Goerke and Benoit extend points lead at Deschambault

Round 7 of the Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals presented by Motovan in Deschambault, QC was the domain of Matt Goerke in MX1 and Kaven Benoit in MX2. Both riders extended their respective points leads as the series begins to wind down with three rounds left on the schedule.

While Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s Goerke faced epic battles on his way to claim the overall with 2-1 motos, Royal Distributing Fox KTM’s Kaven Benoit continued his domination of the eastern leg of the MX2 title hunt with yet another perfect score. It was the Notre-Dame-du-Bon Conseil, QC native’s third consecutive clean sweep, much to the delight of a home province crowd.

In the volatile MX1 class, Monster Energy Thor Kawasaki’s Brett Metcalfe took home second overall on the strength of hard earned 3-2 motos. Honda Canada GDR’s Colton Facciotti nailed down third overall thanks to 1-5 motos. Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s Shawn Maffenbeier grabbed second overall in MX2 on the strength of 5-2

motos. Devils Lake Yamaha’s Blake Savage sealed the podium with his 3-4 results. It was the Utah native’s first time on the box this season.

With the thermometer reaching a high of only 23°C, the weather at Deschambault was a lot more racing friendly compared to one week ago in Richmond, ON. Although some rain fell in the morning, it stayed dry the rest of the day but it took the sun until mid-afternoon to break through the cloud cover.

MX1

The first MX1 Royal Distributing holeshot was claimed by Goerke, followed into turn one by Devils Lake Yamaha’s Kyle Swanson, Royal Distributing Fox KTM’s Cole Thompson, Facciotti and Parts Canada Husqvarna’s Tyler Medaglia.

Although Goerke poured on the gas up front, he was unable to break away from the chase group, which included Thompson, Facciotti, and Medaglia. Swanson, riding his first race for Devils Lake Yamaha, disappeared from the top five and eventually finished eighth. Up front the action was furious with the top five only seconds apart. Brett Metcalfe, who started in eighth place, quickly worked his way into the top five to hunt down fourth-running Medaglia.

Just before the halfway mark Facciotti got by Thompson and set out to chase Goerke. By this time Goerke had squeezed out a three second lead. With lappers becoming a factor in the race, he was able to stretch this to eight seconds. But with less than two laps to go Goerke got caught up in heavy lapper traffic allowing Facciotti not only to catch up, but grab the lead and take the moto win.

Metcalfe, meanwhile, had relegated Thompson to fourth place and was also able to capitalize on the lappers situation and close in on Goerke. On the final lap Metcalfe was neck and neck with Goerke. Despite pinning the throttle Metcalfe was unable to make a pass on Goerke, who was equally on the gas. The duo followed Facciotti across the finish line almost four seconds later. Thompson greeted the checkered flag some 30 seconds behind Metcalfe. Medaglia, looking at 22 seconds worth of real estate behind Thompson, sealed the top five.

The second moto Royal Distributing holeshot was hammered down by Facciotti with Thompson, Goerke, Metcalfe, Medaglia and Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s Bobby Kiniry following him closely into turn one. Three laps later, after making contact with Goerke, Metcalfe moved into third place. On lap six the Australian blasted past Thompson to take second. The stage was now set for what would evolve into hair-raising battles for podium finishes all the way to the checkered flag.

Goerke, not to be denied, followed Metcalfe’s example and stuck a pass on Thompson to take third. Although Facciotti had accumulated a seven-second lead by the time Metcalfe took over second spot, it was reduced to just a split second within the next two laps. Goerke, meanwhile, was closing in on them like a bolt of lightning.

With lappers now contributing the usual havoc, Facciotti had to unexpectedly apply the brakes to avoid contact. This inadvertently resulted in Metcalfe nicking the multi-time champ’s rear tire. While Metcalfe stayed on two wheels, Facciotti went down for a soil sample and saw his lead go out the window. It was Goerke’s turn to capitalize on the situation: a second or so behind Metcalfe, he was able to blitz his way from third place into the lead.

By the time Facciotti remounted he found himself in fifth place behind Thompson and Medaglia, who would record third and fourth respectively at the finish line. Up front the race for first was not over. With five laps left in the moto, Metcalfe was all over Goerke, looking at no more than a one to two second gap between himself and the leader. The archrivals evoked such a blistering pace on their way to the finish line they gapped Thompson by 43 seconds. With 4-3 finishes Thompson took home fourth overall on the day while Medaglia cemented the top five on the strength of 5-4 results.

For Monster Energy Thor Kawasaki’s Teddy Maier, seventh in the points going into Deschambault, the season unfortunately ended prematurely during the first moto. On lap seven the two-time MX2 champion crashed hard, which resulted in a broken wrist for the Des Moines, Iowa native.

