Good day and happy Monday to everyone! First off, let me please apologize for the tardiness of this week’s Gate Drop. After a long day yesterday at the track in Kamloops and a long overnight flight home, I needed to rest a little before scribing this. I was fortunate enough to be at Whispering Pines Raceway this past weekend for the opening round of the 2015 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals presented by Motovan. As with opening day in any sport, yesterday was filled with excitement and nervousness from everyone involved. For the riders, all of their off-season work was put to the test, and with the conditions they had to face yesterday, those who skipped any steps in their preparation definitely paid the price.
For the past number of seasons the opening round has taken place on Vancouver Island where the air is mostly cool and moist. Racing the first round in Nanaimo has never presented the type of test that the riders faced on Sunday. The sandy Whispering Pines track was extremely rough for round one and the temperatures were hot as they exceeded 30c. As they should be, the first four motos of 2015 were a true test of body and spirit.
Coming into this weekend there were a few questions surrounding more than one of our top riders. Last year’s MX1 Champion, Colton Facciotti, was coming into Kamloops still not completely recovered from his off season injury suffered while training in Georgia. His teammate, Jeremy Medaglia, was also coming in a little sore as he reportedly had a pretty good crash a few weeks ago. The other two teammates who were entering the first round not quite 100% were Rockstar Energy Drink OTSFF Yamaha’s Matt Goerke and Shawn Maffenbeier. Both Yamaha riders suffered untimely injuries just over a month ago that altered they way they wanted to prepare for the summer of 2015. However, all of these guys are professionals and regardless of the hurdles they were forced to jump over heading into Kamloops, all of them lined up and hoped to have a good start to the 2015 series.
With the above mentioned hot temperatures and the rough track, I can honestly say that this was one of the toughest opening rounds of the Canadian Nationals in recent memory. There was just simply nowhere to hide for the riders once the gate dropped. Regardless of where you finished yesterday in Kamloops, by the end of the two thirty minute motos your tank was empty. But don’t take it from me, I was only on the sidelines baking in the hot Kamloops sun. Let’s hear from a few riders who survived round one.
Dylan Wright- Canada’s Motorcycle FXR Racing MX101 Yamaha – 6th Overall MX2
I was pretty happy with how today went. Obviously with it being the first round I just wanted to come here and see where I stood. I was very happy with my speed today, I thought I deserved a little better than a 6th overall, but I’ll take it. In the first moto I had a little tip over late in the moto which cost me a better finish. In moto two I was again running in the top five but for some reason I got a little arm pump and ended up jumping off the track. After that I backed it down a little and finished the best I could. The track was really nasty today and it was really hot so I was happy with how I did. Like I said, I was happy with my speed and I feel like I can run up front.
Kris Keefer- Canada’s Motorcycle FXR Racing MX101 Yamaha- 21st Overall MX2
Today definitely didn’t go the way I thought it would go, that’s for sure. I didn’t qualify very well this morning so my gate pick wasn’t great for moto one. I didn’t get a great start and then after about ten minutes into the first moto my bike started making some funny noises, it almost felt
like it was detonating. It didn’t go away so I just backed it down because I didn’t want to blow the team’s equipment in my first race with them.
In moto two, I went down early and then that was kind of it, I don’t even know what I made it up to but it wasn’t very good. These guys are definitely fast and they don’t give an inch. This week we’re hanging out in BC so I’ll try to make some adjustments and try and do better in Nanaimo.
Jeremy Medaglia- Honda Canada GDR Team- 2nd Overall MX2
I feel pretty good with how today went. Obviously it’s been along time since I last raced a dirt bike, but all things considered I thought it was a great day. My GDR Honda worked great today and I was able to get great starts and stay out of trouble. In moto one I had to dig deep during the final few laps to hold off Kaven, I actually didn’t even know he was there until I heard him beside me. There was no way I was going to give him second so I held strong and beat him to the line.
In moto two I again got a great start and rode strong to finish second again. I would’ve liked to have battled with Jimmy a little bit today but you have to hand it to him, he was fast, strong and rode well. This week we’re all staying in BC to train and do some Honda Ride Days, it’s going to be fun. I’m really looking forward to Nanaimo next weekend and we’ll go there and try to keep it going.
Bobby Kiniry- Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha- 7th Overall MX1
Today was definitely not the day I was looking for, without a doubt. I thought the first moto was okay and I could see the leaders for the entire moto as they weren’t that far ahead. Then before moto two we made some changes to the bike and I thought we were going in the right direction. I was able to get the holeshot and right away I knew we had made mistake. It was my fault as I should’ve known better, but from there I just struggled for the entire moto. I’m really disappointed in myself as I thought I should’ve done much better. That’s racing though as we’ll go home, regroup and come back next weekend to try to do much better. I’d really like to thank my team, especially my new mechanic Ken. I put him through the ringer this weekend and he couldn’t have been better.
Jimmy Decotis- Canada’s Motorcycle FXR MX101 Yamaha
I can’t tell you how happy I am right now. Today went about as good as a day could go. Coming into the first round I knew I’d be fast but I didn’t really know where I would stand. Even after the first moto today I knew I had some good luck so when Benoit got the lead at the start of moto two, I was pretty anxious to see how his speed would be. Unfortunately he made a mistake on the first lap and I was able to get by and go for the win. The track and the heat were extremely tough today and it definitely wasn’t easy for any of us out there.
It was a great day and I’d really like to thank the team for bringing me up to Canada. I’m so grateful for this opportunity and I plan to make the most of it. I know that not every weekend is going to go as smoothly as this one, however I’m going to work hard and try to keep this red plate right through to the east.
Obviously that is just a sample of the riders who competed yesterday in Kamloops. Although it was only round one, a few riders made some serious statements yesterday including Decotis, Tyler Medaglia and Brett Metcalfe, who I spoke to at length yesterday after the race for an interview that will be up on www.mxpmag.com tomorrow. It was a pretty awesome beginning to the 2015 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals presented by Motovan, and one that all of the riders won’t soon forget. From Kamloops the riders will now recover and move West to beautiful Vancouver Island for round two in Nanaimo, BC. Believe it or not the temperatures are again supposed to be very hot this coming weekend so even though the Wastelands track doesn’t get that rough, it will still be another tough race. I can also tell you that the riders I mentioned earlier who have battled through some injuries heading into this series, they all looked great yesterday. Facciotti, Goerke, Maffenbeier and Medaglia all seem to have recovered and will no doubt be battling for moto wins very soon. Since the track in Nanaimo is a favourite of Facciotti’s, we’re sure that he is very excited to get back on the podium.
That is it for me this week. The opening round lived up to all expectations and was very exciting to watch. This is definitely going to be an incredible series as it moves across the country. After a few days at home for me this week, on Wednesday I’m heading to Indianapolis for the media launch of the 2016 KTM Off-Road models. On Thursday and Friday all of the North American media will be riding at the new National track in Crawfordville, IN. There, we will be riding all of the 2016 motocross and XC models, and I can’t wait. It’s going to be an awesome couple of days so look for a full report next week on what you can expect from KTM in 2016. I hope everyone has a great week, and be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram for all of the coverage from round two in Nanaimo. Finally, congratulations to Kennedy Lutz and Casey Keast as they both won the opening rounds of the CMRC Western Canadian Women’s Nationals and the KTM Western Canadian Super Mini Nationals.
