Honda Canada Racing Presents the Monday Gate Drop

Good day and welcome to another edition of the Honda Canada Racing Monday Gate Drop. This past weekend at Round 2 of the 2017 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals, the Honda Canada GDR Fox Racing had a great day with their top rider, Colton Facciotti, finishing third overall in the MX1 class. It was a hard-fought day and the first podium finish by the team in 2017. Next up is Round 3 at the Wild Rose MX Park in Calgary, AB.

After months of planning and hard work by everyone in the Prince George MX Association (PGMA), their first ever pro national is now part of Canadian Moto history. Yes, this event didn’t go without its skeptics, but when all was said and done, one can never knock effort, and that is what it took to pull off this first-time event. As I mentioned in my Friday preview of this event, Prince George, BC is a very unique place. With a true four seasons in a calendar year, residents can enjoy a variety of powersports to pass the time. With the PGMA being a small but very proud group of individuals, hosting a round of the CMRC Pro National Series meant the world to them, and they’re already making preparations for 2018.

Even though the limited cell signal made it challenging to cover this event from a media perspective, the true test of any race track is what kind of racing it produces. Well, the Blackwater MX Track can stand tall as the racing on Sunday was as good as we’ve ever seen. With multiple steep elevation changes and a very rutted and rough surface, every single rider I spoke with on Sunday really enjoyed racing on this track. There were great battles all day in both classes with plenty of passing opportunities. Yes, there needs to be a few items addressed between now and 2018, however, I would call this round a great success for the series, as well as the Prince George area. Now, let’s get to the top five in both the MX1 class as well as a recap for the MX2 class.

MX1:

1) Christophe Pourcel (2-1)

I thought this was another strong performance by Pourcel as he won the overall and extended his points lead in the MX1 class. In Moto 1, Pourcel was well on his way to the win when a group of lappers slowed him up, which allowed Matt Goerke to close the gap and eventually make the pass. Pourcel stayed close to Goerke until the finish, perhaps to let him know that he got a gift with that moto win. In Moto 2, it was Goerke’s time to lead and be the first rider to deal with lapped riders. For the entire moto it appeared that Pourcel was stalking Goerke and waiting for a mistake from the Yamaha rider. When it didn’t come, Pourcel turned up the heat and on the final lap, and on the final straight, Pourcel made his move and won the moto and the overall by mere inches. It was an incredible performance and one that very few people will ever forget.

2) Matt Goerke (1-2)

There isn’t too much to say about Matt Goerke and his ride on Sunday. First off, he was much better than last weekend and he appeared a lot happier on the podium. According to Matt, his team had made some adjustments to his motorcycle that had him feeling much more comfortable. I personally marvel at the way Goerke rides his Yamaha. He is the epiphany of an old-school hard charger. From his sand upbringing in Florida, Goerke does have a knack of carrying the front wheel over large bumps that he doesn’t feel like hitting. I’ve learned from watching him over the past few seasons that he is actually quite picky about what bumps he wants his front wheel to hit and where he wants he to go. However, just like a Ryan Villopoto or maybe even Eli Tomac, Goerke doesn’t care if his back end is straight, swapped sideways or whatever. His style is all his own and it’s really fun to watch. Also, I guess I admire it because I have no idea how to ride like that. Yes, he let the final moto and the overall slip away, but at the same time there wasn’t much he could’ve done as Pourcel just out foxed him. Goerke will be fast every weekend and I can’t wait until next weekend.

3) Colton Facciotti (4-3)

I was very impressed with Facciotti this weekend as he really dug deep to get on the podium. In Moto 1, Colton was up front on the opening laps before taking an off-track excursion. Colton ended up off the track and stuck in a deep ditch. To get out, he literally had to launch his Honda back out, almost looping it out in the process. By the time he got going, he was way back and his heart rate was off the charts. In Moto 2, Colton didn’t really get off to a great start, but he hung tough and found his way to third. From there, he actually kept Goerke and Pourcel in sight and his lap times were as good as the leaders. Colton will win very soon, I can just feel it.

4) Dillan Epstein (3-5)

This was another great weekend for Dillan Epstein as he hovered around the podium all day. In Moto 1, he was all by himself in third until Colton Facciotti began to reel him in. From there, Epstein picked up his pace and pulled away to finish in third. In Moto 2, Epstein was a little off the pace and struggled to finish in fifth. However, it was still a great day for him and he still sits in third place in the MX1 class as the series now begins to head east to Calgary.

5) Mike Alessi (5-4)

After an awful weekend in Kamloops last Sunday, Mike Alessi changed a few things on his bike and ended up riding a whole lot better on Sunday. After a decent top five finish in Moto 1, Alessi grabbed the holeshot in Moto 2 and led for three laps. Even after getting passed by Goerke, Pourcel and Facciotti, Alessi hung strong in fourth and rode hard until the finish. It was a great moto for Aless and one that will hopefully give him confidence moving forward.

MX2:

I won’t go into the entire top five of the MX2 class as I have a plane to catch. But, I will say that it was definitely a day of mixed emotions for the series’ top guns. For overall winner Cole Thompson, it was a great day and one that he will no doubt cherish for a long time. Even on a day when he wasn’t the fastest rider, he still managed to get the job done and take back the red plate as they head into Round 3. The heartbreak award goes to Shawn Maffenbeier, who was without doubt the fastest rider of the day. Maffenbeier had Moto 1 in the bag before falling over in a corner and handing the lead to Thompson. In Moto 2, he was again the fastest rider on the track before taking a rock to the water pump and having his bike overheat. Maff would DNF Moto 2 and lose a pile of points in the process. His teammate, Jess Pettis, really should’ve won Moto 2 and the overall in front of his hometown fans, but a major mistake in the closing laps allowed Thompson to close and make the pass. Every rider knows of the added stress when you’re racing in front of your family and friends as you just don’t want to make a mistake and let them down. For 24 minutes of the second moto it appeared like Pettis was managing that stress perfectly. Hopefully, Pettis will learn from this and from here on out realize that he does have the speed to win. As I said, the second moto was all his until that one big mistake. As Cole Thompson told me after the second Moto, “I definitely wasn’t the fastest rider today, but I feel like I was the smartest.” It was too bad as the MX101 Yamaha Team should’ve went 1-2 on the day and held on to the coveted red plate.

Now, the 2017 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals move to Calgary for Round 3. Everyone loves going to Calgary for this race, and for those riders that will be in town on Tuesday, it will be the final time they’re able to ride this very cool track before the race. It should be another epic race as the Calgary track always seems to produce some great racing. Thank you to Prince George for being such a great host this past weekend, I look forward to going back in 2018. Finally, congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins on winning their second Stanley Cup in a row last night. My son and I are huge Pens fans so this result makes us very happy. I can’t believe that hockey is over again for another year, but I do have a feeling that my wife is happy. Have a great week and we’ll see everyone in Calgary.