Monday Gate Drop

Good afternoon and thank you for tuning into this week’s Monday Gate Drop. I hope everyone had a great weekend wherever your travels took you. My weekend was amazing as we made our way east to the Ottawa area for round six of the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals. Not only was there a Pro National at the wonderful Sand Del Lee track but there was also a CMRC Ontario Provincial on Saturday so it was great to see a lot of familiar faces there from Southern Ontario. All in all it was a great weekend, and for the second week in a row we got to witness some incredible racing both on the amateur side as well as the pro side.

I don’t think there is one rider, industry person or fan that doesn’t love going to Sand Del Lee to attend a motocross race. Over the years it really has become a special place and each year when the National tour visits this facility, everyone gets very excited. Well, this past weekend was no different and from the moment of our arrival on Friday afternoon the entire property looked immaculate. Just like last week at Gopher Dunes, this weekend we were treated to a great weekend of motocross in the province of Ontario. Now to the racing!

One of the aspects of motocross that hasn’t changed over the years is the fact that a great track always provides great racing. We certainly saw this on the weekend as the SDL track was prepared perfectly. Although the track is tight and a little one lined in the infield section, that part only lasts a few corners and then the riders are back into the more wide open sections. If you’ve never been to SDL before to either watch a race or race yourself, you must put it on your bucket list as it’s one of the best tracks in Canada.

As I mentioned before when you have a great track, you almost always get great racing. We saw this in both classes on Sunday as every rider was going for it. The riders know that since we’re past the halfway point of the 2014 series, it’s time to make hay, as the saying goes. We’re far enough along now that we can begin to predict a few things. The first thing is that I’m almost certain of is that we’re going to have two new riders in 2015 wearing #1 plates. This is obviously true in the MX1 class as Brett Metcalfe isn’t racing in Canada this summer. However, in the MX2 class, it would take a miracle for Austin Politelli to win this title now. Heading into SDL he was 49 points out of lead so knew he had to win both motos to make up some ground. In moto one he did exactly that by holding off Kaven Benoit for only his second win of the season. Heading into moto two everything looked good as he lined up on the very popular inside gate.

This is motocross though and anything can happen. For Politelli, his 2014 title hopes most likely came to an end as he got stuck in the gate and had to begin moto two in dead last. While he charged like a mad man to finish an incredible 7th place and third overall on the day, he gave up a ton of points to Benoit and Vince Friese. It’s been a tough year for Politelli on a few levels. While he probably won’t repeat as MX2 Champion, it won’t be for lack of trying as he gives it 100% every time the gate drops. Also, since he keeps getting taller every time I see him, I’m thinking he might be a great 450 rider now. Maybe we’ll see him in 2015 on a big bike.

Here is the top five from yesterday in both the MX2 and MX1 classes and how they got there:

MX2:

1st Kaven Benoit- KTM (2-1)

After a really bad crash last weekend in practice at Gopher Dunes, Benoit soldiered on to finish an amazing second overall. This weekend he was still a little sore but he was almost back up to full speed. In moto one he waited patiently for Politelli to falter but it never happened so he accepted second place. In moto two he held off a hard charging Vince Friese to take the win and the overall. You can bet Benoit is excited to be heading to his home race this coming weekend in Quebec with the MX2 points lead and the red plate.

2nd Vince Friese- Honda (3-2)

It was kind of a quiet day for Friese at SDL, as he was very fast but not quite as fast as Politelli or Benoit. In moto two he closed within a few bike lengths of Benoit before he slipped out and had to settle for second. He couldn’t have been happy as he lost a couple more points to his arch rival.

3rd Austin Politelli- Kawasaki (1-7)

As I mentioned earlier, Austin knew coming in that he had to win both motos to get back into the title fight. After winning the opening moto and getting the best gate on the starting line for moto two, a happy trigger finger got Austin stuck in the gate and it was a moto of catch up. He rode amazing but lost even more valuable points to Benoit and Friese. It’s definitely been a tough year for the Monster Energy Thor Kawasaki Team in the MX2 class.

4th Jesse Wentland- Yamaha (6-4)

It was a weird day for Wentland as he was very fast but not much came of it for whatever reason. In moto one he got off to a bad start and had to charge from behind. In moto two he was flying and was ready to take the final spot on the podium; that was until he came across a very stubborn Shawn Maffenbeier who refused to let him pass. What resulted was a strange 6-4 day for the rider who won in SDL last year.

5th Shawn Maffenbeier- Yamaha (9-3)

Shawn had a great first moto going until he fell (I think). Something must’ve happened because he was running very well and then just dropped off the pace. In moto two he rode as tough as a two dollar steak to finish third. I don’t think Shawn will win this MX2 Championship this summer but it’s going to be fun watching him try. This younger version of Blair Morgan is one awesome dude.

MX1 Class:

1st Colton Facciotti- Honda (2-1)

In moto one Colton had a little trouble getting around Medaglia while Mike Alessi was pulling away out front. When he finally did get by Medaglia, Alessi was long gone and the moto was over. In moto two Colton was the fastest rider on the track. Alessi’s handlebar grip fell off at the halfway mark that ultimately slowed his pace then Colton pounced and rode off to victory and his second overall win in as many weeks. Trust me; Derek Schuster was hugging anyone who walked by after the race. It was another great day for a great team.

2nd Mike Alessi- Suzuki (1-2)

While it seems no one in motocross ever feels sorry for Alessi when things don’t go right, at SDL you couldn’t help but feel a little bad for him. Last week the issue was running out of fuel while leading the race, this week it was a loose left grip that Mike had to eventually rip off that cost him the second moto win. I personally think Colton would’ve caught Mike in moto two as Colton seemed to have a lot more game on the rough track. The grip problem might’ve saved Mike from having to admit that for the first time since Kamloops Colton was the faster rider.

3rd Tyler Medaglia- KTM (3-4)

On his former home track Tyler Medaglia once again went out, rode strong and just simply did his job. After qualifying very well and getting a good gate pick for moto one, Tyler rode two strong motos to finish third overall and more importantly, extend his points lead over fourth in the MX1 class.

4th Josh Hill- Kawasaki (5-3)

For the second week in a row Josh Hill had a so so first moto and a great second moto. In moto one he rode cautiously to finish a distant fifth place, but in moto two he hunted down Tyler in the late stages and made the pass for third. It was great ride; Hill looked extremely fast in moto two.

5th Teddy Maier- Kawasaki (4-6)

Teddy had a good day at SDL and rode strong however he was well off the pace of the leaders. Maier is very steady and will likely be one of the riders who will challenge Medaglia for third overall down the stretch. I would love to see what Teddy could do with a holeshot as he seems to settle into a pace early in each moto. Maybe a holeshot would light a fire in him and bring out just a little more speed. Hopefully we see something in the next few weekends.

On to Quebec

So there you have it from SDL, as you can tell it was a great day of racing. As we keep heading east to Quebec for the ECAN and round 7 of the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink MX Nationals this coming weekend, I for one can’t wait to see what yet another sand track brings to the series. Congratulations to Colton, Kaven and to Eve Brodeur who took her second overall in as many weeks in the CMRC East Women’s Championship. We shall see everyone in Quebec next weekend. Thanks to the entire MX101 crew for a great job at SDL. Finally, I’d like to pay tribute to my Grandma who passed away on Saturday morning just a few days shy of her 96th birthday. She had a great life and she was my last living grandparent so she will be greatly missed by all. I hope everyone has a great week!!