Monday Gate Drop

Good Morning and welcome to this first Monday Gate Drop of June. I hope everyone had a good weekend. I don’t think too many people could complain about the weather we had both here in Ontario and out in British Columbia. The sun was shining and the temperatures were just about perfect; it was certainly a nice little taste of summer.

While there was a lot of racing going on across this great country of ours, as well as round two of the Red Bull Outdoor Nationals in Hangtown, CA, I hope everyone doesn’t mind if I focus this edition of Gate Drop solely on what happened in Nanaimo, BC and the opening round of the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals.

My trip to BC began on Thursday with an uneventful five hour flight to Vancouver. Usually there are other members of the national travelling circus heading to the race so on my flight I was lucky enough to share it with the Rockstar Energy Drink OTSFF Yamaha Team as well as the voice of Canadian Motocross, Marc Travers. All of us were excited to get going, as the gear came up after take-off, it definitely signaled the beginning to a new season.

With round one being on a Saturday everyone had to arrive at the track early on Friday and set up by mid-afternoon. Since I spent Thursday evening hanging out at Ryan Lockhart’s very posh condo, we had to get up at the crack of dawn on Friday and catch the ferry over to Nanaimo. We arrived at the track around 10am to find that Derek Schuster had The Wastelands circuit prepped to perfection. As I walked around the paddock handing out copies of our newest issue, I got the feeling that although everyone was eager to start the 2014 series there was also a sense of nervousness that comes with opening day.

Saturday (Race Day)

For us easterners, getting up early in the west is a piece of cake, so when my alarm went off at 5:30am I hopped out of bed like I was going for the holeshot. Newf was my chauffeur for the weekend, and since he was racing the opening round I knew he’d want me downstairs waiting for him when he drove up. As I mentioned before, the weather in Nanaimo was perfect for race day, sunny with a slight breeze so it didn’t get too hot, the riders were in their glory and the mechanics were breathing a sigh of relief that there would be no mud on this day.

After the usual morning greetings and riders meeting, the moment that everyone had been waiting for arrived. The first bikes of the 2014 season took to the track and practice began. Right away, the fast guys looked like the fast guys in both classes. In the MX2 class, Kaven Benoit, Shawn Maffenbeier, Vince Friese and Jesse Wentland all looked great, and in the MX1 class everyone was eager to see the #800 take to the track and he didn’t disappoint. In both practice sessions Mike Alessi looked extremely fast; his MCR ride was definitely the fastest bike on the track.

Before I get to the motos I must apologize for the Internet Radio Show that didn’t work very well. I can say that it wasn’t for a lack of trying as we had a handful of people working on it. For what you get in terms of beauty in Nanaimo, you lack in internet connection as the Wastelands track is nestled in between trees that seem to block out a lot of cell phone and internet signal. For instance, my cell phone only got signal in one spot on the track so that was where I watched all four motos so I could send out tweets. So for all of you that were excited to listen to the broadcast on Saturday, we apologize and we’ll do our best to have everything sorted out for round two in Kamloops.

Top Five

Instead of taking you through each moto, I’m going to give you the top five in both classes and how I thought they rode at round one. Here are you top five from both classes.

MX1:

1. Mike Alessi: 3-1

I was very impressed with Alessi’s raw speed in practice. The momentum he carried around the slippery Nanaimo track was pretty amazing. His bike is clearly the fastest 450 in the class and he does a great job of getting the power to the ground. Not surprisingly Mike didn’t make any new friends on Saturday as he took Colton out on the first lap of moto two, but this is racing and everyone should expect him to do whatever it takes to win. He’s a great addition to the series and he’s sure going to make things interesting in Canada all summer.

2. Colton Facciotti: 1-3

Colton’s performance in moto one was very reminiscent of last year as he grabbed the early lead and rode off to an easy win. When Colton is out front and can pick the lines he wants, he’s very tough to beat. For everyone watching in Nanaimo, he definitely put on a clinic in moto one.

Who knows what would’ve happened in moto two if he hadn’t gone down but I think the adversity he faced is good for Colton heading into the rest of the season. Although he has a great shot at this MX1 Championship, he’s not going to win every moto at every round. When he got into third in moto two and started to eat the roost from Josh Hill’s Kawasaki, Colton backed it down and settled for third and second overall. I thought this sign of maturity was as equally impressive as his first moto runaway.

3. Josh Hill: 4-2

Of all the riders on Saturday perhaps Josh Hill impressed me the most with his huge effort in both MX1 motos. Not only was he very fast, but he never gave up and his fitness looked great. Considering the kid has very little feeling in his left foot and can barely walk, he can sure ride a motorcycle. If Nanaimo was a sign of what’s to come, Hill will be a championship contender this summer.

