As I left McNabb Valley Raceway after the racing on Saturday, other than turning the heat on in my car so I could warm up, I made sure to get really comfortable as the 2.5-hour drive to Winnipeg provided me with some time to reflect on what I just witnessed. Other than the obvious difficult conditions that everyone had to deal with (light rain fell all day long and the temperatures hovered around 7c), a few interesting things took place. It was brutal and certainly not what anyone would expect for mid-June. However, our riders and teams have proven to be a very resilient group over the years so they’re always prepared for any condition.
As the first practice sessions hit the McNabb Valley Raceway, the track wasn’t too bad and the riders were able to get some decent laps in. But like a fisherman opening up a can of worms, the more laps that were completed the worse the track got. With rain falling, the track opened up to Mother Nature’s wrath. As the 250 riders lined up for their first moto, the track was in awful shape. Not only was the track really muddy, but the rain was still falling, which made any type of visibility really difficult. As the pack of 250 riders made their way around the track during the opening laps, it was like watching 40 blind men as there were times when each rider had no idea where they were going. Also, as much as the invention of the yellow Acerbis track markers have helped to make our tracks look clean and professional, they don’t do a great job of keeping riders on the track. I can even count the number of times in both the 250 and 450 motos that I saw riders get sideways in the mud and simply go off the track. These riders tried to get back on the track as soon as they could, but the old days of stopping, turning around and re-entering the track where you left are clearly long gone. But as these types of races usually do, after a few laps every rider was just trying to survive and make it to the checkered flag. That part of racing in the mud will never change.
Sadly, after just one moto in each class, Head Referee Paul Kingsley had seen enough and wisely decided to cancel the remainder of the day. With the track completely gone and the riders finding it almost impossible to stay inside the yellow markers in certain sections, and limited machinery to repair the track, it was time to cut everyone’s losses and move on to Round 4 next month. In the moments following Sir Paul’s gutsy decision, there was obviously some very unhappy people in the paddock. Some riders like Matt Goerke (who won the 450 moto while racing with a broken finger) was ecstatic that he didn’t have to go back out there again, while Phil Nicoletti, for instance, had trouble believing they weren’t going to run the second motos. Both sides of this argument had valid points but in the end it was decided that Round 3 was history.
This was the tire of choice for Saturday’s muddy conditions and these will no doubt be in high demand during the next two sand races. Photo by James Lissimore
Over the years some people have stated that racing in difficult conditions like the mud we saw in Minnedosa is a great equalizer. I sometimes think it’s the opposite as mud always seems to separate the field even more. Even at the front of the pack you see that certain riders handle the mud better than others. Other then a gain or loss in points, it’s really hard to read too much into the results from a mud race as anything can happen. As we saw on Saturday, Dylan Wright raced to a hard-fought victory in the 250 class, only to get docked positions for cutting the track in Turn 2. Not only did Dylan go from first to sixth in the race, he also lost the red plate as the class points leader. His GDR Honda Team has appealed the decision so we’ll see what happens. If these results stand, Marshal Weltin will be the red plate holder heading into Round 4 in Gopher Dunes. With Weltin being a great sand rider, he must be looking forward to the sand tracks of the east. I would expect all of the top 250 riders to be better in the east. Throughout the first three rounds, Dylan Wright has definitely been the fastest 250 rider, so it’s a shame that he may not have the points lead come Round 4.
In the 450 class, I don’t think we learned anything new at Round 3. Matt Goerke is and always has been a beast. Considering he was racing with a broken finger makes his win that much more impressive. Colton Facciotti once again rode smart, took second overall, and extended his points lead in the process. His now has 8 points over Nicoletti and 29 over Cole Thompson. I know how strong Facciotti and Thompson will be in the east, so I’m looking to see how Nicoletti is when the track is rough and the temperature is hot. Considering he trains each week in South Carolina, I think he’s going to be really good.
No rider likes when a mud race happens but they happen, and when they do, everyone just has to deal with it. Now the series takes a three week break before resuming at the roughest track on the circuit, Gopher Dunes. I don’t think we’ll see Round 4 take place on a muddy track like we did last weekend, but it may end up being another day of survival for every rider as we’ll definitely see some more extreme conditions.
