever comes away from Gopher Dunes with a big smile on their face. After all, it’s Gopher Dunes and you’re not supposed to like it. However, yesterday the riders thought the track was a different type of miserable. In fact, in his post race interview, Christophe Pourcel told me that this was the worst track he’s ever ridden in his life. Not just because of how rough it was, but he made mention of the lack of flow and the set-up. When you think about all of the tracks that Pourcel has raced over the years, both in North America and around the world, he really must’ve had a strong dislike for Sunday’s track. I was talking to him about 20 minutes after the final moto, so I’m sure he was still feeling the emotions from his so-so performance, and he also said that he was suffering from some stomach issues. Like all of the top riders, Pourcel expects to win every time he lines up, and when he doesn’t he’s upset. Regardless, I think everyone will agree that yesterday’s Gopher Dunes track was just a little extra challenging for everyone.

Right from the opening lap of practice, Mike Alessi was riding like he was ready to win. A few hours later, Alessi stood on the top step of the podium in the MX1 class. Photo by James Lissimore

I’m not sure if the track was rougher than normal on Sunday, but I think that it got rougher quicker. Even in the first motos yesterday, a few of the top riders were struggling during the final few laps. Add in the fact that the track temperature was probably around 25c to 30c, depending on whether or not there was a breeze blowing. So, just like the opening round in Kamloops, Round 5 was pretty warm. Also, I spoke to at least five riders yesterday (including Pourcel) that claimed they were suffering from stomach aliments on Sunday. Even MX1 overall winner Mike Alessi told me after the second moto that he hadn’t eaten anything all day because he couldn’t keep it down. Maybe it was bad food they ate on Saturday evening, maybe it was the extra nerves that came from knowing what a tough day lied ahead, or maybe it was a bit of both. Whatever it was, Round 5 at Gopher Dunes was as much about who could suffer better rather than who was the best rider.

Even with the rough track and the riders battling through so much adversity, there were a couple of very special performances on Sunday. In the MX2 class, it was overall winner Shawn Maffenbeier, second place finisher Cole Thompson, and rookie pro rider Tanner Ward who really stood out to me. Maffenbeier’s first MX2 moto was incredible as he took off early and never looked back. He rode smooth, managed his large lead perfectly and took the moto win. In Moto 2, it was Cole Thompson’s turn to make the rough track look like a walk in the park as he grabbed the early lead and took off for the win. Finally, young Ontario rider Tanner Ward made his Pro debut on Sunday and boy did he put on a show. In Moto 1, he ran 6th until the final lap when he crashed and was forced to DNF. In Moto 2, he came back strong, and with his fellow soon-to-be-Pro buddies Austin Watling and Marco Cannella watching, Tanner rode strong to finish the second moto in 8th. It was an amazing day for all three riders, and I also want to mention Casey Keast who rode hard in both motos to finish 6th overall.

Sunday was definitely about suffering on the tough Gopher Dunes track. During his first moto victory, an already sick Colton Facciotti left everything on the table. Photo by James Lissimore

In the MX1 class, I have to mention the moto winners Colton Facciotti and Mike Alessi as the top performers yesterday. Colton, who came into Round 5 feeling pretty sick, dug deep in front of his family and his bosses to win the first MX1 moto of the day. Unfortunately, Colton used up all of his energy in the first moto and didn’t have much left for Moto 2. For Mike Alessi, it was a very special day as he battled hard all day to take the overall win in the MX1 class. In the second moto, Alessi fought off Dillan Epstein for the first half of the race before he eventually pulled away. It was one of Alessi’s best races to date and he really earned the victory. Also deserving of a mention was Matt Goerke’s dead last to second ride in the first moto. Goerke made his comeback look easy as he took his time passing every rider, except for one. I expected Goerke to come out strong in Moto 2, but after getting off to a mediocre start, Goerke didn’t appear to have a lot of energy to move forward. Like Facciotti, I think Goerke used up a lot of energy during his first moto charge and didn’t have enough left to battle for the win. I think this was really an example of just how tough the conditions were yesterday. Matt Goerke is one of the best sand riders on the planet, so when he can’t hammer through two motos, the track and the conditions must be extreme. Finally, I know I only mentioned a few riders above but I really want to tip my hat to every rider that lined up this weekend, including on Saturday and Sunday. You all deserve tee-shirts that read “I survived Gopher Dunes.”

So that was pretty much what went down at Gopher Dunes yesterday. Derek Schuster and his crew did an amazing job with the entire event. Other than a few completely unnecessary incidents with the parking attendants on Sunday morning, this past weekend was amazing. I hope everyone can recover this week and then come back strong for Round 6 in Quebec. Stay tuned this week for a CMRC Eastern Canadian Women’s Nationals Round 1 recap, a Mike Alessi interview, Gopher Dunes photo reports and much more. Have a great week, and thanks for reading this Honda Canada Racing sponsored Monday Gate Drop.

But, Gopher Dunes looked so peaceful in the morning. Photo by James Lissimore