Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
Heading into the opening round of the 2018 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MXTour Series in Calgary, there was definitely an abundance of giddy anticipation. Not only was this Round 1 of a new series, but this was also the first time that the Canadian National Series has kicked off at Wild Rose MX Park.
This track is a favourite among riders, teams and fans. With the massive jumps, extreme elevation changes, and of course the spectacular views of downtown Calgary, there are many reasons why everyone loves to visit this vibrant city.
When the gate dropped on the opening moto of the day, Yamaha rider Jess Pettis rocketed to the lead and from there he never looked back. Not only did Pettis dominate the first 250 Pro/Am moto, but he again led the field throughout Moto 2 to grab his second win of the day. Behind Pettis was last year’s class champion Shawn Maffenbeier and newcomer to the series Joey Crown. As it is each and every year, the 250 Pro/Am class was very exciting to watch at Round 1.
In the 450 class, everyone in attendance got to watch one of Colton Facciotti’s best ever performances. Right from the opening lap of Moto 1, Facciotti took the lead and quickly gapped the field. By the end of the 35-minute moto, Facciotti had a 40 second lead over Kaven Benoit and Cole Thompson. In Moto 2, Facciotti once again took the early lead but this time he won by over 40 seconds. Unlike Moto 1 where it was two KTM riders trying to keep Facciotti in sight, in the second moto it was two Yamaha riders as Dillan Epstein and Matt Goerke crossed the finish line in second and third.
It was a great day of racing at Round 1 in Calgary, and now the MXTour moves west to Popkum, BC for Round 2. It should be another exciting day of racing on this new track to the series. With the beautiful BC scenery as the back drop, and a venue located just off of the Trans Canada Highway, the Popkum round should be very entertaining. Here are some incredible James Lissimore photos from last weekend in Calgary.
With the nationals taking place on Saturdays in 2018, the Wild Rose MX track on Friday was a quiet place.
Of all of the top riders, Mike Alessi probably has the least amount of gate drops in 2018 as he didn’t race the AXTour Series. However, Alessi rode well in Calgary and finished up 6th overall.
After a difficult 2017 season, it was great to see Kaven Benoit back on the race track at Round 1. After a great opening moto which saw him finish in second, Benoit had a tough second moto and finished well back in 14th.
Racing for the first time in Calgary, rookie pro Marco Cannella rode great at the opening round to finish 6th overall.
Racing on his new Sky Holeshot Racing Honda, Cade Clason had a solid day in Calgary and finished up in 7th overall.
Right from the first gate drop on Saturday, Colton Facciotti was riding as if he was on rails.
Newcomer to the 250 Pro/Am class Joey Crown rode very well in Calgary and found himself on the podium by days end.
After not finishing the opening 450 moto in Calgary, Dillan Epstein came back strong in Moto 2 and finished up in second.
With the Calgary skyline in the background, Colton Facciotti had one of those days that most riders can only dream about.
Matt Goerke had one of this typical opening round days in Calgary. He crashed, battled hard, rode great, and finished inside the Top 3.
One of the best moments of the day was when Hayden Halstead holeshotted the second 250 Pro/Am moto.
Even Halstead’s flowing long hair couldn’t slow him down in Calgary.
Dylan Wright and Shawn Maffenbeier demonstrate the perfect way to stay low over a Calgary jump.
Ryan Lalonde had a great day in Calgary and finished up in tenth overall in the tough 450 class.
Everywhere you looked in Calgary you saw Shawn Maffenbeier and his red plated #1 Kawasaki.
When you holeshot the first 450 moto in front of your hometown fans, this is the kind of celebration you get at the podium.
Keylan Meston rode great on his home track in Calgary and finished up in a career high 4th overall.
Josh Osby and his teammate Joey Crown are definitely going to reach a lot of podiums this summer. In Calgary, Osby went 3-4 for 4th overall.
Jared Petruska rode very strong in Calgary and surprised a lot of people with his solid 5th overall in the 250 Pro/Am class.
When you dominate both motos the way Jess Pettis did on Saturday, you’re definitely a rockstar.
If Joey Crown is going to keep riding this well as summer long, he’d better get used to these cool champagne showers.
It was great to see the gate finally drop on the 2018 Rockstar Energy Triple Crown MXTour Series.
Tanner Ward had an okay day at the opening round. After holeshotting the opening 250 Pro/Am moto, Tanner went down in Turn 2 and had to battle from behind. He would end up going 8-9 for 8th overall.
Cole Thompson rode very well at Round 1 and was the only 450 rider to get close to Facciotti in lap times. His 3-7 moto score definitely didn’t represent how well he rode.
Everybody’s favourite Canadian rider Tyler Medaglia had a great day in Calgary and would finish up in third overall in the 450 class.
There’s nothing like having a little fun on your dirt bike in the city.
Dylan Wright shows us the proper way to ‘turn down’ in Calgary.
