Monday Gate Drop

With eight rounds now complete in the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals, we’re definitely in the home stretch of this entertaining series. With record crowds yesterday, the Riverglade National was the best all season as fans could be seen lining the fences in every section of the track. The huge crowd was not disappointed as the racing on the track was fast and exciting. After a few off weeks, by their standards, the Moto Concepts Smartop Team let everyone know that they’re not done yet by winning both classes yesterday. Mike Alessi and Vince Friese came into round eight more than 20 points behind in the points standings in the MX1 and MX2 class. Their only option was to let it all hang out and go for the win. This is exactly what they did, and for our eastern fans whom are some of the most passionate in the country about this sport, got treated to some incredible racing.

For a little different spin on my Monday Gate Drop, here is yesterday’s top ten in both classes and how they got there. Both the MX1 and the MX2 classes are both going to go down to the final round at Walton Raceway in just two weeks. It will no doubt be an exciting finale to what has been a great 2014 series. We also want to send our thoughts to Jeremy Medaglia who crashed hard in moto one yesterday and ended up breaking his collarbone. All the best to Jeremy as it’s been a tough year for him; this only adds to it. Heal up quick Jeremy and we’re sure we’ll see you on the line in BC to defend your Arenacross Championship in a few months.

MX2:

1. Vince Friese 2-2

After the last three races in the sand, Vince Friese looked very happy to be back on a hard packed track. Although he didn’t win a moto in Moncton, he rode great, especially in the late stages of moto two when he made a great pass on Maffenbeier for second place. This well executed pass secured him the overall win for the day.

2. Kaven Benoit 1-4

It was definitely a gutsy call yesterday riding the two-stroke on the very slippery Riverglade track. However, with a few minor changes to the bike to help it hook up better, Benoit dominated the first moto with a big win. In moto two he didn’t get the best of starts, and when he lost his goggles at the halfway point, the MX2 points leader had to settle for fourth.

3. Jesse Wentland 6-1

If it hadn’t been for some bad luck in moto one when he collided with a lapper while running in fourth, Wentland might’ve had the overall win yesterday. This is motocross though and sometimes crazy things happen. In moto two he took the lead early and never looked back. It was a great win for Wentland and his MX101 Yamaha Team who have been suffering some bad luck recently.

4. Shawn Maffenbeier 3-3

If I was sending a Tweet about Maffenbeier’s rides every weekend I would use these hash tags #steady #rocksolid #gettingthejobdone #classact #willwinatwalton. These all describe Shawn and how his 2014 season is going.

5. Topher Ingalls 4-5

After getting pretty good starts at Riverglade, Ingalls got to run at the front of the pack in the MX2 class for the first time in a few weeks. Although he didn’t have the speed of the top four riders, he held tough to finish a very well deserved fifth overall.

6. Liam O’Farrell 5-6

For the second week in a row Liam O’Farrell rode very well and at times it looked as though he would finish on the podium again. A couple of little bobbles and a track that maybe wasn’t suited to two-strokes, it kept this fan favourite out of the top five. It was still a pretty decent result considering he separated his shoulder three weeks ago at Gopher Dunes. It should also be noted that I told Liam yesterday that a 5-6 moto score would be a pretty good day for him on the slippery Riverglade track.

7. Dylan Wright 7-7

Although his moto scores say 7-7, I believe that Dylan’s day was a little better than that. Riding a pretty stock YZF 250, Dylan rode strong in both motos. With this ride he was able to crawl back into the top ten in the MX2 points standings. Dylan needs a few more of these consistent days to finish out his rookie year in the pro class.

8. Seth Rarick 10-8

I didn’t see much of Seth’s day at Riverglade but when I did see him he was riding as smooth as usual. Each weekend he has been fast but he just can’t seem to stay in the top five on a consistent basis. Currently he sits in sixth place in the MX2 points, which is pretty impressive for the rider from New York State.

9. Sylvain Le Gad 9-9

This quiet kid from Quebec had yet another consistent day at the track yesterday. Each weekend he seems to be gaining speed and experience, and it won’t be long before he gets near the top five.

10. Kyle Swanson 8-10

After his great season last year, which had more than a few people talking about how well Swanson would do in 2014, Kyle has struggled so far this summer. I haven’t spoken to him so I can’t comment on what has been the issue but after eight rounds he isn’t even in the top ten in series points. Kyle’s a good kid so hopefully he can put in a few more good rides in the next two weekends, like his eighth in moto one yesterday.

