Monday Maniac #26

by Gauldy107

The west has been put to rest. The final round of the western swing of the Monster Energy Motocross Nationals came to a close yesterday at Castrol Raceway just outside of Edmonton, AB. It was another challenging day of work, but as per usual we all managed to get the job done, had great racing, dodged another weather bullet, and now head into a three week break before Gopher Dunes with the mindset that everything gets easier in the east.

Yesterday at Castrol Raceway was a good day in my books. We got a little bit of bad weather that caused a few issues but all in all I would say it was the best work and race day out of all the western rounds. I was really stoked on the crowd that stuck around for the racing once it started to pour pretty good. There were some serous die hard motocross fans out there. That just makes our job much easier when you see fans enjoying a fun day at the motocross track, even with Mother Nature being difficult for a small part of the day.

Saturday was another story. It was hot and super dry. The crew at Castrol did a good job with what they had to deal with. Nobody got seriously hurt and the final two motos of the Women’s Nationals went off without a hitch. A pretty solid crowd got to witness the best two motos of the series. Once the checkers waved it was US import Hailey Larson who became the 2012 Women’s National Champion but she didn’t just get it handed to her on the final day. Last year’s Champion, Denaye Giroux, stole the first moto with an uber impressive ride. The two lady racers battled the entire moto passing each other a few times, but in the end Denaye was able to grab a moto win from Larson and at least say that she stopped the perfect season. Moto two saw four racers going for it. Larson, Giroux, Shelby Turner and Rachel Springman were all within a few bike lengths for the majority of the moto. Each rider was making aggressive passes and criss-crossing through lappers while going for the W. Larson grabbed the win and the overall for the day, but what we got to see from these girls was pretty astonishing. They laid it all on the line for that shot at glory, and as a fan I was so impressed. Congrats to all the girls on the west coast. Congrats to Hailey Larson for winning the title. Last but not least, congrats to Denaye and Camille Baker for stepping up and showing that there are no egos in women’s racing. What these girls did for women all over Canada that would like to race was ultra-inspiring and will no doubt make the administrators re-think their series for 2013 and how serious the girls take racing (At least the west coast anyway, not sure if the east will be the same. Camille and Denaye really took a boss role for the western girls).

Finally, somebody stopped Monster Leading Edge Kawasaki MX2 points leader Teddy Maier, and it was the rider that most picked to do it. Jeremy Medaglia piloted his Royal Distributing KTM Red Bull Fox ride to the top of the box with 2-1 moto scores. Teddy Maier is a great dude and a great rider, but you need to see a mix up to keep things interesting. We got it in Calgary in MX1, and now in Edmonton in MX2. It breathes new life into the series when you see different winners. No doubt Jeremy earned it as well as he has never lost focus knowing that he has the speed to win. The cards finally fell in his favour and he pounced on it. The emotion he shared after the moto was truly an awesome site to see. I’m not talking tears here people, just big smiles from ear to ear.

MX1 saw some amazing action between OTSFF Rockstar Bobby Kiniry, Monster Leading Edge Kawasaki’s Matt Goerke and Royal Distributing KTM’s Colton Facciotti. These three titans rode so fast this weekend that I figured when the checkers flew they would just keep going. Matt Goerke once again came out on top taking 3-4 rounds out west. Bobby Kiniry rode amazing at each and every round, and also pulled together that win last weekend in Calgary. Both these guys are going to do this each weekend till the end of the year. That’s something you can count on. I am giving full hero points to 2011 Champion Colton Facciotti for riding with the pain he looks to be in. He could not even lift his trophy yesterday up on the podium. Champions fight for the titles they win. Champions also fight through the pain of injury to show that they are true champions. Colton will most likely not win this year, but damned if he is not going to try even not being 100%. I honour champions because of what they do to get there. I have never put Colton Facciotti on the top of my list of favourite champions in Canadian history, but he is making a case for it right now showing that he’s not just in this sport for the accolades. He loves it!!

How about the ride for sub-in rider Zeb Dennis? The kid has had so many ups and downs in his career. What he did on Sunday was something special. Zeb has always been a gifted rider, and most people always thought he would become a great star in the sport. Injuries and some odd choices always played a role, but now that Zeb has found a solid home with Motopark, he really has turned things around. This past Sunday he showed us the skill he has, not only passing for the lead in the second MX1 moto but leading to the green flag and passing Colton Facciotti back. It’s a moment that will stick in his mind for his entire life. He may never get there again but for a brief moment Zeb Dennis was the fastest man on the track. Now let’s see what this kid is made of come east coast.

 

I wish I was as lucky as some in our industry that only have one job. I could only imagine waking up each day with one simple task at hand and be able to give more time to friends or family. It’s just not that way in my world. Now I am jumping the gun a  little I guess. When nationals start it seems to really pick up the pace of having an over abundance of things to do. If I just had the website to update I would be on gravy street. Web stuff is about as easy a job you can have in this industry, especially now that I have been so involved in mxpmag.com for the past 4 years. It’s so simple to write, load, share, etc. to the site but it’s time consuming work, and boring sitting in front of the PC all the time. The excitement factor is not that high and the pats on the back are low because once you do something great for the web it’s gone in 24 hours and forgotten in 48. The mag helps me with this because you actually put some passion into the work. It’s not just a one and done type of feeling. As I sit and write this, I’m staring at the stack of mags that I have personally helped put together. It’s a team effort but a sense of accomplishment you will never get being a web nerd. It’s just that way. Then we throw in all the work for the Monster Energy Motocross Nationals and I feel like a workhorse that’s been ridden hard and put away wet. Hell, I slept for the entire red eye flight home. Then when I finally got into my house I passed out for another 5 hours or so. It’s hard for regular people to understand why I do what I do and seem to get enjoyment out of it. It’s easy for people inside the industry to see what I do and understand why I enjoy it, but they just expect it and want more and more. It’s a tough situation for a lot of us that work inside the motorcycle industry but that’s what passion does for you, I guess. It over powers any problem you have because it seems to just push us through each moment when you say “I’m over it,” and you continue to just work. The best moment of this job, or any of the jobs I do is when the gate drops. Then it’s just fan watching something I love and seeing the best racers going hard for glory. In those 25 plus 2, or 30 plus 2 motos, It’s like you’re free of anything. Nobody matters, no negative effect you, you’re not angry cause passion outweighs paycheck, you’re just lost in the beauty of the sport.

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