As the 2017 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals wrapped its western swing last weekend in Regina, there was definitely more than one news story. On Saturday, the CMRC Western Canadian Women’s Nationals had its fourth and final round, and once again we watched Shelby Turner and Lexi Pechout battle it out for the Championship. These two female warriors were never that far apart during their eight exciting motos, so it was no surprise that the title went down to the final round. Another cool thing that maybe most people don’t know is that right after their motos on Saturday, Shelby and Lexi headed back west to Calgary to compete in the Red Bull Rocks and Logs event at Wild Rose Cycle Park. All of the riders in the Western Women’s Series gave it everything they had, and they certainly made Saturday’s pretty exciting at the track.
On Sunday in Regina, it was the men’s turn to shine, and shine they did. In the MX2 class, it was KTM Thor Racing rider Cole Thompson who made a strong statement in the final western round by winning both motos. For the first four rounds, Thompson was a model of consistency while the riders behind him were anything but. In most of the motos out west, Thompson was admittedly not the fastest rider but he did what he had to do to get the job done. As the MX2 series now moves east to more than likely much more challenging conditions, Cole is definitely in the driver’s seat.
The final rider to make the cut for this week’s FXR Racing Tuesday Top Performers is Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s Matt Goerke. Coming into this series, I think everyone could agree that Goerke would come out swinging at Kamloops, a track he’s ridden so well at in the past. But, whether it was nerves, illness, or improper bike set-up, Goerke struggled at Round 1 and appeared visibly frustrated at the end of the day. At Round 2, I think every rider was on a level playing field as no one had been to the Blackwater MX Track before. Goerke was much better there and almost won both motos. The next week in Calgary, on a track that didn’t appear to suit Goerke, he was extremely fast and took the overall win and the red plate from Christopher Pourcel. Then, this past weekend in Regina, on another anti-Goerke track, the Yamaha rider was relentless and held off Pourcel for 99% of both MX1 motos. If it wasn’t for a freak chain derailment with a few corners to go in Moto 2, Goerke would’ve won both motos and taken a decent points lead into his favourite track, Gopher Dunes. I never thought that Goerke was capable of riding that well on hard packed tracks like Calgary and Regina. Riding these types of tracks well takes a lot of throttle control and patience, two things Goerke is not known for. However, he made up for these inadequacies with absolute sheer speed and determination. With a few of his favourite tracks coming up in the next month, look for Goerke to be even better. With both he and Pourcel currently back home in hot and humid Florida preparing for the eastern rounds, these two will no doubt continue their battle at Round 5 in Gopher Dunes.