As the riders entered the perfectly groomed grounds of Deschambault Raceway, located a half hour West of Quebec City, all of them wanted to have a great race in front of the passionate French crowd. With the excitement of a Hollywood movie, Cole Thompson took the win in the MX2 class and with it, the 2016 Championship. It was Cole’s first professional outdoor title and with the way he’s riding, it most certainly won’t be his last.
In the MX1 class it was Cole’s teammate Kaven Benoit who made the crowd erupt as he battled Davi Millsaps and Matt Goerke to take the second moto win and the overall for the day. It was Benoit’s very first MX1 win and it couldn’t have come at a better place. As he’s been all season long, James Lissimore was on hand and sent these incredible photos from round 9 of the 2016 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals.
The KTM Thor Racing Team has been dominant all season long. Here they celebrate Cole Thompson’s 2016 MX2 Championship.
As he did last weekend in Moncton, Matt Goerke caught fire in moto two and came from behind to finish second.
Dakota Alix has been one of the best starters in the MX2 class since he joined the series at Gopher Dunes. Here he takes an early lead in Deschambault.
Brett Metcalfe was on his way to third overall in the MX1 class before he caught a rut wrong in the late stages of moto two and hit the ground hard.
As many thought he would, Tim Tremblay had a great day in front of his hometown fans and finished in fifth overall.
The battles in the MX2 class in the east have been incredible. Here Dylan Wright and Dakota Alix battle for second in moto two.
This is one of Lissimore’s best photos from round 9 as he captures Matt Goerke climbing one of the many sand hills in Deschambault.
After his amazing second moto win, Kaven Benoit gets a big hug from his proud mom.
With the 2016 MX1 championship almost in his grasp, Davi Millsaps rode very smart in Deschambault to finish in second overall.
In moto one, Cole Thompson took the early lead and never looked back. He even jumped the massive infield double jump for a few laps to build his lead.
After spending the night in a local hospital to nurse a broken cheek bone and alot of bruises, Metcalfe was released and headed back home to California. Thankfully he will be okay, but what a tough ending to his 2016 summer.
In moto one, Davi Millsaps and Kaven Benoit were this far apart for the entire race. The two KTM teammates even jumped the huge double every lap. This was one of the most entertaining motos of the 2016 season.
After winning the overall in the MX1 class, Kaven Benoit takes a well deserved drink on top of the Deschambault podium.
Your very happy MX2 podium finally holding some very cool trophies.
With his late season charged and with Brett Metcalfe now out with injuries, Kaven Benoit has the chance to finish the MX1 series in the top three.
This pit board says it all! Congratulations Cole Thompson on your well earned 2016 MX2 Championship.
Kaven Benoit celebrates the moment that every rider dreams about. In moto two, Benoit took the lead on the opening lap and never looked back.