4. Teddy Maier: 2-6

I think Teddy joins the group of riders that are capable of winning this championship, for sure. In moto one, he rode to a very easy second behind Facciotti and looked great doing so. In moto two, I didn’t see what happened to him on lap one but he was way back. On a track that stayed relatively smooth all day, Teddy put on a great charge to finish sixth. I know he wasn’t happy with this result, but he knows it’s only round one and it could’ve been a lot worse.

5. Bobby Kiniry: 7-4

No one is harder on themselves than Bobby K, and no rider hates the track in Nanaimo more than him. In moto one, he got hit with a rock square between the eyes and broke his nose. By the time he got his bearings back he was in seventh and that’s where he finished. After icing his nose and popping a couple of Advils, Bobby came out swinging in moto two and grabbed the holeshot. His time at the front didn’t last long as Alessi, Facciotti and Hill motored by; Bobby would ride to a strong fourth in moto two. Although it wasn’t the day he was looking for, he can smile as his worst track is now behind him.

MX2:

1. Kaven Benoit: 1-1

Like everyone I knew, Kaven would be fast and would come into the 2014 MX2 series completely prepared. However, I didn’t think he’d win both motos on a track that really doesn’t suit him. I like Kaven, he’s a quiet and seemingly humble kid who just shows up each weekend and does his work. If he can stay healthy through these western rounds then he’ll be tough to beat in the east.

2. Shawn Maffenbeier: 3-2

If you’re looking for someone to cheer for this summer in MX2, you couldn’t go wrong with Shawn Maffenbeier. In Nanaimo, Shawn was fast right from the first lap of practice, and he carried that confidence and speed all the way through both motos. He passed Benoit early in moto one, but then showed Benoit his good lines and got passed back a few laps later. Shawn stalled his bike on the corner before the finish on the last lap and gave up second to Jesse Wentland; he settled for a safe third place. In moto two, he was part of a good battle for the lead for most of the race. The top five riders in moto two were only a few seconds apart for 25 minutes and it had to give Shawn a lot of confidence that he was part of it. Look for him get better and better as this MX2 series progresses.

3. Austin Politelli: 4-3

Considering Austin has only been riding for a month, third overall is a very impressive finish for him. His speed looked great all day and his fitness also looked good. His race timing looked a little off but that was to be expected and it will only improve. Once Austin gets into race shape, he will help make the battle for this 2014 MX2 title an epic one.

4: Jesse Wentland: 2-5

Like Josh Hill in the MX1 class, the rider who impressed me the most in MX2 was Jesse Wentland. I know he had some good results in the east last summer on softer tracks, but Nanaimo is night and day from that and he rode great. Jesse is fast, he’s fit and he’s on a great bike. I can’t wait to see him race for the title all summer.

5: Topher Ingalls: 7-4

I think I tweeted on Saturday that riding a two-stroke on the Nanaimo track was not a good thing. However, in moto two, Topher proved me wrong by getting the holeshot and leading for a few laps. His speed was great and I think on the softer tracks of the series, Topher is going to challenge for moto wins. If you remember last summer, he really picked it up in the east and almost won the MX2 title. This kid knows how to win so he definitely joins the list of riders who are capable of winning this championship.

On to Kamloops

So there you have it, your top five from round one. It really was a great day of racing and it was everything an opening round should be. If all the riders can stay healthy then both classes have five or six riders that are capable of winning on any given day. On the injury front, poor Jess Pettis fractured his wrist in practice and will miss the rest of the western rounds. I know there is no answer for it, but Jess needs to find a way to stay healthy for an entire season. He’s fast, he’s a hard worker and he’s on a great bike. He just needs to put in a full season. Also, track builder, GDR owner and the best hugger in the pits, Derek Schuster, ko’d his ankle on Saturday running back to his truck to get a pair of pliers. Who knows what the future holds for Schuster and his ankle. It swelled up like a balloon so something is wrong with it. At least he has the new issue of MXP with his main rider on the cover to read while he ices it this week. His injury might have been a blessing in disguise though, as when Colton went down in moto two, if there wasn’t already so much blood rushing to his injured ankle, he probably would’ve had a stroke. Sometimes things happen for a reason.

In closing, I want to say a big congratulations to Hailey Larsen for winning round one of the CMRC Western Canadian Women’s National on Sunday. Hailey is once again going to be tough to beat this year as she looks even faster than she did last year. I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s Gate Drop/ Nanaimo Report. Stay tuned for a James Lissimore photo report, Facciotti interview and a super cool video from Nanaimo. The 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals have officially begun! Only nine more rounds to go.