Yamaha Motor Canada Presents The Monday Gate Drop

 

Good day and welcome to another edition of the Monday Gate Drop. This week’s Gate Drop is brought to you by the fine people at Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd. In recent years Yamaha has introduced its Blu Cru program to all of its riders, and so far, it’s been very popular. For 2019, Yamaha Motor Canada is once again offering its Factory Rider for A Day program, which means that at the WCAN, the ECAN, and the Walton TransCan, the top finishing Yamaha rider will win themselves a new Yamaha dirt bike of their choice. So, join the Blu Cru and reap the rewards both on and off of the race track.

Well, just like that we have now made it through two rounds of the 2019 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MXTour Series, and there is certainly a lot to talk about. When our national series first visited Prince George in 2017, many people, including myself, thought that the Blackwater MX Track would see a windfall of spectators pass through its gate on race day. Sadly, this hasn’t been the case as for whatever reason this incredible event just cannot seem to get many people to make the 30-minute drive out of the city. I wish everyone in Prince George knew what great racing they were missing as for two years now we have witnessed some unforgettable battles. In 2017, we saw one of the greatest passes in Canadian moto history when Christophe Pourcel outwitted Matt Goerke in the final corner to take a 450 moto win. Then last year we saw multiple battles in all four motos on the unique Blackwater MX Track. Regardless of how many spectators show up to this round, the racing is always excellent and the riders end up really enjoying the race track.

Leading up to Round 2 this past weekend, the Jetwerx crew definitely worked some magic as there had been very little rain in the Prince George area for the past few weeks. However, over the course of a few days, and with the help of cool temperatures and a little rain, they transformed the track into a fun and challenging circuit. Right from the opening practice on Saturday morning the riders were going fast and having fun racing up and down the steep hills that the Blackwater Track offers the riders. But after just a few laps the track began to get rough and show its teeth. By the opening 250 moto, the track had slowed down considerably as the riders had to deal with multiple bumps littering every straightaway, uphill, and downhill. Again, for the past two years the racing in Prince George has produced some moments that we won’t soon forget, and 2019 would be no different.

As we saw at Round 1 in Calgary, GDR Fox Honda rider Dylan Wright has some serious speed in the 250 class. After qualifying second in Prince George, Dylan passed the early race leader, Jess Pettis, and began to inch away to what looked like a solid moto win. However, in true “Dylan Wright is never boring” fashion, with just a few laps remaining, Dylan’s Honda began to experience some issues. As he climbed the track’s largest hill and rode right by where I was standing, his bike let out an odd grunt, and with that noise, it was obvious that the final laps were going to be anything but easy for Dylan. As we would find out later, the noise I heard was most likely his throttle body popping off his air boot as one of the side rails on Dylan’s Honda’s sub-frame had snapped and the entire sub-frame moved sideways. This caused not only the throttle body to separate but it also pulled the top bolts completely out of the main frame causing one of his mufflers to fall off. His bike was a mess and it was getting worse by the minute. Soon, Jess Pettis went by Dylan, as did Marshal Weltin and Josh Osby, and within just a few laps Dylan found himself back in fourth place just trying to finish. As Pettis crossed the finish line with his right arm in the air to take the opening moto win in front of his hometown fans, Dylan held on to fourth and secured some very fortunate championship points.

The second 250 moto had a lot less drama as Dylan would again take the lead early, but this time he never looked back. Dylan’s 4-1 moto score almost gave him the overall win for the day. That honour went to Sky Racing Husqvarna rider Marshal Weltin who showed just how smooth and experienced a rider he is. His quiet and consistent 2-2 moto score gave him his first overall win on Canadian soil. From what we’ve seen of Weltin so far in the opening two rounds, he’s definitely going to be a title contender as the 250 series rolls on.

The 450 class at Round 2 was slightly less dramatic, however it was equally as intense. In Moto 1, Cole Thompson was in the process of most likely taking his second moto win in a row when all of a sudden he was hunched over his bike looking more like his mechanic, Steve Beattie, than Cole Thompson. Like we’ve seen a couple of times with Matt Goerke in the past, Cole’s chain came off and it was up to him and only him to try to get it back on if he wanted any hope of finishing the moto. While his competition motored on by one by one, Thompson fought with his chain to try to get it back on. Finally, he did and got back into the opening moto. While the moto win wasn’t possible anymore, he did take full advantage of the remaining five laps and worked his way back up to an amazing 11^th. Up front, Nicoletti took his first moto win in Canada while Facciotti stayed close to finish second.

When the gate dropped for Moto 2, Facciotti took his first holeshot of the series with Nicoletti and Thompson right behind. For the next 35 minutes Facciotti led with Nicoletti pretty much parked on his rear tire. As they got into lappers, the gap between them would yo-yo back and forth slightly, but to the delight of everyone watching, the battle was one of the best we’ve seen in a while. Even though there was never a pass made by either rider, you had to admire the mental and physical fortitude that Facciotti was showing by holding Phil off and the determination Phil was showing by not letting Colton get away. It was very impressive to watch, and considering how close these riders appear to be in speed, something tells me that we’re going to see this battle a few more times this summer. For Nicoletti, he was happy to not only get his first moto win of the series but also to know that his speed and fitness are exactly where they need to be. Also, history has shown us that Phil tends to do better on softer tracks when the conditions are hot and humid. He will most certainly be better in the east. As for Facciotti, he was very happy to leave Prince George with the overall win as well as the red plate. This track hasn’t been kind to Colton during the past two years so you could tell this win definitely meant a lot. So much so that 45 minutes after the second moto he was still in his gear with a big smile on his face talking to as many people as possible. With this being his final year of pro racing, it’s great to see our 5-time champion enjoying these moments and taking it all in. I spoke to both riders at the end of the day and here is what they had to say regarding their intense battle in Moto 2.

It was also good to see Shawn Maffenbeier go 4-4 for third overall in Prince George. Shawn rode smooth all day on the technical track and was rewarded with a solid podium finish. Another rider who had good day at Round 2 was Dakota Alix who went 5-5 for 5^th overall. As the 450 riders head to Round 3 in Manitoba this weekend, Facciotti leads Nicoletti by just one point, while Thompson sits in third overall, 17 points behind Facciotti. On the other side of things, after a sub-par opening round in Calgary, and some bad luck in Prince George, Matt Goerke is already 33 points out of the lead. With just twelve motos remaining it’s definitely going to be an uphill battle for Goerke.

Well, that’s it for me this week. I hope everyone has a great week and I cannot wait to go to the McNabb Valley track this weekend for the first time. I missed this race last year but I heard nothing but great things about the event and the track. I love the McNabb family so I also cannot wait to see them. So far, the racing has been excellent in all of the classes and this weekend should be much of the same. Have a great week and thank-you for reading. Also, thank-you to Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd for being the new sponsor of my Monday Gate Drop, and finally thank-you to Honda Canada Racing for their support for the past four years. See you at the races!