Monday Gate Drop

Good morning and welcome to the first official Monday Gate Drop of the summer of 2014. While the calendar claims its summer, Mother Nature of the west is refusing to buy into the concept. First, there was last weekend in Calgary when rain threatened all day and the temperature hovered around a chilly 15c. Then there was Regina this past weekend where Mother Nature decided that she just didn’t want to see a full day of racing at round 4 of the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals.

Right from the time that everyone arrived in Regina for Saturdays race the weather was awful with cool temperatures and steady rain. The rain lasted all day Friday and with the race being held this weekend on a Saturday, there was no time for the Moto Valley Raceway track or facility to dry up. Even the road to the track from the TransCanada Highway was a complete mess due to the large amounts of precipitation. As I usual do the day before the race I drove out to the track to check things out and of course socialize with everyone there. However, when I arrived at the track the driveway was blocked with a stuck motor home and a back up of cars.

As you can see in this photo, the track wasn’t the only messy thing in Regina. photo by James Lissimore

After waiting in line for over an hour I decided to give other Canadian motocross media moguls Billy Rainford and James Lissimore a call. They had also tried to get into the track earlier but couldn’t so we all ended up sitting in Billy’s hotel room talking about, you guessed it, Canadian motocross and what we’ve collectively seen if the first few rounds. By the time we all put our two cents in I think we had every moment covered from Nanaimo to Regina. After a great dinner at Chilli’s (why don’t they have these restaurants in Ontario) with our video genius Matt Koeleman and Kyle Springman it was off to bed to dream about the sun coming out the following day.

When everyone woke up in Regina on Saturday morning the sun was shining bright and it was like the rain never happened. Well, that was the case until we arrived back at the track to see that it was still a mess. After a successful trip up the driveway to the track and sliding into a parking spot, I got out and had my first look at the pits and the track. Both looked incredibly bad and almost unusable, but this is motocross and the racing must go on regardless of the conditions. With the practice sessions and length of motos shortened, it was clear that although it wasn’t going to be pretty, the fans were still going to see some awesome racing.

When the gate dropped for the first MX2 moto it was absolute bedlam as mud and water were flying everywhere as the riders jockeyed for position. If you’ve never been involved in a mud race I can tell you that the first lap is crazy as everyone is trying to see while they fight for their motocross lives. Getting the holeshot is obviously the key as you can see the track clearly and control the speed of race. Once the first few laps are over the riders settle in, if the good mud riders are not near the front already, they will be soon. Hometown hero Shawn Maffenbeier got the holeshot and looked like a shoe in for the win, but Jeremy Medaglia had other ideas and pushed his way to the front early on. After three long laps of excitement for the fans and riders, the remaining few laps could best be describe as survival for anyone left on the track. When the chequered flag finally flew it was Jeremy Medaglia taking his first win of the season over Shawn Maffenbeier and Austin Politelli.

After a horrible weekend in Calgary, Jeremy Medaglia flew home, collected his thoughts and came to Regina ready to make amends. photo by James Lissimore

Living up to the “Monsoon June” nickname that the Regina area has earned over the years, heavy rain began pouring down just moments before the gate dropped for the first MX1 moto. There wasn’t one person in attendance that didn’t feel some sympathy for the riders as they battled through the elements on the muddy track. First it was Bobby Kiniry in the lead, then he went down and Facciotti took over, then he went down and Medaglia took his turn at the front. However, Bobby Kiniry would not be denied as he picked himself out of the mud and got back into the lead. From there it was also survival as all the riders were just trying to finish. No one had goggles, some bikes were smoking, some bikes were stuck, it was quite the site to see and when the race was over and Kiniry, Medaglia and Facciotti celebrated on the podium, other rider were struggling just to get back to their pits.

After the first two motos were completed few riders wanted to go back out on the track again. This is when the CMRC officials were faced with a big decision of whether to continue or call it a day. For the next hour the best efforts were made to try and reroute the track to make it safer and more rider friendly. However, in the end the decision was made to cancel the final two motos as it was just too messy to continue. This was a great call by everyone involved as once you start changing the track, especially first turn, it really becomes about safety and getting everyone to round five in one piece.

So Medaglia and Kiniry were the big winners in Regina, they both got much needed victories to boost their championship efforts. Now the riders get a much needed break before they head to perhaps the toughest round of the series at Gopher Dunes. Many people say that the real series begins at Gopher Dunes and through the east. If this is the case than were in for a real treat. Many of the riders in both classes are great sand riders and with four of the final six rounds taking place in sandy conditions, you know the racing is going to be great.

That is it for me this week; I hope everyone has a great week and welcome to summer everyone. Don’t forget the final two rounds of the 2014 New Era Moto Park Cup is coming this weekend at you guessed it, Moto Park. There is a new mini track for the kids and the big track also has some cool changes. It’s going to be a great weekend and we hope to see everyone there!

Bring on the east!!! photo by James Lissimore