Monday Gate Drop

There are parts to Paul Kingsley’s job that I think they could get anyone to do. photo by James Lissimore

Good morning and welcome to this week’s Monday Gate drop. I hope all the dads out there had a great Father’s Day yesterday, you all do so much and you deserved a special day. Although I’m very lucky to be the dad of an incredible six year old boy, I wasn’t able to spend yesterday with him as I was in Calgary at round three of the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals. With daddy out west mommy had to take Ayrton racing at RJ’s in Barrie, Ontario and they did pretty well without me there. Good job family!!

As I mentioned I was in Calgary to cover the race and with what I saw, I’m glad I didn’t miss it. Whether it’s the city, the track or maybe both, this round of the series always seems to provide some very memorable racing. Last year we saw Brett Metcalfe put on an amazing ride in moto two of the MX1 class when he came from outside the top 15 to win the moto. Well, I’m not sure if Mike Alessi watched that race on television (let’s be honest here, of course he did) but his second moto yesterday was actually more impressive. You see in 2013 Metcalfe got off to an awful start and then slowly picked his way to the front, finally making the pass at the 20 minute mark to take the lead and the moto win. The track was very beat up and Metty’s line choices were superb.

I took this photo just prior to the final MX1 moto. Like last year, the riders in Calgary had to deal with alot of ruts.

Yesterday after winning the first MX1 moto by ten seconds over Colton Facciotti, Alessi knew that he needed to get out front again early in moto two. Well just like a scene out of an action movie, Alessi tried his best to time the drop of the gate but ran into it instead just before the gate dropped. As crazy as it was to see one of the best starters in the world get caught in the gate like a beginner rider, it was actually kind of refreshing ( I mean, who hasn’t done this at some point) . With his Dad Tony freaking out Mike got going in about 20th position and with Colton out front there wasn’t one person at the track, besides the MotoConcepts Team who didn’t think this would be Colton’s moto. However, unlike Metcalfe’s methodical charge to the front a year ago, Alessi dropped the hammer quickly and came around after lap one in 10th place. A lap later he was in 5th, one lap later he was third, and by lap four he’d gone from mid pack to 2nd and was closing on Colton. With half the crowd screaming for Colton to keep charging and hold him off, and other half was silent in utter disbelief at what they just witnessed.

Eventually Alessi caught Colton and made the pass at the halfway point of the moto, there wasn’t much Colton could do. I’m sure he had one more notch he could’ve taken his speed to but it might have been a little out of his comfort zone. This is where I was once again very impressed with our three time champion, Colton rode very smart and took the second place points with class and the knowledge that he will be very fast at Regina next week and he will still have the coveted red plate. In this moto, on this track, there are few riders in the world who could’ve matched Alessi’s speed and ability to pass riders. It was amazing to see the extra speed he was carrying through some sections. Other than the drama that the MotoConcepts Team creates for themselves, it’s great for this series to have them up here and I for one hope we see more great rides like that one yesterday.

Topher Ingalls had a great day in Calgary going 4-4 for fourth overall in the MX2 class. He also got both holeshots on his KTM two stroke for which he received $800 total from Royal Distributing. photo by James Lissimore

In the MX2 class it was Alessi’s teammate Vince Friese who grabbed the overall using a 3-1 moto score to do it. In moto one Austin Politelli showed that he’s recovered from his broken leg and won the race in dominating fashion. In moto two, Politelli reeled Friese in and was going for the pass when his bike malfunctioned and he was forced to DNF. It was a heartbreaking moment for Politelli and his team as it was his race to lose. Of course he still had to pass Friese which is proving to be a very delicate matter in the MX2 class. After three rounds in Canada, it isn’t hard to see why Friese comes here with a questionable reputation from his racing in the USA.

Anyway, other riders that did well yesterday were Tyler Medaglia, who rode to a very strong third overall in the MX1 class. Tyler actually led the second moto for a few laps and looked very comfortable on his KTM. Teddy Maier also rode strong on a track that he loves; it was also cool to see Teddy’s wife and daughter there on Father’s Day. In the MX2 class MX101 Yamaha teammates Jesse Wentland and Dylan Wright both had very solid days. Wentland actually caught Friese in the late stages of moto two and almost was able to make the pass, his speed and endurance was very impressive. After a bad weekend in Kamloops, Dylan Wright got back into the top five yesterday with two very strong moto’s. Maybe the fact that our video guru Matt Koeleman followed Dylan around all day gave him an extra boost of confidence? Finally, I have to also mentioned how awesome Shawn Maffenbeier’s second moto charge. After falling on the first lap and remounting in second last, Maffenbeier put his head down and charged all the way to 7th, it was a great ride and he definitely salvaged some important points.

Could Newf be calling Regina to book a room for next weekend?

So there you have it, round three of the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals in a nutshell. It was a great day of racing and although the temperatures were cool, the forecasted rain held off and the track was perfect all day. Another great part of yesterday was crowd! It was the biggest that I’ve ever seen in Calgary and it proved that motocross is alive and well in the Calgary area. I hope everyone had a great weekend and I hope all the dads out there had a terrific Father’s Day. Stay tuned this week for awesome James Lissimore photos from Calgary and of course, another great edit from Matt Koeleman. Have a good week!!

Three guys that had a great time in Calgary this weekend.