MX2

Kaven Benoit nailed the first moto Royal Distributing holeshot – his fifth consecutive holeshot since Round 5 – and once again led wire to wire. He took off like a rocket, putting up to 11 seconds worth of real estate between himself and second place. Following Benoit into turn one to complete the top five chase group were Honda Canada GDR’s Jeremy Medaglia, Devils Lake Yamaha’s Blake Savage, Canada’s Motorcycles FXR Yamaha’s Jimmy Decotis, Suzuki privateer Bobby Piazza, and GA Checkpoint Yamaha’s Brad Nauditt.

While Benoit was busy thrilling his home province crowd with a superior ride up front, Medaglia started experiencing a technical issue that saw him back-paddle until he pulled off the track on lap seven. Piazza had already encountered the same fate, except his bike problem ended his race on lap six. This development reshuffled the battle for a podium finish, with Decotis taking over second place on lap three. Savage, whom he had to pass first, settled into third place. Both Decotis and Savage held their positions until the finish line.

Behind them an intense skirmish ensued for fourth place between Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s Shawn Maffenbeier and Canada’s Motorcycles FXR Yamaha’s Dylan Wright. With Medaglia and Piazza disappearing from the front-running group, Maffenbeier, who had started in seventh place, took over fourth around the halfway point of the moto. Wright, who started in ninth, took over fifth around the same time. On lap 10 Wright managed to stick a pass on Maffenbeier and at that time the top five were sealed.

An on fire Benoit snared the second moto Royal Distributing holeshot to claim his third consecutive Triple Crown Award. Although a bobble by Benoit allowed Pettis, who started second, to take over the lead, Benoit was back up front within seconds. Like he has done in the preceding three rounds, the defending champion checked out and never looked back to take his fifth overall win of the season.

Behind him Maffenbeier, who started third, displaced Pettis from second place by the end of lap one and the first two podium slots were secured till the finish line. Maffenbeier rode his own race to finish ten seconds behind Benoit. Pettis occupied third for half the race and then held fifth place until the last lap when Dylan Wright, who started in 12th place, snatched it away.

Decotis, who got caught in a first turn scramble, sliced and diced his way into the top 10 from 17th place by the halfway point of the moto. Like Wright, he also got by Pettis on the last lap to grab sixth at the finish line. With 2-6 finishes the Boston, Massachusetts native recorded fourth overall on the day. Wright sealed the top five overall thanks to his 4-5 motos.

Among the other top starters in moto two were Nauditt and Savage, but only Savage would finish in the top five. The Utah native occupied fourth place from lap two onwards and stayed there till the checkered flag. Nauditt faded back over the course of the moto to finish ninth.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Medaglia, who started around 10th place, clawed his way into third around the halfway point of the moto and stayed there till the end. Due to his first moto DNF, the Richmond, ON native finished a tepid 13th overall and dropped from second in the current points rankings to third.

Overall Results – Round 7

MX1

1. Matt Goerke (Yam) 2-1

2. Brett Metcalfe (Kaw) 3-2

3. Colton Facciotti (Honda) 1-5

4. Cole Thompson (KTM) 4-3

5. Tyler Medaglia (Husq) 5-4

6. Bobby Kiniry (Yam) 6-6

7. Tim Tremblay (Yam) 9-7

8. Kyle Swanson (Yam) 8-8

9. Kyle Keast (Hon) 10-11

10. Dylan Schmoke (KTM) 14-9

MX2

1. Kaven Benoit (KTM) 1-1

2. Shawn Maffenbeier (Yam) 5-2

3. Blake Savage (Yam) 3-4

4 Jimmy Decotis (Yam) 2-6

5. Dylan Wright (Yam) 4-5

6. Jesse Pettis (Yam) 8-7

7. Brad Nauditt (Yam) 7-9

8. Cole Martinez (Kaw) 6-12

9. Liam O’Farrell (KTM) 9-10

10. Dustin Creson (Yam) 10-14

MX1 points after 7 of 10 rounds

1. Matt Goerke 378 pts

2. Brett Metcalfe 356 3. Colton Facciotti 349 4. Cole Thompson 312 5. Tyler Medaglia 303 6. Bobby Kiniry 269

7. Cade Clason 227 8. Kyle Keast 222

9. Teddy Maier 209 10. Dylan Schmoke 176

MX2 points after 7 of 10 rounds

1. Kaven Benoit 397 pts

2. Jimmy Decotis 334

3. Jeremy Medaglia 318

4. Shawn Maffenbeier 280

5. Blake Savage 277

6. Dylan Wright 271

7. Morgan Burger 241

8. Brad Nauditt 227

9. Jesse Pettis 198

10. Dustin Creson 170

About Rockstar: Rockstar Energy Drink is designed for those who lead active lifestyles – from Athletes to Rockstars. Available in over 20 flavors at convenience and grocery outlets in over 30 countries, Rockstar supports the Rockstar lifestyle across the globe through Action Sports, Motor Sports, and Live Music. For more information visit: www.ca.rockstarenergy.com

Find us at: www.facebook.com/RockstarCanada ~ www.twitter.com/Rockstar69CAN ~ www.instagram.com/rockstarenergycanada ~ www.YouTube.com/Rockstar