Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
Oh man what a day it was at Round 5 of the 2017 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals. Each year when the series visits Gopher Dunes, the riders and the teams brace themselves for a day of torture in the sand. This race is always very hard on man and machine as both the riders body temperature, and their bike temperatures skyrocket throughout the day. Eventually, the racing at Gopher Dunes turns to just utter survival and the riders are forced to just find their way to the finish. For whatever reason, the track this year was even tougher and the conditions more gruelling. For those who lined up and raced this weekend, we salute your courage, your determination, and the fact that you just like to try something tough. To celebrate the toughest race in Canada, here are a few James Lissimore photos from Gopher Dunes.
The Gopher Dunes track didn’t look that difficult in the morning.
Just after noon on Sunday, all hell broke loose as the gate dropped on the first MX2 moto.
After his incredible first moto win, Colton Facciotti gets congratulated and attended to by his proud family.
Mike Alessi definitely owned the MX1 class at Gopher Dunes.
Good thing Alessi had enough energy to point at the cameraman after his impressive second moto win.
Even though he was a little out of racing shape, it was still great to see Kaven Benoit back on the track at Gopher Dunes.
Fans in Southern Ontario sure love their motocross.
Dylan Epstein gave it everything he had on Sunday and managed to survive without losing too many points.
After crashing in the first turn of Moto 1, Matt Goerke went from dead last to second in 30 minutes. It was one of the most impressive rides ever at this famous track.
At times on Sunday Jacob Hayes had some very good speed and even led a moto for a few laps. However, overall he struggled in the sand and probably couldn’t wait for Round 6.
Shawn Maffenbeier took a very popular and much needed win in the first MX2 moto.
On his new home track, and in front of his Honda bosses, Colton Facciotti took off in Moto 1 and won by over ten seconds.
The wall jump was one of the most insane jumps on the Gopher Dunes track and it provided a lot of entertainment for the crowd.
Your exhausted MX2 podium. At least these riders had the strength to hold up their trophies.
Josh Osby has been impressive all season long and things were no different at Gopher Dunes. Josh rode hard all day and eventually finished up in fourth overall.
Always a great sand rider, Tim Tremblay had a fun day at Gopher Dunes and finished up in sixth overall in the MX1 class.
After his post race comments, I think it was safe to say that Christophe Pourcel didn’t enjoy his first ever trip to Gopher Dunes.
Racing in his very first pro national, Tanner Ward rode to wheels off his KTM to finish 8th in Moto 2.
You usually don’t see starting gates at the beach.
Tyler Medaglia rode with the determination of a warrior and in the process found his way onto the podium.
It was great to see Jesse Wentland back on Canadian soil for the first time in awhile. Racing in the MX1 class, Jesse went 10-9 for 8th overall.
Just as he was going for the lead in Moto 2, Dylan Wright got sideways coming back onto the start straight and crashed hard.
I love that Dylan Wright also sells tee-shirts in the pits. Back in the 1990’s there was a few riders who used to do this and it was pretty cool.
Although it didn’t last very long, fans at Gopher Dunes finally got to see another Cole Thompson and Dylan Wright battle.
For the second week in a row, Dylan Wright found his way onto the MX2 podium.