MX1:

1. Mike Alessi 1-1

Speed wise, Alessi has certainly played second fiddle to Colton Facciotti in the last two weekends. However, yesterday at Riverglade Mike got the 800 train back on track and dominated both motos. After holeshotting both MX1 races, Mike rode well and did everything he had to do to win the overall and make up some much needed points in the title chase. He now sits 21 points back from Colton with four motos to go.

2. Colton Facciotti 2-2

Coming into this weekend I kind of figured that the Riverglade track would suit Alessi a little more than Colton. With its harder packed soil and very few bumps I’m quite sure Colton would’ve liked it to become more physically challenging. With Alessi out front early in both motos and Colton back in fourth, the chance of winning was pretty much gone. Colton rode very well though and limited the damage with a second overall.

3. Bobby Kiniry 3-5

With the tough year that Bobby K has had this year it was great to see him up on the podium in the first moto. Bobby is a fan favourite; everyone wants to see him do well. With two rounds to go he sits well back in the points standing so the remaining four motos are all about pride, something Bobby has plenty of so look for him to be up front in Ulverton and Walton.

4. Kyle Chisholm 5-4

Known more for his sand skills, you wouldn’t think that the Riverglade track would suit Chisholm at all. However, he rode strong, especially in moto two when he battled with his OTSFF teammate to finish fourth. I don’t think you’ll see Chisholm back here in 2015 so if you’re a Kyle Chisholm fan you’d better get out to the final two rounds to see him ride.

5. Josh Hill 8-3

Like we’ve seen a few times this season, Josh had a bad first moto and an awesome second moto at Riverglade. After being forced to stop at the mechanics area for a new pair of goggles (his lens was blown out by a rock) early in moto one, Josh battled back to eighth and was the only rider to consistently jump the Klatt-a-pult in both motos. In moto two, Josh started up front and actually held Colton off for 25 minutes. I would say that Hill has been the biggest surprise in 2014 as he’s not only been fast, but also very fit. Hopefully he comes back up here again next year.

6. Teddy Maier 4-6

Steady Teddy once again did what he always does, rode strong and consistent all day to finish sixth overall. Teddy was very fast yesterday as evident by his fourth in moto one. A bad start in moto two had him playing catch up, and by the time he got into sixth, the top five were long gone.

7. Tyler Medaglia 7-7

The biggest mystery of the day was definitely Tyler Medaglia as he struggled to a distant seventh overall. I know he didn’t get the best of starts all day, and with the track being very even for everyone, it wasn’t easy to catch up. Tyler has a big heart so perhaps seeing his younger brother crash in the first MX2 moto detuned him for the rest of the day. Whatever the reasons, I’m sure it was a quiet drive back to Truro last night. Tyler is still third in points so look for him to bounce back strong this coming weekend in Quebec.

8. Dylan Kaelin 6-8

Dylan has quietly been having a great season so far and yesterday was a typical day for him. He got decent starts, rode smooth and strong, and found himself once again in the top ten. The one thing that hasn’t happened yet this summer is that one ride that leaves everyone talking. Hopefully he can do it in the next two weeks as this kid deserves to get a sniff of the podium.

9. Morgan Burger 9-9

Burger once again rode to a quiet top ten finish as he’s done many times in 2014. At Riverglade he had to do it the hard way as he didn’t get the best starts and had to battle from behind. This would’ve been hard as many riders were complaining how bad the roost hurt.

10. Nathan Bles 11-10

As he’s been doing at every round in the east, Nathan rode very well yesterday to finish in the top ten. In moto one he got off to a second place start and it looked like having to run that really fast pace tired Nathan out a little bit. In moto two he bounced back with a tenth. With two rounds left, Nathan is 20 points out of tenth place in the MX1 series points standings. A top ten number would be a very impressive feat for 2014.

So that is it from the famous Riverglade National for another year. Now it’s on to another famous track in Ulverton, Quebec. The series hasn’t visited Ulverton for over a decade so it’s great to be going back. The track there is hilly and sandy so it’s definitely going to get rough. With both the MX1 and the MX2 classes still up for grabs, every point is critical with four motos left. The next few weeks are definitely going to be exciting as the series heads back west to Quebec and Ontario. I also want to send a huge congratulations to all the Canadian riders who killed it last week at Loretta Lynn’s. You all had this entire country checking the results daily to follow your progress and you didn’t let us down. Way to go on a job well done! Finally, our 2014 MXON Team was announced yesterday at Riverglade. Our team for Latvia in September will consist of Tyler Medaglia, Kaven Benoit and Colton Facciotti. This is a great team and I’m sure they’ll represent Canada with pride and class, and also I think they have a great opportunity to have one of the best finishes for Canada in a long time. Go Canada!!