By Stephen St. Pierre

Pleasant Valley Motocross, in Truro, Nova Scotia, will play host to Round 7 of the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals presented by Motovan this weekend in the first of two stops in the Maritimes. The last time Pleasant Valley hosted a National Event was back in 2002 when Canadian Motocross Legend Jean Sebastien Roy took the win. The race track in Pleasant Valley is fast and technical with loamy soil that will get very rough as the day progresses.

MX1

Since earning the red plate at the opening Round, KTM Canada Thor Racing’s Davi Millsaps has had it on his bike every weekend except for one. Millsaps had a season high 35 point lead in the standings at one time, but has seen his lead diminish as the ‘Boys in Blue’ have owned the podium since the series moved east. Davi has been nursing his injured ribs since Round 5 and has been unable to practice during the week. Even with the injured ribs, and a severely blistered hand, he posted the fastest lap in qualifying last weekend, almost won the first moto, and has a 25 point lead going into Round 7.

Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s Matt Goerke is coming off back to back wins and the reigning MX1 Champion is starting to make a move in his quest for a second title. Goerke has done what race fans thought he could do in winning at some very difficult race tracks in the east, and the momentum he is carrying into this weekend will be hard to stop. If Matt can keep the ball rolling in the Maritimes, by the time the series makes its second stop in Quebec we may have a new points leader.

Since Round 1, Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s Brett Metcalfe has finished on the podium four times but hasn’t topped the box yet this season. After not looking completely at home with his new bike early in the season, Metcalfe is starting to look very comfortable and his results are proof. Brett’s second moto win last weekend at Ulverton was one of the most dominant performances this season in the MX1 Class, and the likeable Australian sits third in the series standings, and is only 29 points back of the leader.

Monster Energy Alpinestars Kawasaki’s Mike Alessi  has been unable to finish in the top 5 since the series moved east, and has fallen back to fourth place in the standings. Alessi sits 38 points off the lead and is capable of reeling off the moto wins that it will take to close the gap during the last four rounds of the series. Look for Mike to rebound this weekend and finish on the podium if he is able live up to his reputation as the best starter in the sport.

After finishing on the podium in the first two rounds, including a win in Nanaimo, Honda Canada Racing Fox GDR’s Colton Facciotti had the Red Plate on his machine going into Round 3 in Calgary. Since then Colton has lost ground in the standings and now sits in fifth position, 41 points behind series leader Davi Millsaps. Last weekend “Colt 45” looked good in the second moto where he placed fourth, and the four-time Champion knows that it is time to start winning races in his quest for a fifth title.

Both KTM Canada Thor Racing’s Kaven Benoit and Parts Canada Husqvarna’s Tyler Medaglia will be looking to finish on the podium this weekend after Benoit grabbed his best finish ever in the MX1 class with a third place last weekend at Round 6 in front of his fellow Quebecers. Medaglia will be riding on his home track this weekend and will use the energy of his hometown fans to help him land on the box for the first time this season.

MX2

KTM Canada Thor Racing’s Cole Thompson has been close to perfect this season and has not finished off the podium. Thompson has a 64 point lead and has been the fastest rider in the MX2 class all year. His ability to ride behind the best riders in the class, waiting for the right moment to make the pass and then pull away in to a comfortable lead, has been textbook stuff. Cole always appears to be in perfect control whether he is posting the fastest lap in qualifying or making a pass for the lead, and if someone can’t find a way to beat him, soon he could win his first MX2 Championship before the final round.

With another podium finish last weekend, Redemption Racing Big Steel Box KTM’s Shawn Maffenbeier continues his strong season. Had it not been for a mechanical breakdown at his home track in Regina during the second moto, he would be much closer to the leader than he is. Maffenbeier rode well last weekend and has been the runner up in nine motos this year, but is still looking for his first moto win.

MX101 FXR Yamaha’s Dylan Wright is another Yamaha rider who is carrying a lot of momentum into this weekend after getting the first overall win of his career last weekend in Ulverton, Quebec. Wright has been getting really good starts this year and his two moto wins is second most in the class. Dylan moved up to third position in the series standings after the last round, and although he is well behind Leader Cole Thompson, will be looking to finish on the podium again this weekend.

Last weekend was the first race for Honda Canada Racing Fox GDR’s Brad Nauditt with his new team, and he finished an impressive fifth after very little practice time on his new machine. Nauditt is in fourth place in ths series standings and should be faster this weeknd as he gets more comfortable with his new ride. Brad is one of only three riders to have won a moto this year in the MX2 class, and don’t be suprised if you see the talented American racer up front this weekend.

Monster Energy Alpinestar Kawasaki’s Mark Worth had his worst finish last weekend since he was called up for Round 2 to replace the injured Jacob Hayes. After finishing sixth in the first moto, Worth went off the track in Moto 2 and got caught up in the fence. It took him a while to free his bike and he could only manage to work his way back to 23rd by the end of the moto. Mark rounds out the top 5 in the series standings and will be hungry to make ammends for last weekend’s poor result.

Pleasant Valley will be the seventh of ten rounds of the 2016 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals presented by Motovan before new champions are crowned. Maritime race fans are very excited about the return to Truro after a 14 year absence, and for having the opportunity to have two weekends of racing in the east this year. If you haven’t already purchased your tickets you can buy them online easily at the mxnationals.ca website. If you are in another part of the country and are unable to attend the race you can see all the action live by downloading the free Conx2share app and live stream every moto on your mobile phone or computer.

MX1 Point Standings 2016

1. Davi Millsaps (KTM) – 319          

2. Matt Goerke (Yam) – 294

3. Brett Metcalfe (Yam) – 290

4. Mike Alessi (Kaw) – 281

5. Colton Facciotti (Hon) – 278            

6. Kaven Benoit (KTM) – 225

7. Cade Clason (KTM) – 222  

8. Tyler Medaglia (Hus) – 211 

9. Morgan Burger (Yam) – 183 

10. Keylan Meston (Yam) – 180

MX2 Point Standings 2016

1. Cole Thompson (KTM) – 343 

2. Shawn Maffenbeier (KTM) – 279

3. Dylan Wright (Yam) – 242

4. Brad Nauditt (Hon) – 230

5. Mark Worth (Kaw) – 200

6. Jess Pettis (Yam) – 197

7. Brandon Leith (Kaw) – 162

8. Ryeley Gallup (KTM) – 158 

9. Hayden Halstead (Yam) – 151

10. Mc Coy Brough (KTM) – 140

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